What makes a podcast successful and engaging to you?
December 7, 2015 11:29 AM Subscribe
After thinking about it for over a year, I am ready to try and get my podcast going in the New Year. I'm here to ask the Hive Mind what makes a podcast tick for you.
The podcast will be all-female hosted/written/produced and might run half hour to an hour (again, not clear about that yet) about the growing presence of women in the alcohol industry as well as product discussion/history/reviews.
This is all to new to me, but assume that I have access to good editing software, decent tech. I just need help on how to make it engaging and enjoyable by potential listeners. I'm looking to put up new content twice a month if my other co-hosts' schedule allow it as well as a high level of social media engagement.
So, Hive Mind, what are the important elements of making a podcast something you want to subscribe to and recommend?
The podcast will be all-female hosted/written/produced and might run half hour to an hour (again, not clear about that yet) about the growing presence of women in the alcohol industry as well as product discussion/history/reviews.
This is all to new to me, but assume that I have access to good editing software, decent tech. I just need help on how to make it engaging and enjoyable by potential listeners. I'm looking to put up new content twice a month if my other co-hosts' schedule allow it as well as a high level of social media engagement.
So, Hive Mind, what are the important elements of making a podcast something you want to subscribe to and recommend?
I like podcasts that have a bit of order; meandering conversation is okay, but I prefer it if it fits into a loose structure. Also, I can't stand listening to people interrupting and talking over one another; personally I find that to be very unpleasant.
posted by neushoorn at 11:43 AM on December 7, 2015 [11 favorites]
posted by neushoorn at 11:43 AM on December 7, 2015 [11 favorites]
My thing with podcasts is the co-hosts just getting to the point with what they have to say, not repeating themselves, not falling back on a lot of in-jokes, and it being clear that the podcast was very tightly organized, the details talked about among the hosts prior to recording and then edited with extreme prejudice afterwards. Nothing turns me off a podcast faster than an hour of meandering conversation interspersed with jokes that are only funny to the hosts.
I think a good example of a professionally-produced podcast that keeps a conversational/round-table format while clearly being meticulously planned and edited is the Pop Culture Happy Hour
posted by soren_lorensen at 11:48 AM on December 7, 2015 [4 favorites]
I think a good example of a professionally-produced podcast that keeps a conversational/round-table format while clearly being meticulously planned and edited is the Pop Culture Happy Hour
posted by soren_lorensen at 11:48 AM on December 7, 2015 [4 favorites]
1 Get to the point right away. Don't hem and haw with introing stuff.
2 Have 10 second musical breaks (buy some filler music or ask a friend for their song) in between segments. Just gives the brain a break even if they are useless and you dont have ads
3 Interview people, either bring them in or call them on the phone. Helpful.
4 Have a script for what major talking points you want to get to with each segment
5 Don't make planned jokes if you arent comedians or otherwise professional comics. Do make each other laugh naturally if it's part of the conversation.
6. Don't force things to be a certain length. Maybe have a minimum, but tha'ts the beauty of the medium, you can go for as long or as little as you want.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 11:50 AM on December 7, 2015 [3 favorites]
2 Have 10 second musical breaks (buy some filler music or ask a friend for their song) in between segments. Just gives the brain a break even if they are useless and you dont have ads
3 Interview people, either bring them in or call them on the phone. Helpful.
4 Have a script for what major talking points you want to get to with each segment
5 Don't make planned jokes if you arent comedians or otherwise professional comics. Do make each other laugh naturally if it's part of the conversation.
