Speaker 1: To script or not to script? That is the question. In today's video, we are going to find out. When you get started podcasting, there are tons of opinions about whether you should use a word-for-word script for podcast episodes or whether you should just flow with an outline. In today's video, we are going to talk to you about the pros and cons of both so that you can determine what works best for you. So let's talk about scripting your podcast word-for-word. The pros, then the cons. So the first pro is that, in general, it keeps your podcast episode much more focused. You know exactly what you plan to say, and you're sticking to that. So you're not meandering, thinking about what you're trying to say, trying to find and figure out in real time what it is you want to get across to your audience. You've already thought about that. You've already written it down, and you just got to say it. And this way, you also get to avoid filler words. You're not fumbling through, um, I don't know, well, and awkward pauses. And in that, you get to cut down on your editing time. So those are three pros that come with scripting your podcast word-for-word. You're focused. No filler words equals less editing time. We love it. All right, let's talk about the cons that come with using a word-for-word script. The biggest con is that you're kind of limited in your flexibility. Because you've scripted this out, if there ever comes a thought that you haven't already put into the script, you can't really go there. It'll mess up the entire flow of the episode. The other thing is this takes a lot of time. You're writing out essentially everything you will say for a 30 to 45 minute time frame, which is about how long most podcast episodes run. It's a lot of work on the front end, and you have to stick to that work in the middle of the episode as well. The last thing that you need to be mindful of is not coming across as robotic or inauthentic. Because most of your energy is going to be put in remembering or reading your script, you can kind of have an out-of-body experience where you just sound like you're reading or memorizing or reciting what you've written. So you'll need to make sure that you write out your script the way that you talk so that that authenticity is still there. So the type of podcasts that work really well with word-for-word scripts are narrative or storytelling podcasts. So if you have one of those, this might just be the right option for you. So let's talk outlines. These are my personal favorite. Use them all the time. Off the bat, the first pro of using an outline is that it takes less time. It takes so much less time to write a bare-bones outline than it would to write a word-for-word script. We're saving you money. That's free. The second pro is that you get to infuse your own personality and your own voice. You're much less likely to sound robotic when you're just talking from your outline than you would if you were using a word-for-word script. Our last pro is that with an outline, you're given a direction as well as a destination, but you have the freedom to decide about how you're going to get there. So if you have an aha moment, a revelatory thought, if you have a question that comes up, you can ask that without feeling like you're bound to sticking exactly to your word-for-word script. And I say that's pretty worth it. Now while I say all hail the outline, there are a few cons. The first con is that because you have so much freedom, there may be moments where you go down a rabbit trail or you fumble with your words, and that is going to equate to a little bit more time editing those things out. So you might find yourself spending a little bit more time cutting out and trimming the fat on your episodes than you would if you were to use a word-for-word script. The other thing to be mindful of is if you're not a person that does really well on the spot, just coming up with their thoughts and thinking on their feet, this might be a little bit more difficult for you and may not help you operate in your strengths while you're podcasting. So that's just something to keep in mind. But podcasts that do really well with an outline style are educational podcasts and interview style podcasts. So whether you decide to go with a word-for-word script or a general podcast outline, one thing that is important to have in place is a podcast episode structure. It's important, bro. It helps to keep your listeners engaged and simplify your prep time. Let me give you an example of a podcast structure that can really help you. First things first, you want to start off with a hook. Your hook should be something interesting, amazing, something that grabs the listener in and makes them go, I have to keep listening. From there, you can have an intro. Your intro can have music, not have music, but it should introduce the podcast and its hosts or hosts. Then you want to add in a reason for them to keep listening. This is where you tell them what the podcast episode is about, what they're going to learn, what they'll gain, what they'll walk away knowing once they listen to this episode. From there, this is the meat of the episode. This is the main body. So if it's an interview, you're introducing your guests and getting it going. If it's a story, you start to tell your story. And then if it's just information that you're conveying, you hop right into that. From there, key takeaways. This is where you would remind them of the information that you want them to hold in their minds. What should they remember from the interview, the story, or the information that you delivered? After that, you hit your outro. Your outro is where you give them a call to action. You can have music with this. You don't have to, but hopefully you're telling them subscribe, follow, connect with us on socials so that you give them something to do after the episode to stay connected. So now that you've decided on an episode structure, you've determined whether you're going to use a word-for-word script or an outline, you're going to have to write show notes. So check out this video over here that teaches you how to write some pretty solid show notes. Thanks for watching, and as always, keep podcasting.