In the past year or so, I’ve noticed that many new audio drama and fiction podcasts have descriptions that follow a non-fiction format. But, fiction or audio drama podcasts have different audience expectations, so the needs are different.

Over the next few paragraphs, I’ll show you how to use your fiction-writing skills to craft a concise, plot-focused, and clear audio drama or fiction podcast description that’s easy to share and commit to.

Why Do Audio Drama and Fiction Podcast Descriptions Matter?

When I say “podcast description,” I don’t mean the episode descriptions or show notes. I’m talking about what the audience gets in exchange for paying attention to any or all of the episodes in this feed.

In our Discovery survey, we found that the podcast description is the top reason respondents choose a podcast. 

We’ve written a comprehensive guide to writing nonfiction podcast descriptions. But fiction podcast descriptions have different expectations.

Nonfiction podcast descriptions speak to who the audience is in real life, while fiction podcasts speak to the audience’s imagination.

A nonfiction podcast description can promise what the audience will get in exchange for their attention, but fiction’s impact has too many variables to make those promises. The sole element podcasters can control, and the promise you can keep is what we’ll hear, not why we should listen. 

How to Write a Fiction Podcast Description

50% of respondents to our Discovery survey told us that they start searching for new podcasts by opening up a podcast directory or app. Chances are good that your audience will find your description there or in a newsletter for podcast listeners or communities where people interested in audio drama or fiction podcasts congregate.

Your prospective audience knows what they’re looking for and where they want to find it.

Avoid Redundancies

Your podcast description doesn’t need to explain that your show is:

• A fiction or audio drama podcast
• A “movie for your ears,” “cinema of the mind,” or “radio play”
• Created by a brilliant writer or hard-working production team

Let it go.

People who search for audio drama and fiction know what a podcast is. What potential audiences don’t know is your story. That needs to be front and center in your podcast description. 

Now that we’ve eliminated redundancies, let’s address what your podcast description needs and why. Your fiction or audio drama podcast needs to be: 

• Shareable
• Easy to display in posts
• Actively focused on the plot

All three of these elements overlap with and complement each other. Let’s look at how to make these elements work best. 

Brevity Makes the Magic Happen

Whether your podcast hosting service gives you 100 or 10,000 characters for your podcast description, the first characters matter most. Any time someone posts a link to your podcast on social media, the platform pulls a limited number of characters from the destination URL to describe that link. 

How many? 

Any number I research for you today could change tomorrow. Social media platforms can change their character display limits on a whim. And, platforms collapse posts to make scrolling easier. To show the audience what your podcast is about, you want to get the logline in the post’s first hundred or hundred and twenty-five characters. Here’s an example of how a podcast link appears on Bluesky: 

I disappointed myself. Where’s the logline? It’s fragmented and hidden under the world-building. I’ve rewritten this description multiple times, but different directories display different versions of the description from my hosting service.

When a post clearly shows what to expect in the podcast, people are more likely to pay attention, and your fans can share the post easily. Keep your audio drama or fiction podcast description concise and to the point. The point, of course, is your logline, which we’ll get to next.

Stick to The Logline or Plot

When your fiction podcast description focuses on the logline, the audience knows what to expect. Your story might give audiences a world more vast and detailed than all of Lord of The Rings. First, you have to give the audience a point of entry. The logline gives casual browsers a handle to grab. Keep your podcast description concentrated on the throughline or narrative spine. 

What Makes a Great Logline?

Screenwriters use the term logline; others call it a throughline, an elevator pitch, or a narrative sentence. You may have also heard the term “tagline,” which is different.  Backstage Magazine has a detailed explanation of what a logline is and how to write a good one. In the meantime, let’s get back to your podcast description. Your logline needs to include the story’s: 

• Primary character(s)
• Inciting incident
• Protagonist’s goal
• Conflict and stakes

Here’s an example using the description and tagline from Six Minutes.

“Eleven-year-old Holiday is pulled from the icy waters of Alaska with no memory of who she is or where she comes from. And when she begins to develop incredible abilities, she’ll soon learn she’s not alone in the world.” 

The podcast art includes the tagline: “Before she was a girl… she was a weapon.” 

The tagline implies the elements of the logline, but it’s shorter and more mysterious. Let’s return to the description and break down what makes it effective. 