6. Don't force things to be a certain length. Maybe have a minimum, but tha'ts the beauty of the medium, you can go for as long or as little as you want.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 11:50 AM on December 7, 2015 [3 favorites]
7. Include a few links on your homepage with every ep, and do indicate often in the audio how to find out more.
8. Pick a schedule and stick to it. If you can't update until December, say so in September. Don't over-promise! People will just think you shut down because that happens a lot.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 11:52 AM on December 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
8. Pick a schedule and stick to it. If you can't update until December, say so in September. Don't over-promise! People will just think you shut down because that happens a lot.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 11:52 AM on December 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
I don't want to subscribe to or recommend a podcast unless the podcasters do a good job of releasing episodes on a regular basis. I don't care so much if sometimes an episode comes out a day late, but I can't stand irregular intervals or long hiatuses. I also like episodes to have a set structure. Decide where in the episode the product reviews go and keep to that unless you have a good reason to change. Don't switch things up randomly.
posted by Area Man at 11:53 AM on December 7, 2015
posted by Area Man at 11:53 AM on December 7, 2015
Please get at least a decent-enough microphone. PLEASE DO NOT PUT IT NEXT TO THE SKYPE SPEAKERS. I can't tell you the number of times I've had to delete an episode of my favorite podcast because the podcasters had a choppy connection that day. Or when different people come through at completely different volumes. Turns me right off.
posted by rebent at 11:59 AM on December 7, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by rebent at 11:59 AM on December 7, 2015 [8 favorites]
Get that idle chit-chat out of your system before you start recording, or edit it out. And if the sound quality sucks, stop recording and don't start again until it's better: I listen to podcasts as I drive, and at that volume, "bad Skype" is painful.
posted by wenestvedt at 12:02 PM on December 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by wenestvedt at 12:02 PM on December 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
If you have a decent pool of mildly unreliable co-hosts, it's OK to have a portion of the cast vary each week as long as there is some coherence. For example, "The Incomparable" podcast has one constant host plus a rotating cast, and the same guy's "Clockwise" podcast uses two hosts plus two guests each week -- which still totally works.
posted by wenestvedt at 12:05 PM on December 7, 2015
posted by wenestvedt at 12:05 PM on December 7, 2015
it sounds like somewhat of a niche market/audience, so it might not apply (or maybe so, what do I know), but one of the things that drives. me. crazy. is when folks talk about stuff that they don't know anything about. I can't think of a specific example, but something along the lines of; If you're going to have a discussion with a guest about 1970s muscle cars, then do a bare minimum of research so that you actually KNOW what a carburetor is, and why it's important. Don't just say, "Gee, I'm dumb about this stuff..." You have google right there in front of you.
You said you have your tech together, but get that stuff perfect! Poorly mixed or unclear audio will drive me away pretty quickly.
Don't make it a show-about-the-show. I don't care about how much you like doing the show, or how much the show means to you, or what a struggle it is to put on the show, or how you make the show. There are several that I used to love that went down that route and now they are dead to me.
posted by Mr. Big Business at 12:09 PM on December 7, 2015 [3 favorites]
You said you have your tech together, but get that stuff perfect! Poorly mixed or unclear audio will drive me away pretty quickly.
Don't make it a show-about-the-show. I don't care about how much you like doing the show, or how much the show means to you, or what a struggle it is to put on the show, or how you make the show. There are several that I used to love that went down that route and now they are dead to me.
posted by Mr. Big Business at 12:09 PM on December 7, 2015 [3 favorites]
1) Do I know what the topic is before I start listening? As in, is there a short summary somewhere where I can see if the topic is something that I'm interested in? This is very important.
2) Do you actually discuss the things that you claim that you will? If you say next podcast will be about X, it's nice if you stick to that.
3) Try to keep introductions to a minimum, but do have them. "I'm here with Patty, mechanical pencil designer at Bic, who is here to talk to us about graphite," is usually good enough.
4) Will you be willing to take questions from listeners? If yes, say that somewhere in the podcast.
5) It's always nice to have a list of resources that are accessible to the listeners. If you talk about some hot new technology, it's nice to have a website with links that people can follow to learn more.
posted by Shouraku at 12:12 PM on December 7, 2015
2) Do you actually discuss the things that you claim that you will? If you say next podcast will be about X, it's nice if you stick to that.
3) Try to keep introductions to a minimum, but do have them. "I'm here with Patty, mechanical pencil designer at Bic, who is here to talk to us about graphite," is usually good enough.
