Getting The Brew about Podcasting

A podcast can have many purposes, but the main one is to entertain its audience. Podcast listeners might have one of several reasons to subscribe to a podcast, such as to:

• Hear updates and breakdowns of current events.
• Learn about a new topic or industry.
• Laugh at cohosts’ riffing and jokes.
• Listen in on interviews with popular or famous guests.
• Experience an audio drama or narrative storytelling. 

But behind each of these reasons is the desire to be entertained. Whether listeners want to learn something new or simply have something to take their minds off of a mundane task, they want to enjoy the experience of listening to a podcast. 

Podcasts are as varied as people’s imaginations can make them, and there are about as many genres as you can think of; news and education, health and fitness, comedy, and even fiction podcasts are just a few of the most popular kinds. 

While the podcasting world is wide and varying—and limited only by creators’ imaginations—the vast majority of podcasts can be broken down into one of four formats: 

• Conversational
•  Narrative nonfiction
• Scripted fiction
• Repurposed content. 

Of course, these are loose categories, and some podcasts are mixes or hybrids of multiple formats. 

The most common podcast format is the conversational one. These are generally the most informal style, with anywhere from solo hosts to a roundtable discussion. Many of these shows are interview podcasts, which are discussions between one or more hosts and their guests, usually diving deep into the guests’ personal history or expert knowledge on a topic.

Stuff You Should Know is a very popular example of a conversational podcast. Hosts Chuck and Josh spend each episode educating each other (and the audience) about a topic of general interest. Their style is extremely informal, and listening to SYSK feels like listening in on a chill conversation between two friends.

another structure that fits podcasting well is long-form storytelling. Narrative nonfiction covers anything that covers a true event or topic in a narrative style. 

These podcasts run the gambit from lyrical, topic-based human stories , to deep dives into obscure mysteries.

When most people think of fictional entertainment, they think of TV or movies—but scripted podcasts are growing in popularity as well. 

Just as the episodic nature of podcasts works well for long-form nonfiction storytelling, fiction also does well in podcast form. Subscribers can tune in each week for a new installment of anything from experimental sci-fi fantasies to  to historical fiction comedies .

 Many content creators, from brands to bloggers to TV shows, repackage their content into podcasts. Listeners can catch highlights from their favorite late-night Comedy Central program to whatever!