Podcast pre-production: a checklist

Think about your favourite podcasts. There’s a lot of different formats that work for different topics and audiences. 

Some are spontaneous chats that don’t need much prep, others are well researched, discussing topical issues or giving expert advice or opinion. Some have guests, who will have been briefed on talking points.

In preparation for launching a new podcast for the Together For Healthy Bone Marrow Alliance, we used its recent report into living with a rare disease to structure each episode. We focused the topics around what the audience felt most strongly about. We were then able to source guests from the community of active members and spoke to them directly about their personal experiences ahead of recording.

Once you know your format you’ll know how much pre-production time you’ll need to put in, but as a guide, here’s our checklist:

📅 Plan at least the first six episodes. If your topic isn’t time sensitive - for example, reacting to breaking news or commenting on current issues, then think about recording several episodes in advance so you can get into the swing of a regular publishing schedule.

🙋‍♀️ Source guests and work out if you can record them as part of a live recording, or if they’ll be interviewed remotely and edited into the package once you’ve recorded the main content of the podcast.

💬 Run a ‘pre-production’ meeting for each episode, where everyone involved is briefed on talking points, logistics and how the recording process will work. This is especially useful for making sure guests feel at ease and comfortable ahead of recording.

📄 Create a script - but this should be built around talking points rather than something to read word for word. A good podcast script makes sure you don’t forget anything important, but gives everyone space to talk in their own authentic voice during recording.

💻 Write out a recording schedule or plan so everyone involved knows where, when, who and what.

🎧 Consider a producer to keep everything running smoothly from pre-production, recording and through to post-production.