How do you write engaging podcast dialogue?

1 Know your audience

Before you start writing, you need to have a clear idea of who your target audience is and what they want from your podcast. What are their interests, needs, challenges, preferences, and expectations? How do they speak, listen, and relate to others? How can you appeal to their emotions, curiosity, and values? Knowing your audience will help you tailor your dialogue to their level of understanding, tone of voice, and style of humor.

2 Plan your structure

Podcast dialogue should have a clear and coherent structure that guides the listener through your main points, arguments, or story. Depending on the genre and format of your podcast, you may use different types of structures, such as a narrative arc, a problem-solution, a debate, or a Q&A. Whatever structure you choose, make sure it has a beginning, a middle, and an end, and that it follows a logical and consistent flow. You can use transitions, summaries, and signposts to help the listener follow along and stay engaged.

3 Write naturally

Podcast dialogue should sound natural and conversational, not scripted and formal. You want your listeners to feel like they are part of the conversation, not just passive observers. To achieve this, you should write dialogue that reflects how people actually talk, not how they write. Use contractions, colloquialisms, slang, idioms, and expressions that fit your audience and your topic. Avoid long and complex sentences, jargon, acronyms, and passive voice. Vary your sentence length, rhythm, and pitch to create interest and emotion. And don't forget to use pauses, silences, and sounds to create emphasis and drama.

4 Create characters

Podcast dialogue should also reveal the personalities, motivations, and relationships of the speakers. Whether you are writing fiction or non-fiction, you need to create characters that are believable, relatable, and distinctive. You can use dialogue to show their traits, goals, conflicts, and emotions, as well as their interactions with other characters. You can also use dialogue to create contrast, tension, humor, or surprise between different characters. To make your characters sound unique and memorable, you should give them different voices, accents, vocabularies, and speech patterns.

5 Edit and revise

Podcast dialogue is not finished until you edit and revise it. Editing and revising are essential steps to improve the quality, clarity, and impact of your dialogue. You should read your dialogue aloud, or better yet, record it and listen to it. This will help you spot any errors, inconsistencies, awkwardness, or dullness in your dialogue. You should also ask for feedback from others, such as your co-hosts, guests, or listeners. They can give you valuable insights and suggestions on how to make your dialogue more engaging and authentic.

6 Experiment and have fun

Podcast dialogue is a creative and flexible form of communication that allows you to express yourself and connect with your listeners. There is no one right way to write podcast dialogue, but there are many ways to experiment and have fun with it. You can try different genres, formats, styles, and tones of dialogue. You can play with different scenarios, topics, and themes. You can also use different tools, such as sound effects, music, or images, to enhance your dialogue. The more you experiment and have fun with podcast dialogue, the more you will discover your own voice and style.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?