“What Makes a Podcast Good?”
I’ve completed the 100 episodes in 100 days and talked with over 70 people, now what? It is important to understand why people choose to try a new podcast, even more important is to know why they follow a podcast and become fans. If a podcaster wants to build an audience, then they need to create what people want to hear and the only way to know what makes people keep tuning in, is to ask.
People quoted in the article:
Isaiah Henry, the CEO of Seabreeze
I’ll keep listening to them because they either make me laugh or provide valuable information that I can apply to my own day-to-day life.
Robert Welch CEO| Projector1
To make the most captivating digital recording, your point ought to be something that you are learned and energetic about. The web recording you go with ought to be explicit and interesting to a wide crowd. For example, assuming you pick the subject of cooking, you might have many other web recordings to contend with. Assuming you pick more explicitly vegetarian cooking, you will limit the web recordings you rival. While your potential audience shrinks, you can more properly focus on the right audience members and observe committed audience members who are invigorated that their specialty is being investigated.
Lisa Odenweller, Founder and CEO of Kroma Wellness
For me, a great podcast has to offer a fresh perspective on something. A podcast I’ve been listening to recently, The SelfWork Podcast, has helped me to gradually change my relationship with work culture and productivity. I’m very compelled by a podcast that can combine the intimacy of personal narratives with the authority of professional advice. These are the podcasts that can draw me in for the long haul.
Karl Hughes. I’m the CEO of Draft.dev,
I stick around because I know I’m gonna learn something completely new every week. And the host’s sense of humor and spirited inquiries are a breath of fresh air.
Maria A. McDowell Founder EasySearchPeople
I’ve got an eclectic taste in podcasts. Most of the podcasts that I listen to are podcasts that teach me something. I love learning new things, so I’m apt to listen to a podcast that’s teaching me something I didn’t know before. This can be anything from how to build a car to how to write a good book. But I also love a good story. If I can get a good mix of a story, personal brand, and an interesting episode title, I’m more likely to listen to that podcast.
Ravi Parikh, CEO, RoverPass
I especially enjoy podcasts that have something to teach me — even more so if they offer me other avenues to learn even more about the topic they cover.
Trevor Larson, I’m the CEO and Founder of Nectar
Ultimately, the key is finding content that truly interests me and keeps me coming back for more. Whether that’s in the form of a funny comedy podcast or an informative news show, it’s all about finding the content that clicks with me and keeps me engaged.
Brian Donovan, CEO, TimeShatter
A good podcast is this generation’s version of a good radio show. It needs a clear brand identity, a compelling human element, and an angle that differentiates it from similar offerings in the market. My choice to follow or not to follow a podcast comes down to one simple question: does this add value to my free time? If the answer is yes, I’m a follower for life.
Melanie Anderson of Loopy Little Letters
I have several podcasts saved in my favorites, but I always go back to the same two or three. The connecting theme is that I learn something new, am inspired, and walk away with actionable ideas of how I can improve my life. It also helps if they are under an hour.
Stefan Smulders at expandi.io
I’m also very picky in terms of audio quality, I just can’t follow a podcast that has just started because most of the time the audio is terrible (understandable, but I still don’t like that).
Max Shak Founder SurvivalGearShack.com
I want the podcast to be of high production quality. My point is that some of the pods I listen to have terrible production quality (Big Ego Tapes, I’m looking at you) but they have such interesting content that I can overlook it.
Emma Gordon Founder of USSalvageYards
When I am listening to a podcast, I decide whether to follow or not depending on how catchy or enthusiastic the voice of the host is. I could also decide to follow if the podcast is full of valuable and helpful content. If the host has a good accent and is audible, it is a plus.
Angela Hathaway of The Fit Pro VA
When I finally choose something to listen to, I pay attention to their speech. It’s sounds petty, but speakers who are too slow, have vocal fry, and use too many filler words are an automatic skip for me. I like podcasters who are eloquent, get to the point, and allow their guests to tell their stories.
Harry Morton Founder at Lower Street
What gets me to become a fan or ongoing listener of a podcast is the quality of the host: 1. Do they ask good questions? 2. Do they allow their guests to speak and not interrupt? 3. Do they stay focused and not ramble or waste time?
Jessica Marketing Associate at TeamUp
As a listener I feel that I am being spoken to, not spoken at. I think a lot of podcasts miss the mark when they are focused on sharing their personal opinions about things, rather than engaging with their audiences and trying to formulate opinions and ideas that their audience would connect with.
