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Hey, podcaster, I'm Tim Wahlberg, your podcast performance coach, with another actionable tip so you can grow your podcast authority, generate leads, and convert with ease. Today's tip is don't script your podcast. Structure it. This one comes up a lot with our clients. They want to know whether to script their podcast or just wing it. The answer is neither or both. Well, it kind of depends on how you look at it. If you've been around here for a while, you've probably heard me beg you not to wing it. I even dedicated a whole episode to it and recounted one of my most mortifying experience of my young life. If you want to hear that, check out episode 109. I'll pop a link in the show notes for you. But let's get back to the burning question of the day. To script or not to script? As a podcast coach, I've seen hundreds of podcasters struggle with this very dilemma. And here's what most of them learn the hard way. Going 100% unscripted is a fast track to having no audience. Now I get the draw of winging it. It feels so free and easy. Exactly what you pictured your meteoric podcast rise to be, fueled by just you, your mic, and all of your brilliance flowing out into the world. And then you realized how much you said ah and lose track of what you're actually saying. And you have this unappealing gumbo of words nobody wants to put in their ears. So you swing the other way and start scripting your brilliance out. And then read it word for word. Then you listen back and realize it sounds like you've been reading a presentation you didn't prepare for. It sounds nothing like you in real life. It's flat, uncertain, and boring. If people want to be read to, they'll go to audible. They didn't press play on your podcast for that. They press play to hear you, to hear your ideas and feel like you're talking to them. So instead of deciding between script and no script, I present to you my Oreo Cookie method. The best of both worlds. Picture an Oreo. Two solid cookies on the outside and all kinds of creamy goodness in the middle. This is the structure you want for your podcast. Here's what that looks like. Your intro, the top script it so it's solid. That's where you land the promise. Set the direction. Give your listener a reason to stick around. Your outro. The bottom script that too. So it's solid. That's where you guide the listener to the next step. Your call to action shouldn't be something you're booting around or figuring out on the fly. You need to be confident or your listener won't feel confident taking action. Now the middle. That's the good stuff. That's the ooey gooey, slightly messy center. That's where you let your podcast episode breathe a little, where you follow the thought, maybe have a few bullet points to keep you on track, but nothing is scripted. You just talk about the stuff you know. That's where you sound most like you, because the more you try to control every word, the more you start managing how you sound instead of focusing on what you're actually saying. And now you're performing instead of communicating. Remember, your listener doesn't need perfect. They need to understand you. They need to feel like you're talking to them. They need to trust that what you're saying actually makes sense and applies to them and that you care about them, not that you only care about sounding perfect. So if you have a couple of stumbles, fine. A pause while you think, that's okay too. That's real. And real builds connection and trust a whole lot faster than polished ever will. If your episodes have been feeling a little stiff or you're finding yourself rerecording over and over trying to get it right, try loosening your grip in the ooey gooey middle. Keep the structure and intention at the top and the bottom, but let the center be a little more fluid. Your audience will find it delicious and want more. And I hope that's just the tip you need. If your podcast feels like an oriole that's been left in the milk a little too long, you might need help building more structure. That's exactly what we do during the Podcast Tune up and a whole lot more like making sure your podcast is actually driving revenue in your business. Because cookie or no cookie, it all comes down to leads and sales. Learn more about what the Podcast Tune up looks like@podcasttuneup.com that link to the Podcast Tune Up. It's in the show notes, and it's pretty easy to remember. Podcasttuneup.com I'm Tim Wahlberg. See ya. See ya.