Types of Podcasts: A Look at Podcast Formats and Genres

A podcast is a collection or series of digital audio files available for downloading or listening via the internet. Each audio recording is a podcast episode, created by a person called a podcaster.

Typically, the content of a podcast features an individual (or group) who leads a conversation, shares stories, or reports the news. The podcast producer subsequently edits the episode and hosts it on a streaming application like Spotify, Stitcher, iTunes, Google Podcasts, and Apple Podcasts. A podcaster may release their content as a monthly podcast or, more frequently, like weekly.

The history of podcasting began with the creation of the iPod. The word “podcast” is a portmanteau—a combination of the word “iPod” and “broadcast.”

There are many different podcast genres and subgenres. Some podcasts may fall into multiple genres simultaneously, creating a hybrid blend of style and content that works for a broader demographic. Here’s a brief overview of podcast genres:

1. 1. Comedy: The main goal of this genre is to make listeners laugh. This content can range from a stand-up routine to a humorous panel conversation. Comedy podcasts often form hybrids with other genres (like drama, game shows, or pop-culture podcasts). Comedy is a popular podcast genre, and many other podcasts incorporate humor into their content.
2. 2. Drama: This drama genre tells a dramatic story, either fictional or based on a real event. Podcasters often reveal the story over a series of episodes in this narrative podcast genre.
3. 3. Game show: This podcast hosts a competition, typically with a regular host and different episodic contestants. These nonfiction podcasts may focus on trivia, word games, or special challenges.
4. 4. Health and fitness: In this informational podcast, hosts discuss exercise, diet, mental health practices, and lifestyle, sometimes with special guests.
5. 5. Investigative journalism: For this genre, a journalist uncovers a true story, often over several episodes. Politics, conspiracy theories, social media, historical events, and current headlines are common focuses.
6. 6. News: Podcasts in this genre keep listeners informed of local, national, or world news, often focused on a specific topic.
7. 7. Politics: This informational podcast discusses politics, and hosts typically focus on a particular location, event, or political party.
8. 8. Pop culture: Among the top podcast genres, pop culture podcasts focus on a particular area of society and culture, like film, TV shows, music, comic books, or video games.
9. 9. Religion: Podcasts in this genre discuss religion, faith, and spirituality. Hosts may lead listeners in prayer, break down scripture, or answer listeners’ questions.
10. 10. Self-help: This genre aims to help improve the listeners’ lifestyle choices. Self-help podcasts cover various topics, including mental wellness, overcoming adversity, physical health, or work-life balance.
11. 11. Sports: This informational podcast discusses a particular sport—like basketball, hockey, baseball, or football—and may focus on a specific team or bracket.
12. 12. True crime: True crime is a dominant podcast genre where hosts uncover stories about real-life criminal events.

The format of a podcast refers to the way that podcasters choose to organize and present information. Choosing the right format and adhering to it will help your podcast feel well-thought-out, consistent, and memorable to podcast listeners, making it easier for you to produce regular content.

Different types of podcast formats are popular among contemporary podcasters—here are some of the most common:

1. 1. Interview format: In an interview podcast, the host invites different guests (either single guests or a panel) onto the episodes and asks them guided questions to maintain an interesting, themed discussion. This conversational podcast format is among the most popular because it relies on the guests—rather than the host—to provide the content. However, it can be hard for new podcasts to use the interview show format to stand out from other podcasts.
2. 2. Co-host conversation format: In a co-hosted podcast, two (or more) hosts have a conversation for each episode, usually about a pre-selected topic. Often, each podcast host will play a certain role. For instance, one host may read news snippets while the other leads a roundup segment. This format relies on good chemistry between the hosts.
3. 3. Monologue format: In a monologue or solo podcast, one host presents on a different topic each new episode. The monologue is one of the easiest formats to start with since you just need a microphone and expertise in a particular field. However, a solo show can be taxing for the host since they may need to talk alone for upwards of an hour each episode to provide enough content for the producer to edit.
4. 4. Storytelling format: This format tells a story throughout several episodes. The story can be either nonfiction—like a true-crime podcast detailing a complex case—or fictional, where characters adventure through a long plotline. It may use a narrative format similar to an audiobook or a dialogue-heavy format like a roleplaying game or panel discussion. Storytelling podcasts can be especially engaging for podcast listeners who want to know what happens next. Still, they can be difficult for new audience members to get into without a lot of context.
5. 5. Repurposed format: A repurposed podcast is when a podcaster takes pre-existing content—like a standup routine, orchestra performance, or radio show—and repurposes it into a podcast. This format is easy for beginning podcast hosts since they don’t have to record new content. Sometimes there are challenges when the performers didn’t create the pre-existing work to be used as audio content.
6. 6. Bite-sized format: While traditional podcasts aim for each episode to be around forty minutes long, bite-sized podcasts create small bits of content that may only last for ten minutes. This format can be a fun way to experiment with a podcast without committing to a lot of work with audio-editing software.

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