and tips.
Hello,
and welcome to Tips,
the podcast from OSHA that gives you all the key tips to launch and boost the growth of your podcast.
I'm Sarah,
OSHA's US Podcast Ambassador,
and today's episode is about how podcasts are like Pokemon.
There are so many different types and you gotta catch them all,
or listen to them all.
Okay,
not all of them.
Okay,
maybe they're not like Pokemon,
but there's a lot of podcast formats and styles.
So how a show is hosted defines the style and format
of the podcast.
The most straightforward format is the solo podcast.
In this type of podcast,
there's only one host that develops the subject and presents it to their audience,
but it's far from being the simplest format.
If you're flying solo,
you have to prepare your subjects well beforehand and write your script.
It's a lot of research and actually a challenging format because it's just you and you alone who has to captivate your audience.
Otherwise,
you'll just be breathing heavily into your microphone.
Next is the co-hosted podcast.
The idea behind this format is to have two hosts.
Try pitching your podcast idea to your friends or colleagues who could be interested in embarking on this adventure with you.
There are so many great co-hosted shows out there and it makes it really fun to banter with someone else.
The only thing is that if you're two people behind the mic,
you have to find common times to report.
But with all the remote recording programs that are available to you now,
you don't even have to be in the same place to record your show.
Equally important are the guests on your show because they will also shape what type of podcast you have.
Well,
if you don't have guests,
that's one style of podcast.
But many podcasts do have guests.
And the most common format is the interview podcast.
Generally,
a guest,
relatively well-known or known in their field,
is invited to a podcast to answer questions and share their story.
It's the format that a large group of podcasters prefer because it's easy to record,
not too hard to edit,
and often produces good content.
The interview podcast is an intimate medium that allows you to develop a relationship with your audience.
A podcast can also include several guests to have a talk show format.
And by carefully choosing your guests and preparing your interview,
you can create a fun and lively podcast.
The advantage to this format is that each episode will be unique.
And you can use the energy and the community of your guests to get your podcast off the ground and gain visibility.
Okay,
so I've covered the hosting style and the guest,
but there is still one more super important element that defines a podcast.
The content.
First,
there is the informative podcast.
Here,
the objective is to transmit knowledge to the audience.
The podcast is almost like a training guide on a specific subject.
Today,
there are informative podcasts on basically everything out there.
I even think there are some people who make a podcast about how to make a podcast.
What?
That is so niche.
Who would do that?
Next,
there is the investigative podcast.
This podcast is where the listener follows the investigative work of a journalist on a particular subject.
It can be about current events,
history,
true crime,
basically...
Any poignant story where the audience becomes immersed in the details.
Serial is one of the most successful and well-known investigative podcasts.
The investigative podcast is not too far off from the narrative podcast,
in which a podcaster relays a story to their listeners.
This can be actual storytelling like The Moth,
an audiobook,
or stories for kids.
And speaking of,
I actually wrote an audio series for children aged three to six called Leo the Truck.
It's available in three languages on Apple Podcasts.
Finally,
there's a type of podcast which is becoming more and more popular,
and that is audio fiction.
In this format,
the audience is invited into a universe where the sound editing brings you deeper into the world,
the rain,
the footsteps.
And of course,
the narrative is what keeps you listening.
But remember,
a podcast doesn't always fit into one single category.
Take Tips,
for example.
It's a solo podcast that's also instructive and whose sound design is used to make immersive,
playful,
and dare I say,
funny?
It's therefore up to you to choose the recipe that you want to apply to define your podcast format.
And there you have it.
Thanks for staying until the end of this new episode of Tips.
Don't forget to share it with your friends,
leave a review on a listening platform,
or send us a message on social media.
Thanks,
and see you in two weeks for a new episode of Tips.
This show is brought to you by OSHA,
the all-in-one podcast hosting and marketing platform to help you grow your podcast.
podcast.