How Do We Complete A Podcast Review?

There are no strict guidelines for writing and publishing reviews, whether they are of a movie, book, music, or podcast. In the heyday of print journalism, which lasted for several hundred years, high-profile newspapers and magazines such as The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Time, Newsweek, Life, and even Playboy had well-known reviewers on staff, such as Vincent Canby of The New York Times, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times, Pauline Kael of The New Yorker, and Richard Schickel of Time.

While mostly forgotten by present generations, these names acted as cultural signposts and barometers of taste for decades. With the near collapse of print journalism, has the formal review process broken down? Yes and no.

Yes, in that the reputable, professional sources who made a living reviewing TV shows, books, movies, theater, and music have been re-engineered so that those critical voices have been allegedly democratized. Reviews grab our attention today via social media, digital journalism, and, sadly, the political arena.

This is not a slam against digital journalism. Digital reviewers are often just as perceptive, insightful, and critically analytical as their more famous print forbears.

Movie reviewers such as Simon Dillon from Medium.com are superb reviewers of film, pairing strong writing and analytical abilities with the capacity to critically assess films and a keen understanding of film theory and history.

In podcasting, movie review podcasts like Verbal Diorama and What Went Wrong take a surgical, and quick-witted approach to a classic film, often spending an hour or more to reposition the movie in the popular zeitgeist.

In music, for example, Anthony Fantano has more than 900 million views on his YouTube accounts. In podcasting, Charlie Harding and Nate Sloan of the Switched On Pop podcast break down pop songs to figure out what makes a hit and what its place is in culture. Listeners will come away finding “a-ha” moments in their favorite music.

Podcasting came along just as print journalism was falling into a chasm from which it has never recovered. Therefore, podcast reviewing was always a digital journalism project, later joined by social media.

Unlike other art forms, podcast reviews follow specific guidelines that, while not written anywhere, follow common sense. First and foremost, with tens of thousands of podcasts active and thousands more coming online, it’s not necessary or advisable to waste time reviewing bad podcasts.

About 125 movies are released every year. They are copiously reviewed by well-known sites like Rotten Tomatoes and legacy media. Consider what a movie review means to the average consumer. The average cost of a movie ticket in 2025 is $11.75, with refreshments often known for their inflated prices. A family of four, seeing the recently released Lilo & Stitch, could easily spend $80, factoring in tickets and refreshments. Movies typically run from 90 minutes to as long as two hours and 50 minutes for Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning with Tom Cruise.

Moreover, movies cost tens of millions, often hundreds of millions, to make and distribute. The studio aims to recoup its costs and generate a profit. Unless you’re Francis Ford Coppola, who remade Metropolis.

Let’s turn to podcasting. By contrast, podcasts are often free to listen to and can range from as short as five minutes to as long as two hours. While a few network-financed podcasts are expensive, an independent podcast episode can cost in the low hundreds of dollars. While numbers are hard to quantify, the average informational or interview podcast lasts 45 minutes. Additionally, you can listen to a podcast at home, on your commute, or while performing routine tasks.

This preamble leads us to the logical conclusion that the stakes are much lower for podcast reviews than for movies, TV, theater, and music for major artists.

Not every indie podcaster develops a show to make a living from it or become the next Joe Rogan (ugh!). Some have what’s called a hobby podcast, a show for a very limited audience. For example, I recently reviewed The Perrysburg Podcast by Kim Newlove. The show by Kim is designed for current, new, and prospective residents of this town in Ohio, which has a current population of approximately 25,000. Clearly, Kim is not hoping to skyrocket to fame with this excellent local show. Instead, she performs a public service, using podcasting as her vehicle.

Like in music and books, thousands of superb independent podcasts are waiting for a pair of ears to find them. Podcast discoverability is akin to the fictional Star Trek training exercise, The Kobayashi Maru.

It is often a no-win scenario. Indie podcasts need to be discovered by a large audience to sustain themselves. Still, they often lack the resources to market and advertise effectively, thereby limiting their ability to attract those audiences.

Why would a podcast reviewer focus time and energy on a bad podcast when there are so many good ones? The answer, they don’t. In podcasting, reviews are the exclusive province of reviewing podcasts worthy of your ear time. That’s why we called our podcast review and recommendation publication Ear Worthy.

We only review and recommend independent podcasts worthy of your brain space and ear time. Why do we cover independent podcasts almost exclusively? Since our publication began in 2017, we have covered network-supported podcasts, such as those on Spotify and iHeart, with laudable goals, including The Outspoken Podcast Network, which aims to amplify, elevate, and reflect the diversity, richness, and humanity of voices throughout the LGBTQ+ community. iHeart’s My Cultura Podcast Network celebrates and elevates Latinx voices, stories, and content creators in English, Spanish, and Spanglish.

Yet, it is independent podcasts where the creative energy resides. While Spotify and iHeart crank out celebrity podcasts and Wondery releases yet another true-crime show, indie podcasters serve listeners shows of uncommon artistic skill, such as Hobo Code, Jose’s Lonely Hearts Club, Why Wars Happened, If Books Could Kill, and Normal Curves.

We applaud a new podcast company such as Mercury, led by Liam Herffernan, which is designed to support the unique needs of independent creators looking to grow and monetize their podcasts.

Its offering differs from other networks, with a strong focus on ensuring podcasters keep complete control of their content. Benefits include direct involvement in advertising and sponsorship decisions. Mercury also promises a more personalized approach than other networks, prioritizing value over volume.

At Ear Worthy, we are always looking for hidden gems, like a secluded island with treasures galore. We want readers and listeners to discover podcasts they might not have known existed. Podcasts like Walk And Roll Live — Disability Stories, Every Single Sci-Fi Film Ever, Floating Space, and Moonburn.