The logline tells you about the following: 

• The primary character (Holiday, an eleven-year-old girl with memory loss)
• The inciting incident (pulled from the icy waters of Alaska)
• The primary character’s goal (learn she’s not alone in the world or learn her identity)
• The conflict and stakes (no memory, begins to develop incredible abilities)

The tagline informs our understanding of the main character, conflict, and stakes. But, it lacks specificity that gives the potential audience something to grasp.  The podcast description tells us whose story this is, what they want, what’s in their way, and how they will get it. 

Now that you know what elements to include, let’s clarify and polish your logline.

Clarity Matters

Many audio drama and fiction podcast writers labor over their scripts for years. Some of these stories have vast tomes of world-building knowledge, with religions, currencies, alphabets, laws, hierarchies, dynastic feuds, and revolutionary shoe fashions. Cool. And some people want to include all of this background information in the podcast description.

Your description has to pique their interest. Then, your episodes can help them invest emotionally. Once they’re cosplaying as your characters, you can sell the spinoff graphic encyclopedia and vinyl record set explaining all aspects of your audio drama universe. But first, the description has to give casual browsers a handle to grab. 

There’s more lore in Lord of the Rings than in the Prose and Poetic Edda combined. But the Tolkienverse has influenced so many and endured for so long because, ultimately, it’s about an underdog who trades comfort for adventure.  That’s seven words.

Take, for example, The Dex Legacy. This epic saga includes political intrigue, war profiteering, interplanetary colonization, and intergenerational trauma. How does one fit all of that into a pithy, contagious description?

“Join Varian, Isra, and Ren as they battle to maintain every ounce of their humanity against a despotic regime determined to turn them into monsters.” 

That’s only 147 characters. I’m not saying this is easy. If you practice writing haiku, you may find it simpler. 

In as few words as possible, tell us about the person who wants something and what they risk to achieve it. Don’t tell us their tactics or how the process changes them. Let us experience those actions and changes as an audience. When you keep your podcast description simple, we can find something familiar in the logline and latch on. 

Active Voice Persuades

Surprise! All that time in seventh grade with Warriner’s English Grammar and Composition does matter. In the podcast descriptions I’ve shown you, nearly every verb uses active voice.

When you choose to use active or passive voice, neither is better or worse. But, active voice uses fewer words and implies forward motion. The sole exception is in the description for Six Minutes, where “Holiday is pulled from.” In this case, the passive verb tense avoids spoiling Holiday’s mystery or complicating the description.

Active voice piques your audience’s curiosity with a brief and dynamic description.

Don’t Be That Podcaster

Every time I edit the Fiction Podcast Weekly, I look for audio drama and fiction podcasts that have recently launched, published a new season, or reached a significant milestone.

Without fail, the podcast descriptions make me wonder who is telling these fiction podcasters to shove as many words into that podcast description as possible. At the same time, I’m scanning through all this text, exhaustedly praying for a logline, until I turn into Detective Mills at the climax of the movie Se7en, screaming, “WHAT’S IN THE BOX?” while John Doe drones on and on like a sad robot.

All audiences need to know is who wants what, how hard it will be to get, and what’s lit a fire under them this time.

Keep it brief, direct, and active.

Tell us what’s in the box so we can press play and share your show. 

Sign up for the Fiction Podcast Weekly newsletter. Whether you’re a creator, avid listener, or just audio drama-curious, don’t miss out on getting this essential bulletin delivered to your inbox every Friday!

Curated by Lindsay Harris Friel, editor of the Fiction Podcast Weekly newsletter.

Listening to fiction podcasts turns tedious experiences into adventures. They can help you empathize with entirely different people and understand situations at the frontiers of your imagination. And they make your daily tasks fun.

These immersive stories showcase some of the finest acting and sound design outside of big-budget movies and TV shows.  Plus, in many cases, these shows illuminate topics for which Hollywood doesn’t have the cojones. Here are some of the best new audio drama podcasts you can put in your pocket for 2025.  And, I’ll also tell you about the enduring shows that have stayed at the top of the podcast charts for as long as there have been fiction podcasts.

Alpha 8 

What Happens? When a top-secret government research project captures and studies an alien life form, the alien reproduces the form and behavior of the lead researcher’s wife, and tries to blend into the family.  

Why Do You Need This? Don’t mistake this for fish-out-of-water comedy. In Alpha 8, you’re forced to examine human behavior and connection. The behaviors and people we take for granted are front and center, and being mistaken for someone else can have deadly consequences. 

For Fans Of: Extant, Moon, Westworld, and any sci-fi where technology forces people to examine their identity.

Ask Your Father

What Happens? Lem, an astronaut, and Mikey, an AI, embark on a deep space mission, only to find themselves trapped double their planned distance from Earth, without enough fuel to return. They can communicate with Earth via miniscule, faster-than-light drives, so Lem answers questions sent by his family back home.