4) Will you be willing to take questions from listeners? If yes, say that somewhere in the podcast.
5) It's always nice to have a list of resources that are accessible to the listeners. If you talk about some hot new technology, it's nice to have a website with links that people can follow to learn more.
posted by Shouraku at 12:12 PM on December 7, 2015
I love hosts who are engaging and interesting. I'll listen to people talk about just about anything, so long as I like the people talking about it.
I also like podcasts that have several shorter stories contained within. So The Moth and Risk and This American Life are really my cup of tea.
Conversely, I also like podcasts that dip into the same subject for long spans of time. Serial was great, as is Startup and things like that.
posted by xingcat at 12:27 PM on December 7, 2015
I also like podcasts that have several shorter stories contained within. So The Moth and Risk and This American Life are really my cup of tea.
Conversely, I also like podcasts that dip into the same subject for long spans of time. Serial was great, as is Startup and things like that.
posted by xingcat at 12:27 PM on December 7, 2015
If you screw up your audio on an episode so that it's full of weird noises, excise those segments or just scrap the episode and re-record.
If you can't be dissuaded from, for whatever reason, indulging in sound effects (bleeping out curse words or what have you), make sure to test that segment of the show (a) while wearing earphones and (b) while driving on a noisy road with the volume turned up so you can hear (not at the same time). I unsubscribe from podcasts that scare the shit out of me with unexpected loud, weird, and/or high-pitched noises. Just silence the offending words if you must. (Corollary: do not, for any reason, use car horns, ring tones, or text chimes.)
If you're reading from a script and not conversing, please practice both writing and reading so that it sounds like you're talking naturally.
If you're interviewing someone, don't make the questions all about you--you've got the intro and outro segments to talk about yourself and your experiences. If I'm listening to an interview, it's because I want to hear what the interviewee has to say, and if you go on and on about yourself while setting up the question, or feel the need to throw in a "Me too!" story, it feels like you're not giving the interviewee time to talk. (There are, of course, always exceptions to this--some interviews are actually quite good back-and-forth conversations, but that only tends to happen when both parties have expert experience in the subject at hand.)
posted by telophase at 12:46 PM on December 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
If you can't be dissuaded from, for whatever reason, indulging in sound effects (bleeping out curse words or what have you), make sure to test that segment of the show (a) while wearing earphones and (b) while driving on a noisy road with the volume turned up so you can hear (not at the same time). I unsubscribe from podcasts that scare the shit out of me with unexpected loud, weird, and/or high-pitched noises. Just silence the offending words if you must. (Corollary: do not, for any reason, use car horns, ring tones, or text chimes.)
If you're reading from a script and not conversing, please practice both writing and reading so that it sounds like you're talking naturally.
If you're interviewing someone, don't make the questions all about you--you've got the intro and outro segments to talk about yourself and your experiences. If I'm listening to an interview, it's because I want to hear what the interviewee has to say, and if you go on and on about yourself while setting up the question, or feel the need to throw in a "Me too!" story, it feels like you're not giving the interviewee time to talk. (There are, of course, always exceptions to this--some interviews are actually quite good back-and-forth conversations, but that only tends to happen when both parties have expert experience in the subject at hand.)
posted by telophase at 12:46 PM on December 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Good sound quality is definitely high up on the list. If the essential essence of this project involves a round table discussion then I want a high degree rapport between the hosts. I would want this to feel like this is friends/colleagues/etc. having a casual, intimate conversation that I am lucky to be privy to.
I'll disagree with the above about release schedules. For the most part I listen to enough things that I don't need more things so I don't care if episodes aren't released timely. The exception to this is if your podcast covers current events or is a "this week in X" type of arrangement. In that scenario I want a very strict schedule that is adhered to as much as possible. For example as I write this, it is Monday afternoon in the eastern United States which means that Slate's sports podcast will be coming out. Since they are likely to cover events that happened over the weekend and the previous week, I like to listen to this very closely to when it comes out. Ideally it would come out before my post-work exercise time.
