It’s no secret that the long term success of any podcast is greatly dependent on the quality and creativity of your content. Great content, more than the quality of your sound, your niche knowledge, and even the variety of your guests, is what will ultimately keep your listeners waiting with bated breath for each new episode of your show to publish. The bottom line is that great content that gives value to your audience is always going to be what ensures that your podcast stands the test of time. So while your content initially comes from the specialist knowledge you have within your niche, you need to be able to communicate this knowledge in a way that is clear, creative, and exciting for your listeners. In order to do all of this (and a whole lot more!), you’re going to need to fine-tune your creative writing skills. You can have all the knowledge in the world, but if you’re not able to communicate this effectively, your message will remain lost in translation. So in order to prevent at from happening, we’re sharing six simple strategies that you can easily incorporate into your daily routine that will help amp up your creativity and take your writing skills through the roof! So let’s dive write in!
1. Listen To Podcasts
Yup, that’s right! You can most certainly improve your podcast creative writing skills by listening to podcasts! And really, who wouldn’t want another perfectly acceptable reason to listen to more amazing shows? And there are some truly inspiring, yet educational, podcasts to really help take your writing skills to the next level. For the purpose of brevity (see, we’re already practicing some of our new-found writing skills!), we’ll just mention our Top 3 creative writing podcasts, but be on the lookout in the not-to-distant future for a whole post dedicated to our favorite writing-focused podcasts!
1. Writing Class Radio
This nifty little podcast is a writing class AND a podcast all rolled into one! It features stories from writing students taking an actual writing class, and gives great insight into the thought and meaning driving people to write. If you love stories and you’re inspired by other writers’ own creative journeys, give this podcast a listen!
2. 6 Minute Grammar
Whether you’re a self-professed (and proud!) Word Nerd, or whether all the grammar rules really grate your gears, give 6 Minute Grammar a listen. As the name promises, in 6 minutes, you’ll learn a new key area of English grammar to really help fine-tune your creative writing skills.
3. Ann Kroeker, Writing Coach
Ann Kroeker uses her podcast to offer writers practical tips and motivation, no matter where you are on your writing journey. Her tips are super easy to follow, and her punchy episodes will boost your creativity, improve your productivity, and, perhaps most importantly, will give you newfound confidence in your writing skills.
You will be totally spoiled for choice when it comes to podcasts that focus on making you a better writer. Pop a few of these into your library, give them a listen the next time you’re in the car or folding laundry, and they’ll help amp up your writing skills in no time!
Related read: How To Improve Your Podcast Storytelling Technique (Including A TED Talk)
2. Take Writing Courses
Taking writing-focused courses is another way you can take your content creation skills to new heights. Of course, you can always sign up to take an actual class, but the Internet is also full of free and paid writing courses. The bonus of taking online courses is that usually, you can spend time on them how and when your schedule allows – something that is not normally a possibility when taking a physical class. Skill-building sites like Udemy and Skillshare have an abundance of writing courses available on a whole host of topics aimed at enhancing and developing your writing skills. They are easy to use, and most are really affordable, so there will definitely be something to suit your skill levels as well as your wallet! We’re featuring two stellar courses on this list, but with a little Internet sleuthing, you’ll find there are loads more available.
1. Productivity Hacks for Writers
This course, available on Udemy’s platform, is full of great strategies and proven techniques to help you get the most out of your writing time. Whether it’s for your podcast episodes, or for your blog or social media posts, you’ll be equipped with hacks to get you in the “writing zone” and dramatically improve your writing skills. This course is available on Udemy for $100, but it is often available at a discounted price.
2. Creative Writing: Crafting Personal Essays with Impact
Skillshare features this incredible course taught by bestselling author, Roxanne Gay. Through this masterclass, you’ll learn how to craft your personal voice with a wider context – a much-needed skill for podcasters! – and you’ll be given strategies to help you write to connect with the people you want to reach. It’s packed with practical guidance and actionable tactics to help elevate your writing skills, and all this in an hour! Your first three months on Skillshare is currently free, with a monthly or yearly fee after the trial period is up, but you’re able to cancel at any time.
