How to create an audio walk with StoryHunt

In this article you will learn how to create an audio walk with StoryHunt using a simple five-step model. The guide will cover creating the route, writing a script, testing your experience, recording the audio and launching your tour. 

1. Create a route

The first step is to create your route in StoryHunt Creator. This guide is only suitable linear tours so remember to select "route" when creating a new tour. We recommend to stay within the following guidelines for your tour:

• We recommend to have 8-12 stories per tour
• The tour should be less than 5 km in length
• The tour should be less than 2 hours from start to finish

When you are editing a tour in StoryHunt Creator, you can see the number of stories, the length and the estimated time in the top bar to the left. 

2. Write your script

I recommend to use our StoryHunt Story Template to write your script. This will help you to stay within our recommended story length (less than 4 minutes per story) and guide you through the different sections of a story. The introduction and outro differ but the remaining stories follow this structure: 

1. Introduction to the place: where the user should be standing and where they should look
2. Story content: the actual story that you want to tell – preferably linked to the user's position
3. Wayfinding and teaser: how the user gets to the next story and what to look forward to

If this is the first script you write, I recommend that you read our 10 tips for creating audio walks, The PlayBook (given to paying customers). 

3. Testing the script

Once you have created the first version of your story, I highly recommend that you test it with real users. To make the test as realistic as possible, I suggest the following approach:

1. Make a dummy recording of your script. You can do it yourself or ask a friend to help you. The point is not to act it out but to make sure that your script is coherent and that the user knows where to go between stories.
2. Upload each story to StoryHunt Creator. 
3. Invite some users to test your tour. When testing with users, make sure that you do not show them where to go so you capture their real response to the wayfinding. After each story, I suggest you ask them about their experience and take notes. 

Once you have tested the script, it is time to implement the needed corrections. Depending on the feedback from your users, you might want to test again. The best content creators out there test many times to refine their tours. 

4. Recording the audio

Once you have gone through the necessary testing, it is time to record the audio. This should be done in a professional studio. If you are a good speaker you can do it yourself. Alternatively you can find actors who is able to help you out. 

This step can be daunting but we are happy to help if you need advise. We can also help you to get in contact with professional sound engineers, actors and recording studios. Dont't hesitate to contact us if you need help. 

5. Publish your tour

Once you have the audio, it's time to put everything together in StoryHunt Creator. Make sure that all texts are filled out correctly, that you have the images you want to, and that you have uploaded your recorded audio. 

The final step is to publish your tour to the world (only available for paying customers). 

I hope this guide will help you create an audio walk with StoryHunt.