The world is awash with podcasts.

Most organisations have dabbled in some way, often prompted by lockdown-induced podcast fever. But have they always stopped to think ‘Why am I doing this? What’s the benefit?’

No, of course not.

Some organisations are doing podcasts because their competitors are doing them, or simply because they think they should.

Do they stop to consider if there is an audience out there interested in what they are saying? Do they focus very squarely on high-quality, engaging content? Not always, no.

So that’s my first P of Podcasts - Purpose.

Why are you doing this? Who is it for? What is the benefit for you and your clients?

Time and effort is needed to produce a good podcast so make sure you understand the purpose clearly - and if it’s just a vanity project, don’t bother.

All the other Ps flow from understanding the Podcast Purpose.

The second P is Preparation. It sounds obvious, but does everyone involved know what is expected of them? Do they know the plan? Do they know if it’s a conversational podcast or a clipped podcast with contributions by different people edited together with a narrative thread? If not, it’s more likely the end product will be a bit shoddier than it needs to be. Give everyone a clear briefing well before the recording. Don’t just land a brief on them at the last minute - some people can wing it and be brilliant with little or no prep. Most can’t.

But ensure your participants don’t over-prepare. Ask them to work from bullet-points, not read from a script. Listeners can tell if contributions are over-scripted and it can sound really naff.

The third P is Participants. They need to be right, they need to have something interesting and engaging to say. Just because someone is an expert in their field doesn’t mean they will be good on a podcast. They might bore for Britain.

If in doubt, have a run-through. This gives you the chance to suggest that (for example) reading breathlessly for 10 minutes from a pre-prepared script without pause does not make a good podcast.

This can be tricky territory. What if the person you think is rubbish is actually the Managing Director, CEO or founder of an organisation? What if everyone else tells them how brilliant they are, even if they are rubbish?

Also, make sure participants are prepared in terms of their surroundings.

I once recorded a podcast where there was a strange slobbering noise in the background. We stopped the recording and asked what it was. The participant said that her dog was under her desk - and as the podcast was not about slobbering, under-desk dogs, the hound was removed.

Two minutes later, the dog-slobbering was replaced by loud hammering and banging. “I’m sorry, the builders are in the house today,” the participant said.

By that point, it was clear that the Preparation by this Participant had been Poor with a capital P. Everyone else was distracted - and that particular podcast was later re-recorded.

P Number 4 is Personality - giving the podcast a bit of life. Even if it is a corporate podcast designed for a specific audience, and has to meet brand guidelines and be passed by the compliance team, that doesn’t mean it has to be boring. [However hard the compliance team might try].

The presenter is very important in this respect. You’re not looking for someone to channel their best children’s TV “Hey, guys!!” schtick, but you do want a bit of energy and humour. A good presenter will lift a podcast with their own contribution, but also engage all the other participants and get them talking in an engaging, interesting and open way, ideally off-script.

I find that the personality element can vary from when you record a podcast and your frame of mind at the time. I once recorded my introduction and pay-off first thing in the morning, around 730am, as I had a very busy day ahead.

At the time, I thought it was all fine - but when the first edit came back, I sounded flat and dull, rather like the Reverend I M Jolly. (For those culturally bemused by that reference, watch this).

I drank six cups of coffee and re-recorded.

On that point, don’t be afraid to re-record during a podcast. If a contributor drones on and is REALLY boring, tell them there is a glitch in the connection (or a similar crap excuse) and ask the question again. Gently tell them to remember what you said earlier about brevity and enthusiasm. If they don’t improve, you can always trim the dull section, or cut it entirely. Or press the nuclear button and say you want someone different to do it.

My final P is Positivity. By that, I don’t mean that everything has to be shiny and perfect and wrapped up in a red ribbon. I mean that there should be something obvious for people to take away - the podcast should end with a strong message, a call to action, something useful, a next step. Don’t just tail off, don’t just leave something hanging - make sure there is a strong pay-off, a clear ‘take-away’, as they say (whoever “they” are). The podcast itself can be full of challenges and discussions about difficult topics, but end with at least some reference to opportunities and solutions.

So that’s my 5 Ps of Podcasting - Purpose, Preparation, Participants, Personality and Positivity. [You also need a good Presenter and a great Producer, but I think that goes without saying].

I’ll need to listen back to some of the podcasts I ‘ve presented to see if they deliver on the 5 Ps. Hopefully, they won’t make me think of another P - Pish.

People make active decisions and take time to listen to podcasts - so give them a good reason to listen to yours.