This World Podcast Day we bring you a few podcasts that can make you better storytellers. After all, the key to good storytelling is story-listening.
Impactful storytelling is, arguably, one of the toughest nuts to crack. But once you do, it is also one of the most loved forms of art and communication. It builds an emotional connection between the reader or listener and the story. However, with fast-paced lives, it becomes difficult to only rely on books for good stories and that is where podcasts come in.
Listen to these 10 podcasts that will provide you with insightful storytelling tips and help you come up with concepts that connect to your listeners.
1. The Moth
Achieving 25 years of storytelling is no small feat! Introducing The Moth, a podcast that provides authentic tales. The stories are told Live, without notes and preparation, which gives each episode a distinctive quality that sets it apart from other podcasts. They demonstrate the variety of human experiences and show that an honest narrative may still fascinate you even if you don’t directly relate to it.
It should be a must on your list if you want to develop a sense of Live storytelling.
One of the most popular podcasts for storytelling is ‘This American Life’. It has one or more narratives with a common topic each week. Thus, we receive a number of stories on the same theme that despite being radically diverse, seem to focus on first-person narratives and stories. Ira Glass, the host, and his colleagues excel in fusing investigative reporting with personal narratives.
This podcast will help you understand beliefs from a perspective that may be different from your own and empathize better with people.
3. Radiolab
Undoubtedly one of the strangest podcasts that we have seen in recent times is Radiolab. Each hour-long episode covers a variety of philosophical, cultural, and scientific subjects. However, in contrast to traditional journalism, Radiolab editorializes its programmes with witty stories, musical interludes, and interview pieces. Some episodes tell the real-life stories of actual people while others examine real-world concepts through fictional narratives.
It is a podcast that can give you tips on how to keep your audience interested throughout the story.
Revisionist History investigates and re-examines historical events. Each episode focuses on a distinct occasion, notion, or individual. The creators reframe each incident to get you to reflect on what actually transpired.
This podcast could give you storytelling tips on forming new narratives based on the past.
5. UnFictional
UnFictional from KCRW has been around for a while and puts the spotlight on those small moments that grow into something bigger. This programme mixes narration with field recordings to give each episode a journalistic feel and also add value with their slick editing and engrossing narration. History and memory meet in each episode.
It is perfect for those who seek inspiration to tell non-fictional tales in a creative way.
The Other Stories can be called a contemporary adaptation of ‘The Twilight Zone’, ‘Tales from the Crypt’, or ‘The Outer Limits’. Every week, they deliver brand-new, distinctive tales based on a monthly theme. The episodes of this dynamic podcast, which are based on fresh material, last about 20 minutes.
Fans of science fiction, thriller, and horror storytelling will definitely pick up good tips from here.
7. Serial
The first podcast to ever win a Peabody award, Serial, over the course of a season, tells a single true story. The host, Sarah Koenig, spends up to a year investigating a true crime tale before telling you a gripping story with surprising twists and turns. We’re used to hearing about crimes when they’ve been solved, but Serial takes you through the chaotic investigations and occurrences.
This podcast will really challenge your attention to detail and organization of data as a storyteller.
8. The Truth
The name of this podcast is a little misleading because the content is anything but! Each episode of this podcast is brief and bizarre. The Truth takes you through a fictional scenario with sound effects and music in up to 10 to 20 minutes. The stories tend to be strange and darkly humorous, and you are thrown into each episode with little to no prelude or preparation, which makes it an incredibly intense experience.
It is a podcast that gives a good insight into weaving twists and turns in a very engaging way.
In Myths and Legends, the origins of well-known myths like Aladdin, Robin Hood, and Thor are discussed, along with all of their iterations and variations. The stories that influenced our society and cultures are the main topic and delve into how they affect contemporary culture.
This show gives good storytelling tips to people who want to explore the mythical genre.
The basic premise of Welcome to the Night Vale is that each episode offers updates from the made-up city of Night Vale. It takes the shape of a fictional local radio programme that is presented by a man named Cecil Gershwin Palmer and depicts life in the titular strange desert town in the southern United States, where all conspiracies are true and weird creatures snoop around the streets.
It is one of the best storytelling podcasts for fictional writers.
Ranging from thrillers to fiction to everyday human stories – this list will surely provide insightful storytelling tips.
If you liked what you read, check out our blog for more amazing content from the world of storytelling.
