Podcast Fundamentals: Shape Your Idea
Podcast Fundamentals: Shape Your Idea
Instructors: Stephanie Kuo and Lindsay Abrams
Class Dates: June 10 - July 22, 2020
Registration Closes: June 12, 2020
Recommended Experience Level: Beginner
Maximum Class Size: 14
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Learn how to develop your concept with a core listener in mind, make key first decisions, and identify and stay accountable to your audience and goals. Then, apply those skills toward a prototype of your podcast, reviewed by your instructor, peers and other experts in the industry.
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This class is full!
Sign up for the waitlist using the form on this page. If a space becomes available, we will notify you by email, and you will have 24 hours to register before the spot is offered to the next person on the waitlist.
Learn about our scholarships >
About This Class
A podcast for everybody is (ultimately) a podcast for nobody.
We often see producers start with a strong idea for their podcast and hope, if they put it out into the world, their audience will find it. But a good — even great — idea isn’t enough if there isn’t anyone listening.
Knowing exactly who you want to reach is critical to developing, growing, and sustaining your podcast in a world filled with so many other things to listen to.
At PRX, we encourage podcasters to follow a process to identify that ideal listener — not just an avatar who represents a demographic — but a real person who has a real need when they listen to your show.
How it Works
This class takes place over six weeks. Each week, you’ll receive a new lesson from your instructors, along with exercises and prompts to help you take your work to the next level. You’ll have deadlines for submitting assignments, but you’ll complete the work each week at your own pace.
Because we keep the class size small, you can expect regular, constructive feedback from your instructors. What’s more, the small class size gives you the opportunity to learn from others in your class. You’ll be asked to give your best feedback to your classmates, and they’ll be asked to do the same for you.
By the end of this six-week course, you’ll be able to:
Locate your podcast’s target listener
Identify critical insights about your target listener that will help you design a podcast that meets their deep needs
Find your podcast’s voice and sound
Brainstorm in a way that is radical, collaborative, and focused
Interrogate your ideas, challenge your instincts, and take more methodical and strategic steps to developing your podcast — and any other projects you want to tackle
Your final assignment will be to create and present a compelling pitch deck that showcases your podcast idea, incorporating the work you’ve done to identify a target listener and their needs as well as how your podcast will stand out in the current landscape.
This class is for you, if:
You are a podcaster of any experience level (but especially if you are early in your process), looking to develop a podcast idea with intention
You have an idea, but not a clear sense of the audience or path forward
You are seeking a proven process and an accountability partner
You want lots and lots of feedback!
Please note: This class does not cover audio production or storytelling skills. You’ll come away with a strong idea that’s been thoughtfully developed and tested, and a prototype for your podcast — not an actual episode.
If you want to strengthen your audio skills, please consider registering for Podcast Fundamentals: Produce Your Audio. Or, if you already have a podcast and need help growing it, please consider registering for Podcast Fundamentals: Reach Your Audience.
Schedule
+ WEEK ONE: INTRO TO PODCASTING
We’ll explore the world of podcasting to set some expectations and make sure you know everything you need to know about the industry. We’ll also introduce you to human-centered design (aka design thinking), a process and mindset that prioritizes risk-tasking, collaboration and iteration, and a bias toward action.
+ WEEK TWO: RESEARCH & EMPATHIZE
You’ll begin understanding the surrounding context of your podcast, which will help you determine how it fits into the current landscape. You’ll also begin using empathy to better understand how your show can meet the needs of a specific listener.
+ WEEK THREE: SYNTHESIZE & REFINE
You’ll filter all that research until you have a clear focus and path forward with a point of view (POV). We say that a podcast made for everybody is ultimately a podcast for nobody — and this week you’ll understand why.
+ WEEK FOUR: IDEATE
Ideation is the rapid generation of multiple ideas, and it’s one of our favorite parts of the design-thinking process. We’re going to use your POV to help inspire how your podcast will actually take shape.
+ WEEK FIVE: PROTOTYPE: STORYBOARD & AUDIO TRAILER
Now that you have a firmer grasp of what you want your podcast to be about, we’re going to prototype it. A prototype, which should be rough and rapid, is a great way to see if you’re on the right track and making something meaningful and resonant for your target listener.
+ WEEK SIX: CREATIVE REVIEW & SUCCESS METRICS
Over the past six weeks, you’ve identified your target listener and designed a podcast that would be meaningful to that person. Now’s the time to present this idea in a way that incorporates all the work you’ve done!
Setting Expectations
You are not expected to have previous experience with podcasting. The only prerequisites for this class are basic computer skills and the time to complete the work, which is estimated to be roughly five hours per week. The supplies for this class are optional and minimal — your instructor will share a list in advance.
Meet Your Instructors!
Lindsay Abrams (Lead Instructor) is the design strategist for Podcasts & Audio at CNN. She previously led training at PRX, where she used design thinking as a framework for helping podcasters around the world identify and reach new audiences. She was also a Google News Lab fellow and associate producer at Matter Ventures, a design-thinking accelerator for media startups. She received her master’s degree in digital-first journalism from New York University.
Stephanie Kuo (Co-Instructor) runs a PRX accelerator that trains U.S. public media organizations to use podcasts as a tool for innovation. She also helps develop and run podcast and design-thinking training around the world. Stephanie started her career as a public radio journalist, and has won awards for her work as a reporter at KERA, the NPR affiliate based in Dallas, Texas. She is also currently the producer and co-host of Racist Sandwich, a James Beard-nominated podcast that explores the intersection of food, race, class, and gender. She studied journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.
Apply for a Scholarship
At this time, we can provide one full or partial scholarship for each class. Anyone with financial need can apply. It is not based on your previous experiences or skills in audio.
Sound School Policies
The following policies exist to help create a positive, meaningful and educational experience for all. Please read through them carefully before you register for a class.
+ Cancellation and Refunds
You may cancel your registration up to 48 hours before the official start date of the class and receive a full refund or credit for a future class. We offer no refunds for cancellations within 48 hours or past the official start date of the class. You must notify staff at PRX — not the instructor — in writing at info@podcastgarage.org to cancel or withdraw from a class.
In the event of a personal emergency or illness, we may offer you a full refund or credit for a future class. These requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and must be requested in writing at info@podcastgarage.org as soon as possible.
If PRX must cancel a class for any reason, you will receive a full refund.
Credit does not guarantee a spot in a future class; you must still go through the registration process.
+ Participation and Completion
You are expected to log on at least once a week to review the session, complete assignments and interact with your classmates and instructor. PRX instructors cannot guarantee feedback on late assignments.
If you do not log into our online learning system within the first two weeks, we will check in with you via email. If there is no response or activity, you may be removed from the class without a refund.
All classes will remain open to participants for two weeks after the official end date of the class. After that time, we will close our online learning system and send you the class materials for your reference.
You will have the opportunity to evaluate the class and instructor throughout the class through an online form. Your feedback is very important to us!
All students are expected to follow the Podcast Garage’s Community Policies — anyone in violation will be removed from the class without a refund.
