What Makes a Good Podcast? Top Tips for Creating Engaging Content

Podcasts are an incredibly popular form of media, with millions of episodes available across various platforms. Podcast listeners tune in to all kinds of episodes that suit their interests.

But with so many podcasts out there, what makes a good one stand out? From engaging podcast content and branding to high-quality equipment, many factors will separate your podcast from the rest and make it a must-listen for your target audience.

In this article, we’ll guide you through how to create a successful podcast. We'll cover how to make your podcast episodes engaging and filled with valuable, high-quality content that your audience loves. You’ll learn about the importance of content, sound quality, branding, and audience interaction.

Let's get started!

Table of contents

What is a 'good' podcast?

To say you want a good podcast is all fine and well, but if you don't know what that entails, then you'll struggle to reach that goal.

Ultimately, a good podcast is subjective. What one audience likes, another might dislike, or even hate. That aside, there are some certain elements that define the quality of a podcast, such as:

• Originality
• Structure and planning
• Engagement and audience participation
• Storytelling
• High-quality content
• Interview guests
• Having a good host
• Production quality
• Effective SEO

Having all or most of these elements in your podcasts will seriously improve their quality. Podcasting is a skill, especially if you're the host. You need to know how to present, talk to guests, and weave stories that will entice your audience.

You won't pick up these skills right away, but with some thought and planning, you can pave the way for success.

Make your content engaging to your audience

First and foremost is your content. Every good podcast produces engaging and original content that applies to its target audience.

With thousands of different podcasts, a unique idea is not a simple task. If you have an original idea in mind, then build up on that, having something original will make you stand out.

You'd do well to find an untouched niche, letting you build your content in an undefined market.

Niche content ideas

Having a niche doesn't mean finding a unique genre. It means finding a genre and sticking to it. Aiming to please everyone will stretch you too thin and please no one. Here are some niches to think about:

• True crime
• Health
• Business
• News
• Sports
• Comedy

You could even find niche content within these categories, such as focusing on SME businesses, or a specific kind of comedy. Remember the goal is to create a good podcast first.

Create original content

The first step to creating original content is to define what that means.

Something being original doesn't necessarily mean it has to be entirely new and unthought of, after all, that would be almost impossible. Original content usually refers to unique content made by you. It can be based on an existing idea, but the content itself should be original. This doesn't mean you should just rewrite content, it means you should add your own twist to content to make it stand out.

For instance, when giving your opinion on the news, the content should be your own, and not someone else's. Don't just regurgitate other content.

Once you understand this, the next step is to identify the content you want to create. First of all, work out who your target audience is. Here are a few factors to define your target audience:

• Age
• Gender
• Location
• Interests

By knowing your audience, you can tailor your content to meet their expectations, making your podcast more relevant and valuable.

Once you have your audience and niche in mind, you can start making original content that will adhere to their interests. Your content should always be relevant to your audience's interests.

Content that is built with a specific audience in mind is more likely to see engagement and success.

Don't underestimate good storytelling

A good podcast is filled with great stories. A story can be based on anything, a fun anecdote, something related to the news or a personal story. What makes this story good is how it's told, and it's a hard skill to master.

‍Storytelling, when done right, is highly entertaining and engaging to listen to.

Being able to tell stories can make your content much more engaging. An interesting and funny story is more likely to be shared across social media and bring more attention to your podcast.

Watch how other podcasts tell stories. They turn what could be a boring story into something interesting by injecting the story with plenty of humour and life. Remember to always speak with enthusiasm when telling a story.

Make sure your content offers value

No matter what your content is about, it needs to provide something for the listener.

In many ways, the content makes a good podcast, and this isn't just down to storytelling and originality.

High-quality podcasts work out what their audience wants from the content. It isn't enough to just entertain, you have to inform as well.

If your audience is coming to you for an answer to a question, then you need to answer that question, whilst still being entertaining.

You can also add additional links to useful information in your show notes. This'll add value to your podcasts, making them more professional and informative while staying entertaining.

Get schedules and planning in order

A consistent release schedule is vital for any good podcast. Your schedule can be whatever you choose. Weekly, biweekly, or even monthly, but it needs to be consistent. Having a schedule lets your listeners know when to expect new episodes.

A good podcast may want to upload more often, like on a weekly or bi-weekly schedule, but the main point is to keep to this schedule, whether it's to a podcast platform or your podcast website, consistency is key to a successful podcast.

Planning is also important. Before you start filming, you should have:

• Brainstormed ideas
• Researched guests
• Created a list of topics
• Have planned talking points

Having a plan for your podcast is essential. You might think that a lot of podcasts have a loose feel to them and are not planned out, but that isn't true.

A lot goes into structuring a podcast to make sure they are organised, coherent and engaging.

Of course, you can still add in stories organically at the moment, but having key talking points ready will help the overall structure of the podcast.

