How to Find a Great Story for your Podcast?

There are many elements that go into helping you find a great story for your podcast. Keep reading to see what it takes!

What is a great story for your podcast and how should you tell it?

As someone who prefers podcasts that tell a great story, I’m here to tell you that it DOES matter how you tell your story, not just what the actual story is.

Your voice, your tone, your emphasis on certain words, how you leave pauses between words or phrases…

All these things have an impact on your story, how you tell it, and how interested your audience will be. 👂

So what does it take to write a great story then…

Well one of the most important things is that your audience should feel like you’re telling your story directly to them. 🗣️

Because odds are, if they’ve chosen your podcast, they’re interested in what you have to say, so they’ll also be interested in the stories that you tell.

Another important thing is to portray emotions in your story. 😄😍😭😱

By having emotions throughout your story, you can relate to your audience and get your story across to them more strongly, allowing you to hold onto your listeners attention.

You also should pace your story well, so that it adds another dimension to your story.

The pauses that you take in between each phrase or word 🤫, can keep your listener on the edge of their seat, making them want to continue listening to the story that you’re telling them.

The speed at which you tell the story can change the impact of how your story will progress.

A little tip: Make notes in your script about how and when you want to change your voice when telling your story.

How to find a great story for your podcast?

Keep your story clear and don’t have too many narratives going at the same time.

It can be hard for your listeners to keep track of all the details if you overwhelm them with too many. 🤯

And the last thing you want is to confuse your listeners, because a few things could happen:

Your listeners could stop listening to your show.
Your listeners could finish one episode and not listen to the next one.
Your listeners won’t recommend your podcast to others.

And frankly, none of these sound very good. 😢

So keep it simple, and make sure you’re as clear as possible when telling a story within your podcast. Try using one of our free podcast script templates to keep everything in order.

You can also use relevant music and sound effects to tell your story. They can help add an extra “touch” to your podcast, and the way that you get your story across. 🎶

Another tip is to include specific statistics in your story. 📊 These can add to your credibility, which will make your story more interesting and convincing for your listeners.

Something else that can add to your credibility, is having a clear point of view, with your details well thought out so that your story is organized.

Why do you need a great story for your podcast? 🤔

As you know there are a few different types of podcasts.

There’s interview-style, single-host, and fiction, but also some podcasts that focus strictly on storytelling.

But even if your show doesn’t focus solely on storytelling, all podcasts have some sort of storytelling involved. 📖

So no matter what kind of show you have, you’ll need a great story for your podcast.

But in any case, and I know it seems obvious, make sure that the story you tell relates to the subject of your podcast.

Otherwise, your audience will get confused, and may wonder why you’re sharing that story in the first place. 😵‍💫

So why do you need a great story for your podcast:

To keep your listeners’ attention, which will help grow your audience overall. 📈

For example, if you tell a great story in your podcast, and someone hears it and thinks “wow, what an interesting story!”

They could tell their friends about it, who could then listen to your podcast.

And we all know that word-of-mouth is the main way for podcasts to grow so make sure that your story is interesting and that your listeners will want to tell others about it! 📣

How can you find a great story for your podcast?

There’s many things that lead you to find a great story for your podcast, whether you just create a podcast for fun or if you have a branded podcast for your company::

Personal stories 🙊
Stories you’ve heard 🙉
Life lessons 🤷‍♀️
First-time events 👩‍🎓
Big life events 👰‍♀️
Things that you’ve done 🙈

I’m sure you all have experience within some of these things, so think of your favorite (or simply most impactful) stories, and next time your podcast subject has something to do with it, throw in the story… but only if it’s a good one. 💪

Who can give you a great story for your podcast?

Interesting stories that you can incorporate into your podcast can come from basically anyone or anywhere in the world! 🌎 For example:

Yourself
Friends
Family
Co-workers
Neighbors
Strangers

Pretty much anything that you’ve seen or encountered, or someone that you’ve met or spoken to, can all contribute stories to your podcast story reservoir.

How long does it take to find a great story for your podcast?

Finding the perfect story to share in your podcast episode can take a long time. ⏳

So if you have a new episode coming out that is in need of a good story, think ahead so that you’re not panicking at the last minute. 😬

And when you write your script, make sure that you have your story in mind so that you can reference it in your script to make sure you stay on the right track and tell the story well. 📝