Ask Your Father may seem like a heartwarming story of Dadstronaut and his sidekick Friendbot answering interesting questions. But, writer Sean Williams gradually turns up the pressure, forcing the characters into new arrangements that make the characters change to survive an intolerable universe. 

Why Do You Need This? Heartwarming, intriguing characters are forced into a situation that would drive most people to violence. They may break down, but instead of succumbing to hate, they find new coping methods. If you believe that community and support networks are essential to human survival, Ask Your Father is for you. 

For Fans Of: Gravity, Interstellar, and stories where the vastness of space pales in comparison to the resilience and flexibility of the human heart. 

A2Z

What Happens? Mad scientist Zzzucks wants the benefits of friendship, so he creates an AI to say nice things to him. But, Aileen, the AI, deduces that friendship is complicated, so she enlists the audience’s help to understand social skills. Can the audience help Aileen teach Zzzucks how to be a good friend, while preventing more cheesesplosions?

Why Do You Need This? Yes, A2Z is a kids’ and family podcast, and it’s hilarious. This show helps people understand why we want to connect with others and how to do that meaningfully.

It’s hard to make friends and participate in community, whether you’re a kid or an adult. If you spend a lot of time on social media and see rewards for negative behavior, knowing how to be a good friend is tough. Fortunately, A2Z has the intelligent, anxious, and hyperactive Zzzuck to follow his poor impulse control, and the patient Aileen to redirect him when needed. These two are played by audio comedy stars Tom Crowley and Gemma Arrowsmith, respectively, who embrace the absurdity of friendship with gusto.  Plus, A2Z innovates with its companion app to help the audience practice and reflect on the protagonist’s struggles with social skills. 

For Fans Of: Black Books, The Office, Abbott Elementary, Wooden Overcoats, or anything with a character who behaves badly, though the audience can sympathize without identifying with them.

Bitcherton

What Happens: This improvised comedy of manners uses all the tropes of Regency-era literature, balancing social norms against modern social thought. Everyone in the Bitcherton-verse knows the myriad expectations of respectable behavior. But they may be hiding a corpse in the library. No, really. Can the daughters get married before anyone finds out?

Why Do You Need This?  If A2Z is a podcast where the characters have good social intentions but poor methods, Bitcherton is the reverse. Etiquette is everything, especially when you’ve landed in a ditch. Do you and everyone you know need a laugh? Yes. Do you need a laugh that skewers social expectations? Double yes, definitely. Whether you’re sick of Austenmania, or you can’t get enough of “the ton,” Bitcherton should be in your reticule.

For Fans Of: Jane Austen, Bridgerton, Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, and Vivian Stanshall. And, if you know who Vivian Stanshall is, you must have bloody good manners. 

Camlann

What Happens? After an apocalyptic event, a group of survivors take refuge in a cabin in Wales. Soon, they discover contemporary technology and weapons are useless, and ancient mythic creatures are coming out to play. Meanwhile, Arthur’s round table conspires to control them.

Why Do You Need This? What would you do if every electronic device you rely on now was useless, and you had to live without all the comforts of the 21st (or even the 20th) century? Everyone wants to see a unicorn, but what if one appeared in your garden and attacked your family? Where would you find your reserves of strength, and how can you use them? Camlann’s story, acting, and music will hook you, and Tin Can Audio’s sound design will surround you with a new reality. 

For Fans Of: Obviously, sword and sorcery fantasy enthusiasts will enjoy this. Fans of The Green Knight who cherished the hero’s internal struggle will be rewarded. Perry’s internal and external conflicts will resonate with anyone experiencing gender pressure.

The Devil’s Chair

What Happens? An Irish comedian throws off the shackles of her abusive childhood to go to America in search of fame and fortune. When a desperately needed gig becomes inhospitable due to a friendly younger comedian, all her inner demons rise to grab the situation.

Why Do You Need This? Faustian bargain tales are everywhere, but The Devil’s Chair differs because the character is her own demon. The consequences of not accepting the Faustian bargain aren’t “aging naturally” but “Will I become my abusive past?”

This mini-series provides a painful catharsis, but for any artist or performer (women especially), what the protagonist learns is painful yet necessary. Writer-performer Méabh de Brún will pull your emotions to all the extremes. At one point, while listening, I had to drop everything, stop, turn it off, and catch my breath. The Devil’s Chair is a two-part miniseries in Realm’s showcase podcast, Undertow. Finding it may take more than three clicks, but don’t miss this hidden gem. 