Lastly, I'd suggest tight editing. I definitely don't mind meandering as I have numerous subscriptions to podcast that clock in at 2+ hours per episode but I am more likely to add new podcasts to the rotation if they are tight and concise.
posted by mmascolino at 1:12 PM on December 7, 2015
I'll disagree with the above about release schedules. For the most part I listen to enough things that I don't need more things so I don't care if episodes aren't released timely. The exception to this is if your podcast covers current events or is a "this week in X" type of arrangement. In that scenario I want a very strict schedule that is adhered to as much as possible. For example as I write this, it is Monday afternoon in the eastern United States which means that Slate's sports podcast will be coming out. Since they are likely to cover events that happened over the weekend and the previous week, I like to listen to this very closely to when it comes out. Ideally it would come out before my post-work exercise time.
Lastly, I'd suggest tight editing. I definitely don't mind meandering as I have numerous subscriptions to podcast that clock in at 2+ hours per episode but I am more likely to add new podcasts to the rotation if they are tight and concise.
posted by mmascolino at 1:12 PM on December 7, 2015
These are just my personal pet peeves about podcasts. I realize that your podcast is your forum to do whatever you like with, and probably there will be some people who will absolutely LOVE all the stuff below that I hate. But here it is:
1. Have every episode be related to the topic the podcast is about. I hate it when a podcast host suddenly decides to have an episode be about some "other thing" they are passionate about, which is not the normal topic of the podcast. It is really disappointing and irritating for me to tune into my favorite "totally tarot" weekly podcast only to hear that today we are thrilled to have as our special guest So-and-So Jones, who is going to talk to us about her brave struggle with compulsive nose-picking or the plight of the endangered yackal or the spirituality of bees. Ugh.
2. If you have theme music, don't let it run on for the full 6 minutes or however long. Drives me insane. Fade out after a few bars already!
3. Unless your topic is music, please don't try to broaden my musical horizons and show off your eclectic musical taste with various song interludes. I didn't come here to listen to a djembe solo punctuated by a single phrase sung over and over for 14 minutes. If I want music I'll go to Pandora, or I'll seek out a music podcast.
4. Have a regular schedule for putting out podcasts, if possible. If you can't have a regular schedule, maybe have several different avenues by which you send notifications that you have a new podcast up. Not everyone does an RSS feed. Have an email list, and put the notifications on Facebook and Twitter as well.
5. Be available on PocketCast. This is so convenient and easy to use compared to iTunes that it brings a tear of joy to my eye just thinking about it.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 2:23 PM on December 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
1. Have every episode be related to the topic the podcast is about. I hate it when a podcast host suddenly decides to have an episode be about some "other thing" they are passionate about, which is not the normal topic of the podcast. It is really disappointing and irritating for me to tune into my favorite "totally tarot" weekly podcast only to hear that today we are thrilled to have as our special guest So-and-So Jones, who is going to talk to us about her brave struggle with compulsive nose-picking or the plight of the endangered yackal or the spirituality of bees. Ugh.
2. If you have theme music, don't let it run on for the full 6 minutes or however long. Drives me insane. Fade out after a few bars already!
3. Unless your topic is music, please don't try to broaden my musical horizons and show off your eclectic musical taste with various song interludes. I didn't come here to listen to a djembe solo punctuated by a single phrase sung over and over for 14 minutes. If I want music I'll go to Pandora, or I'll seek out a music podcast.
4. Have a regular schedule for putting out podcasts, if possible. If you can't have a regular schedule, maybe have several different avenues by which you send notifications that you have a new podcast up. Not everyone does an RSS feed. Have an email list, and put the notifications on Facebook and Twitter as well.
5. Be available on PocketCast. This is so convenient and easy to use compared to iTunes that it brings a tear of joy to my eye just thinking about it.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 2:23 PM on December 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
I can't tell you the number of times I've had to delete an episode of my favorite podcast because the podcasters had a choppy connection that day. Or when different people come through at completely different volumes. Turns me right off.
