Breaking The Podcast Loop

I think podcasts have gone seriously off the rails. From what I observe, everyone is pretty much following the same formula. Tom Smith will invite Sophia Jones to be a guest on his podcast, and then Sophia will invite Tom to be a guest on hers. It’s a loop of the same people interviewing each other.

I like what Derek Sivers did with his podcast. He has short (less than five minutes) episodes of his own thoughts that align with what he writes on his blog. He also adds recordings from other podcasts where he’s been a guest. It’s nice not having to search for different podcasts when I’m primarily interested in hearing from Derek, not the hosts.

There has to be more formats than just interviews, right? Here are some ideas for making podcasts more interactive and engaging:

Battle

Each episode has two people in your industry face off on a topic they disagree about. Think of it as a debate where you act as a moderator, and listeners vote on who they agree with. This could be more engaging than listening to two people agree for an hour.

Gamify

Turn your podcast into a scavenger hunt! Each episode has challenges based on the topic, with clues sprinkled throughout. This keeps listeners engaged and lets you track attentiveness beyond basic metrics.

Decentralized

Just because it’s your podcast doesn’t mean you have to be in every episode. Each week, someone else gets ten minutes to talk about something they’re passionate about. When they’re done, they tag someone else to host the next episode. Think of it like the Ice Bucket Challenge.

Go Serial

Many non-business podcasts use a serial format, where the story builds with each episode. This approach could be refreshing in a business context, encouraging listeners to return weekly. Consider using fictional stories or parables to illustrate business concepts in a memorable way.