For Fans Of: All versions of Faust, anything by Martin McDonagh or Stephen King, The Twilight Zone, and Rememory. 

Havana Syndrome

What Happens? It’s Thanksgiving. Your sister announces she’s quit her job as a CIA operative and disappears in search of a mysterious sound. What do you do? Well, after the mysterious agents question your parents, and your folks tell them to come back with a warrant, you do whatever you can to find your sister and keep her safe. Unfortunately, the situation she’s gotten herself into involves Cuba, whose complicated history has tangled with America’s for much longer than most people would like to remember.

Why Do You Need This? There are many podcasts with “Havana Syndrome” in the title. But, Havana Syndrome, An Audio Drama combines news footage with a family narrative to sweep you up in an espionage thriller. Not only will you better understand current events, but also you’ll care more deeply about them. Dimitri and Guadalupe’s mourning over their sister’s disappearance is heartbreaking. The dramatization of experiencing Havana Syndrome is as riveting as any horror story you’ve experienced. And, this podcast has clues to an alternate reality game. Can you find and decode them? (If so, can you help me out? It’s not easy.) 

For Fans Of: Stormfire Productions says this is a good fit for fans of The Diplomat, The X-Files, and Where In The World is Carmen Sandiego. I’d add that it’s as tense as The Americans. If you enjoy anything involving the complexity of Cuban-American family life, Havana Syndrome is for you. 

How Copy

What Happens? Three people from different walks of life have vanished in seemingly unconnected situations. A police detective learns that all three people each owned a black box with a voice recorder, labeled, “How Copy.” 

Why Do You Need This?  When tragedy strikes, do you persevere or disappear? How Copy’s voice files from the disappeared characters are gripping, and Detective Nowak’s investigation is challenging enough to make you want to kick doors down for him. Why Not Theatre Company and writer Tanja Mastilo skillfully weave subtexts in the narrative to craft a compelling story about self-doubt and resistance.

The podcast is a prequel (or is it a sequel?) to Why Not’s stage production, Enter Copy, which “in a different setting, explores the same themes of escapism, trauma and technology.”

For Fans Of: True crime podcasts, or any version of Law & Order (especially those who wish it were more like The X-Files). 

Silvertongues

What Happens? Young people living on a Pacific island try to recover missing memories of their past. The residents of a remote island try to get rid of them. Meanwhile, someone is abducting people in a location surrounded by ancient statues. This story isn’t told in a typical sequence (though it is logical). Is there a problem with memory or space and time? Don’t let me spoil it for you. 

Why Do You Need This? Everyone needs a tropical island and absurdist humor, and Silvertongues delivers. The impulsive bush pilot with her DIY pre-Soviet plane, and the Australian enforcer who truly loves snakes, are just two examples of how wild Silvertongues’ ride is.  More than that, the mysterious abduction scenes will chill you because of their simplicity and ease.

For Fans Of: You may think I’m gonna say this is good for fans of Lost, and I won’t disagree. But, if you ever wished that David Lynch had made Twin Peaks take place in a Pacific island chain, this is your show. 

White Vault: Goshawk

What Happens? Wildlife photographers in a winter camping situation somewhere between Maine and Canada find two women on the run from kidnappers. The line between civilization and wilderness is hard to maintain in the hostile storm environment. Meanwhile, in Berlin, a vehicular attack on climate activists throws a mysterious global family concern into peril. 

Why Do You Need This? The White Vault has terrified audio drama and fiction podcast enthusiasts for nearly ten years. The latest season, Goshawk, is no less captivating. When people ask for podcast recommendations on Reddit, often they say they’re looking for “something like The White Vault.” Fool and Scholar has set a precedent for excellence not only in story, but also in sound design and music. Conflict between humans and nature currently makes daily life intolerable. If Paige Williams’ New Yorker article, “Life Among The Bears in Tahoe”, made you anxious, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. 

For Fans Of: The Revenant, Never Cry Wolf, Life Below Zero. 

World Gone Wrong

What Happens: Not only is the world coming to an end, but also, your bestie/roommate also had to move halfway across the country. What do you do? Obviously, you start a podcast. Somebody’s got to help people out. Crumbling infrastructure, werewolves, zombies, body snatchers, and family dynamics are just some of the problems Malik and Jamie try to solve with their chat podcast. 

