102: Which Podcast Structure Works Best? Here’s the answer!
Episode description
“What’s the BEST structure for a podcast? I mean… one that really engages listeners and keeps their attention throughout the episode?”
I am asked that question - and questions like it - all - the - TIME. And while there are no dumb questions, there are questions that haven’t been thought through very well, and that’s ONE of them.
Why? Well, it has to do with the fact that you and I and Mary down the street are all podcasting about different topics and trying to reach different audiences.
I walk you through the logic and practical steps of discovering YOUR best podcast structure, on this episode of Podcastification.
[1:25] The questions I receive all time and why my answer is often “it depends.”
[2:01] My walk down main street and how it can help you answer the question yourself
[3:10] Who are your ideal listeners? You need to answer that question first
[8:09] Look at the top downloaded podcasts in Apple Podcasts - they have differing structures
[8:59] How do you discover the structure that will fit your audience?
[10:37] The best-practices don’t always translate from one niche to another - so you’ll have to put in some work to figure it out for your niche
[13:02] Get out there and talk with your target audience
Are you listening to this podcast trying to “figure it out” yourself?
You don’t have to make the same mistakes others have made over and over.
You can learn best-practices that I’ve learned from working with 100s of clients over the lifetime of my podcast production company - through The FREE Podcast Optimizer Series.
I’m sure there are certain ways of organizing and presenting content within your podcast episodes that are more “effective” (whatever that means to you) than other ways of organizing it.
But what I’ve discovered in working with over 100 clients so far is this:
THERE IS NO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL podcast structure you can use as a template.
That’s because there is no one-size-fits-all approach to reaching niche audiences.
Did you get that?
The operative word is “niche” - which by definition means a very specific subset of people who are interest in a very specific topic.
THOSE particular people are going to respond very differently to one episode framework than they do another.
For example: Would people interested in comic books appreciate a radio-announcer-guy type intro, or would they rather have something fun, creative, and hip? You be the judge.
But if you make the wrong decision, you could be turning OFF the exact people you want to listen to your podcast.
So what do you do? That’s the next point I cover… so stick around (or listen).
In this episode I decided to do something a bit different. I got out my portable recording setup (which you can hear me describe in detail on episode 86) and took a walk down main street in my little town.
My goal: Consider how each different type of business would go about appealing to its ideal customer.