Why Your Podcast Format Doesn’t Match Your Purpose

Does your format match your why? I'm Brett Johnson, My Podcast Guy, your trusted friend in podcasting. This show is here to help you reconnect with the real why behind your podcast so you can keep showing up with clarity and confidence. Today I want to talk about something that quietly makes a lot of podcasters miserable. A format that doesn't match their why. I see it all the time. The host has a solid mission. They care about their listener. Their why is actually pretty strong.

But the way the show is built, the format, the structure, the style is working against that why instead of with it. Maybe you really want to teach, but you feel stuck in an interview format. Maybe your why is about intimate, honest conversation, but your episodes are overproduced and stiff because you're trying to sound like a big network show. Or maybe you're wise about depth and reflection, but you're cranking out short newsy updates because you think that's what works. Think of your format like the vehicle of your Y. Traveling in your Y is your engine and your compass. The format is whether you're putting that engine in a sports car, a pickup truck, or a bus. If those don't match, the ride is going to be really rough.

In this episode, I want to show you what that mismatch looks like in real life and and help you start asking. Is the way I'm doing this show actually serving the reason I'm doing this show? Let me share a composite story I've seen again and again. Imagine a host. We'll call her Linda. Linda started a podcast because she cares deeply about helping people navigate a big life transition. Her why is solid. I want to walk with people through this change so they feel less alone and more prepared. That's a strong, heart level purpose.

She pictured honest conversations, real stories and space for reflection. But when it came time to launch, she looked around at what other shows in her space were doing. Most of them were interview based big guest names, long, wide ranging conversations. So she thought, I guess that's what a serious podcast in this niche looks like. Without really thinking about it, she locked herself into a weekly hour long interview format. Here's what happened next. At first it was exciting. She booked some guests, got a few yeses she was proud of and felt like she was doing it right.

But as the weeks went by, she realized that these conversations weren't really actually lining up with her. Why? They were fine. They were interesting, but they weren't intimate. The guests often stayed on the surface. The stories felt polished. And because she was focused on finding Bigger and bigger names. And she felt more like a publicist than a guide. Behind the scenes, the format was draining her.

Tracking down guests, juggling calendars, preparing questions. It started to feel like a second job. And because the guests were the draw, she rarely let herself speak directly from her own experience. The show became a platform for other people. When her original WHY was to personally walk with listeners through this transition. By the time she reached out for help, she was exhausted and confused. She said, I still care about my topic, but I don't feel connected to my own show. I'm not saying the things I actually want to say.

That's classic format. Why mismatch? So we went back to the basics. I asked her, if you could design this show from scratch, no pressure to copy anybody else, what kind of conversations would feel most honest to your why? She said, honestly, I'd love to do shorter episodes where I talk directly to the listeners and maybe occasionally bring in real people, not big names who are actually going through this transition. In other words, her WHY wanted a more intimate, guided format, less polished expert interviews, quieter, with a direct connection. The weekly hour long interview structure was a sports car. When she really needed a walking path, we didn't throw the whole show away. Instead, she started experimenting. She added solo episodes where she simply talked to the mic for 10, 15 minutes.

About one part of the transition, she tried a letter to you style episode that sounded more like a personal note than a panel discussion. Over time, she realized those episodes felt the closest to her. Why? They were the ones she looked forward to recording. They were the ones her listeners commented on most. And once she saw that we made a bold move, we shifted the show's primary format. Interviews became occasional intentional features, not the default. The core of the show became her voice, her perspective, and her direct relationship with the listener. Was it scary to move away from what she thought a real podcast should sound like? Absolutely.

But once the engine of her WHY had a format that matched it, the resistance dropped. Recording felt more natural, planning felt more purposeful, and the show finally sounded like the mission she started with. Now it's your turn to look at your format with fresh eyes. I want you to set aside, just for a moment, all the shoulds you've picked up about podcasting, the idea that serious shows have guests, or that episodes must be a certain length, or that you have to sound like your favorite big budget series. Instead, I want you to imagine that your why is sitting in front of you as a person. How would that person want to communicate? What kind of space would they need to do their best work. Here's a simple way to start. First, write down your current best version of your why in one or two sentences.

Something like My podcast exists to do what for who so that what changes for them. You don't have to get it perfect, just clear enough that you can feel it. Then, on a separate line, describe your current format in plain language. For example, weekly 45 minute interviews with experts, solo episodes, 20 minutes teaching style roundtable discussions with my co host. Don't dress it up, just state what you're actually doing. Now compare the two. Ask yourself, does this format amplify my why, or does it water it down? Does this format make it easier for me to show up in the way my why is asking me to, or harder if my why is my North Star? Is my format pointed toward it or away from it? Here's today's why question. If you weren't trying to copy any other show, what small change to your format would bring it closer to the way your why actually wants to speak? That change doesn't have to be dramatic.

It could be adding one short solo segment to your interview show where you speak directly to your listener. Shortening your episodes so you can go deeper on fewer points, Introducing a recurring story segment that connects more personally to your listener's world. The goal isn't to chase novelty. The goal is to let your why choose the vehicle instead of the other way around. If you'd like, help figuring out whether your format is really serving your mission and what a better matched format could look like for you, that's what I help podcasters do every day. You can book a clarity call with me. Just head over to My Podcast Guy online and look for the Book a Call link. We'll look at your why, your your current format, and what smaller big shifts might finally make your show feel like it fits.

I'm Brett Johnson, My Podcast Guy and I'll talk to you in the next episode.