Podcasts are a strange old beast, and everyone has opinions. They tell you that you're talking too fast, or too slowly - they think the content is too generic, or too specific. And don't even get me started on the problem of Headphone Hair. Maybe later….

I'd never done a podcast until 2020 and now I've done about 35, give or take. Some have been straightforward, conversational, 'one take' podcasts - and others have included selecting the best clips from four different interviews, recording my own links and trying to create a decent narrative that people find compelling to listen to.

Whichever type of podcast you do, they all take time and effort to get right.

I've enjoyed doing them all, but it has been a mildly terrifying learning curve at times. Trying to master multiple new technologies (to me, at least) while concentrating on getting a good flow, and delivering strong content, has been tough at times. I'm learning, but I know I still have a long way to go.

Many of the podcasts I've done have been about responses to climate change, and how businesses can be more sustainable. I always try my best to avoid jargon and rather than assuming that people know exactly what net zero, or sustainability, mean, I ask the people I'm interviewing to explain. I think every podcast needs a simple starting-point, a clear reason for being.

One podcast I did recently discussed sustainable or ESG investing. It was very refreshing that the two interviewees started from the premise that this is complex stuff, and littered with jargon. So right from the start, they spoke in simple language and talked through the topic in a structured, easy-to-follow way.

That was also the case in a podcast about whether Scotland can meet its net zero targets by 2045. I tried - and hopefully succeeded - to get the interviewees to be really practical and clear in explaining what needs to be done. I'm not a big fan of abstract discussions - I like nitty-gritty.

To get to the nitty-gritty, I start by asking what some people might think are dumb questions. We can debate all day whether there is such a thing as a dumb question, but I see no conflict between getting the basics covered early, then going into detail. If I'm listening to a podcast, I like the scene to be set clearly and concisely - so that's what I try to do.

Now the ugly bit.

There are some things with podcasts you don't foresee - the unknown unknowns, if you like. This definitely includes Headphone Hair.

I'm not especially well-endowed, follically speaking, but I still have enough hair left to look like an ageing Billy Whizz when the big headphones come off at the end of a podcast. Luckily, no-one can see me and normally sticking my head under the tap for a few seconds allows me to flatten down the vertical - at least until the next time.

• The podcasts mentioned above are part of the Sustainable Scotland series and should be live and on the podcast page of this site by the time you read this