assignmentpodcastingteaching resources

Student Assignment: Plan a Celebrity Podcast — From Concept to First Episode

llectures

2026-01-30 12:00:00

9 min read

A ready-to-teach podcast assignment and rubric inspired by Hanging Out. Guide students from concept through guest booking, production, and promo.

Hook: Turn classroom frustration into a show students want to produce

Many instructors and students struggle to design media projects that feel relevant, manageable, and assessable. A recurring pain point is a lack of structure: great ideas fizz out because teams don't know how to plan guests, format episodes, or promote their work. This assignment template fixes that by giving learners a step-by-step brief and a clear rubric to take a celebrity-style podcast from concept to first episode — inspired by the 2026 buzz around Hanging Out and the creator-first trends of late 2025.

Why this assignment matters in 2026

Podcasting in 2026 is a hybrid craft: audio remains core, but short-form video, AI-assisted production, and platform cross-posting define discovery. Recent creator-channel launches and celebrity crossovers — like Hanging Out with Ant & Dec — show how audiences reward authenticity and community-driven ideas. Schools that teach podcast project skills now are preparing learners for multimedia storytelling, audience research, guest management, and measurable promotion strategies.

Learning outcomes

Concept design: craft audience-focused show ideas and episode arcs.
Interview skills: research guests, prepare questions, and conduct ethical interviews.
Production basics: record, edit, and publish audio and short video assets. (See multimodal workflows for remote teams.)
Promotion strategy: build cross-platform promo plans leveraging short clips, captions, and SEO-friendly show notes.
Evaluation & reflection: measure success using engagement metrics and peer review.

Assignment brief: Plan a celebrity podcast and produce episode 1

Divide the class into teams of 3–5. Each team will design a celebrity-style podcast inspired by the audience-first approach used by Hanging Out. The brief is realistic and modular so instructors can scale complexity for different course levels.

Core deliverables

One-page show concept covering target audience, hook, format, and episode cadence.
Episode 1 materials: detailed episode outline, full script/segment notes, and interview guide for the celebrity guest.
Guest booking plan including outreach emails, calendar timeline, and release form.
Production assets: a 12–20 minute polished audio episode plus two 30–90 second short-form video clips suitable for social platforms.
Promotion plan and assets: 3 caption templates, one visual poster, metadata (titles, descriptions, keywords), and show notes with chapters and transcript.
Reflection report summarising lessons learned, metrics, and next steps.

Why use Hanging Out as inspiration

Hanging Out emphasises a simple truth: audiences often prefer authenticity over elaborate formats. When Ant & Dec asked fans what they wanted, the answer was to simply hang out. Use that principle: ask your audience and design a format that meets their immediate desires. That approach reduces over-planning, speeds production, and increases listener retention.

'We asked our audience if we did a podcast what would they like it be about, and they said "we just want you guys to hang out"'

Week-by-week timeline (8 weeks)

Week 1: Team formation, audience survey, one-page concept draft.
Week 2: Finalise format and episode 1 outline; begin guest research.
Week 3: Guest outreach; script and segment timing; technical test recordings.
Week 4: Dry run interviews; first draft recording for episode 1.
Week 5: Edit audio, generate transcript and clips, create show notes. Use multimodal workflows approaches for distributed editing.
Week 6: Build promo assets; schedule social posts and distribution.
Week 7: Publish episode 1; monitor initial metrics and feedback.
Week 8: Present final reflection, include metrics and peer review.

Practical templates and examples

One-page show concept (use this as a quick rubric)

Show title — Short, searchable, and brandable.
Tagline — 10 words max describing the audience benefit.
Audience — Age, interests, listening habits, platforms.
Format — Length, segments, frequency, host roles.
Unique hook — What makes this different from other celebrity podcasts.
Distribution — Platforms and cross-posting plan (audio host, YouTube, short clips for TikTok/Instagram/X).

Episode outline template

Intro — 30–60 seconds host hook + theme music.
Segment 1 — 3–4 minutes; news/moments about the guest or host.
Main interview — 8–12 minutes; research-backed questions with follow-up prompts.
Listener interaction — 2–3 minutes; pre-submitted questions or social reactions.
Outro — 30–60 seconds; CTA and teaser for next episode.

Sample guest outreach email (short, personalised, and respectful)

Use this as a script for student outreach. Keep initial messages concise and show value to the guest.

Hi [Name], we are students producing a short celebrity-style podcast called [Show title]. We admire your work on [project] and would love 20 minutes of your time to chat about [topic]. The episode will reach [audience description] and we will share professional assets for your channels. Are you available [two date options]? Best, [Team name and contact]

Guest release clause (clear and simple)

Teams must collect signed releases before publishing. Use a short clause:

The guest grants the producers the right to record, edit, distribute and monetise the interview in audio and video formats worldwide in perpetuity. The guest confirms they are over 18 and consent to the recording.

Production checklist

Record: Use two mics, test levels, record a backup on phone. Consider field kit recommendations like compact control surfaces and pocket rigs for mobile shoots (compact control surfaces and pocket rigs).
Edit: Clean up ums, add music beds, normalise levels, add ID3 tags.
Transcribe: Use AI transcript tools, then manually correct for accuracy and accessibility. See multimodal workflows for recommended tooling (multimodal workflows).
Short clips: Pick two high-engagement 30–90s moments for social sharing. Think about micro‑drops and membership cohorts when planning promotional hooks.
Assets: Episode art, audiogram video, captions for clips, show notes with timestamps.
Accessibility: Provide full transcript and captions; consider simplified summaries for learners.

