Which format suits your podcast?
Whatever your business goals, there is a format that suits your story best. Discover more about the shape your podcast could take to convey your company’s message successfully.
Looking to start a discussion? Or grow your profile? Creating the perfect corporate podcast is made up of many parts, including choosing the right format for your story. We might assume that a podcast is just two people on mic, talking to each other about a particular subject. But actually, a podcast can offer many forms of storytelling.
In this blog, we want to introduce some other formats that might suit your podcast aims better, aligning with your business or brand goals and helping you stand out from the crowd.
A Monologue/Solocast
A Monologue or Solocast is one person on mic talking through a subject. This can be elevated with sound design and other editing techniques. Examples include Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History Series and The Anthropocene Reviewed with John Green.
Pros
This format is great for thought-leadership, as well as narrative storytelling or reviews. It doesn’t rely on guests or other parties, as one person carries the show. Your audience really has the chance to know you intimately, which can be very powerful for personal brand building. It can also be easier to edit one voice rather than several, and you can always adjust and record again with an individual, if things don’t sound as you’d hoped.
Cons
Your host has to be very capable, as they really own the show - there’s no one to bounce off from! Also, to make sure this format really shines, it’s important to ensure audio is well produced in order to still sound dynamic and hold audience attention. This can also mean privileging shorter episode lengths or use of archive audio, to break up the single speaker.
The Documentary
Popularised by NPR, this format is very much about historical recounting of a series of events. This might be achieved with a combination of voices, music, archival audio, and more. An example of this is our podcast with Remembering Srebrenica, Untold Killing.
Pros
This format is very engaging and dynamic, and can definitely have broad appeal, enabling a deep exploration of a particular story. These sort of shows are also proven to have a broad appeal and are regularly seen at the top of the podcasting charts. Beyond this, documentaries often have an evergreen quality meaning people can discover and enjoy your content long after the run is over.
Cons
This style of podcast requires a long production time, and has complex production needs. It requires lots of forward planning and more time to piece together the episodes. Great research is definitely required.
Non-fiction storytelling or reporting
In this format, you hear reporting on an ongoing story, or a hosted show that is being reported, usually based on real life or true stories. It’s a combination of a discussion and reported information, so multiple voices are heard and help to tell a story - this makes it a great way to teach something new to your audience, and expose listeners to new ideas and concepts. Examples include Breaking Brand, Reply All and Heavyweight.
Pros
This is a compelling way to tell a story that you own, offering the chance to include other audio to create a dynamic episode. You really can tell any story at all, so this can be a very flexible and inclusive format.
Cons
Because this format often involves many sources of information, it can mean long and complex production and detailed research are involved.
The Interview
An interview between a host (or multiple hosts) and a subject, who is given the chance to share their unique expertise or insight. The host guides the discussion, asking key questions. Examples include our collaboration with NatWest, or How I Built This and the very popular Tim Ferris podcast.
Pros
Interviews offer the opportunity to introduce a new perspective. Hosts have less pressure, as the guest should do most of the talking. Listeners also don’t mind the occasional fluffed word - they want to feel there’s a natural conversation happening. New audiences might discover your podcast through your guest, which is great for audience building, and this format can help spark discussions.
Cons
There are lots of podcasts already in this format, making it hard to stand out. Interviewing is also trickier than it looks - it takes good research and can be challenging if the guest is repetitive, talks for too long, or isn’t able to articulate their views. You’ll also need a new quality guest for each episode.
Fiction storytelling
A fictionalised play or audio drama, this format is normally performed by voice actors. It’s much more similar to dramatic television or the radio play. Like any good fictional story, these rely on great characters, tension and narrative arcs. It’s a very creative storytelling type, and examples include The Archers and Forest 404.
Pros
Audiences can be really engaged with this style of podcast, as they become invested in the story. With few examples out there, it can be easier to stand out in this format. The only limit is your imagination! Which also means, research and factual accuracy might be less important.
Cons
This is a less common format because it is generally less relevant to businesses. Your competition comes more from Netflix than other podcasts, so it’s much more about having the creativity to come up with a great original narrative. You do have to have the whole story in place at the start, so you know exactly where your episodes are going and how to hit the right beats to keep listeners engaged.
There you have it, some of the other podcast formats that might be perfect for your brand. Don’t get us wrong, sometimes two people and a mic just having a great chat can really work - after all that’s the format behind Conflicted! But it's important to consider why this is the best format.
Think carefully about the format that best suits the story you have to tell, so that you can get out there and share it! And if you’re not sure — get in touch, we can help you figure it out.
Want to learn more? At Message Heard, we make podcasts that help your brand reach new audiences. Find out how we can help you by getting in touch.