Mike MurphyAI Handyman
Subscribe
Back to podcast

Episode 10

The Production Show

November 13, 2015 ·

Ep10: The Production Show Step by step workflow to create one episode of Mike Murphy Unplugged podcast. Episode Summary: Learn. Create. Move Forward

Episode Summary: The full 5-step, start-to-finish workflow used to produce one episode of this podcast — planning, scripting, production, show notes, and newsletter — with real time estimates for each.

What You’ll Learn

  • The full 5-step production workflow for producing one episode, start to finish
  • A real pre-record checklist for cleaner audio
  • Roughly how long each production step actually takes
  • The tools used at each stage, from scripting to newsletter

The 5-Step Workflow

  1. Planning & pre-production
  2. Scripting (writing)
  3. Production (recording, editing, tagging, exporting as MP3, uploading to the media server)
  4. Web & social media (show notes, blog post, artwork, Buffer scheduling)
  5. Newsletter & corresponding with listeners

Step 1: Planning & Pre-Production (2 hours)

Internet research, “serving hours” (answering and asking questions on social media), listening and learning, and figuring out what people actually need help with. Resources: Pocket for web clippings, Evernote, and Transpose.

Step 2: Scripting (4 hours)

Benefits of scripting: keeps delivery on point with fewer “umms,” speeds up recording, self-educates and sharpens teaching ability, speeds up show notes writing, and grows a content library that pays off later. Resource: Scrivener, the writing app used and recommended for every script.

Step 3: Production (1.5 hours)

Steps: recording & editing, exporting the final mix as MP3, ID3 tagging, uploading to Libsyn (the media server used at the time).

Pre-record checklist:

  1. Record at the quietest times possible — no outside noise
  2. Turn off the A/C and other appliances
  3. Add blankets or pillows to dampen an echo-heavy room
  4. Clean the desk — get in a clutter-free mindset
  5. Have water on the desk
  6. Green apples help the voice
  7. Set up a GoPro or camera if behind-the-scenes footage is wanted
  8. Put on headphones, turn down external speakers
  9. Open the script in Scrivener and Adobe Audition

Recording & editing (1.5 hours): Adobe Audition CC is the tool of choice, though GarageBand or Audacity work well too. Tagging (5 minutes): ID3 Editor. Upload (10 minutes): export as MP3 and upload to Libsyn.

Step 4: Show Notes & Blog (1.5 hours)

Covers show notes, the blog post, artwork, and Buffer social media scheduling.

  1. Show notes. A summary of the episode, including links and references to everything mentioned.
  2. Blog post. The Divi theme by Elegant Themes makes saving reusable blog post templates easy.
  3. Artwork. A Photoshop template where only the text needs to change each week.
  4. Schedule. Posts get scheduled in WordPress to go out Friday at midnight.

Step 5: Newsletter & Social (30 minutes)

Newsletter: Mailchimp is the email newsletter provider. Social media: Buffer handles scheduling.

Music: “Life of Riley” & “Wallpaper” (incompetech.com).

Show Notes & Links