THIS SO MUCH. I don't care how good the content is; I don.t care if you've gotten Vincent Price to call from beyond the grave and share his clam chowder recipe. If all you;ve got to offer is static and awkward silences punctuated by by periods of people shouting over each other about the sound issues, I'm not sticking around.
Also, keep the in-jokes to a minimum unless you've got time to explain them to the audience. And even then, they're probably only funny to you.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 2:48 PM on December 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
THIS SO MUCH. I don't care how good the content is; I don.t care if you've gotten Vincent Price to call from beyond the grave and share his clam chowder recipe. If all you;ve got to offer is static and awkward silences punctuated by by periods of people shouting over each other about the sound issues, I'm not sticking around.
Also, keep the in-jokes to a minimum unless you've got time to explain them to the audience. And even then, they're probably only funny to you.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 2:48 PM on December 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
Just a couple to add to this excellent list (I wish all podcasters would read this list).
1. A light humorous approach is always good, but remember that humor, as opposed to humorous or light hearted, is hard. Don't attempt it unless you are really sure of yourself and, at all costs, do not make puns, they are NOT FUNNY, and I will shut your podcast off immediately and never listen again at the first hint of a pun. Also, try to avoid excessive laughter at your own or your guests' jokes.
2. Make sure there is an easily found download button on your site. Do not rely on Itunes to promulgate your show.
posted by charlesminus at 2:58 PM on December 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
1. A light humorous approach is always good, but remember that humor, as opposed to humorous or light hearted, is hard. Don't attempt it unless you are really sure of yourself and, at all costs, do not make puns, they are NOT FUNNY, and I will shut your podcast off immediately and never listen again at the first hint of a pun. Also, try to avoid excessive laughter at your own or your guests' jokes.
2. Make sure there is an easily found download button on your site. Do not rely on Itunes to promulgate your show.
posted by charlesminus at 2:58 PM on December 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
Unless you are specifically targeting a certain ideological demographic, don't make sweeping comments about groups or issues that might turn off your listeners.
I listen to a podcast that is narrowly tailored to my demographic group, but even then I have felt insulted by the hosts on certain subjects and have considered not listening any more. The attitude of "This is the TRUTH and if you believe otherwise you are ignorant!" is very off-putting.
posted by tacodave at 3:13 PM on December 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
I listen to a podcast that is narrowly tailored to my demographic group, but even then I have felt insulted by the hosts on certain subjects and have considered not listening any more. The attitude of "This is the TRUTH and if you believe otherwise you are ignorant!" is very off-putting.
posted by tacodave at 3:13 PM on December 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Seconding everyone who suggests making the podcast tight and to the point. I've stopped listening to some movie podcasts when I realized that most of the content was the hosts pointlessly shooting the shit for a longer stretch of time than the actual movie they're discussing.
Short intro music/theme song. I'm eager to listen to YOU - please don't make me sit through 2+ minutes of filler to get to you!
I like the suggestion of little breaks between sections, especially if you could list the exact times of where they start on your webpage when you publish the episodes. I absolutely love Hardcore History and do not mind its sporadic release schedule at all, but hoo boy, I wish it came with a list of good "stopping point" times for its 3-4 hour episodes.
posted by cadge at 3:46 PM on December 7, 2015 [4 favorites]
Short intro music/theme song. I'm eager to listen to YOU - please don't make me sit through 2+ minutes of filler to get to you!
I like the suggestion of little breaks between sections, especially if you could list the exact times of where they start on your webpage when you publish the episodes. I absolutely love Hardcore History and do not mind its sporadic release schedule at all, but hoo boy, I wish it came with a list of good "stopping point" times for its 3-4 hour episodes.
posted by cadge at 3:46 PM on December 7, 2015 [4 favorites]
Counter-point: I hate music breaks, unless you are a music podcast.
posted by wenestvedt at 6:24 PM on December 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by wenestvedt at 6:24 PM on December 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
2nding that it's terrible when hosts interrupt frequently. My favorite example of this is the Writer's Bloc Podcast.
posted by jessca84 at 11:04 PM on December 7, 2015
posted by jessca84 at 11:04 PM on December 7, 2015
Good sound quality and thoughtful, well-planned and edited episodes are key for me, and I appreciate it when the speakers are well-informed on their subject and don't talk over each other.