Less awkward pauses and mistakes, a well-researched guest and a steady flow of content are the difference between a professional, good podcast and an unprofessional one.

Ensure high production quality

The last thing anyone wants to listen to is a poorly produced podcast. It gives an unprofessional vibe and is annoying to hear. The good news for you is that a lot of other podcasts don't focus on their production quality, allowing you to stand out.

Investing in the right audio equipment and making sure each episode is produced to a high quality will bring you ahead of the crowd.

How your podcast sounds is important to your listeners, so spend time learning about the right audio format to use and how to use audio equipment to a professional standard.

Research which microphones are best for podcasting. Keep in mind that recording is just the first step, editing and post-production will also affect the quality of your podcast. Successful podcasts have high-production quality. Crystal clear sound will keep your listeners engaged.

Don't scrimp on post-production

Good sound quality is non-negotiable. Having the right recording equipment is a good first step, but you'll also need to know about editing software and post-production.

Once you've recorded your podcast, pop the audio file into the software of your choice and start editing.

Some common issues with a recording are:

• ‍Static – This is that annoying buzzing you get in a recording. This could be because of a faulty connection. You can usually fix this by editing the levels.
• ‍Long pauses – If there are long pauses during a recording, you can use software to trim them.
• ‍Background noise – Background noise could be fixed by changing the levels and sensitivity of the mics. Ideally, background noise should be minimised before recording.
• ‍Recording levels – If you're using different mics, make sure the levels are equal so that all voices are at the same volume.

Poor audio quality will turn listeners away and is a defining quality of a bad podcast. To keep listener engagement high, make sure your audio quality is as good as it can get.

The art of hosting

An uncharismatic host is about as useful as creating a podcast and not posting it. A host's role is to engage listeners with strong characteristics and charm. Any good podcast has a memorable host who can draw in new listeners and keep them engaged with compelling storytelling. The host is a key factor in any podcast, and they should try and be:

• Knowledgable on the podcast's subjects
• Research guests to find the perfect ones
• Make guests feel comfortable
• Be respectful
• Be able to carry a conversation
• Feel organic

A good podcast host is knowledgeable, relatable, and entertaining. You can develop your own unique podcast style, but you'll still want to follow these key points. Mastering presenting and hosting skills is a must if you want to succeed at podcasting.

Interviews

Most podcasts invite guests other for interviews. In a lot of podcast episodes, this is even the hook to bring listeners in. If you want a good podcast, you'll want to do the same.

You can't just interview anyone though. You need to be selective about who you invite to your show. Always make sure they are experts in their field. Keep your audience in mind as well – Is this someone my audience will want to hear from? – If the guest doesn't match your audience, find one who does.

The importance of good marketing and SEO

So you've got the content in place, you're a stellar host and have the perfect guest, how are you going to reach a wider audience? A good podcast is recognisable and memorable.

An additional step to making your podcast good is your marketing. Promoting your podcast will help your audience to grow. Don't worry, this can be mostly done through your social media presence.

Make sure you're on platforms like Twitter (X) and TikTok so that you can engage with your audience and encourage audience participation with your content.

You can also create snippets of your content and post them on social media and YouTube. This will bring your content to new audiences and hopefully increase your viewership.

Collaborating with other podcasters will introduce your content to a new audience and make your podcast more professional. Collaborations can make your podcast seem more professional and make your content more valuable in the process.

Marketing this way should lead to audience growth and keep your listeners engaged.

SEO

SEO (Search engine optimization) helps the performance of your podcast. This means you'll need to have an attractive website filled with high-quality content to draw traffic towards.

You can create a website to hold all your previous episodes, the transcripts, links to social media channels, and even a blog. Keep listeners engaged with your website with a constant flow of content.

‍SEO is just as important for podcasts as it is for any website. The goal with SEO is to make it so your podcasts appear in a Google search when people search relevant terms for it.

To do this, you'll want to optimise episode titles, descriptions, and show notes.

Making your website accessible and fully optimised will also improve its ranking in Google, bringing more traffic towards your podcast.

SEO isn't the only advantage of a good website. A successful website reflects well on your podcast, making it appear more professional.

A good podcast needs to have a successful website where your loyal audience can find every episode.

Conclusion

Creating a successful podcast requires more than just hitting the record button.

It’s about crafting engaging content, ensuring high-quality audio, building a strong brand, and continuously interacting with your audience.

By focusing on these key elements, you can produce a high-quality podcast that not only attracts new listeners but keeps them coming back for more.

TYX podcasting studios

If you’re looking for professional support to elevate your podcasting game, TYX London Studios offers top-notch facilities and expertise to help you produce high-quality content that attracts and retains listeners.

Our podcast recording studios provide everything you need to create a good podcast that will grow and engage your audience.

‍Contact us today and we'll assist you in achieving your podcasting goals!