Vishal Dave, and I am an SEO content writer at Meetanshi.com.
I love listening to a podcast that is easy to understand and digestible. Difference-making criteria between a good and a bad podcast is the clarity of the topic.
Ellie Walters, CEO of FindPeopleFaster.
Personally, a good podcast must have some of the following: an engaging introduction is my taste of a good podcast, I always go back to channels that start their podcast with introducing the topic in a question-like manner to get the listener engaged in trying to figure out an answer for him/herself. sometimes, repetition on a podcast can be an asset and if there is a time to do it, then i prefer to hear it at the beginning.
Jordan McAuley, Founder CELEBRITY / PR
“There are so many podcasts today, I only listen to ones that get right into the story. No offense, but I don’t have time to listen to small talk with your co-host, what your kids are up to, what your vacation was like. Just get right into it.”
Lindsey Allard CEO & Co-Founder of PlaybookUX
The production must be quality and the hosts must know what they’re doing. I’m not interested in listening to small talk about the hosts, what they are doing, or a ton of ramble about nonsense. Get to the meat of the conversation, make sure it sounds professional, and give me a solid amount of information per minute.
Robert Puharich Associate Producer Specified Growth Podcast
The ability to bring in other experts is a significant factor. Those with a network of successful people in a particular area get my attention. Podcasts that get it right are asking good questions, allowing the speaker to work through their ideas, and asking further good questions to really dive into a topic. When I listen to experts, I really like to understand where they are coming from on their ideas, and good podcasts get these ideas out.
James Green, Owner, Cardboard Cutouts
For me, it’s about the content and the interaction of the host(s) with the guests. Podcasts have become a valuable information source for many people, so if the podcast is providing solid information in an entertaining way, then they’re definitely doing something right.
Lucie Chavez CMO of Radaris
I choose my podcasts by the shows that provide continuous value to me, have engaging guests, and keep me wanting to come back.
Nothing else is important to me other than what I can learn in each episode and the value it provides me. If they can do that, and I feel like it’s worth my time, I keep coming back.
Podcasting Brings Opportunity
When I started podcasting, I was surprised by the number of small business owners, thought leaders, and marketing professionals who wanted to be interviewed on BrandAPeel: Brand Storytelling in the Digital Age. As I interviewed various professionals, I noticed that podcasting brought unexpected opportunities.
Where I found my Guests
I found most of my guests by subscribing to the PodMatch site, a platform that matches podcasters with guests. Another site I used was PodGuests a directory of people who are looking to be booked as guests on podcasts.
The requests for being a guest have become quieter now that I’ve interviewed the bulk of the active people on the site looking to be guests on any podcast. I still get the odd message through the site and it has a community, which helps to stay engaged.
Recently, I started to get more emails from people who had listened to my podcast and wanted to be a guest. I must be doing something right if they think their time with me will benefit their brand story broadcasting efforts.
Join us to discuss the Story of Women — What we’ve gained, lost, and wish for
My Guests Taught Me Things
In each interview, I asked questions to dig a bit deeper and find solutions to problems I was having, things I was curious about, and to confirm I was doing something right. During the process I was even offered a job, it didn’t work out, but I did get an offer. The podcast became a catalyst for me to meet business leaders, small business owners, and experts who were becoming thought leaders in their industries. I was talking with people whom I never would have talked to otherwise and it gave me the socialization I needed to stay sane.
I didn’t research guests, I went in cold and it is a good thing because as I learned about who I was talking to, if I’d known ahead of time, I would have been intimidated and the interviews wouldn’t have been as natural. I interviewed the CEO of Stewart’s Enterprise Holdings, which owns the Stewart’s soft drink brand and Hard Rock Café’s drinks in a can. I interviewed a brand storytelling specialist who had been an editor for the Wall Street Journal for ten years. There was the guy who started HBO’s Comedy Central TV Network, and lots of others who had done some amazing things.
The best gift I received was being able to interview Anthony Gruppo about the lessons he’s learned in his life and career. He’s had an interesting career living out on the edge pushing himself to see how far he could go. He went all the way from New York to London as an International CEO for Marsh’s commercial division. He has a lot to teach those who want to climb the corporate ladder and be leaders people want to work hard for. He is one of my favourite people in the world and it turns out, I’m one of his — who knew, I didn’t until he told me on my 100th episode in my 100 episode in 100 days challenge. Like I said, it was a gift.
I wanted to know what opportunities podcasting offered others, so I asked and here are some responses I received.
I received 19 responses — click here for what opportunities podcasts bring.
