From listening to these podcasts, I’ve been able to cull a few tidbits of information that I think would help me if I were ever to do a podcast based on the high and low points of the ‘casts I subscribe to. Perhaps you may find some of this useful as well.

Lesson the First: Know Thy Length

Podcasts tend to run pretty long. Two hours seems to be the accepted format for most weekly shows but unfortunately I think most two-hour shows don’t have enough content to fill their time. There are exceptions, but generally it seems that the host/co-host two-man format doesn’t typically lend itself to enough material for a solid two hours. They often get rambling and have dull spots. It would, I believe, be much better to shoot for one-hour with a two-person show and if it gets good then let it “run long.”

Ensemble shows do better with longer formats. 1Up Yours with it’s four-chair set up is a show that I could easily enjoy for far longer than it typically runs—even when it goes long. But the beauty of podcasts is that they aren’t limited to some sort of time restriction due to scheduling the way typical radio is so often I think the best thing is to let the content be the guide, which leads to the next lesson…

Lesson the Second: Edit, My Son

Sarcastic Gamer’s podcast works well because you can tell they do a lot of the work in post-production, editing the raw audio files into something that is concise and entertaining. Podcasters who just dump whatever they recorded into an RSS feed often end up with pretty shoddy podcasts. It can be tricky to do much with round table discussions, but generally speaking it probably works better to either cut out conversations that don’t work or to pick just the most interesting bit to include than to put it up there and have people think your ‘cast is dull.

I’m sure it’s significantly easier to record a bunch of stuff and than trim away what isn’t as good than it is to try and sustain quality over an hour or two, but most podcasts seem to try and I think end up the worse for it.

Lesson the Third: Listen, Therefore, To Thine Own Self

Listen to your own podcast, and be critical. Also, putting yourself out there opens you to criticism and you need a thick skin, but you should heed well-reasoned and constructive feedback. This is especially true when you start shaking things up: Sometimes new things can be great for your podcast, but if it isn’t working don’t doggedly stick to your idea as your audience bleeds away. An example is the CAGcast which tried to move to a live format with call-ins but it didn’t work: The show was clunky and the callers weren’t more interesting than the hosts alone, so they ditched the idea even though they had obviously put work into making it a possibility. Also, when listeners pointed out that CheapyD and Wombat (the hosts of CAGcast) used the phrase, “There you go” too much, they made an effort to cut back on the annoying repetition. Obviously they know how to accept feedback and cast a discerning ear on their own show. It indicates to listeners that you care about what you’re putting out and want to improve.

Lesson the Fourth: Follow Not Where Others Have Already Tread

Many video game podcasts have a similar formula. They often cover the same kind of stuff. Now, granted the “Whatcha Been Playin’?” discussion is usually a safe bet because it will be different for everyone and therefore isn’t repetitive from podcast to podcast. These kinds of conversation starters are usually a good way to capture that “chattin’ about some vids with my bros” kind of vibe that is very compelling in a lot of ways. But so many podcasts then devolve into the same old news reviews, upcoming game lists and uninformed blather about the latest rumors. Generally speaking those things are already handled (and better) by other podcasts. Unless you’re one of those podcasts that is devoted to being the best at one of those things (like the CAG Foreplay or KOXM for Xbox news), try doing something different or at least offer a different perspective. Achievement Junkie was interesting because even though it mostly just did a news roundup, the co-host Natalie was a female gamer who was pretty new to the hobby and offered a fresh take on games that wasn’t available just anywhere.

Pitfall #1: Constant Meta-Talk

While there are guidelines to help be a better podcast, there are a few things to watch out for that make podcasts less than they could be. One of those is injecting every episode with meta-talk: The discussion in the podcast about the podcast. I know that I can Digg your podcast, and I know you’re on iTunes. I don’t care how many downloads you had last week, and if I feel like it, I’ll write a review. Please don’t point out every single segueway you make (note that you never hear someone point out a transition on the radio… there’s a reason for that: It utterly ruins the point of a segueway!) and unless there is a compelling reason to do so, please don’t read your listener feedback on the air. Do read it, but I don’t want to listen to your rebuttal to one guy’s critical email, okay? And try to avoid jokes about how many people are listening or will listen or what people will be doing when they hear a particular conversation—it’s all just boring to the audience. The CAGcast and CAG Foreplay are guilty of this, as is KOXM; EGM Live* frequently jokes about the state of its audience to no good effect.

Ancillary Pitfall: Don’t remark about segments that will be cut or discuss the editing process at all. Since most podcasts don’t do a lot of post-production work, these usually end up in the podcast itself and it’s irritating to hear someone say, “Oh, I’ll just cut that part out.” If I’m hearing it, you didn’t, and if you didn’t I guess you thought it wasn’t worth the time to cut out after all so you’ve basically just wasted everyone’s time. 1Up’s Retronauts does this all the time and it’s never resulted in a better podcast the way actually cutting material might.

Pitfall #2: Be Mindful of the Humor

Most of the funniest stuff on podcasts comes from natural conversation. If you try too hard to be funny, you risk wasting time on a joke that isn’t working. Generally speaking, if your podcast is about video games then make it about video games. If it happens to amuse me, then all the better, but I enjoy podcasts that are just interesting too. Sarcastic Gamer goes back and forth on this: Often they are truly funny, but usually only in their parody songs (which is a different kind of trying hard) and in their natural conversations and good-natured ribbing. But their obviously pre-planned gags and jokes are rarely amusing (witness the Portal-infused Halloween “prank” that must have sounded hilarious on paper but was pretty painful to listen to). GameSpot’s The Hot Spot is pretty good about avoiding scripted humor, but they have occasionally gotten stuck on one joke that they all find uproarious and the audience thinks is kind of dumb. By the fifteenth reference, you better be darn sure it’s really amusing or people will be flipping to the next track on their playlist. And as a final example, 1Up Yours’ Garnett Lee often injects crude and sophomoric jokes into the conversations (which are usually otherwise fascinating) that add nothing and in fact undercut the show’s strength.

A good rule of thumb is probably to not try to be funny: If you find yourself laughing during the recording process, good. Your audience is probably laughing, too. But if you’re waiting to use a line or trying to get a laugh, think again because it probably isn’t worth it.

Parting Thoughts

Obviously this is all coming from the perspective of a listener, not a show creator. It’s pretty easy to be critical of others, but not so easy to put your money where your mouth is. I would like to create a Tunnels of Doom podcast, but will only do so when the timing is right. That’s why this is mainly guidelines that, if followed, would make listening to podcasts easier but also suggest extra effort involved in producing them. If and when ToD ever gets its own podcast, I’ll follow this list up with my experiences trying to follow my own suggestions.

I’ll probably have some apologizing to do then, as well.