Podcast Formats have gained a lot of popularity. There are already about 48 million podcast episodes available online, and by 2020, podcasts were being routinely consumed by more than a third of the American population. It’s natural to want to weigh in on the podcast discussion and share your thoughts.
Once you’ve gotten over the initial excitement of “I believe I’m really going to do it!” you’re confronted with a major decision: “What type of Podcast Format should I start?”
Your podcast’s workload and audience response may vary depending on the subject and style you choose. You want a podcast that is fun for you to make and for your audience to listen to. How to get off to a good start is detailed here.
Here are 7 Most Popular Podcast Formats: Choose the Right One for You;
1. Interview Podcast Format
The interview podcast format is one of the most common types of podcasts.
The most frequent kind of podcast is a presenter or hosts chatting to a different guest each week. While the show’s speakers and discussion subjects may change, there is always a consistent thread running through them.
The I Am A Creator podcast by ConvertKit, for instance, is a great example since it includes creators from a wide variety of fields talking about their experiences as creators.
Sarah Cohan, host of the Lit AF Podcast, discusses development and acceptance of oneself with coaches, educators, intuitives, and other courageous individuals.
2.Chatty Podcast Format(co-hosted format)
Podcasts with a conversational format often have two presenters who discuss a different subject in each episode. It’s chosen by an ever-expanding roster of A-listers because it reads like a conversation between old pals.
Two of our podcasts here at ConvertKit, Deliverability Defined and The Future Belongs to Creators, are conversational in nature.
Alyssa Dulin and Melissa Lambert discuss the finer points of email delivery on their show Deliverability Defined. In each podcast episode, hosts discuss serious matters like “How to Recover From an Email Failure” in an approachable and entertaining manner.
3. Educational Podcast Format
Podcasts designed to teach you something new, like how to run a successful company or perfect your painting abilities, might sound a lot like an interview or casual chat with your friends. Due to the extensive content of these podcasts, show notes are required for proper comprehension and reference.
Chris Lang updates his Property Briefings podcast once a month. Chris teaches his listeners all he knows about commercial real estate investment on his popular podcast and is a best-selling book on Amazon.
4. Solo Podcast Format
There is no need to worry about finding a co-host. If you want to start a podcast but don’t have a co-host or guests lined up, doing it alone is a good option. You only need a concept, some inexpensive recording tools, and a place to publish the finished product for free.
To assist her listeners make a permanent mental transformation, Ashley Goode, a brand strategist and mindset coach, releases a new episode of her podcast, Position for Purpose, every Monday. Through dialogue, diary prompts, and personal tales, Ashley discusses subjects including how to remain rooted in your mission.
5. Real-life narratives and current events
Do you struggle to think of a fresh weekly topic? A podcast might be based on a genuine narrative or the most recent developments in a certain field. Even more conventional news organizations, such as NPR’s Up First, have begun producing daily podcasts.
The award-winning podcast Serial is a great example of non-fiction narrative that may be planned in advance of the recording session. The podcast, which has been running since 2015 and chronicles genuine stories like the disappearance of Hae Min Lee, is based on the work of investigative journalists.
6. Podcast Format theater
You, the fiction writers, have found the perfect medium: the podcast. Podcasts may be used to serialize fictitious stories, much like old-school radio broadcasts. To use in your podcast, you may either come up with an entirely new narrative or rework an old piece into the audio medium.
BBC’s fictitious podcast Forest 404 is a “eco-thriller.” Each chapter has both a narrative episode and an immersive “soundscape” recording, and takes place in a world where woods have been eradicated in the 24th century.
7. Bite-sized content or limited run podcast series
Perhaps 40-minute podcast episodes are too long for you or your listeners. There is still time to make a podcast! You may get a taste for podcasting with a few short episodes, or you can keep teachings short and sweet by listening to a limited-run podcast series.
Radio veteran Rachel Corbett has contributed to more than 10 shows. The PodSchool podcast is one of her side ventures that complements her podcasting course. There are 10 minutes in each episode, and they all relate to the creation of a podcast.
8. Panel Shows Podcast Format
It’s possible to find success with the panel show format since it can be adapted to cover almost any subject. It’s likely that if you and your friends are really enthusiastic about a subject, you’ll attract an audience that shares your enthusiasm. Assuming you’ve got the right people in the proper roles, the chemistry and banter you can offer week after episode will be a big part of your show’s success.
However, if all the hosts pull their weight and are committed to working together to make the show a success, it very likely will be! Dealing with the schedules of a number of different, busy people can be difficult, and problems can also arise when there are a lot of different personalities in the mix.