Why Do You Need This? It doesn’t matter if your daily problems are natural, un-natural, or supernatural. What matters is how you choose to respond to them. World Gone Wrong’s hosts, Malik and Jamie, showcase flexibility and fortitude in response to the unexpected. We could all benefit from their example. If reality has got you down, World Gone Wrong wants to ride along with you. 

For Fans Of: Welcome to Night Vale, and people who wonder, “What would happen if Hotel Transylvania was mashed up with WKRP in Cincinnati?” (I know you’re out there.)

Enduring Audio Drama and Fiction Podcasts: The Ancestors

Almost any time someone writes a roundup of the best audio drama and fiction podcasts, these shows appear. Many of them influence podcast creators today. Some of the shows that continue to set standards are…

• The Bright Sessions. If you ever want to eavesdrop on someone else’s therapy session, stop by Doctor Bright’s office. She provides talk therapy for teens who happen to have supernatural abilities. Why is Dr. Bright uniquely qualified to sort out the psyches of people who need to “stay strange?” Keep listening to find out.
• Campfire Radio Theatre has brewed a heady cocktail of horror stories since 2011. New episodes of this anthology series are published a few times a year, each showing months of craft and skill. Get the good headphones and invest in some sock garters because John Ballentine can scare your socks off.
• Edict Zero. In response to the cataclysmic events on New Year’s Day of the year 2415, the Federal Investigative Services assembled a task force at their headquarters in Capitol City to find the responsible party, eliminate danger, and deliver justice. This cyberpunk thriller is for people who like Big, Immersive Epics.
• Limetown. A young journalist researches the sudden disappearance of hundreds of people from a company’s living community called Limetown. What happened to them? Could it happen to you?
• Welcome to Night Vale. If a surreal town in a quiet desert had a public radio station, this would be the late-night transmission. Come for the soothing voices, unconventional weather reports, and conspiracy-theory-fueled travel advisories. Stay for a saga where your nightmares come to life, and they mean well.
• We’re Alive. What started as a story of survival during a zombie outbreak spawned multiple seasons from different perspectives, re-invigorating the undead archetype. After 14 years, Wayland Productions still produces new visions for this particular strain of chomping flu. In We’re Alive: Scouts Honor, pre-teen Adventure Scouts stranded on Catalina Island confront “the infected.”
• Wooden Overcoats. Picture it: Piffling, a small Channel island, present day. Rudyard Funn and his sister Antigone operate their ancient family business, the island’s sole funeral home. When a kind, energetic, and resourceful funeral director, Eric Chapman, sets up shop across the square, Rudyard takes umbrage. Always funny, often thought-provoking, and occasionally tear-jerking, Wooden Overcoats continues traditions of great British comic storytelling.

Nearly every audio drama or fiction podcaster today can tell you they listened to some, if not all, of these shows when they first started. Find out what all the fuss is about.

The Best Audio Drama and Fiction Podcasts Turn Your Chores Into Adventures.

Some say they don’t have time to listen to podcasts, let alone audio drama and fiction. In The 25 Hour Day, Tom Webster posited that podcast listening is “a way to grab five minutes to yourself, away from a screen, in those little pockets of time that we all know we have.” What if tedious tasks could become opportunities for escape? It’d be like getting more time for yourself: an extra hour in your day.

Independent audio drama and fiction podcasts give you a world of ideas you won’t find elsewhere. These shows ask tough questions, spark audiences’ imagination, and help you experience the world differently. To experience curiosity and excitement, make it a point to follow and dig into more independent audio drama and fiction podcasts.

Whether you’re a curious listener looking to dip into the world of fiction podcasts, or, an experienced audio drama creator looking to stay up-to-date with the medium, the Fiction Podcast Weekly is the newsletter that has you covered. It’s free, and it drops into your inbox every Friday!

Audio drama and fiction podcasting are like podcasting as an overall medium – there are so many people creating content in different ways. Just like an on-location interview has different technical demands than a remote interview in the non-fiction podcasting realm, so too do the various ways dramatised pieces are recorded. And that seems like the most logical way to break this down – into fiction podcasting formats.

I’ll caveat this audio drama equipment guide by saying that I’m never explicitly telling you to go out and buy something. My approach here is more of a “What would I do?”. A vast amount of new kit has come onto the market in the past 14 years, and I’ve been fortunate to review a lot of it. So here’s my thoughts:

A quick heads up to say that we use some affiliate links in our gear roundups, which help support all of our free content. Rest assured, though, that affiliate links never cloud our judgement or prevent us from giving our honest thoughts!

