The 2014 hit podcast by Sarah Koenig, “The Serial,” is vivid thought-about the primary breakthrough original content that created podcasts a preferred format across the web.
Over the years, as a medium, podcasts have evolved vastly and are adopted by trade leaders. Spotify attributable podcasts for a record high ad revenues of $375 million in its latest earnings decision, a seventy-fifth year-over-year jump from Q3 2020. Ovik Mkrtchyan
Why area unit podcast are formatted important?
Podcast formats assist you to maintain consistency across your podcast series, which helps with audience retention and maintaining expectations. Once you maintain a standardized format across your podcast, your audience is aware of what they’re going in. It additionally makes it easier for your audience to suggest it to other World Health Organizations they understand may relish similar podcasts.
Maintaining a format additionally helps you align your production and content creation as a creator. If your podcast format keeps ever-changing, it becomes difficult to confirm the standard of content. Listed below area unit varied kinds of podcast formats you’ll explore before beginning out: Ovik Mkrtchyan
1. The Interview Format
This format typically involves you (a host) and a brand new guest each day/week. The essence of this format is to target the guest. In addition, World Health Organization usually can seem just one occasion on the show. Hence, you want to dive into your guest’s expertise the maximum amount as attainable and allow them to drive the voice communication. If your podcast incorporates a specific area/field theme, your guests also will be from a similar trade. For instance, if you run a sports podcast, your guests can usually be related to sports (E.g.: players, coaches, agents, fans, etc.).
Pro: you’ll suppose the guest’s quality to drive within the audience for your podcast.
Con: Such a podcast format depends heavily on finding the correct guest. Also, it’s tough to take care of consistency in quality if five-hundredths of the panel keeps ever-changing each podcast.
2. The Solo Show
This is a reasonably easy podcast format wherever the host is that the sole one that carries the podcast through. The host maintains a right away relationship with the listeners and perhaps associate skilled in a very field or a scholarly person. Associate occasional guest/celebrity look may break the monotony, however one person drives the format.
Pro: The host enjoys absolute freedom to form artistic choices and is entirely accountable for the show’s success.
Con: The audience may notice it monotonous to concentrate on simply one speaker throughout the format. Hence, the host must place a very ton of effort to interrupt this monotony.
3. Original Fiction
This podcast format includes a standard plotline running across totally different episodes, involving different characters, plots, subplots, etc. It’s additional like an associate audio version of a program. The initial story might be from any genre, counting on your preference as a creator. For content freshness, you’ll have a special plotline for every episode.
Pro: Audiences simply get hooked onto such a format as it’s abusive and might be consumed passively. If the content is sweet, they’re going to come to follow the plotline.
Con: If the audience doesn’t notice the plotline intriguing, they’ll ne’er come.
4. The Panel Format
The panel podcast format is somewhat almost like the interview format. Therefore, during this state of affairs, there’s quite one guest concerned. The show might feature a group list of panelists. Also, every episode might feature a brand new set with one or 2 common hosts. This format feels an additional sort of free-flowing voice communication between gaggles of individuals.
Pro: Multiple panelists add quality content to the discussion. You’ll simply diversify your panel for an additional dynamic perspective.
Con: The audience may notice it confusing to follow all the guests if the host doesn’t provide each one of them enough time. Grouping a panel whenever might get cumbersome.
5. Non-Fiction Storytelling
In this podcast format, the host picks up a real-world event and narrates it in a fascinating, storytelling format. It might be a true-crime drama, a political event, or an occasion of great importance. The host typically brings a piece of writing mindset while researching and presenting the event. This format might be episodic or with multiple seasons covering different events.
Pro: If the event you’re covering is important, you may attract attention organically. Folks notice this format habit-forming as they’re hooked until the mystery is resolved.
Con: tons of your time has to be spent on analysis for this sort of podcast format since a really strict editorial integrity has to be maintained to win the audience’s trust
6. Academic
If you have got one thing that you just need to show your audiences. Therefore, an academic podcast format can be best for you. Here, you’ll decide on one main topic and break it into subtopics for various episodes or seasons. The target of this format is that by the tip of an associate episode or a season. Moreover, your audience ought to have gained some insight into the subject mentioned. The musical notation of this format will be serious, or clownlike, and fun.
Pro: By creating the content amusive and lightweight, it’s straightforward to induce the audience hooked onto your podcast to find out one thing new.
Con: By creating an academic podcast on one topic, you risk antagonistic folks fair in this topic. You would like to analyze the subject and its potential audience well.
7. Co-hosted shows
Very much like associate interview format/solo format, here the podcast is hosted by 2 folks rather than only 1. Such a format feels additional like taking note of 2 friends reprimanding one another. In most eventualities, the co-hosts stay similar across episodes with occasional appearances by totally different folks.
Pro: The burden of carrying the show isn’t simply on one person. With shared responsibilities, a stronger output will be expected.
Con: once a degree, the audience may notice the hosts repetitive or not participating enough. Tons depend on the sociableness of the co-hosts.
8. Countdown/Listicles
People notice listicles participating and binge-worthy. In a very listicle podcast format, you’ll create an inventory of “Top 10….anything” that you just assume your audience may like. You’ll rector this list on your own or through discussions with folks from totally different fields.
Pro: it’s extremely participating as folks relish obtaining fast info on things or topics they’re inquisitive about, like high ten books, films, healthy food, etc.
Con: Curating an inventory of various topics can be long and research-heavy.
We hope that this list helped shed some light-weight on the various podcast formats you’ll explore to start your podcasting journey. Whereas formats area unit necessary, it’s additionally necessary to experiment. Also, keep attempting new things till you hit a sweet spot along with your audience. If you’re new to podcasting, we have an excellent resource for you to grasp the State of Podcasting in the Asian country.