The Admiral’s Log
Notes on podcasting from the Seaplane team.
Who Is This Show Actually For?
A podcast built to serve two different audiences equally, in every episode, usually ends up serving neither one well. Pick a single, real audience to build for, and let everyone else benefit as a side effect of the show being good.
Single Host or Multiple Hosts — When Does Each Work?
A second host only earns their seat if the relationship between hosts is engaging and fills a purpose. If two people are just taking turns reciting prepared points at each other, that's one host's job split awkwardly between two people, not a genuine co-hosted show. If one co-host mostly sits and provides occasional color, that’s a baseball game not a podcast.
Does a Podcast Need Video, or Is Audio-Only Enough?
Most of the recent push toward video podcasts is coming from platforms, not from anything that actually makes a show better. Once a major platform decided to bet on video (hellooooo Spotify!), pressure trickled down to every show, video or not. Audio-only remains the stronger craft choice for the large majority of shows, and tacking on video tends to make the product worse while multiplying the cost. By a lot. That said—video does have its place with the right show.
Should A Podcast Be Seasonal or Ongoing?
Most organizations default to "ongoing show" without really deciding it. It's the shape people picture when they picture a podcast, so it's the shape they build toward, even when nobody's actually checked whether there's enough material to sustain it past episode ten.