Audio Drama Equipment for Solo Fiction Podcast Makers & Voice Actors

Whether you’re reading chapters of an audiobook or doing remote lines for an audio drama, the priority here is to record a good clean vocal recording.

Budget Mic Options

A toss-up between the Samson Q2U and ATR2100. These affordable workhorse mics offer a solid level of sound quality and are forgiving of suboptimal room conditions. You can start out by using either in its USB form, then upgrade to an interface later on via XLR.

Mid-Range Mic Options

USB mics have come on leaps and bounds this past decade. I’d happily trust the Rode Podcaster, AKG Lyra, or Sennheiser Profile to record quality vocals. But again, having the option to switch to XLR further down the line is a big plus, so let’s opt for the Samson Q9U.

Premium Mic Options

If you’re somehow swimming in a pool of money (let us know where you found it) and want something high-end, then there are a range of options as wide as your wallet. Standouts for me are the Shure SM7db, Shure MV7+, the Rode NT1 5th Gen, or the Electro-Voice RE20.

All of these mics are world-class. But you can’t rely on an expensive mic alone to make a recording sound good. If you’re investing heavily in your setup, please treat your room with the same importance as you are your gear.

Solo Interface Options

I’ve mentioned a lot of mics that run via USB. Some of them (like the Q9U or NT1 5th Gen) work as USB or XLR mics, while others (SM7db, EVRE20) are exclusively XLR.

If you want to run an XLR mic, you’ll need an interface. I’ll give one recommendation here: the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2. I’ve used mine for about 13 years, and the newer incarnations are even better. The 2i2 plugs in via USB and lets you run one or two XLR mics into it.

The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 is the most popular audio interface among podcasters, according to our 2024 Gear Survey Report.

Audio Drama Equipment for In-Studio Performance

A “studio” can take many different forms. It could be a pro-level radio or sound studio, or it could be a room in your house with some acoustic treatment. The point is that we want to record multiple voices in the same room and do it as cleanly as possible.

By “clean”, I mean that the producer (possibly you) should be able to take these voices and place them in any fictional soundscape in post-production. To achieve this, you need no background noise and definitely no reverb in those vocals.

Studio Interface Options

This time, I’m starting with the interface because it’s the central hub for recording all your voices and having them separated neatly into their own individual tracks.

As a budget option, I’m going to recommend the Zoom PodTrak P4. This handy little device is great value for money, and you can record four actors at once into its XLR inputs. The PodTrak P4 will run on its own, no computer needed.

If you’re doing the Brewster’s Millions thing, then the Rodecaster Pro II might be for you. It’s a bigger, brighter alternative to the PodTrak P4, with even better preamps (and the P4’s preamps are good) to power even the hungriest of mics. Again, no computer needed.

Studio Mic Options

Much of what I said about the mics in the solo audio drama equipment section still applies here. One key variable is mic bleed. That “clean” recording we talked about can be affected by the sounds of other actors.

Preventing this isn’t necessarily down to mic choice – though that can help – but the positioning of your actors in the studio. Getting a decent amount of distance between everyone is good practice, and if you can add in some baffling or shielding (more on this in the “Other” section), then that’s ideal.

On a budget, I’d happily use the Samson Q2U or ATR2100 here. Both reject noise from around them very well. I’ll also throw the Shure SM58 into the hat.

If you can spend a bit more, then I’d opt for some Samson Q9Us or Shure MV7+s. These will improve the quality of your vocal recordings whilst still minimising that unwanted bleed.

Audio Drama Equipment for On-Location or Field Recording

Field recording involves taking your actors to a location and using its natural soundscape as a “baked-in” backdrop to their performance. Many actors love this approach, which can feel similar to working on a film or TV set. For producers, it can save time in post, too. You don’t need to edit in background ambience because it’s already there.

That said, field recording isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Good luck trying to make your sci-fi audio drama sound like it’s set on Mars with the sound of a fire engine or ice cream van passing by.

Field Recording Interfaces

Again, starting out with the central hub of our kit, we want an interface that’s portable, durable, and battery-powered. The Zoom PodTrak P4 remains an excellent option on this front. I’ll throw its cousins, the Zoom H5 and H6, into the hat, too. Both are superb field recorders and have the advantage of coming with built-in stereo mics.

Field Recording Mics

There are a few approaches here. One is to opt for durable audio drama equipment that can get a bit dirty and beat up and still perform well. As the Shure SM58 is invincible, you can run a couple of those into a Zoom H5 or H6 to capture the vocals while using the recorder’s built-in mics to grab your ambient soundscape.

