Everyone and everything thing has a story behind it. If you have a story to tell or a burning interest in any topic, there are people who want to hear about it.
The real question is why does the story need to be told and why are you the one to help tell that story? Your “why” is going to be the motivation and driving force that keeps your podcast going for many months if not years to come. When you find a broader reason for your content and how it can help other people, you will have all the motivation you need.
When you create stories that are true and authentic to you, your target audience can have a deep and meaningful connection to you.
Finding Your Niche
A podcast show about everything is equivalent to a podcast show about nothing. You may feel that being too specific will pigeonhole your podcast, but finding your niche is how you help to build a strong following for your podcast.
One effective way of finding your niche is to search for shows that are similar to the one you want to make. What do these shows have in common? Most importantly, what is missing from these shows? How can you provide that missing piece.
The Focus Statement
Explaining your show can be difficult, especially when you are still working out the concepts. But having a clear idea of the type of podcast you are making will help keep you focused during the beginning phases of the creation process.
Your focus statement will not only help you to define your niche, it will also help you to explain your show to people who are interested in hearing about your podcast. For most podcasts, the focus statement can be found in the show description.
Your focus statement is going to change over time. This will be something that you re-develop again and again as you work out the details of your show.
Try this exercise to develop your focus statement
Four Factors to Consider When Writing Your Podcast
Format
The format is how you communicate to your audience, not necessarily what you’re communicating. Some common podcast formats are solo host, chatcast, reported narrative, fiction, and interviews. Keep in mind that your podcast can be a combination of these formats and there are other formats out there that are not mentioned on this short list.
Structure
Structure is useful because it helps you to plan your episodes. Most people break up their podcasts into segments because it gives the audience an idea of what to expect each time they listen to the show. If your podcast is unstructured or has a different structure every episode then you have to start planning your episode from scratch each time. By comparison, a podcast with a clear structure only requires you to fill in the show details. It’s great to rearrange, add, remove or rename the structure and segments of your show as time goes on and you find different things that work better for your shows objectives. However, any changes to the show’s structure needs to be communicated to the audience.
Length
Shorter podcasts are typically better for most listeners. Short podcasts are anywhere from 5 minutes to 1 hour. However, making a short episode requires more time in the planning phase because you must figure out the timing before you start to record. Try not to take a lengthy podcast and trim it down to the time that you need in the editing phase. This tactic is ill advised because it will cause the episode content to seem choppy to the listeners and it will be apparent that there is content missing. Editing a lengthy episode to be shorter will also take up more time for the person who is editing the podcast (which is often times you).
Frequency
Frequency is a question of how often should you release your podcast episodes. No matter what you decide, stick to a consistent schedule and make it clear to your audience what that schedule will be. This is how you build your audience.
Resources for Planning, Writing, Recording, and Editing a Podcast
Google Podcast Creator Program
NPR Training & Storytelling Tips
Streaming platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify are some of the most popular places for people to listen to podcasts. These platforms will allow users to search for a podcast by category, topic, length, and other parameters. Listening to many podcasts is also great practice for people who are interested in creating their own podcasts. You should make it a habit to listen to podcasts often and sample what other people are creating. Check out the podcast episode featured on this libguide for an example of a professionally produced podcast.
Hidden Brain Podcast
Hidden Brain explores the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior and questions that lie at the heart of our complex and changing world.
Episode Description:
There is great comfort in the familiar. It's one reason humans often flock to other people who share the same interests, laugh at the same jokes, hold the same political views. But familiar ground may not be the best place to cultivate creativity. Researchers have found that people with deep connections to those from other countries and cultures often see benefits in terms of their creative output. This week, we revisit a favorite 2018 episode about the powerful connection between the ideas we dream up and the people who surround us, and what it really takes to think outside the box.