Influential Introvert: Communication Coaching for Professionals with Performance Anxiety - Podcast formats: Which kind of show should I create?

Episode Date: March 21, 2019

In the last episode, I talked about the why of your podcast. This episode is all about the what. What style of show do you want to create? Solo? Interview? Co-host or roundtable? I'll break down the seven most popular podcast formats, and share some questions to help you choose the right format for you. Visit sarahmikutel.com for show notes.    Ready to start podcasting? Download my free guide: “8 Mistakes New Podcasters Make and How to Fix Them.”    I’m your host, Sarah Mikutel. Thank you so much for listening to this show. I know you’re busy and have many listening options, so it means a lot to me that you’re here. You are the best.Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Have you been wanting to podcast for a while now, but something's holding you back? Maybe it's fear of putting yourself out there or confusion about the tech. I'm Sarah Micahattel, and on podcasting step by step, I'll break down how to podcast with a little loving motivation to give you the skills and the confidence you need to finally launch that show of your dreams. Let's get started. Welcome, welcome, welcome. I am so glad you're here.

Today, we are going to have a chat about the most popular. podcast formats and consider some questions to help you choose the right one for you. I'll also share some of my favorite shows in each category. Let's get started. First up, solo shows. It's just you in the mic. This is a great option if you're an expert in your field and or you want to become seen as a leader in your field. So coaches, mentors, you are the trusted resource that people are going to for advice. An example of this is Natalie Sisson's podcast Untapped, which helps people live their best possible life. Solo shows are also really great for storytellers. The most popular example is probably Dan Carlin's hardcore history. Daily news shows are often short and snappy and hosted by one person.

If you're interested in a roundup of daily podcasting news, you can check out Pod News by James Cridlin. And solo shows can also be great if you are interested in learning something new. Maybe you want to read a book every week and have a book review podcast or a movie review. There are many options. Next up, the interview format. And this is my personal favorite kind of podcast. You as an interviewer get to learn something new and so does your audience. On my travel podcast Postcard Academy, I primarily interview.

you female expats to get their best insider tips on their adopted countries. And I love having these conversations so much. I've even become friends with and traveled with some of my guests. It's just such a fun way to get to know new people. And interview shows can be done in person or remotely via your computer. And a benefit of having a guest is that they can share their episode with their friends and fans and hopefully introduce your show to a new audience. And then there is the co-host show. This can be a really fun option for you and a friend to create something together. Chemistry matters so much when two people host a show.

And if you're already friends, then we can just listen in on your fun vibe and feel like we're part of the action. Some examples of co-hosted podcast. Matthew and Alicia Dix are a married couple who produce a podcast called Speak Up Storytelling, which you should definitely check out if you want to improve your storytelling skills. She Podcasts is co-hosted by Elsie Escobar and Jessica Kuperman. And this is a fun personality-driven show if you like a little banter served up with your podcasting chit-chat. Next up, the Roundtable format. And this involves a group of people coming together on a certain topic on a regular basis. Some of the participants may vary, but there's usually a consistent host

or two who manage the podcast and guide the conversation. And so the roundtable format is really good for debates and opinions and predictions. I really like Fox's worldly podcasts. Ray Ortega's podcaster's roundtable is a bi-weekly show about all things podcasting. And roundtables can also just be a fun way for fans to get together and chat about a particular show and the latest episodes and predict what's going to come next. Some podcasters like to mix things up with a variety format. And this format mixes different segments. An example of a show that I listen to is called Two Fat Expat. That's co-hosted by Kirstie Rice and Nikki Moffat. And they break down their podcast into five different segments that

they include every week, including expat relationships and expat money. They have a recurring guest and they do a mini interview with somebody different on each show. And these unique segments keep the flow of the show moving and really set them apart from other co-consum. hosted shows. Then we have narrative podcasts, high production, NPR, BBC-style documentary shows, hosts are interviewing multiple guests, they have lots of ambient noise that they capture on location, and teams of people to help produce each episode. This style of show sounds great and is very labor-intensive. You can do a smaller-scale version of this. I've experimented with it myself, but it will take you a lot of time, a lot more than you think.

