When you decide to start a podcast one of the things you’ll need to decide is, what format you’ll use for your show. With the multitude of options available, I’m going to share with you 3 options you can try out and find the one that works for you.
Narration bite
This format is popularly used in broadcast radio. This is where the host narrates the story and they insert sections of the interview, or bites as they call it. This is to supplement telling the complete story. For podcasters, this means writing out what you want to say and transcribing the interview for the sections you want to use.
The drawback with this format is that it’s a lot of work. Both in pre and post-production. It involves doing the interview, writing your script and editing the show after you record your podcast episode. Entrepreneur magazine’s “Problem solver” podcast comes to mind with this format, the BBC also uses it a lot with their documentaries.
It’s a format you can use to get really creative with your episodes in post-production. But keep in mind it’s the most time-consuming.
Interview style
This format is the easiest of all 3. You have a guest, and you ask questions. Once you are finished you can edit the interview, keeping what you want and deleting the rest. In the post-production, all you need to do is an intro, and outro for your show, and add the interview in the middle and you’re done. You can knock out multiple episodes weekly this way.
The drawback with this format is a boring guest. If the interviewee is boring when talking about his or her subject area, then the show can drag on and is then hard to listen. If the guest is engaging and excited about the subject, then the interview can be easy to listen to and fun for your listeners. It will also be easy to edit.
Persons who use this format a lot include “story brand” podcast by Donald miller, “online marketing made easy” podcast by Amy Porterfield and Dave Ramsey.
Lone Ranger Style
The last one is the lone ranger. This is where you are talking about your area of expertise. You can also have a co-host. All throughout the episode you talk about or teach your thing. You answer questions, teach stuff and it’s just you.
This format takes a lot of prep work but its also easy to maintain with a system. If you have lots to share, you can record each response on the go, and that can save you plenty of time in post-production work.
“Side hustle school” podcast, “marketing school” by Neil Patel and ProBlogger use this format. You can listen to the suggested podcasts to get an idea of how the final show sounds. Try them out and get your podcast started.