How to tell powerful and memorable stories through audio

What Alex Blumberg from Gimlet taught me about Storytelling

Some say 10.000 hours of practice makes you an expert. Well, if you want to start your journey from novice to master the art of podcasting and digital storytelling, you can definitely start your hours by listening to Alex Blumberg’s 10 hours online class, “Power Your Podcast with Storytelling”, presented through the CreateLive platform.

You’ll find the tips, tricks, and best practices of a master, with plenty of examples of everything.

Socrates once said: “I know one thing: that I know nothing.” You might be a wise person, but still, you have to admit you’re closer to knowing nothing than to knowing everything. The good thing is you can learn from everything and everyone. And learning from the best is certainly a good start. As Alex Blumberg says: “Your job is to suck and try to get better”. Seems a good piece of advice.

Blumberg left a long career in public radio to launch Gimlet, a for-profit podcast network focusing on narrative journalism and storytelling and is among the best, most successful radio producers out there.

What if I told you that audio is a visible platform? While you’re listening, you’re also imagining, and actually, because you there’s no visual judgement, you pay more attention in what is been said. In audio you create your own version, based in who you are and what you like. It’s all about raw and honest emotion.

As Blumberg says, when you’re hearing somebody and you’re not seeing them, your brain naturally creates a version of them. Then, you feel closer to them because you’ve created them. Audio builds a one-to-one relationship, personal, for both the producer and listener, and this is why it has such power.

Ok, so you want to create a podcast. Great! But first: Don’t go in without a plan. Personal and professional growth start with self-knowledge, and you have some questions to ask yourself first.

Having these questions figured out is not easy, but extremely necessary. Try to pitch them to yourself as long as you can.

Rule #1: Be in charge.

Check your kit, your batteries. Do basic research on who you’re interviewing. Make sure your interview has a good structure, with sections, goals and questions previously defined. Do not doubt about the power of the right question, and remember: if you talk honestly to someone, they will talk back honestly with you.

According to Blumberg, to master the art of the interview, you must focus on narrative and emotion. Conversational interviews are the best, and to evoke that conversation, you need to pay attention on how you phrase your questions.

Do not ask for yes or no questions. Ask for stories. Make people break down their lives in steps, stages of a bigger story. Search for breaking points, details, emotions. Try to elicit honest reflections. Feel free to ask:

And that’s how we get into the Storytelling topic.

Do you ever think, “who cares about what I have to say?”. Believe me, we all feel that way. Let’s recognize that most people don’t care about what you care about. (I know. This sucks.) There is, however, a simple hack to that.

And that's why there’s a growing demand not just for audio storytelling but for storytelling in digital platforms. Because we all crave for meaningful human experiences.

Everyone has a story, but it’s not always that interesting, or not particularly good in some words. To succeed in the art of storytelling, you don’t need to have the best story, you need to have the best angle. One that evokes feeling, one that matters.

To frame your story, whatever your story is, Alex Blumberg presents the Story Formula:

Simple, right? Yeah, but creating a story in this formula could also be pretty tricky.

Those are some pretty good examples of the Story Formula:

Often discomfort leads to good stories. We like to hear about the pain, the difficult times, conflicts, transformations, the resolutions and triumphs of a journey. In telling your story, you also need to look for the unexpected twists, contrasts, elements of surprise.

Some other valuable tips from Blumberg:

And speaking of editing…

So you have pages of notes and hours of audio. Now what?

Turning raw material into a cohesive and compelling story is a big challenge. High quality work takes a lot of work! Don’t just settle for the story you already know, editing is the key to making each podcast episode successful. To commit to making a podcast that stands out, remember to:

Blumberg is a captivating host, who does not only helps focusing on strategy and refining your message through audio, but also helps us tell something deep and true about ourselves.

He talks to chaotic human beings, not to machines, building a trustworthy sincere space, evoking authentic emotions and developing trust.

If you’re willing to become a professional podcaster or a digital storyteller, you’d be crazy to miss these lessons.

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