The cold open
Written to be word-perfect, then delivered at whatever pace the room has that day. A timed scroll is either ahead of you or behind you within two sentences.
The problem
Podcast scripts are only ever partly scripted.
An episode is rarely read start to finish. It’s a written cold open, a tightly worded sponsor read, and a lot of conversation in between — which is exactly the shape a fixed-speed teleprompter handles worst.
The sponsor read
Certain phrases have to be said exactly, in order. Reading them off a moving wall of text is what makes an ad read sound like an ad read.
The handover
Co-hosted shows put both voices in one block of text. You discover your line has arrived roughly when the silence does.
Two hosts, one script
Everyone can see whose line is next.
Tick Two speakers in the editor, assign the lines, and each host’s lines are tinted in the prompter — pale yellow for one, pale blue for the other.
- Tracking runs straight through the changeover, because it follows whoever is talking.
- Both hosts share one microphone — no second device, no setup, no sync.
- Speaker labels are shown but never waited for, so nobody has to say “A” out loud.
- Assignments are stored in the script itself, so they survive edits and save with the episode.
Mic Rode PodMic
Listening
Heard
Sponsor reads
Say the required words. Sound like yourself.
The obligations are in the copy: the phrasing, the offer, the code. What sells the read is delivering it at your own pace, with your own emphasis — which is the first thing you lose when you’re chasing a scroll.
- Pause for effect and the text stays exactly where it is.
- Ad-lib around the copy and it holds position rather than guessing.
- Come back to the line and it picks you up within a sentence or two.
- Re-record just the read without hunting for the right place in the script.
Video podcasts
For the camera as well as the microphone.
If the episode is filmed as well as recorded, the prompter has to stay out of shot and out of your eyeline.
- Run it full screen on a second monitor, with the controls left on your laptop.
- Mirror the text for beam-splitter teleprompter glass so you can read down the lens.
- Scale the type for your distance from the screen — nothing else moves.
- The interface is dark and low-glare, so it doesn’t light your face or reflect in your glasses.
A note on names. Windows’ speech engine will mangle guest names, show titles and technical jargon. Onwords is built to track well in spite of that — it needs a few recognisable words, not a perfect transcript. More on how tracking works →
Also worth a look
Onwords elsewhere in your workflow.
Social media video
Hit the hook word for word and batch a week of videos in one sitting.
For social video
Live streams & webinars
No second takes — ad-lib, come back, and the prompter is still with you.
For live & webinars
Support & FAQs
Microphone troubleshooting, tracking questions and system requirements.
Get helpOnwords for Windows
Record the next episode with it.
Onwords is coming to the Microsoft Store with a free trial — try it on your own script, your own microphone and your own accent.
Coming soon toMicrosoft Store
Support & FAQsWindows 10 and 11 · free trial on the Microsoft Store · no account required · your scripts never leave your computer