Related read: Podcast Courses to Take During Lockdown
3. Incorporate Freewriting Into Your Daily Routine
Freewriting comes highly recommended by those who write for a living. Simply put, freewriting is similar to a brainstorming technique and requires you to continually write, nonstop, for a specified amount of time. Freewriting is a great way to overcome writer’s block, but we also think it’s a really effective way to get your creativity flowing, as well as pushing your writing skills as you need to write constantly for extended periods of time. An easy way to incorporate this strategy into your podcasting routine – and what many creatives do – is to set aside 15 to 20 minutes as you start your day, without any distractions, and just write whatever comes to mind, without overthinking and without stopping. Besides getting in some really great writing practice, you also never know what new and totally innovative ideas you’ll come up with for your show!
4. Join A Writing Group
What better way to work on your creative skills than with a whole bunch of people focused on the same goal? Writing groups are like a community of fellow creatives who are there to help cheer you on, stimulate ideas, help you hash out problems you may be having with your writing, and just help you elevate your skills overall. One of the biggest pluses in favor of writing groups is that they are a great way to keep you on target and accountable, and help you curb any tendencies to procrastinate! You could look for communities in and around where you live, but there are also some lively writing groups online. Social platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn are great places to start your hunt for your group. You could join groups focused on creating writing in general, but you could also look for online podcasting communities, and in particular, ones focused on creating content for podcasts. Depending on your podcast niche, or your own interests, you could even find and join writing groups that are focused on a particular type or style of niche writing. There are writing groups for science-fiction writing, those focused on crime writing, as well as ones that are all about fantasy, and if you can’t find just what you’re looking for, you could always start your own!
5. Follow Writing Prompts
Okay, so first up, what are writing prompts? Well, writing prompts are suggestions, ideas, or sentences that have been compiled and ordered and are used to spark your creativity as you incorporate the idea into a story of your own. But why do we think that following these prompts will help hone your creative writing skills? Firstly, and perhaps their biggest selling point, is that writing prompts are seriously great for combating writer’s block! Somehow, somewhere along the way in your writing endeavor, you’ll come face to face with writer’s block. It’s that pesky nemesis to your writing flow (usually followed closely by it’s ol’ pal, Imposter Syndrome, but that is a conversation for another day!) and it can be totally debilitating. But writing prompts can really save the day (and your latest writing project) by giving you a little nudge to help get the creative juices flowing again. They can unlock the block, so to speak, and they can help get your writing confidence back. Not to mention, getting in a little more writing practice never goes to waste! By using all the weird and wonderful topics suggested to you, you’ll really be flexing your writing muscles and conditioning your skills. And lastly, they are simply just a lot of fun to try! You literally never know what you’re going to create! If you’re looking to try some of these for yourself, you’ll find that cyberspace is full of Pinterest posts, blogs, and even Tumblr accounts dedicated to writing prompts. Sign up or follow the ones that pique your interest and put the time into following them, and you’ll reap the rewards of seriously amped up creativity, and greatly enhanced writing skills.
6. Practice, Practice, Pratice
Our last strategy for improving your creative writing skills is simply to take the time to practice them. The same way we would train the muscles in our body to perform the way we want them to, our creative writing skills are also “muscles” that we need to tone and develop. All this really means is that we simply need to practice our writing skills consistently. They say “Practice makes perfect,” and this definitely applies to improving your creative writing skills. All the tips and strategies above will come to naught if they are never put into practice. The more you learn to “flex” your creative writing skills, the more you’ll develop your voice – and that is just what you need to set your show apart and make it stand out from the crowd. But don’t wait until you “find the time” to do the practicing – that time will never come. You will need to diligently allocate specific portions of time in your weekly schedule to practice the skills in your wheelhouse, as well as allocating the time needed to learn new skills. But it is definitely a worthy investment! If you consistently put aside the time to practice your skills, you’ll soon finder it easier to get into a productive creative flow, and you’ll find that you are consistently able to create amazing content for your podcast, and any other platforms you are using to promote your show and establish yourself as an authority within your niche.
Closing Thoughts
Developing and honing your creative writing skills is just another way you can improve the quality of your show as well as enhancing your audience’s experience. The long term success of your podcast is greatly dependent on the quality of your content, and with so many podcasts out there, listeners are getting more and more selective about the shows they give their time to. But by constantly enhancing and improving your writing skills, not only will your confidence in your content creation soar, but you’ll be able to consistently put out amazing content that will keep your listeners coming back episode after episode. So try putting some (or all!) of these tips and tricks into practice and just see how creative writing skills take flight! In no time at all, you’ll have all the write stuff to make your podcast a real winner!
Related read: How To Improve Your Communication Skills, Featuring A TED Talk
