A Good Podcast
In our last newsletter, Voix Collective welcomed you to join us on our journey to creating audio magic. We made a promise to you that we were going to make good podcasts. But that raises a question - what is a good podcast? How do you know one when you hear one? What do all good podcasts have in common? Well, let’s start there shall we?
My plan for this piece was the same one I had for the last article. I hoped to interview members of the team to get their views on what they thought a good podcast should contain.
However, like a hiring manager, my editor decided to go in a different direction. He gave me a listening assignment instead. My task? I was to listen to six different podcasts and answer some questions afterwards.
Initially, my heart sank. Listening isn’t one of my favourite things in the world to do. But after my brain stopped making a mountain out of a molehill, I finished my assignment in two days and I was proud of my little achievement.
Up until recently I had never listened to a podcast. I didn’t care for them and the people around me shared the same sentiment. Now I work in the world of audio and there’s no running from it anymore, lol. During the course of my assignment and research, I experienced a perspective shift. I didn’t receive premium entertainment alone, but I was exposed to the qualities of a good podcast. Here’s what I’ve learnt so far.
Qualities of a Good Podcast
The first thing to look out for in a good podcast is its storyline. A good story is one with a captivating beginning, a piquant middle, and a graceful end.
Whether it’s an interview with a famous person, a narration about a shocking crime that occurred in a sleepy town, or even a chat amongst friends, podcasts have one thing in common: they tell a story. Therefore, you can tell a podcast is good when it’s got an excellent theme or storyline.
For example, one of the podcasts I listened to featured a story about the Berlin Wall. The storytelling was compelling and held my attention from the beginning to its climax. The episode left me in utter shock as I wondered “what happens next?” The next thing I did was to look for the subsequent episode.
Have you ever set out to watch just one episode of a tv show and ended up watching the whole season? That's the binge effect for you! Binge listening causes the production of a pleasure hormone which provides an overwhelming feeling of euphoria.
How does this happen? A good podcast encourages this lifestyle by keeping your ears glued and your attention fixated. A good podcast harnesses the power of timely suspense and release, which allows one to be constantly entertained and eager for more. This way, you are entangled in its grip.
The next thing a good podcast holds out in store for you is that it opens your imagination to a whole new world. The mind is an engine and imagination is the fuel on which it runs. Thus, a good podcast stretches the boundaries of your thoughts with the vivid description it provides, causing you to travel to worlds you can only dream of. Trust me, a good podcast is one perfect way to live through people’s experiences.
Another thing I noticed in every podcast that I listened to was the audio quality. The lucidity of their voices, it felt as though they were right beside me. The absence of background noises, plus the timely presence of music and sound effects that matched the mood of every scene made the listening exercise a thrilling experience for me.
Another feature of a good podcast is its power to evoke all sorts of emotions in the listener. The beauty of podcasts is that they are not designed to exude only pleasant feelings. A good podcast can make you cry, hard. So hard that you will have snot trickling down your nostrils while your eyes brim with tears. In the midst of this heavy sadness you feel, you will long to find the storyteller and wrap them in a warm hug.
Currently, there are over two million podcasts in the world. You will like some of them. You may not like others. That is totally okay. Use this as a guide to explore different podcasts until you find the right one for you.
At Voix Collective we understand the requirements needed to make a good show by prioritising audio quality, storytelling and emotion. We are experimental and we have an appreciation for the things that keep people wanting to hear more. With my new found appreciation for podcasts, I can say this boldly, we are avid podcast listeners and lovers. Let’s make you something your audience will love.
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