You’ll need to know what makes a show distinctive if you’re thinking about creating a podcast.

Let’s discuss what I mean by a good podcast before we begin.

The notion that any given piece of content is good is ultimately a matter of taste; what you find comforting and genuine, another person may find cliched and derivative. Despite this, people frequently band together to elevate some works as well-liked and give them importance due to the sheer number of distinct voices that concur on their worth.

These top-rated shows are obviously doing something right. You can’t deny that people are listening to the recommendations on your podcasting platform, even if you detest almost everything about them.

So what is the secret ingredient?

1.  Concentrate on a main concept

Every podcast aims to communicate something to its listeners. This can be anything from expressing a particular political stance to imparting knowledge on a particular subject. Any podcast exists for a fundamental reason, which is the core idea.

A good podcast has a clearly defined main idea, knows what it wants to say, and knows how to say it. You’ll be sending a clear message to your listeners that they should look elsewhere for their cooking content if you want to create a podcast about interesting food recipes but spend the majority of your recording talking about last night’s football game. A podcast’s creator makes an implicit promise with each episode that they will at least partially explore the central concepts of the program.

You can improve this by realizing the potential of podcasting.

2.  Play to an audience

Good podcasters have a deep-seated understanding of this.

Unlike traditional radio broadcasting, which had to try and appeal to as many listeners as possible due to the limited airtime, podcasts have the remarkable ability to target a specific niche in whatever subject they are covering. Knowing the audience for whom you are creating content is now more crucial than ever.

TIP: 49% of people who listen to podcasts at home do so all at once.  

This goes above and beyond the simple “don’t swear on a kids show” rule. Good podcasters are aware of what their audience wants, what common interests bind listeners who are interested in a particular topic together, and what issues their content can address (for more information on creating an audience persona, see how to come up with an idea for your podcast).

3.  Consistent schedules

Even though it might seem painfully obvious, this is one of the most significant things. Every good podcast follows a regular release schedule.

Consumers of podcasts have demands of content producers. After all, you are performing a show! Similar to television shows, maintaining engagement and boosting visibility on your work depend on having a release schedule that your audience can rely on.

To guarantee a consistently positive listening experience for your listeners, it’s also essential to use the best audio editing software.

4.  Show Structures

A new podcast is always risky to listen to. It can be difficult to predict whether a show will cover the topics you expect because content creators have so many options for focusing on particular audiences. By providing a clear structure for your content, you can let your audience know what to expect and keep them interested in the ideas you want to discuss. The act structure of “This American Life” serves to define the beginning and end of each new story that focuses on a different aspect of the episode’s overarching theme.

Even if it’s just a meaningful development in the hosts’ conversation, a good podcaster is deliberate about the structure of their show, using it as a way to organize and express their ideas in a way that forms a meaningful story for your audience.

5.  Authenticity

The best podcasts all have this final component, which is one of the most difficult to measure.

Since there is only one relationship between the podcast’s host(s) and the listener, podcasting is a very intimate medium. A good podcast host embraces this idea by being open and speaking from a place of vulnerability and authenticity, which invites their listeners to get to know them better. They take on characters in the drama of their programs, and this sympathetic connection between host and audience is essential for sustaining viewer interest in a program.