The plethora of podcasts keeps growing and you have probably been thinking of adding your own to the list.
But why should you? Well, there are many benefits to having a podcast for your business. Firstly, they help to engage audiences and increase their visibility as thought leaders. They’re also quite versatile because they can cover any topic and come in a variety of formats.
Now that you know the benefits, it’s decision-making time. Not sure how to decide? Don’t worry,
media update’s Maryna Steyn is here to explore five of the most popular formats to consider.
1. Interview podcasts
One of the most widely used formats, these consist of an interview with a specific person.
This is ideal if your brand is established in a particular field and the interviewee is well-known in your industry.
For example, if you are in the entertainment industry, your podcast could focus on scheduling interviews with key figures. An entertainment-related topic that might be discussed in such an interview is how music has been influenced by social distancing.
A podcast that does this is
Tell me stories by Nick Archibald. Every episode invites a new guest from the music world to share their own stories.
2. Monologue podcasts
These are centred around a single person conveying their opinion about various topics of interest. The host chooses the topic and speaks to the audience about their standpoint.
The downside to this podcast is that it can come across as one-sided. Be careful not to sound biased and do your research!
Monologues can be a lot of work for one person but it has the benefit of not needing to rely on other individuals and their busy schedules. Branching out into a monologue show can be a good idea as it can promote your business as well as offer insight to the audience.
For example, if you are a brand with an accomplished figure in their field to act as a spokesperson or host, these podcasts can become the platform to convey reliable information to the audience. The same is true for having a remarkable or interesting topic a single person can explore in-depth.
Take the podcast,
The Anglo-Boer War, for instance. The series is centred around the Anglo-Boer War as presented by Desmond Latham who keeps events engaging. A good tip to take from him is how he ensures to variate his tone of voice, the way he speaks and the pace of speaking.
3. Multiple host podcasts
This podcast takes on two forms. The first is the co-hosted format wherein two or more individuals present the show together. The second is when several people take turns to host different episodes in the same series.
The decision to have a multiple host podcast will rest on whether you need someone else to bounce your ideas off of. Or, if the hosts have strict schedules that are hard to coordinate or if they have different knowledge areas.
A co-hosted format provides an opportunity to discuss different viewpoints or opinions, or the subject matter allows for a conversational style.
For example, two people hosting a podcast about current events can offer opposing perspectives. Alternatively, these individuals can have complementing personalities where they can ‘play off each other’ to raise the energy of the show.
To use the multiple hosts format would be the best choice when your brand requires multiple experts on various topics for different episodes.
For example, if the brand focuses on do-it-yourself topics, podcasts can range from gardening, to woodwork and more.
An example is from the podcast
Wiser, which is developed by the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research. It showcases multiple hosts as each individual is an expert in their own field. Every week, a different person would convey audio essays or discourse about social and economic issues.
4. Narrative podcasts
A storytelling approach is what makes this type stand out. Instead of addressing points of conversation in a list, the style is more narrative. It is a format that helps fight against listener drop-off by keeping the audience engaged.
Choosing this type of podcast would definitely help you stand out from the crowd. That’s because the podcast becomes an experience for your listener, and they tune in every week (or whenever you release a new podcast). By taking a narrative approach, listeners remember the info better because they connect with the content.
A prime South African example is
Blind History, available on CliffCentral, whose episodes revolve around specific events.
The show’s co-host takes the audience on a journey by looking at important figures from history as they talk to each other about the information they gathered about these individuals.
5. Mixed podcasts
Mixed podcasts are a mixture of the other four types and can draw on anyone of the different types throughout the series.
This flexibility makes it a good choice to use if you are not sure what format your podcast will take. The benefit is that you can even venture into video podcasts.
A brand will ideally choose this type if they have a general theme to the podcast but would like to keep the content fun and exciting by switching up what they present. Will it be an interview? Will it be a touching personal tale?
For example, if a brand touches on general interests, using a mixed podcast will allow them to include interviews with people who do charity work, share stories of overcoming poverty, host collaborative outreach projects or explore socio-economic issues from a documentative perspective.
The Brain & Brand Show, for example, looks at interesting aspects of the human brain as well as behavioural insights but it does so in various ways. In some episodes, host Timothy Maurice Webster shares personal insight, or has interviews with informed biologists, neuroscientists and other knowledgeable people.
What other less popular forms of podcasts do you use? Let us know in the comments section below.
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