Reading Time: 4 min 2 sec
\\ consume your craft
Wanna start listening to podcasts but don’t know where to begin? It can be a bit overwhelming at first, especially if you want to start your own podcast. It’s important to consume the content - the art, the craft - that you wanna create as it will give you insight + inspiration into how you want to engage within your process + format. Regardless of where you are in your podcasting journey, making time to listen to other podcasts of varying stages + styles will continue to help you become a better host + create a better show.
I’ve created this podcast playlist on Spotify highlighting some of my favorite, hilarious, binge-worthy shows + formats to get you started on your podcast inspiration journey.
The only show that doesn’t have a comedic element involved is Serial. I only recently started listening to it + I immediantly understood why it is one of the top charted podcasts of all time. Not only does it provide a greater insight into the American justice + educational systems, but it brings a whole new sense of empowerment when it comes to investigative journalism. My favorite season is The Trojan Horse Affair, which is what I’ve linked — I hope you take particular attention to the way they tell the story through personal lenses + frame chapters with music.
No matter what genre your podcast is, every episode you produce is a part of a story. Whatever you dive into, there is a beginning, middle, + end. It doesn’t have to be linear or involved - any kind of journey will do. And listening to other shows to see how they format their stories will improve your creation process + inspire fresh ideas to better connect to your audience.
\\ the shows
Do Go On — history || A fact based comedy podcast. Each week Melbourne comedians Matt Stewart, Jess Perkins, and Dave Warneke take it in turns to research a topic and report back to the class.
\\ The trio have wonderful chemistry + do a great job at involving the listeners. They’ve done such a great job that they now have a patreon with over 1.7k subscribers, which has allowed them to create their own network + produce additional shows. As you listen, start thinking about what you can do to better engage with your listeners.
Batch Bitch — reality TV, culture || A comedy podcast where we bitch about the Bachelor Australia (and the Bachelorette, and Bachelor in Paradise, and Married At First Sight). Hosted by Naomi Higgins & Danielle Walker.
\\ As you continue to listen to the show, you’ll see the listeners don’t care about the shows the duo discusses - it’s the hosts they come back for. Would your podcast be richer if you had a fellow host?
Serial — true crime || Serial Productions makes narrative podcasts whose quality and innovation transformed the medium. Serial began in 2014 as a spinoff of the public radio show This American Life.
\\ Seasons are released within a specific story spread out over time, + are only released when the story is ready to be published. Would your show benefit from a season-based format?
Small Doses with Amanda Seales — talk || Your favorite truth teller, comedian, Amanda Seales, is dropping gems with Small Doses, a weekly podcast that brings you potent truths for everday use.
\\ What segments can you structure your podcast with to make stronger episodes + make it easier to follow along with your thesis?
Finding Drago | Finding Desperado — society, culture || Australia’s premier (and only) pop culture detectives, Alexei Toliopoulos and Cameron James have uncovered a bizarre Guinness World Record from 2005. A record held by an elusive European aristocrat. A record that they believe to be fake.
\\ A comedic approach to narrative-based journalism with an incredible musical score that will assuredly give you the chills. How can you manipulate emotions + structure thought through the use of music?
Confessions of the Idiots — society, culture || Also known as simply “Confessions” — Each week Sammy Peterson finds the funniest / strangest online confessions to discuss with great guests.
\\ Preperation for this show is relatively simple: find an outside source to cover → read that outside source → discuss outside source. Is there anything you can do to simplify your creation process?
Did Titanic Sink? — history, conspiracy || Comedians Tim Batt and Carlo Ritchie consider a controversial question no-one needed to ask; Did Titanic Sink?
\\ Another comedic take on investigative journalism for a variety on the concept. What controversial opinions do you have that make a story? How can you involve outside guests to be a part of the conversation?
While You Were Talking — talk, society, culture || Three friends doing a podcast where one person talks while the other two think.
\\ This podcast formats their show based off both their own circulating interest + then the interests of their listeners. Their listeners are literally a part of the show. Can you make listener input a part of your show’s format?
POPGAYS — talk, society, culture || A Pop Culture Podcast for Postmodern Queers with Melbourne comedians Aurelia St. Clair, Charlie Lewin, & Jordan Barr.
\\ They hold up a mirror to what’s happening out in in the world, showing us a reflection that’s naturally obscene. What mirrors can you show that listeners will want to explore + sink their teeth into?
Two In The Think Tank — talk || Listen as Andy and Al come up with five sketch ideas, without fail. Maybe seven if we don’t think that the first five were any good.
\\ The format is simple, yet every episode we’re brought to a new world that makes you laugh, cry, + even cringe at how far Andy + Al will go to come up with a solid sketch idea. What part of your creative process in BTS style can you share with your listeners?
My Dad Wrote a Porno — literary, talk || Imagine if your Dad wrote a dirty book. Most people would try to ignore it and pretend it had never happend - but not Jamie Morton. Instead, he’s decided to read it to the world in this award-winning comedy podcast. With the help of his friends, James Cooper and Alice Levine, Jamie will be reading a chapter each episode and discovering more about his father than he ever bargained for.
\\ The concept itself is so kooky + the subject matter is rich. What can you pull out from various literary sources?