I suggest listening to some random podcasts that you've never heard of. It's when I started poking around and listening to stuff that wasn't professionally produced that I started to realize what makes a really good podcast.
posted by bunderful at 6:53 AM on December 8, 2015
I suggest listening to some random podcasts that you've never heard of. It's when I started poking around and listening to stuff that wasn't professionally produced that I started to realize what makes a really good podcast.
posted by bunderful at 6:53 AM on December 8, 2015
The podcast I listen to most devotedly is made by former radio professionals who are very fussy about their sound quality. While most podcasters can't or won't go as far as they do to have good audio, I have definitely jettisoned podcasts with bad audio quality - sound levels that bounce up and down, consistently bad Skype, voices that sound like they were recorded inside a big tin can, etc.
posted by PussKillian at 8:25 AM on December 8, 2015
posted by PussKillian at 8:25 AM on December 8, 2015
I have a friend who does a monthly-to-biweekly podcast and he has an 'infrequent segment' that I really like. I asked him once why he didn't do more of it, and he said 'Oh, that's only for when I run short on $TOPIC. I couldn't do that every podcast.' I know that he regularly harangues his friends for, essentially, free content - and we do it happily. In addition he does interviews with outspoken/interesting members of his audience that have a presence on his show's message boards. Not my favorite part of the show, but then, I'm not active on the boards, so I'm not really the audience.
He also does a 'gear review' show to coincide with holiday shopping and another that functions as a clip show around the New Year, but otherwise takes Nov, Dec, and Jun off, all so that he can spend his limited time (it's all done as a hobby and he has family/career/responsibilities) on actually doing a good job on $TOPIC episodes. In this way, he takes what seems like thin soup (maybe 18-20 shows for what is, supposedly, a biweekly podcast) and makes it seem like a fairly professional endeavor.
Also, having seen the sausage made, I can attest that he's a sound editing ninja, and that makes so much difference - his 'bumpers' (sound between segments) are different every podcast ($TOPIC is such that he gets lots of heads-ups from his listeners), and he gave me a blow-by-blow of the art of editing a 10-20 second bumper that wasn't going to crash the flow of the segments, but would be enough of a morsel to entice interest, or tie up the last segment, or introduce the next. The amount of effort he pours into it is astounding, and a good edit job can turn the most meandering, meaningless collection of fat-chewing into something compelling and entertaining in a way that is akin to magic.
posted by eclectist at 5:40 PM on December 8, 2015
He also does a 'gear review' show to coincide with holiday shopping and another that functions as a clip show around the New Year, but otherwise takes Nov, Dec, and Jun off, all so that he can spend his limited time (it's all done as a hobby and he has family/career/responsibilities) on actually doing a good job on $TOPIC episodes. In this way, he takes what seems like thin soup (maybe 18-20 shows for what is, supposedly, a biweekly podcast) and makes it seem like a fairly professional endeavor.
Also, having seen the sausage made, I can attest that he's a sound editing ninja, and that makes so much difference - his 'bumpers' (sound between segments) are different every podcast ($TOPIC is such that he gets lots of heads-ups from his listeners), and he gave me a blow-by-blow of the art of editing a 10-20 second bumper that wasn't going to crash the flow of the segments, but would be enough of a morsel to entice interest, or tie up the last segment, or introduce the next. The amount of effort he pours into it is astounding, and a good edit job can turn the most meandering, meaningless collection of fat-chewing into something compelling and entertaining in a way that is akin to magic.
posted by eclectist at 5:40 PM on December 8, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mskyle at 11:36 AM on December 7, 2015 [7 favorites]