What Makes an Episode Stick With You?
Recorded in Chinese
What makes a podcast stay with me? Unusual founder perspectives, opening questions, shared production reflections, and outdoor recording spaces offer different ways to leave an impression.
00:01 Today,
00:02 I want to talk about
00:03 what kinds of content are memorable to me,
00:08 or are easy for me to remember.
00:11 Previously,
00:14 when I helped organizations make podcasts,
00:18 one collaborator asked me
00:21 how their podcast differed
00:24 from podcasts made by others,
00:26 or whether theirs was better.
00:29 The shows
00:32 they wanted to compare it with
00:35 were in the same field.
00:39 How should I put it?
00:40 My answer at the time was...
00:42 I was thinking,
00:43 both shows were in the same field.
00:45 I could not say one was better
00:47 or one was worse.
00:49 What I wanted to say was that
00:50 when people make podcasts,
00:55 they emphasize different things,
00:59 and what they present
01:01 is also different.
01:03 As for good or bad,
01:05 I do not think it works that way.
01:08 The question is whether their content
01:11 leaves a stronger impression on listeners.
01:17 In other words,
01:18 it also depends on
01:21 what kind of listeners they attract.
01:23 Some may prefer A's storytelling
01:27 or A's way of making podcasts.
01:30 Others may prefer B's
01:33 way of making podcasts.
01:35 Different listeners determine,
01:39 or define,
01:41 which parts of the content attract them.
01:46 So I did not say one was good or bad.
01:49 I said each had its differences
01:53 and its own characteristics.
01:56 But it is also true that,
01:58 if I am being honest,
02:00 and speaking only as a listener,
02:03 not as a producer or participant,
02:09 I would probably prefer the content made by
02:11 the person who asked me that question.
02:14 Why?
02:15 First, because of the guests they chose.
02:18 Second, because of the topic
02:20 they chose for that episode.
02:23 So from those two perspectives,
02:26 I really did prefer the episode
02:29 I worked on with them.
02:31 It was roughly like this.
02:32 The guests
02:33 worked in B2B.
02:37 B2B itself
02:39 is fairly unfamiliar in my world.
02:43 Learning about that field
02:45 was a way for me to expand
02:47 the boundaries of what I did not know.
02:49 So naturally it left more of an impression.
02:52 It did not feel familiar.
02:55 Instead, it felt unfamiliar,
02:56 and to some extent that unfamiliarity
02:59 made it more memorable to me.
03:01 Another reason was
03:03 the topic they chose.
03:05 When talking with the guest,
03:07 they discussed things like
03:10 this person's
03:13 startup philosophy,
03:15 or how he approached
03:17 PR for his company.
03:20 For example,
03:22 he mentioned points I found memorable.
03:25 This founder
03:28 felt that
03:30 as the company's founder,
03:33 or as
03:34 part of its founding team,
03:37 their public labels were not
03:39 which university they graduated from,
03:41 which major company they once worked at,
03:44 or which famous project they had worked on.
03:46 They all used only one kind of label:
03:48 I work at this company,
03:50 and this is what I do here.
03:54 He would never
03:56 mention their previous achievements.
03:59 All their so-called labels
04:03 were about the company they were at
04:05 and the work they were doing now.
04:07 That left a deep impression on me.
04:10 In podcasts I have seen
04:11 or heard,
04:13 almost all of them,
04:14 when introducing a guest,
04:16 will say something like,
04:18 asking the guest,
04:22 "Please introduce yourself first,
04:24 so everyone can get to know you."
04:25 Then the guest introduces themselves
04:27 by saying which university they attended,
04:30 where they worked before,
04:32 and what impressive resume they have,
04:35 and so on.
04:37 These things...
04:40 How should I put it?
04:42 Maybe in venture capital,
04:46 many people have
04:47 very impressive resumes.
04:50 Once they all look the same,
04:51 they stop standing out.
04:55 And throughout the conversation,
05:00 he revealed some things
05:01 that seemed non-consensus to me,
05:04 or very different
05:08 from other introductions,
05:11 and different from what
05:13 other shows discuss.
05:14 That was why he stayed in my mind.
