They say that everyone has a podcast these days, but that is not yet true. It has been nearly four years since I started SGExplained, my first podcast, and it has been a journey from there. I have produced a number of other podcast shows, both branded and non-branded, and collaborated with a number of other players in the ecosystem. Some friends have asked me for tips on starting a podcast channel, so I have decided to put down some basic guidelines, starting with this post on planning. I hope they are helpful as you embark to add your voice to society.

All content should have clarity in three areas, regardless of medium. These are your target audience, goal and format/style.

Target Audience

There may be thousands of podcast shows out there but the truth is that as long as you are specific in who you want to speak to, you will still be able to carve your piece of the pie. Podcast listeners are much more likely to listen to longer-form content and stick around for more episodes compared to other content formats, especially if you speak directly to their needs. These listeners also often listen to nearly seven shows a week, so your show has a good opportunity to make it to someone’s list. I have found myself swapping out shows for new ones if I find myself no longer interested in a podcaster or their topic.

Your target audience should be specific enough to influence your content, with a focus on the region of residence, age group and interests. Region of residence helps you localise your content to cultural and language contexts. Age group guides the tone of your content (although most of the time it is just a proxy to other indicators such as job levels and stage of life). Interests shape the topics and messages you explore in your show.

Goal

Having a platform to articulate your views comes with a lot of responsibility. Your listeners may be hooked by trendy or controversial topics but they will only stick around if they resonate with the purpose or goal of your show. I have listened to a number of shows where it is not clear what the podcaster is trying to achieve, mostly because they are wildly inconsistent between episodes.

Think about the journey you would like to embark on with your listeners and let that come front and centre across your podcast description and even your intro segment.

This will also help you decide your choice of guests and topics, as well as in your choice of what to retain in each episode as you eventually will have to make edits.

Format/Style

I have found that there are four main types of podcast shows in the ecosystem:

Format	Description
Interview	This often is a “guest-focused” format where the value of the show comes in the dynamic between the host(s) and the diversity of guests that appear on the show. A fresh and unique interview style is critical here, as well as audible chemistry with guests. Blockbuster guests will naturally help boost reach,
Talkshow	The attention on this show is focused on the dynamics between the hosts, who can tackle a range of topics with a similar but ultimately refreshing approach. It is important to have both difference and complementarity between hosts so that listeners can enjoy both casual sparrings as well as the revelation of new insights from that tension.
Storytelling	This is all about narrative building. Each episode is a mini-story that has a clear beginning, middle and end, with a hook for the next episode. These are the podcasts that often have higher production value, with sound effects and actual on-the-ground interview recordings to add authenticity to the episode.
Monologue/Speech	This is literally the most basic form of a podcast and often is driven by a podcaster who wants to share their views on a topic, to whoever chooses to listen. Lots of religious podcasts are here, as they expound on spiritual concepts for their audience. There are also some philosophers and deep thinkers who use this format.

I will caveat that shows do not need to strictly fit into these formats. For example, SGExplained has done interviews too. Rather, these formats give you an anchor to start with, following which you can start experimenting and adapting.

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With the above three locked in, you should have an initial idea of what your podcast will look like and even some of the first topics you may want to explore. Let me know if you found this helpful – the next post will likely be on the technical setup.