Episode Summary
Many companies use interviews as a foundation for their podcasts. But not all interview-based shows are produced in the same way. Some require more research, a longer or shorter script, different post-production processes, and so on.
Therefore, before starting a podcast, see how others approach the creative process, learn from them, and seek inspiration from their work.
In this episode of Recorded Content, our host Justin Brown welcomes Kris Camacho, the producer behind the Science With a Twist podcast. Kris and Justin discuss the challenges of creating a show involving heavy research. The two discuss the time frame necessary for developing a topic and what it’s like having different hosts in each episode.
Featured Guest
- Name: Kris Camacho
- What she does: Kris is part of the marketing and communications team at Thermo Fisher Scientific.
- Company: Thermo Fisher Scientific
- Noteworthy: Kris is also the creator of the Science With a Twist podcast.
Key Insights
- Our show is for science enthusiasts. Therefore, as Kris explains, they discuss topics like COVID-19, cleaning drinking water, etc. The goal is to bring science closer to the masses and explain how it impacts their everyday lives. ''The latest episode we recorded was interesting. It was about how humans and animals interact in terms of your health and viruses and things like that. Our subject matter is very different across the board. It's challenging to find the things that fit. But I think the goal is to help lifelong learners learn new applications of science that they may not have thought about previously.''
- Despite the possibilities, finding and developing a topic for the show is challenging. Like other podcast hosts, Kris has to put a lot of effort into creating timely vs. evergreen episodes. It seems that in science, more so than in other industries, change is more rapid and frequent, and podcast hosts like Kris must stay up to date with everything to ensure the released episode is relevant. ''For example, we wanted to do some stuff in the fall around cancer research. And so there are some cancer months in the fall that we wanted to tie some content into. [...] We can start the ball rolling early to make sure that when it comes out, it's timely. [...] The episode we filmed around the Holocaust happened to be released on Holocaust Remembrance Day, which made it extra timely. [...] When we started working on the podcast, we had all these COVID-related topics that people wanted to talk about. And it was great to get some content from folks, but COVID was on the decline in terms of how it was being talked about publicly. [...] So we pushed some episodes together at the beginning around COVID to make sure that we were talking about it while it was still being discussed regularly. But then, I have an episode we recorded that we never even got to release because some stuff in the market changed, and it wasn't relevant anymore.''
- The inspiration comes from talking to people within and beyond Thermo Fisher. One of the most exciting things about working for a large organization is the number of learning sources. According to Kris, although she has been at Thermo Fisher for quite some time, she is still learning about the areas the teams work on, which is also great for her show as she can discuss and find new topics all the time. ''I just ask people regularly if they have content in mind. We have internal newsletters and stuff that go out regularly, and I'll comb through that and see if anything is interesting. We have an agency partner that helps us with some PR stuff at the corporate level and with many different businesses. So they have a good line of sight into a lot of different things that are coming up. So we tap into them sometimes. [...] I don't just own the podcast; I also make other digital communications efforts. So sometimes, I talk to people and ask what they have going on. And then, they tell me about cool things they want a social post out of, and I'm like, 'Wait, that would be a cool podcast topic.'''
Episode Highlights
The Challenges of Creating a Podcast Like Science With a Twist
”The biggest challenge is mining through all the stuff that we touch and finding what’s gonna be not just a good story but also something that we can say in a way that anybody can understand.
So I’m not a scientist. I am a marketer and communicator by background. So every time we’re picking through episodes, I have to ask myself, ‘Do I understand this?’
[…] If I can understand it, I think we’re good. But that’s the hardest part: combing through all of the incredible things we’re touching on a daily basis and finding those stories that will resonate with the audience.
We like to say our audience consists of science enthusiasts. So […] we want to bring this content to the masses and share this great research and science breakthroughs with everyone.”
The Time Frame for Developing a Topic for the Show
”It differs based on the topic. […] The quickest we could push an episode through is about a month. The longest I’ve seen is this one episode we’ve been working on since spring, and it still hasn’t even been recorded.
It depends on the guests. Sometimes we have external people participate in the podcast, and they have their own set of red tape to go through on their end. So it differs as per subject matter and episode. But it’s not a quick process on our end.”
The Process of Choosing and Preparing Hosts
”We lean on the businesses to help us get recommendations for a host because we want somebody versed in the subject matter since it differs drastically. The same person wouldn’t be able to have a peer-to-peer conversation with a scientist talking about this because they’re not as involved in what’s going on in the day-to-day of that specific business.
Once they’re on board […], some hosts prefer to have more stuff scripted out for them, while other hosts are like, ‘I do better off the cuff, and I want some talking points. Let me know what you want me to say, and I’ll weave it in.’
We have lots of touch points leading up to the recording to make sure that we’re making our hosts feel comfortable, preparing them to do what we need them to do, and learning their preferences. […]
So a lot goes into making people feel ready to go. And we go back and forth on iterations of scripts. We let them take their spin on it and add in words and things that make them feel comfortable. So it’s constant communication to make sure everybody feels up to speed.”
Practice Makes Everything Easier and Better
”I’d never been involved in the production of podcasts, but the more I do it, the more I know what makes a good episode — which helps me mine through the abundance of content and stories a little easier; I know what we’re looking for.
[…] Someone told me on my first week at Thermo Fisher, ‘Change is constant here. You’re always going to have to adapt and adjust.’ Podcasting is no different, especially at Thermo Fisher. So we’re having to adapt and adjust as we go. And we go with how the industry shifts, how the content changes, and what’s relevant.
There are a lot of ways that we’re shifting as we go, but it’s the same with my knowledge of podcasting and it gets easier for me to adapt as we go. We’re learning and making it better.”