05:19 Looking at the example I just gave,
05:22 I think
05:23 if you can draw out from a guest
05:26 something truly distinctive,
05:29 even just one thing,
05:31 then the episode stands out enough.
05:35 Some things may
05:41 feel special
05:43 to certain listeners,
05:45 or be something they have never known.
05:48 That one thing can become
05:50 a memorable point for them.
05:52 Or something the guest says
05:56 or has experienced
06:00 may go against convention.
06:02 That can also deepen the impression.
06:06 Then there is the introduction I mentioned.
06:09 If we replace the introduction
06:11 with something new,
06:13 rather than simply asking the guest
06:16 to dryly recite their resume,
06:19 then designing that segment well
06:21 can also make the show more memorable.
06:25 For example, I once heard
06:26 an episode that began
06:30 not by asking the guest to introduce themselves,
06:32 but with a round of rapid-fire questions.
06:35 It quickly showed listeners different sides of the guest.
06:40 I think that is also a good approach.
06:43 But designing rapid-fire questions
06:47 does require
06:49 some real thought.
06:51 I have also heard podcasts
06:55 with very interesting endings.
06:57 After the whole conversation,
07:01 the ending includes
07:04 something like a review.
07:06 The producer and
07:08 the host talk as equals
07:11 about which parts of the episode
07:13 worked especially well
07:15 and which parts could improve.
07:17 That segment
07:19 really, really speaks to me.
07:22 To me, it is
07:23 something very valuable.
07:25 Normally, this would stay internal.
07:29 After finishing an episode,
07:31 the team needs to do
07:33 something like
07:35 a review and reflection.
07:37 That normally happens internally
07:39 and is not meant to be public.
07:42 But
07:43 some shows
07:44 make that segment public.
07:46 And I think, wow,
07:48 that is interesting.
07:49 It makes the show even more memorable.
07:52 Taking all of this together,
07:55 I think that if an episode
07:58 can uncover
08:00 some non-consensus points,
08:02 things that differ from convention,
08:05 and also reveal
08:08 things that normally would not be public,
08:13 and use clever design,
08:17 not only the kind
08:21 of rapid-fire segment I mentioned,
08:24 which gives listeners an initial impression
08:28 before the conversation begins,
08:30 then these three things,
08:33 if designed well,
08:35 make a much stronger impression on me.
08:39 But I cannot represent every listener,
08:42 so it also depends on
08:46 the audience a show is made for.
08:49 Recently, I have also encountered
08:54 some newer podcasts.
08:57 Well, I cannot really call them new.
08:59 Certain things about them attract me.
09:03 Podcasts today are gradually
09:06 moving from audio toward video, right?
09:08 Once they become video,
09:10 we need to choose a recording space.
09:13 A while ago, a foreign podcaster's
09:20 video thumbnail really caught my attention.
09:24 It was recorded under a large tree.
09:26 The two people
09:28 sat on a blanket beneath the tree,
09:33 facing each other and talking.
09:36 In the image,
09:38 there was a tall tree beside them.
09:42 The canopy was lush and green,
09:45 the leaves were green,
09:46 and the surroundings were beautiful.
09:48 That kind of scene...
09:51 How do I put it?
09:52 I really liked it.
09:53 I loved that kind of recording space.
09:56 But it also had to do with the host.
09:59 He is someone who makes music
10:03 through feeling and perception.
10:06 So when it comes to choosing or designing a set,
10:10 he is extremely skilled.
10:12 I think
10:14 future video-podcast producers
10:18 or directors
10:20 could learn more about
10:23 his approach to perception and spatial design.
10:26 It would probably help a lot.
10:27 The environment
10:30 or space where you record
10:32 affects how listeners feel about you.
10:37 But I suddenly forgot his name.
10:43 I am not very familiar with him.
10:44 I only know he works in music
10:47 and is influential in perception,
10:50 feeling, and the so-called state of flow.
10:54 He is very influential in that area.
10:58 I will look it up when I get back.
11:01 If I remember, I will add his name.
11:04 What else?
11:06 This episode...
11:08 I recorded this audio on a whim.
11:10 I recorded whatever came to mind,
11:12 so I may inevitably have left things out.
11:15 If I did,
11:15 I will add them later.
11:18 Okay, that is it.