If you’re anything like this Editor, you have a seemingly endless list of podcasts to be listening to - shows that you’ve read about, heard about, or just stumbled upon and thought ‘yep, that sounds just up my street’.

It’s a testament to the overall growth of the industry - in April 2018, FastCompany reported just over 500,000 active podcasts globally. In April 2021, that number is now over 2 million.

But in the midst of this growth, I think it’s worth pausing to think about distinction - what elements help a podcast feel different and unique in this busy landscape? What can podcast creators do to inspire listeners to choose their product over the many others available to them on their favourite podcast apps?

So I’ve asked industry experts – creators and commentators with a range of backgrounds and perspectives – to share their thoughts, and the things that make a podcast stand out and scream ‘listen to me’…

The Editor

Yooree Losordo

Managing Producer, TRAX

“While consistency and repetition make kids feel safe, it’s also important to bring in some unpredictability –– there’s a balance there to strike.”

Podcasting is an innovative medium that not only allows for but encourages experimentation and creativity.

It might not be an obvious example when talking about podcasts for kids, but the podcast 70 over 70 from Pineapple Street Media––in which the host speaks with remarkable individuals over 70 years old––stood out to me. Everyone is familiar with lists promoting youth, such as “40 under 40,” so this was a great way to refresh a tried and true format. Are there similar possibilities for kids podcasts formats?

(By the way, I can’t recommend enough listening to the episode with André de Shields, where he talks about not resting on his laurels after starring in two smash hit Broadway shows - then Live from Mount Olympus from the Onassis Foundation and TRAX. The show is a re-imagined take on the myth of Perseus, which stars André as Hermes. Learning this backstory makes his performance more meaningful and poignant).

I believe thinking about the possibilities for breaking into new formats is so important. While consistency and repetition make kids feel safe, it’s also important to bring in some unpredictability––there’s a balance there to strike.

Along these lines: explore pursuing the opposite of what’s expected. For example, Gen-Z Media recently released a podcast called Iowa Chapman and The Last Dog - the release is in the form of one episode that’s about three hours. It might be commonly held wisdom that kids gravitate to short episodes, but this breaks the mould in a manner that’s memorable and intriguing.

Amy Kraft

Director of Development and Children’s Programming, Pinna

“Though there’s much to be said about playing with genres and formats kids know and love, we light up when we come across something we haven’t seen before…”

There are key qualities that we look for in all of our Pinna original podcasts, aimed at young people on our platform:

Does the podcast promote active listening? This doesn’t have to be as literal as a game show or an activity-based show, but we look for shows that leave room for listeners to imagine, think, and move along. This may be immersive sound design that pulls kids right into the setting of a serialized fiction show, or thoughtful moments in nonfiction shows that keep kids wondering or talking long after an episode is over.

Does the podcast have a reason to be audio-only? As we develop originals, what’s top of mind is what audio can do uniquely well. For instance, when we brought Ron Roy’s hit book series A to Z Mysteries into the audio space, we thought about how the intimacy of the format could make kids feel like they were solving mysteries right alongside their favorite characters, so we built the show around that. Or when we wanted to make a preschool literacy show, we focused on letter sounds and phonemic awareness, leading to Quentin and Alfie’s ABC Adventures.

Does the podcast have a clear sense of its target audience? We make shows for ages 3-12, and there’s a world of difference between the different ages. We look for a production sensibility that matches the content  for the specific audience that it’s intended for and is also an appropriate length for the target age group.

Is the podcast bringing something new to our audiences? Though there’s much to be said about playing with genres and formats kids know and love, we light up when we come across something we haven’t seen before: especially unusual plots, underrepresented characters, experiments with the audio form, and opportunities to play with ideas that came from kids themselves.

Melissa Mbugua

Co-Founder of Africa Podfest & Host of Pros & Possibilities

“Listening to an engaging podcast feels like having a private conversation with the hosts and guests. Great podcasts are powerful in that way – they stick with us long after we listen to them.”

Authenticity is the heart of podcasting and it is what makes communities gather around specific podcasters and their stories.

The best podcasts are interesting because the hosts express themselves in a way that is unfiltered and that audience finds very relatable in the elemental, human, emotional sense. A good podcast is one that presents a fresh, authentic perspective that grips me as the listener.

The style of the podcaster must also be highly engaging because audio is the only medium that the podcaster has to connect with the listener. This means that sound must be used to help the listener imagine and feel everything that the podcaster wants to convey, which takes a lot of skill.

Authenticity is the heart of podcasting and what makes communities gather around specific podcasts. People can tell when you are really passionate and sincere about what you are speaking about and that's what makes them buy into your podcast.

Listening to an engaging podcast feels like having a private conversation with the hosts and guests. Great podcasts are powerful in that way – they stick with us long after we listen to them. No matter how well produced a podcast is, if it lacks that authenticity and clear edge that resonates with its audience, it won't become a hit.

Krista Almanzan

John S. Knight Senior Journalism Fellow at Stanford University

“Good storytelling is essential to make a podcast stand out”

Good storytelling is essential to make a podcast stand out. It doesn’t matter the format of the podcast.

It can be a highly produced show with lots of on-scene interviews and ambient sound, or it could be two people just talking to each other.

The producer has to give some thought to what story they are trying to tell.

If they draw out the complex characters and make sure there’s a story arc, it’s going to keep me listening.   

Brad Hill

Editor of RAIN News

“I love a show which understands that every second is well spent”

My answer to this question has changed over the past six years.

It used to be: Production quality. That can still be an important differentiator. But with the overall professionalisation of podcasting, now it’s more about originality, distinctive content, and expertly executing the show’s purpose.

A few observations about what keeps me (or stops me from) listening to a show:

Economy - GET TO IT: Artificial hilarity, overvalued chat chemistry, and unprepared improvising push me away. I love a show which understands that every second is well spent.

Consistency of mission - KNOW THYSELF: Understand the show’s USP (unique selling point) and deliver it every time. 

Smart editing - BE RUTHLESS: Editing is an essential part of creativity. Editing is more important than a good microphone. Editing demonstrates that the podcast cares about the listener’s experience.