Preparing Solo Episodes That Convert
You need to do more solo episodes, especially if you are using your podcast to market your business, but understandably so, there are many anxieties that come with it. Are you afraid that if you do solo episodes, you'll ramble on for too long with awkward sounds talking to yourself?
Most hosts do, which is why there is a shortage of podcasts featuring solo episodes, but this is a shame. Solo episodes are the key to successfully marketing your business and thought leadership.
This post will go through a simple episode structure that will help you plan your solo episode quickly and effectively. If you follow this structure, you are sure to have an easy-to-follow, yet effective script your audience will love.
In the United States, the commonly taught structure of an essay contains five paragraphs. Your solo episodes are no different! The structure is as follows:
An Introduction of your episode is composed of your hook, your background, and your orienting statement.
3 (or so) body paragraphs are your points supporting your topic.
A conclusion paragraph is your summary and call to action.
Introduction
There are three major components within an introduction that are essential to preparing your audience for the main points of your podcast, with the first being a hook.
Before even introducing your audience to any of your arguments, you need to capture their attention and make them want to stay. This is where the hook comes in, which is the first couple of sentences.
A really easy hook to try is asking a question. Something like "Have you ever struggled with XYZ? If yes, this episode is for you." This is my basic one, and it works well every time. Once you're more comfortable with the formula, you can get more experimental, such as using bold statements that you know will subvert their expectations. This will ensure they stay for the entirety of the episode and come back for more.
You may feel inclined to do so to incorporate more personality of yourself, but you're going to do that later in the episodes through the stories you tell. With this hook, though, you want to jump straight into the episode. This makes sure that you're capturing people's attention and keeping them interested.
Secondly, just like the intro of your five-paragraph essay, you need to include enough background for the listener and you to be on the same page. This could look like sharing definitions, a short story about how you landed on this topic, or it could be an analogy that sets up an easy comparison in their mind.
My default analogies compare my topic to going to the gym or to dating. By tapping into common experiences, your audience can better relate to your message by picturing themselves doing the same action.
The third aspect to include in your script and your outline for this solo episode is an orienting statement. Your orienting statement is a promise to your listener. You are promising that you will cover a specific topic and that they will walk away with something.
This orienting statement becomes the guide for the rest of your episode for both you and your audience, so as you continue keep going back to your orienting statement and asking yourself if you're on track. Usually it sounds like "In this episode, I will talk about X, Y, and Z."
The hook, background, and orienting statement are the three parts of an introduction. Easy enough! Now, let’s move on to the body of the episode.
Body of Your Episode
The “body” is the meat of the episode. It is where your three paragraphs come into play and what the listener is truly there for. Therefore, you want to make it engaging and elaborate, while also making it easily understandable. For every point in your episode, ensure you explain it clearly from a technical standpoint, like giving a definition or explaining how something works. This is a great spot to add a statistic or any research you've found that supports your point. Then, include an example or a story.
Your listener will walk away with a stronger understanding of each of your points when you connect it to a story or to an analogy that they understand. A story will always stick in a listener's mind longer than a definition.
Additionally, this is the space where your personality can really shine through your episodes. The stories and examples you choose to tell are related to you and your work. It's likely that your life experience will influence what stories come to mind.
For example, my client, Ariana, always incorporates examples about her 4-year-old and relates them to systems and operations. These are stories that she can uniquely tell because she's a mom and entrepreneur. Her listeners walk away knowing little nuggets about her life while staying on topic.
In my own podcast, my personality shines through when I talk about yoga in my examples or share about my years in journalism. When I use client examples like the one above, you also learn the types of clients I typically work with.
What are the areas in your life that you can make comparisons to or pull stories from? It might be a sport you play, your family, or your interest in movies. Whatever it may be, lean into your expertise to make your points easy to understand and memorable.
Once you've explained your point from a technical sense and then with a story, you want to wrap up that section with a strong transition. This transition sentence between each point gives your listener an opportunity to tune back in.
Since your listeners are most likely multitasking, these transitions grab their attention again and remind them of where they are in the episode. Recap what you've already told them and then tell them what lies ahead to create anticipation.
I'll give you an example right now -- so far, we have covered a hook, orienting, statement, background, and how to make your points with transitions. Now, we're going to move on to how to wrap up your episode so that people take action.
Conclusion of Episode
Conclusions are meant to make your listener feel empowered by the information you provided in your podcast. Make sure to emphasize what this information means for them going forward and highlight what they should do differently after listening to the episode.
Then, frame your call to action as a natural next step. Don't see it as a pitch you slap on at the end. Choose a call to action that feels like a continuation. For instance something like "If you want to dive deeper into this topic with me, book a call in the show notes and we'll spend an hour looking at this in your business” does just that.
Also, if you have a related freebie, let them know that they can learn even more through a resource you already prepared as an invitation to go deeper into your podcast. Every single solo episode needs a strong call to action that points to an email link, sales page, or call.
After all is said and done, the only thing left to do is a cute sign-off saying goodbye and close out the episode.
If you've been taking notes, you'll see down the page that you have recreated a 5 paragraph essay in podcast form.
Intro paragraph with a hook, a bit of background, and an orienting statement.
Body paragraphs that explain each of your points and have an example or story to go with it.
Transition sentences and recaps between each point.
Strong conclusion with an invitation to go deeper.
That short and simple structure is all you need to start planning your solo episodes. You will stay on topic and provide depth in your subject so that your listener sees how much of an authority you are in that space.
If you are concerned your listeners will catch on to this structure, do not worry. Your audience won't realize you're repeating the same structure each solo episode. All they will notice is that you are constantly grabbing their attention and providing them with exactly the information they need that week.
Try it out and let me know how it goes. Book a call with me to get even more tips and tricks on solo episodes!