Next up, you can opt for the film-style approach of sticking mics onto boom poles and dangling them in front of actors, which allows them to move around a little more. Shotgun mics are a good option here, and the Audio-Technica AT875R is very affordable. That said, costs can stack up when you need multiple, as well as boom arms and numerous people to help you wield them. As an alternative, you can also buy a shotgun mic capsule that’ll fit on the Zoom H5 or H6.

For me, the obvious choice would be to opt for wireless or lavalier mics. A costly but top-quality option is the Rode Wireless Pro kit, which can really free up your actors to do all the physical stuff without the need for extra production help. For this approach on a tighter budget, consider getting a smartphone lav for each actor who records directly into their own phone. There is a bit of extra production (not to mention much more chance of something going wrong), but you can definitely make it work.

Other Audio Drama Equipment

Microphones and audio interfaces are the most essential and prominent parts of your fiction podcast recording kit. But every good story needs a solid supporting cast, too.

Stands, Mounts, & Boom Arms

If you’re flying solo, any desk stand or boom will do the job. The Rode PSA1 is the pick of the bunch, but you’ll find many cheaper alternatives.

Rode also has a boompole if you’re taking the field recording approach, but for less than half the price, the Neewer NW-7000 is a popular and well thought of option.

If you’re getting everyone together in-studio, then your standard musician’s floor stands are ideal. You’ll find highly affordable options on Amazon or at your local music store.

Headphones

There is certainly no shortage of brilliant options when it comes to headphones for monitoring recordings and post-production. My personal favourites are the Audio Technica M20xs. They have higher-range models available (M30x, M40x, etc.), but I’m more than happy with the 20s.

When choosing headphones, be wary of consumer-level models designed for listening to music. If you have a pair of cans that add extra bass to your audio, then you’re not getting an accurate depiction of how your recordings actually sound, and – crucially- how everyone else will hear them.

Sound Treatment & Audio Protection

Pop filters are a low-cost safeguard to prevent a brilliant take from being ruined by a thumping plosive. Again, these can be picked up cheaply online or at your local store. Many mics claim to have built-in pop filters these days, but I’d still recommend using an external one.

Foam windjammers or “furries” are more suited to field recording. Avoid buying anything until you get your mics, though, as many models come with their own (external) plosive and wind protection.

If you’re creating an in-studio environment, then some acoustic treatment is essential to eliminate reverb from your vocals. You can buy foam acoustic tiles or hang sound blankets around your space. Who said sound treatment had to be baffling!? I’m making a joke here, and I sincerely hope it landed, albeit without causing any reverb or background noise.

Cables

Whilst I won’t go as far as to say an XLR cable is an XLR cable (an audio engineer would likely string me up with one), I can honestly say that I’ve never had to swap one out because I noticed it was negatively affecting the audio quality. You can buy very fancy and high-end cables with gold (gold!) in them, but again, unless you’re an eccentric millionaire, I wouldn’t worry about it. A decent amount of XLR mics come with cables these days, but if not, they’re very accessible and affordable.

What About Software?

Software for recording or editing audio drama is a subject in its own right. I’ve always used Adobe Audition. I learned on AA, and I know my way around it, so I never had any reason to go elsewhere.

Many fiction podcast pals use DAWs like Reaper and Hindenburg and speak highly of them.

The most popular podcast recording and editing software is Audacity. It’s free, and has every tool and feature you’ll ever need, but the layout can feel clunky and unintuitive to some.

I mentioned a fire engine potentially ruining your recording earlier on, too, and that’s a nice opportunity to mention Alitu. Check this out:

Noise reduction like that was unthinkable even a couple of years ago!

Audio Drama Equipment: Most Popular Kit

Our 2024 podcaster gear survey told us loads about the gear 500+ creators are using, and 8% of them were audio drama and fiction podcast makers. Obviously, that’s a small sample size, but a few patterns emerged that might suggest wider trends in our corner of the medium.

• The Blue Yeti was the most popular mic (as it is in podcasting, overall)
• The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 was the most popular audio interface (as it is in podcasting, overall)
• Rode was the most popular brand, with fiction podcast creators creators using the Podcaster, Procaster, and NT1-range models.
• Adobe Audition pipped Audacity as the most popular software program.

More Fiction Podcasting Help

I hope this audio drama equipment guide has been useful in helping you choose the right tools to record and produce your show. A couple of additional resources for you are our guides on how to make a fiction podcast and how to edit and produce and audio drama.

