Not just interviews: A guide to podcast formats

Back when I was first getting into podcast production for other people, it probably took a bit longer than it should've for me to realise that for a lot of folks, podcasts were synonymous with interview podcasts. I had questions fired at me like "what do you do if you can't get any guests?", and "isn't that just a radio show?". When I mentioned that you could do a podcast all by yourself, there were looks of horror. What, talk? To nobody?!

But you see, friends, you're not talking to nobody! Whether you're taking some time to have a one-on-one with your listener, telling a story, having a chat with a co-host... there's plenty of ways to fill an hour's worth of airtime, and an interview might not necessarily be the right one for you.

It all depends! What's your audience? What's your topic? Is it a fast-changing, dynamic niche, or is it one with a lot of complexity and depth? What's your audience looking for? Do they want the latest news or are they looking to be entertained?

Chances are it's a combination of all of those things and chances are there's a podcast format that's right for you in your situation.

There's plenty of different podcast types, including plenty I've probably forgotten. But let's run through a few lightning-round style just to give you an idea.

I'll put some of the positives and negatives of each style, and some recommendations about who might try each style depending on your podcast goals. There's also some recommendations for you to listen to in there as well, from some of the big players as well as some from the other ends of the value spectrum!

I probably don't have to explain this one to you! It's by far the most common podcast format, where each episode you bring a different guest (or guests) onto the show and ask them questions.

​Probably another format you're pretty familiar with, although you might not know it by name. Here's the format where you tell a story through a podcast, often using things like voiceover, interview excerpts, archival audio, re-enactments... likely if you think of your favourite true crime podcast, it'll be one of these.

​You. Microphone. Hit record! That's pretty much it! Forget co-hosts or guests, this one's all about you!

​Rather than a host and a guest, this is two regular hosts (or guest hosts) having a chat about a particular topic.

Probably more my term rather than an industry term, this one really refers to a hybrid of a few styles. Like a physical magazine, a magazine podcast contains a whole heap of different stories, presented in different styles, around the same or similar topics. You might have a news segment that's solo, then a discussion with your co-host about a topic, then maybe a long-form interview with an expert, or a question and answer session... the sky's the limit!

You can even combine podcast formats in the same feed! Perhaps your 'normal' episodes are magazine-style, but you do a bonus episode that plays one of your full interviews in traditional interview style? Or do a special Q&A episode? A special investigation? An end-of-year clip show? It's up to you!

For help deciding what format's right for your podcast, get in touch!