Have you ever thought about a podcast or live stream to build an audience and position yourself as an industry leader with your clients, prospects, and the overall marketplace? But once you started putting it together, you ended up with more questions than answers? The next thing you know, you’re basically shelving your idea because you have hit a bit of a roadblock. But hey, you aren’t alone. I have a lot of clients who aren’t sure how they would do their podcast or live stream because they were a fan of one or two podcasts, and they were having a hard time figuring out how they would model those podcasts. But, not to worry! There are many styles you can try. So in this blog, I’ll share some of the most popular styles. I’ll also show you some examples so that you can decide for yourself which one would be the best fit for you. I would also encourage you to try a few of them. You might be surprised at what you really are best at, and you also may really enjoy some variety!
First Things First: What is the Difference between a Podcast and Live Stream?
Let’s do a little housekeeping here first and answer a common question many people have. What is the difference between a podcast and a live stream?
A podcast is “portable.” You record it whenever you like, and then you can publish it using one of many podcast publishing services. Your followers can download your podcast on their favorite app through their phone, tablet, or PC and listen to it whenever they want. A live stream allows you to stream your show live to your followers, and they can join in live to watch and comment. The neat thing about a live stream is that you can get real-time feedback and interaction from it, and then you can also download the streamed audio or video and turn it into a downloadable podcast.
6 Common Types of Podcasts
So, let’s talk about podcast types. If you have been following my podcast, Now to Next with Nick Nanton, you’ll see that mine is more of an interview style. That style works for me, but it might not work as well for you. Let’s review some of the most common formats that podcasters use.
1. Interview Style
As I mentioned before, my podcast is an interview-type format — one of the most classic styles used in the podcasting world. It features one or more consistent hosts who interview a new guest each episode. Preferably, there is a common theme that connects all the guests. For example, what if you wanted to do podcasts about traveling through Europe? You would likely want to interview travel experts or people who have traveled to different parts of Europe. With each episode, you will introduce a new guest to your audience. Of course, you will need to line up guests for your podcast. But the advantage of interviewing guests is that you consistently have access to new content, and you don’t have to be an expert on all things!
2. Monologue Style
A monologue or “solo-cast” style podcast revolves around monologues on topics that are important to you. These monologues are typically based on your experiences. The subject matter can be wide-ranging, from business advice, DIY projects, or even comedy. This format allows your audience to feel like they really know you. You also still have the freedom to feature guests when you want to change things up a bit. One of the pluses of doing a monologue podcast is that you can create a new episode whenever or wherever the mood strikes you.
3. Q&A Format
With a Q&A style podcast, an expert — or a panel of experts — answers questions submitted by listeners. This type of podcast is informative and is usually geared toward a particular industry or subject. For example, a very timely example is the daily Q&A podcast that the Mayo Clinic puts out to answer listeners’ questions and concerns about COVID-19. Another format would be “Ask the Dr.”
4. Customer Interview/Testimonial Format
A podcast with a customer interview/testimonial format can be used as a great marketing tool. Your followers do not need to just take your word for it that your products or services are great. Instead, you interview your customers, or they provide testimonials that you can integrate into your podcast. The way to make this a win-win is to make sure you are making your customer the hero, and that you are creating a podcast that they could also use to build credibility for themselves. Doing a really strong interview with them about what they do and how they help their clients is the foundation of this type of interview, and then you can discuss how you were able to work with them to help them serve even more clients.
5. Industry Leader Format
Podcasts with an industry leader format focus on a specific industry, usually with the host having experience in the field. The host then interviews different experts from that industry so that listeners can hear their stories, learn their insights and secrets to success, and then apply that information to their own experiences. As you become a known source for the best information in your industry, it will become even easier to get high profile guests. This builds your brand as the leader and can grow into a huge mouthpiece for you to continue to build your brand and become a celebrity expert in the marketplace. This has many additional benefits to it, including building your business.
6. News Format
A news-based podcast can be geared to provide the latest news surrounding a product or an industry. This podcast can be educational and used to inform customers or followers about new developments in your business, like new products or services.
Going Live with a Live Stream
So basically, almost any podcast type can be turned into a live stream. But remember, if you are doing a live stream, anything that is going on during your broadcast is game. If you make a mistake or one of your guests says something that could be offensive to some people, you cannot “put the toothpaste back in the tube.” You may want to consider doing a trial run before going live with your presentation — especially if you are new to live streaming — to make sure you have worked out the kinks.
Without getting too technical, you need to consider the possible challenges of streaming content on the internet. Depending on the streaming format/protocol you use, viewers could encounter buffering problems that could make watching your live stream difficult.
Here are three apps that make things so much easier for podcasters who want to live-stream their content, including:
- Facebook Live, which is easy to use, free, and very accessible to your fans if they already follow you on Facebook. Live videos receive more views than any other type of content on the platform. Facebook also gives you easy-to-follow instructions that explain how to use their live streaming platform.
- YouTube Live, which has replaced Google Hangouts, provides more options than Facebook Live does. You can make your live stream public, private, or unlisted. After you record your live stream, you can edit the video for up to 3 hours, which is excellent if you need to fix an “oops.” Your video is saved on the system for 12 hours, so anyone who missed your live stream can view it after you finish.
- Periscope, which is Twitter’s platform for live streaming. This platform allows you to generate a unique URL to that you can stream using almost any type of professional camera, desktop streaming software, etc. You can download the app from Google Play or Apple’s App Store.
Okay, so you now have a better idea of the options for creating a format for your podcast or live stream. If you want to find out more information about how I prefer to create podcasts, check out mine on The Success Network. You can also check out the equipment I use for my live stream and podcast here: https://kit.co/NickNanton/equipment-list
And finally, if you need help creating your podcast or live stream, feel free to reach out, that’s what we do for lots of our clients! You can do that here: https://www.thesuccessnetwork.tv/contact/