Not only are you out there interviewing people, you're also scripting your narration around this. One of my favorite narrative podcasts is Gastropod, which combines two of my favorite things, food and history. The Fiction Podcast is growing in popularity. These shows are audio dramas like radio dramas from decades ago. Homecoming is an example of a fiction podcast. that was then turned into an Amazon series starring Julia Roberts.

Fiction shows tell a story with episodes that need to be told in a certain order from beginning to end, and this is called the serial format. But most podcasts can be listened to you in any order, and this format is called episodic. So these are the main formats. I'm sure there are others, but these are the most popular. So what format should you choose? One format is not necessarily better or easier than the other,

Dan's Hardcore History episodes lasts for hours and are as in-depth as audiobooks, and they take months to produce. Pod news, meanwhile, comes out daily and is under two minutes. So here are some things to consider when choosing a format for your podcast. Ask yourself what kind of show you would enjoy doing the most. Also, factor in how much time you're willing to commit. Podcasting usually takes a lot longer than people think it will. How long depends on many things, including your show format, whether you're outsourcing things like editing, and your level of expertise in what you're talking about.

How often would you want to podcast daily, weekly, by weekly? If you're brand new, podcasting less than twice a month will make it harder for you to build an audience. You can also choose to podcast seasonally, putting out 10 episodes or whatever you decide and then taking a break and then coming back, hopefully refreshed. So I mentioned earlier that solo shows are great for subject matter experts, but not only them, if you are a professional gardener creating content or a solo podcast on growing tulips, that's going to be easier for you than for somebody with zero gardening experience who has to research every episode. But if you're a flower newbie and you're really excited about sharing your new greenhouse skills, do that show and take us along for the ride. First time podcaster

often shy away from solo shows because standing on stage by yourself can feel really scary. I felt the same when I started podcasting, but solo shows are a really great way to build your confidence and your comfort level in putting yourself out there. So think about this option as a stretch goal for yourself if you're feeling a little apprehensive about it. Maybe this is something you can work up to. The interview format is likely easiest for beginners, but they still require a lot of work. Just because you're interviewing someone else on their expertise doesn't mean you can just rock up to the interview with no prep. Great questions come from doing some research on your interviewee, and you're also going to feel more comfortable as a host when

you know what you're talking about. Plus, you want there to be a point to your episode, and for your listener to have learned something. So proper research will help you identify that point so you can build your conversation around it. Interview shows also require that you find guests, that you reach out to them, schedule a time to record, do the actual recording. Scheduling tools like Acuity can help keep you organized, and I will link to them in the show notes. If you go the co-host route, work out your roles and responsibilities from the beginning.

Is there a main host and the other person just shows up? Will you be doing equal work? Do you have time in your schedule to consistently record? If you plan on working with someone else, think about writing down who does what, and also think about what will happen later on if your podcast starts earning money. Would you split the profits 50-50? For roundtables, it's a good idea to have one person serve as hosts to moderate, and the host can switch from week to week or whatever your schedule is, but having somebody moderate

can ensure that everybody at the table gets a word into the conversation. Narrative podcasts, I mentioned it take up a lot of time, but getting support can help if you've got the money to do that. You could consider outsourcing your editing or episode research, or you could share the work with a co-host and go biweekly. If weekly is too much, that's what they do on Gastropod. You also don't have to stick rigidly to one format. My other podcast, Postcard Academy, is primarily interviews, but I make some solo episodes in there, and I have experimented with narrative. The most important thing is that you're giving your listeners the content that they want and need and are looking for. Do you know what format you want for your show yet?

Send me a message on Instagram and let me know about your podcast. You can find me at Sarah Micatel. Show notes for this episode can be found at sarahmicatel.com slash formats. Thank you for listening to podcasting step by step. You are now one step closer to launching that podcast you've been dream. about, but I want to get you even closer. I created a free guidebook for you with actionable worksheets called 8 mistakes new podcasters make and how to fix them. To find that, head on over to sarah micotel.com slash fix. Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the

spot? I created a free conversation sheet sheet with simple formulas that you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you're in a meeting or just talking with friends. Download it at sarah micotel.com slash blank no more.