Choose the Best Format for Your Podcast: Solo, Interview, Narrative, and More

There are several formats for podcasts, and the one you should choose depends on your topic, audience, and you.

Podcasts come in several forms. The most common are podcasts where two co-hosts chat about a topic, and podcasts where a host interviews guests. But there are also some solo podcasts, panel shows with a host and multiple speakers, narrative podcasts, and podcasts that combine multiple formats.

In this article, we'll look at the different podcast formats, discuss their implications for production and editing, and help you choose which is best for you.

Podcasts with two co-hosts, or a host and a guest

If you look at the top charts of any podcast provider, you'll see that many of the most popular podcasts feature two people, either a pair of co-hosts or one host and a guest. This is common because these are the easiest types of podcasts to record. Scheduling recording sessions for two people is much easier than organizing a recording for multiple people.

In addition, the two-co-host format is one of the best ways to develop a podcasting style. Two co-hosts build up a rapport over time, and listeners become familiar with their voices. The co-hosts can each have similar knowledge or expertise about the podcast's topic, or one can have more experience than the other. Often, this sort of conversation sounds more realistic than panel podcasts, where a host leads a discussion with a larger group and tries to ensure that everyone gets a turn to speak.

An interview podcast featuring a host and a guest is another great format. It allows listeners to become familiar with the host and their style of speaking, and to discover new guests on each episode, ensuring variety. Interviews can require a lot of preparation, however, and interviewing someone effectively is a skill that takes time to master.

Some podcasts feature different guests on each episode discussing a topic, and the guests may return occasionally; this isn't really an interview, but just a variant of the two co-host podcast.

Panel podcasts

Panel podcasts with three or more people are quite common for some topics such as sports, politics, and technology, and provide a range of voices and opinions. However, this sort of podcast requires that a host keep things moving, ensuring that everyone gets to speak, and can require a lot of editing, especially if everyone is recording remotely. When recorded in a studio, it's easier to ensure that people don't speak over each other, but this sort of podcast can become disorderly. Both the host and panel members need to be on the same page and ensure that the podcast stays on its tracks.

This said, for some topics, the spontaneity of a panel can be just what is needed. A sports podcast, for example, can benefit from the back and forth of several people with different opinions, as long as the host keeps things under control.

Examples of panel podcasts include This Week in Tech and The Bill Simmons Podcast, which is about sports of all kind.

Solo podcasts

Solo podcasts, or monologues, are difficult to pull off and require an experienced speaker who can extemporize for the length of each episode. Some solo podcasts are pre-written, and that can risk sounding like the host is just reading, but the right person going it alone can be compelling. One advantage to this is that the host doesn't need anyone else, and doesn't have to schedule recordings, but it can be hard to make a solo podcast interesting enough to hold listeners' attention.

One example of a popular solo podcast is Hardcore History, by Dan Carlin.

Narrative podcasts

Narrative podcasts tell stories and often can have multiple voices. These are like old-time radio shows and are scripted with a tight narrative structure, often with clips from interviews, and many contain music and sound effects.

This sort of podcast requires a lot of work, both in pre- and post-production, and is generally presented in seasons with a number of episodes, just like a TV show or a radio serial. Episodes may not be recorded all at once, as different participants may record their sections at different times. Great narrative podcasts are among the best examples of the genre, though it's more appropriate to see them as radio shows, such as those on public radio. While they are distributed as podcasts, they may also be broadcast on radio stations.

One classic example of a narrative podcast is the true-crime podcast Serial, a show that helped bring podcasts to the masses.

Mixing it up

It's possible to create a podcast containing multiple segments, some solo, such as an introduction, interview segments, and panel discussions, and this is often a feature of complex narrative podcasts. The difference here is that these versatile podcasts are generally weekly or monthly, rather than grouped in seasons. Each type of segment uses techniques specific to that sort of podcast, and editing and post-production are extensive. This sort of podcast blurs the lines between pure podcasts and repackaged radio shows distributed as podcasts, such as NPR's Fresh Air.

Which podcast format should you choose?

There's a big difference between professional and amateur or semi-pro podcasts. For the former, a producer determines which format is appropriate, and a team works on writing, recording, and editing the podcast.

But for small amateur or semi-pro podcasts, it's best to try out different formats to find what works. The two-person co-host podcast is one of the easiest to manage, and with co-hosts who know each other, each episode can sound like a conversation between two people in a pub.

And two-person podcasts can also have guests, allowing for discussions about specific topics that the guest knows more about, or for interviews.

Whichever format you choose, try it out and prepare to change if it's not what you expected. You need to find the right approach that matches your goals for the podcast and the audience you want to reach.

Find Your Format, Share Your Voice

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