S5 117. To Be or Not to Be a Podcast Episode: 10 Formats That Will Expand What You Think Is Possible

What counts as a podcast episode is a more open question than most people realise. The medium has evolved — from RSS-only audio on Apple devices (iTunes) to video-first vertical content filmed in a bedroom — and with that evolution, so has the range of what a podcast episode can actually look like. A three-minute focused answer, a segment clipped from a longer interview, a repurposed coaching hot seat: all of these qualify. Most podcasters just haven't given themselves permission to try them.

In this episode, I'm walking through 10 formats that are consistently underused by podcasters I work with — and it’s not because they're complicated, but because they challenge the default assumption that a podcast has to be long, polished, and produced from scratch every single time.

Plus, the episodes that tend to stick with listeners — the ones they remember, the ones they go back to — are rarely the ones that covered everything. They're the ones that nailed one thing, clearly, in exactly the time it took to say it.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

For the full list of links, resources and show notes, please visit:

https://www.thepodcastspace.com/podcast/s5-117-to-be-or-not-to-be-a-podcast-episode-10-formats-that-will-expand-what-you-think-is-possible-contentcontent-strategycontent-repurposing

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Timestamps:

• 00:55 — What a Podcast Actually Is (and How It's Evolved)
• 02:38 — What Counts as a Podcast: The Identity Crisis Debate
• 04:58 — Length: From 3 Minutes to 3 Hours
• 07:21 — Expected Formats: Conversational, Solo, Scripted, Live
• 09:43 — High Effort vs. Low Effort — and Thinking Like a Listener
• 12:06 — Format 1: Break Episodes Into Multiple Parts
• 14:26 — Format 2: Repurpose and Lightly Edit Live Streams
• 16:45 — Format 3: Repurpose Hot Seats or Coaching Calls — Format 4: On the Go Episodes
• 19:08 — Format 5: Get Ready With Me — Format 6: Repurpose Successful Newsletter or Social Content
• 21:29 — Format 7: Segments From Interviews as Standalones — Format 8: Ask the Host One Question
• 23:54 — Format 9: Short Episodes on Recent News or Industry Updates — Format 10: Edit Episodes You Were a Guest On
• 26:19 — When to Play a Full Guest Episode (and the Upcoming Mini-Series)
• 27:00 — Quick Recap: All 10 Formats + CTA