So, we are finally there. What do we look for when reviewing a podcast? Of course, sound quality and design. With better, more affordable equipment, there’s no reason that indie podcasts cannot match or exceed the sound quality of the deep-pocketed large networks. We investigate sound design, particularly the use of intros and outros, as well as narrative music. Some shows like Feed The Queue have quirky and adorable original material. Somewhat akin to a movie soundtrack, some indie podcasters use background music during a narrative or interview episode, subtly mirroring listeners’ emotions.

Before assessing the content and podcasters, we verify the show’s title, logo, runtime, consistency of release, and depth of show notes. For example, Marnie Duke’s superb The Hole Truth is diminished because there is another active podcast called The Hole Truth about finances, as well as multiple podcasts titled The Whole Truth. I lost track and interest after four. How about the Downstream podcast with Jason Snell? It’s a solid show about the TV streaming universe. Then there’s Downstream, a podcast exploring all paths spiritual. Also, there’s Downstream, a U.K. YouTube podcast featuring conversations with activists, authors, economists, politicians, scientists, YouTubers, and philosophers.

Next, we evaluate the host or co-hosts. First, we evaluate “hostiness.” for the skills needed to be a good podcast host. It’s a term introduced by Elaine Appleton Grant of the Sound Judgment podcast.

Hostiness is that basket of skills needed to be an effective host — narrative excellence, passion, wit, interviewing skills, pacing, and a respect for listeners. If there’s a co-host, we evaluate their chemistry. The job of podcast host is one of those professions that appears relatively easy. “You know, you just talk.” Yet, ask any successful indie podcaster/host, and they will insist it’s one of the toughest skills to master.

For example, to celebrate its 100th episode, Decoder Ring, one of the best podcasts there is, reran its first episode from 2018. Host extraordinaire Willa Paskin explained in the episode’s preamble that this was her first show as host, and she warned listeners that her vocal delivery “has come a long way.”

To be clear, Willa Paskin in 2018 is still miles ahead of most other experienced podcast hosts. In 2025, Willa Paskin is a GOAT candidate.

Most new hosts talk too fast, or you can tell that they are reading from a script. In interviews, inexperienced hosts ask one question of the guest and then allow that person to dominate the rest of the episode. Some hosts have a list of questions that they plan to ask, regardless of the guest’s responses. In those cases, interviews are disjointed and flat. The best hosts and interviewers manage guests like a conductor, ensuring that the guest hits all the right notes in a tempo and tone most conducive to the listeners.

To hear a superb example of masterful interviewing, check out host Mike Carruthers of Something You Should Know on the October 17, 2019, episode interviewing author Carlyn Beccia about her new book Monstrous.

Other elements include structure and format. Too many indie podcasts suffer from happy talk, when the co-hosts ramble on for far too long about subjects such as their dart league, the best protein shakes, or their latest ankle tattoo. On comedy podcasts, aimless conversations often lead to belly-laugh humor. Yet on an interview or informational podcast, listeners have chosen the show for the topic, not the host’s dating profile.

For indie podcasts, it’s especially critical that the beginning and the end of the show explain the show’s premise to new listeners. A podcasting expert like Danny Brown always advises that an indie podcaster offer some actionable steps to listeners, such as subscribing to the show, becoming a Patreon member, leaving a review, sending feedback, and offering show suggestions.

As Dave Jackson of School Of Podcasting has said multiple times, “Your show can be two hours or two minutes, just don’t be boring.” While Mr. Jackson ejects wisdom, thoughtful editing can definitely make a show better. Guests who ramble are prime candidates for editing. Narrative shows that take detours can be trimmed, and every genre has a built-in stopwatch when listeners’ attention flags.

Finally, there’s the issue of podcast genre and treatment. Essentially, there are two kinds of podcasts. There is a podcast that covers a topic that’s been covered thousands of times, but the show’s goal is to do it better than anyone else. A prime example includes movie review podcasts Verbal Diorama and What Went Wrong. Both shows are essentially “how this movie was made” podcasts. What separates them from the thousands of other podcasts with the exact same premise is that they do so much better than anyone else.

Then, there are indie shows that defy classification and often marry genres together into some kind of Island Of Dr. Moreau proto-genre. A perfect example is Another F*cking Horror Podcast, which seamlessly blends true crime, horror, and humor into a delightful show of bizarre tales and snarky intentions.

Podcasts of such creative vision as Let’s Burlesque, Uncovering Roots, An Arm and a Leg, Floating Space, Famous & Gravy, and Un(con)Trolled invigorate the industry and challenge others to infuse new ideas, concepts, formats, and treatments into the industry.

One key reason I don’t review celebrity shows is that, even when well done, which some are, it’s the same tune in a different key. These shows consist of CELEBRITY A discussing women’s issues. CELEBRITY B interviewing thought leaders. CELEBRITY C interviewing his friends in his garage like Marc Maron. CELEBRITY D is trying to do their best Joe Rogan impression. CELEBRITY E offers life advice because no one knows how regular people live better than a rich, entitled celebrity. CELEBRITY F insists that to be successful in life, you must wake up at 4 AM, do 500 push-ups, prioritize your day, and be busy every single second. Of course, that clueless celebrity doesn’t realize that most middle-class people are already overscheduled and sleep-deprived and don’t have extra time slots just waiting around.

You get the picture.

I prefer to focus on the creative forces and pulsating energy of indie podcasters. I’ll conclude with a trailer from an indie podcast by Tania Mohammad, a young and talented podcaster, called Karachi Nights.