This document provides guidance on creating science-based podcasts. It outlines typical purposes such as explaining concepts, advocating for research, and educating about history. When planning, one should consider the purpose, audience, and main point. A storyboard should map out the teaser, introduction narrating the topic, interviews, and audio effects. When formatting, the introduction needs to hook listeners while stating the point, and the conclusion can reference the introduction but end with an interesting fact or quote. When writing for podcasts, sentences should be simple, language colloquial, and names/numbers limited to maintain flow for audio.

1. Creating
Science-Based
Podcasts

2. what can podcasts
do that writing can’t?

3. Typical Purposes for Science
Podcasts
To explain a scientific concept (“wow” factor)
• “Learning to Walk Like a Gecko, See Like a Lobster” (ScienceFriday, on
biomimicry)
To show the public why new research is important
• “Could ‘Brainprints’ Unlock Your Future Phone?” (ScienceFriday)
To advocate for something
• “What Is the Future of Coral Reefs in Warming Ocean Waters?”
(ScienceFriday)
To educate the public about a historical aspect of science
• “When Laser Science Was ‘Far Out’” (ScienceFriday)

4. Planning a Podcast
• Ask the basic rhetorical questions:
What’s your purpose? Who’s your intended audience?
What’s the main point of the piece?
• Create a storyboard:
o Teaser: podcast title and a juicy taste of the story – not
included in main podcast
o Introduction: succinctly tell listeners what the piece is
about, may introduce people included in podcast
o Main story: plan out when/where you will narrate(write a
script), and when to include interviewees and audio
effects (if necessary)

5. Formatting and Structuring
Your Podcast

6. INTRO
• Needs to hook the listener AND provide the point of
the podcast at the same time.
• Try setting up the problem in a compelling way.
• Tell a good story, but save the ending for later (to
keep people listening).
• Could you include an element of surprise?

7. CONCLUSION
• Is there something in the intro that could be better
used for the conclusion?
• Don’t “wrap it all up” – end with a quote, a fact, an
interesting idea (that relates to the main point of your
topic).

8. Things to Keep in Mind

9. 1. Writing for the ear is different
from writing for the eye.
Newspaper story lede:
“President Bush yesterday said he takes responsibility
for the federal government’s stumbling response to
Hurricane Katrina as his White House worked on
several fronts to move beyond the improvisation of
the first days of the crisis and set a long-term course
on a problem that aides now believe will shadow the
balance of Bush’s second term.”

10. NPR story beginning:
“President Bush said the buck stops with him, and
he takes responsibility for whatever mistakes the
federal government made in its response to
Hurricane Katrina.”

11. 2. Write for podcasts the way you
speak.
• Keep sentence structure simple.
• Speak colloquially: don’t use words that you
wouldn’t ordinarily say, or syntax that doesn’t
occur naturally (e.g. “Rutgers scientists today
said that radium is an artificially, not naturally
occurring substance.”)
• You can use sentence fragments.
• You can begin sentences with “and” or “but.”

12. 3. Don’t use too many names and
numbers.
• Simplify titles to keep flow.