Podcast format is an interesting topic to discuss about because with the right format you can turn dull and boring content into life. Content itself is not a dynamic thing.

Unless you know how to make it interesting, your podcast may not grab the attention of listeners long enough, let alone subscribe and listen to it regularly.

Introduction

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Podcasting is not only about talking into the microphone and publishing random thoughts for others to listen to. Of course, this may be acceptable for some podcasts which exist just for the sake of hobby.

For anyone who produces and publishes podcasts for business purpose, podcast format is one of the biggest things that should be planned carefully. Very few of us have the capability to speak impromptu without leaving any missing parts and still maintain good quality.

Like any other media, podcasters should adhere to “editorial calendar” to distribute the right message to the audience at the right time.

In several format of podcasts that mainly cover news, the calendar may be much more flexible but still there should be some plan to follow.

Why podcast format is important

When you are starting a podcast, you may tend to decide which format your podcast based on what you have listened and liked so far. Perhaps you like the idea of a talk show. You may have wished for your own radio show for a long time.

There is nothing wrong with this approach. Modeling a working format can certainly work if you do it right and is certainly better than no format at all.

I recall the time when podcasts were still very intriguing. Back then, if you have a podcast, site visitors and blog readers will listen to it just for the sake of curiosity. People care less about the format, quality and other things but mainly content.

The days are gone though. Even for people who have just known about podcasts, they will soon find out there are many options and the only thing that they are lack of is time.

Random musings from the author, unless very popular or provocative, is not going to get a lot of interested and loyal listeners now.

Boring podcast is also part of the past. Quality of content and interesting delivery are two factors that are no longer optional.

Another benefit of planning a podcast format upfront is that you know how to allocate resources as necessary. If the format requires a lot of research, you’d better have time to do it or delegate it to others. The first thing you want to avoid is podfading before you get into it enough to see results.

How to choose a format for Your podcast

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How do you create a great podcast format? Here are some questions you need to ask to create an engaging podcast:

• Will you have other hosts for the podcast or will you do it alone?
• What will the average length of the podcast be?
• What is the publishing schedule of the podcast? Daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly, or regularly but without a schedule?
• Will you include intro and outro music? What about sound effects and background music?
• What different segments do you plan to have in the podcast?

Who will be the host?

Most podcasts are solo podcasts. Only one person gets in front of the mic and talk. Other podcasts have two hosts discussing certain topic in turn. I have also found podcasts with a team of hosts discussing a topic at the same time.

If you are working alone, this doesn’t mean that you can’t co-host a show with someone else without physically meeting him/her. Conference calls now enable moderators and participants to involve in a group for discussion. Simple recording device can be used to record such conversation. Some conference call services provide recording as an option too.

Skype is a VoIP (Voice over IP) software that allows you to call people at the other end and establish a conversation for free across the Internet. In this kind of setup, you can co-host a podcast with anyone and record it as long as both of the hosts connect through the same software.

Another popular format is interview. You can schedule an interview with experts in particular industry. This will not only make the podcast more interesting but also less work on your part because mostly the content are from the interviewee answering the questions.

There are benefits and drawbacks for every one of them though. If you decide to do it yourself you are less bounded with the schedule, but you may find it harder to come up with ideas and there will be more work involved to create a podcast.

With a co-host the show could become more lively and many listeners find the interaction more interesting than just one person talking.

The average length of the podcast

Unlike radio, you are not limited by time. Your podcast can be as long as you want or just a few minutes.

The flexibility is yours, but you should also look at different factors. Every decision you make regarding your business including this should be based on the audience. There is no use in publishing one-hour podcast if most of the audience will stop after 25 minutes.

The best way to find the “sweet spot” is to let the audience decide. Once you have been podcasting for some time, you will know it based on the feedback you get from the audience (listeners or viewers). For now, you should start with anything you feel comfortable with.

Another thing worth mentioning is the size of the file. The longer the show, and the higher the quality of the show, the larger the file. This means that it takes more disk space and time to download.

Also note that you need to spare some time to research, plan, record, edit and publish a podcast. A 20-minute show can take up to 1 to 3 hours to finish. Sometimes much longer. You may want to take that fact into account before rolling your first podcast.

The publishing schedule of the podcast

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This factor has to do with the topic, the expectation of the audience, your work schedule and the purpose of the podcast.

If you are podcasting about very popular topic that you will have something to say everyday, you should do it daily to get people interested and come back because you are the source they can rely on.

Weekly podcast is more common. Once you stick with the schedule, do your best to keep at it because once you have followers and loyal listeners, they expect to get new episodes regularly. If you fail to provide content too often, they may decide to leave.

Some businesses publish a podcast to keep in touch with prospective customers. In this case, they must stay in contact with the listeners to keep them interested in what they have to say including the products and services they offer.

Music and effects in your podcast

Music can make a difference in a podcast. It can change the mood and make the podcast sounds professional. Some podcasters decide to put sound effects in the podcast to keep things more lively.

Leading music are common, but there are podcasters who use it in the background too. Music is also great transition between segments.

There are services that will make podcast theme music for you if you don’t want to use existing royalty-free music.

There are some legal considerations when you use music in your podcast. There are many royalty-free music available but some require you to request permission from the author before you can use it.

Podcast segments

Podcast segments allow you to mix and match different type of content into a single podcast. Like in newspapers and magazines, there are featured articles, jokes, reviews, and so on.

Creative use of different podcast segments can help you keep the audience listen to the podcast longer than if there are only one single, boring and long segment.

Some ideas for podcast segments are:

• Welcome message
• Tips
• Reviews
• News
• Announcements
• Questions and answers
• …. of the Day/Week/Month
• Discussions
• Interviews
• Feedback from audience
• and much more…

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I am going to say it again. Keep it simple upfront. You can change different parts and structure of the podcast later. Believe me, it will change anyway. But it is important to keep it simple first to get the right momentum.

Summary

Interesting podcast format can make the podcast enjoyable to consume. Ordinary content can become interesting because good format can change mood and engage listeners.

On the other hand, quality content can become dull and boring if the podcaster can’t delivery it properly.

Take this article as a guideline to plan for your podcast format. But don’t hesitate to change things to suit your needs because after all, you are the one who know your audience best. Based on their feedback, you are going to create a podcast that is most welcomed by the audience.

At the end of the day, the audience is what matters and they are the only reason this article exists.

Must read: Podcast Tutorial.

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