In today’s session, our guest is Steve Stewart from the Money Plan SOS and The Financial Wellness Show. He talks about his podcasting journey, how it is helping him work toward self-employment, the different types of podcasting formats, and the Pretty Link plugin (both the free and the pro versions).
Solo show
The solo show is pretty obvious: you do the show alone. You prepare your notes or script and then record it by yourself. Of course, you could choose to have a live audience while you record, but yours is the only voice on the show.
Interview show
A popular podcast format is bringing different people on and interviewing them. This kind of format allows you to have another person to talk to, making it easier to have a flowing conversation. You are also able to bring (potentially) two audiences together (yours and your guests), making it a win-win for both people involved. Depending on your experience and personality, this can be an easy format to utilize.
Co-hosted show
A co-host can be great to provide an additional person, but brings more stability than the interview-based podcast. You and your co-host can develop a great relationship and the listeners can learn to expect the varying opinions. A caution here: both of you should love the topic, but if you both have the exact same opinion, then one of you isn’t necessary.
Feature show
Box of Inspirations podcast is an example of a different format where the host is not on the show himself. He gets on Skype with his guests and has them share their inspirational story.
Story-driven show
Several podcasts, such as Serial, have become more popular. This is where there is a story that drives the podcast forward, usually spanning multiple episodes. Stories can be really engaging, but this format of a podcast can be more work than some of the others.