“It was a dark and stormy night . . .” Wait, scratch that! Been there, done that, like, a million times. Not all podcasters aspire to be storytellers and, sadly, a lot who do aren’t that great at it. So if you’re a storyteller or a wannabe, this blog is for you. And, hey, even if your show isn’t story-based, you might find these tips frighteningly fruitful.
In this spooky season of long-held secrets and shuddering scenarios, we’re ready to sit you down in our dimly lit room and shine a spotlight on the terrifying truth. If your audience isn’t growing as you hoped, it could be because your podcast is dreadfully . . . dull! But don’t fear! We’re here to help you craft a spine-chilling, captivating show that leaves listeners ‘preying’ for more.
A recent Podnews article titled Podcasting isn’t a Technology Problem offered some grim observations. A deep dive into session topics at recent podcast conferences unearthed that there is little emphasis on the art of telling an edge-of-the-seat story. The horror! You can have all the best tools – high-tech, figurative chain saws, sealed rooms, bolted doors and windows – but if the story stinks, your podcast probably does too, allowing your audience to escape.
Thus in keeping with the sinister season, we at Blubrry grabbed our bonafide wooden stakes, holy water, salt, iron and silver bullets to fight the blight of banality and purge the persistent problem plaguing podcasters – the Beast of Boredom.
Let’s try to do better!
“The darkness swallowed the sky. It didn’t simply descend, rather it blackened the night with blue-gray-black clouds roiling like ghostly predators preparing to pounce. Lightning broke the air and thunder shook the earth as tree branches quivered in fear. Sitting on the porch, the old man rocked, his dark skin etched and his white hair betraying a life of pain and peril.”
Better? Maybe a little?
Whether you’re into Halloween or not, when you’re telling a story on your podcast, these tips can improve your podcast and hold your audience hostage:
- The Power of Suspense: Practice building tension to keep listeners on the edge of their seats and practice pacing to create the ambiance in podcast storytelling.
- Crafting Eerie Atmosphere with Sound: Explore the importance of sound design in podcasts, from creaking doors to whispered voices, and how audio cues can enhance the fear (or any other) factor. For starters, your podcast’s intro music (if you use it) can set up the vibe for your show or a specific episode right from the get-go.
- The Unreliable Narrator: Use deceptive storytelling techniques that leave your audience questioning what’s real and what’s not, creating a sense of unease.
- Cliffhangers that Haunt: Cliffhangers are a must in scary stories! Fall head-first into crafting them so they linger in listeners’ minds long after the episode ends.
- Mysterious Characters that Lurk in the Shadows: Develop characters with hidden motives or supernatural traits, and experience how ambiguity can create a haunting effect.
- The Art of the Twist: The role of shocking plot twists in horror storytelling is imperative! Dissect how to execute them for maximum impact, leaving listeners stunned or chilled.
- Playing with Time and Reality: Try techniques that create non-linear narratives or play with alternate realities and dreams to add an eerie, disorienting feel to a story. For instance, perhaps there could be an out-of-context “cold open” edited into the intro of an episode. That will get people asking questions immediately and hold their attention.
- Incorporating Real-Life Urban Legends and Folklore: Draw from real stories and myths to blur the line between fiction and reality, making your podcast even more unsettling.
- Creating a Sinister Setting: Establish a setting that feels like a character itself — haunted houses, abandoned asylums, foggy forests — to evoke dread and fear, or whatever emotion you’re shooting for.
- Using Silence to Build Terror: Examine the strategic use of pauses or moments of silence to create suspense and tension, letting listeners’ imaginations fill the void with their worst fears.
So storytellers, are you already using any of these techniques to capture and, more importantly, keep the interest of your audience? If you haven’t, we hope you’ll give them a try!
Happy Halloween!
Are you ready to start telling your stories? Let us help you tell your get going! Sign up for Blubrry hosting.