Promotion strategy (short-form first, long-form next)

In late 2025 many platforms expanded creator tools that automate clipping and captioning. In 2026, the best promotion mixes short vertical clips for discovery with SEO-optimised show notes for long-tail search. Teach students to plan both.

Pre-launch teaser — 15–30 second clip + countdown on social.
Launch day — Publish episode + two clips + pinned post on class channels.
Week of launch — Daily short-form posts, one behind-the-scenes clip, respond to comments.
Ongoing — Weekly highlight clips, short quotes as images, repurpose into newsletter copy.

Caption templates (adapt for each platform)

Hook first: one-line question to stop scrolling.
Value line: 1–2 sentences summarising why this moment matters.
CTA: listen to full episode link + episode number and 2-3 hashtags.

Assessment rubric: Clear criteria and point breakdown (100 pts)

Use the rubric below to grade final submissions. Each criterion has descriptors for Excellent, Satisfactory, and Needs Improvement.

1. Concept clarity and audience fit (15 pts)

Excellent (13-15): Show concept is concise, original, and demonstrates deep audience insight.
Satisfactory (9-12): Concept is clear but could show stronger differentiation or audience research.
Needs Improvement (0-8): Concept is vague or mismatched to audience.

2. Research and guest preparation (15 pts)

Excellent: Thorough guest research, tailored questions, ethical release secured.
Satisfactory: Basic research and reasonable questions; release incomplete.
Needs Improvement: Little to no guest research or planning.

3. Episode structure and script (20 pts)

Excellent: Clear flow, strong hooks, effective segues, time-managed segments.
Satisfactory: Acceptable structure; pacing or transitions need work.
Needs Improvement: Disorganised, rambling, or unclear segment goals.

4. Hosting and interview technique (15 pts)

Excellent: Engaging, empathetic, and adaptive interviewing with strong listening skills.
Satisfactory: Adequate interviewing; could be more natural or probing.
Needs Improvement: Poorly paced or unengaging host performance.

5. Production quality (15 pts)

Excellent: Clean audio, clear mix, good edits, correct metadata, transcript provided.
Satisfactory: Some technical issues but episode is listenable; transcript partial.
Needs Improvement: Distracting audio problems or missing accessibility features.

6. Promotion strategy and assets (10 pts)

Excellent: Multi-platform promo plan with ready assets and clear CTAs.
Satisfactory: Basic promotion plan with limited assets.
Needs Improvement: No clear promotion plan or assets.

7. Teamwork and reflection (10 pts)

Excellent: Clear role distribution, documented collaboration, honest reflection with metrics and improvements.
Satisfactory: Roles noted and some reflection; limited metrics.
Needs Improvement: Poor collaboration and weak reflection.

Metrics for evaluation in 2026

Move beyond raw downloads. In 2026 instructors should encourage students to track cross-platform signals:

Short-clip views and completion rate on TikTok and Instagram Reels.
Click-through rate from clip to full episode or link in bio.
Listen-through rate for the episode and average listen duration.
Engagement: comments, saves, shares, and listener-submitted questions.
Conversion: subscribers or newsletter sign-ups attributed to the episode.

Instructors must teach ethical practice: secure consent, explain post-production edits, and be transparent about AI tools. By 2026 AI is used for transcripts, summarisation, and clip generation — but voice cloning and deepfake tools raise consent issues. Require teams to declare AI use and provide an ethics note in their reflection report. See advice on creating secure desktop AI agent policies (secure desktop AI agent policy).

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

Overambitious scope — Keep episode 1 focused. Aim for 12–20 minutes.
Unrealistic scheduling — Book guests at least 3–4 weeks out; expect follow-ups.
No promotion plan — The best audio can be unheard without a short-form clip-first strategy (see micro‑drops approaches).
Missing accessibility — Always include a transcript and captions.
Neglecting measurement — Define two success metrics before launch (e.g., 500 clip views or 100 full listens in week one).

Instructor tips for scaffolding

Run a live masterclass on interviewing technique early.
Provide mic kits or a list of low-cost gear options and studio booking windows. Consider recommending lightweight laptops for editors (top lightweight laptops) and pocket rigs for field recording (compact control surfaces & pocket rigs).
Offer drop-in editing clinics and AI tool tutorials for transcripts and chaptering.
Use peer feedback sessions to practise live interviews and give formative grades.

Actionable takeaways for students

Start with audience input — run a 1-minute poll to shape your show idea.
Plan the guest process — research, outreach, confirm release, prepare unique questions.
Clip-first promotion — choose two 30–90 second moments and make captions for each platform. Think about membership and monetisation models from micro‑podcasts and micro‑drops.
Accessibility is non-negotiable — provide a cleaned transcript and captions on all video clips.
Declare AI use — list tools used and verify any generated audio with the guest. See deepfake/consent guidance (deepfake risk management).

Final reflection and next steps

After publishing, instruct teams to run a short listener survey, collect engagement metrics for one week, and prepare a 5-minute class presentation. Ask students to identify three concrete improvements for episode 2 and a timeline for implementing them.

Call to action

Ready to run this assignment? Use this template in your syllabus, adapt the rubric to your grading scale, and put students in the producer's seat. Test the short-form-first promo approach from late 2025 and the audience-driven concept exemplified by Hanging Out — then publish, measure, and iterate. If you want a downloadable pack with templates, scripts, and release forms adapted for classroom use, copy and adapt this brief for your LMS and start your first episode this term.

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