The Science of Podcasting

Here at Your Podcast Pal, we understand how much work you put into your podcast. Podcasting requires using a variety of skill sets in order to be successful. Podcasters are constantly using their creativity and writing skills to produce a product that is engaging and interesting for their listeners. While writing and creativity is crucial to creating a podcast, we want to explore some of the ways that you can create a successful podcast that are rooted in science. 

Through our own research, we found a fantastic scientific article about what great podcasts sound like. We also thought it would be a good idea to break down what the research is saying without any of the technical jargon. 

This study looked at 8000 podcasts on Apple Podcast with high, 5-star ratings. Using the programming language python to automatically scan the podcasts, they found out why certain ones were rated so highly. They did this by finding the common features that most of the highly-rated podcasts seemed to share. 

We have highlighted three common features that are shared by some of the most successful podcasts. 

A Relatively Short Length

The best podcasts were between 30 minutes and 60 minutes long. The study noticed that 5-star, highly rated podcasts fell between these times. 

In reality, not every podcast has to fit this rule. Sometimes it makes more sense to have a shorter podcast. For example, a quick meditation or a lunch-break podcast that is made for people who are on the go. Not all people even have the time to carve 30 minutes out of their day.

However, if your podcast is over 60 minutes, ask yourself if it really needs to be over 60 minutes to say what it is that you want to say. If the answer is no, then condense it. Your podcast should have a goal. Ask yourself how long it will take to achieve this goal and try to cut out any filler that is adding length, as opposed to value. That being said, you don’t want your podcast to be so concise that it sounds too stiff. Finding the right length is all about balance. 

Steady Frequency

The best podcasts released at least 1 new episode per week. A consistent and frequent podcasting schedule shows reliability and gives the audience something to be excited for. Having a consistent release will show your audience that you are committed to your podcast, which can inspire the same commitment in your listeners.

With more episodes, you are also more likely to release a podcast that caters to a new audience member with different interests. It is a great idea to expand your scope slightly and try to think outside the box so that you can produce unique content. If you are flexible with the kind of material that you cover, then you make it easier for new audience members to be included in the conversation. Again, this is all about balance. You do not want to change your content so drastically from week to week that you frustrate the listeners who follow your podcast for a specific reason. 

Clear, Engaging Speech

The best podcasts had clear and engaging speech with appropriate pauses. 

As a podcast host, you should make sure that you are speaking clearly. That being said, we can help you out here. Our engineers are here to adjust volume and pauses to ensure that your podcast sounds great and has a steady flow. While we are here to help, there are some simple changes you can make to enhance the flow of your speech before the editing stage. 

Rehearsal and research are two important components of this. The goal is to be at ease and confident in what you're saying so that your listeners can have the same confidence in you. You want to know enough about your subject matter that you can easily speak about it without long pauses, or tripping over your words. 

This can tie into what we said about your podcast length. Make sure that you are giving your listeners enough quality information, without overloading the podcast with filler. 

There is a bit of a learning curve to creating your own podcast, but with the right information you can be well on your way to a successful show. There are a bunch of awesome websites and blog posts out there to help you on your journey. If you have questions or concerns, get in touch with us at Your Podcast Pal if you would like to personally discuss something about your podcast.