Last but not least, be sure to sign up to the Fiction Podcast Weekly, an essential newsletter for creators and enthusiasts in the space. You’ll get all the latest info delivered straight to your inbox each week, from creator resources and casting calls to various other opportunities and industry news as a whole. If you’re even thinking about making an audio drama, then you need to be getting this.

Well, I might have gotten a little heated in my response, but I think I’ve grown since then. An actual play is audio and drama; if you disagree, please go to the comments and bump up the SEO algorithm for the website by engaging with the post. Thank you. (Spoiler, I won’t respond).

By Volonda of The Lucky Die

Hem Brewster is a Brit living in Iceland, Hem GM’s actual play podcasts, and is also the lead producer at Blighthouse Studios. They’ve also been known to voice act in the odd podcast.

Why do I mention this? The post that got me irate made me think about the differences and similarities between audio drama and actual plays. It made me really appreciate what it takes to make a good actual play and the work that goes into scripted fiction. It’s clear that both forms of storytelling, at least the good ones, require a lot of behind-the-scenes work.

Scripted fiction and actual play podcasts have their own unique challenges and differences. Let’s take a quick tour through the ones that jump out to me the most. Hopefully, you’ll emerge on the other side with a greater appreciation and appetite for both.

1. Control

Scripted Fiction – The only surprises are the ones the writer makes, and if it doesn’t work… hey, just start the script again. There is time (for the first season, at least) to make this 100% perfect. Plot twists are of the writer’s making and can be set up with precision and control for a perfect payoff. The writer is responsible for literally everything, however, from the big murder down to the chocolate or banana milkshake.

Actual Play Podcasts – The GM (game master) needs to know practically everything about the world in which the story is set. They do have to react… on the fly… when a character refuses to go through the door marked ‘PLOT’. The GM can set up the seeds of a plot twist, but the players, and the dice, might ignore or create their own plot twists. There is very little control. And you usually have only one shot as a GM to get it right.

Related Article

6 Tips That Make Great Actual Play Podcast Players

Unlike being an actor, there are additional skill sets when it comes to being a cast member in an actual play podcast. Improvising, knowing the basic rules, and playing well with … Find out more »

2. Casting

Scripted Fiction – The production team can cast the perfect person: they know who they want, and they already know how long they’ll need to engage the actor. As a producer, you’re not relying on actors to create content; they’re performing yours. It’s also easier to budget costs and create a schedule when you know what’s coming.

Actual Play Podcasts – The unique aspect of casting for an actual play is finding folks that can work together and improvise good stories. Once you cast a player or GM, you could be with them for years. And you’re relying on them to create the content of the podcast. A wrong choice could make recording difficult or impossible.

3. World Building

Scripted Fiction – Research, research, research! Not everyone can do this kind of work when making a story – full props to script writers, you’re heroes. Researching obscure languages one day and what the weather is like the next. All for accuracy.

Actual Play Podcasts – A GM might need to create their own laws of physics, cultures, or phases of the moon. Research is still necessary, and being prepared is essential. But, if the story goes off in another direction, it might never see the light of day.

4. Flexibility

Scripted Fiction – Flexibility for a script writer is entirely up to the author. Can they adapt if an actor brings a new energy or take to a character? Can it adapt to a casting change? Yay, or nay on ad-libs? Most flexibility comes down to minor changes in scripted form or where real-life events force change. 

Actual Play Podcasts – A GM has to be able to change the story on a whim. A plot that has been months in the making might need complete change from the result of a single dice roll. This is both daunting and exhilarating. A story told this way could truly be as much of a surprise to the story keeper as the players and audience.

5. Dialogue

Scripted Fiction – A writer has to have everything scripted: for the dialogue to make sense and for each character to have their own voice on the page. Everything can be controlled, each line well thought out, and many meanings applied. Foreshadowing can come from anyone, and every word can have meaning.

Actual Play Podcasts – With the exception of the GM, the lines of dialogue are always reactionary and said in the moment. Clever or witty lines are spontaneous and it is raw. It isn’t scripted. A line uttered in anger can really be said in anger because that’s where it comes from. There can be a lot of fluff, missed opportunities and imperfect deliveries as an actor reacts in the moment.

6. Engagement between Crew and Audience

Scripted Fiction – An actor as a person is removed from the show as they are never made to reveal themselves in order to tell the story. And unlike an actual play, they do not need to invent character motivations, make dialogue or even make the “right decision”. They are free to focus solely on the performance, and a good performance can really pull an audience in.

Actual Play Podcasts – The actors are also players, making decisions and having to improvise. So if a show includes a portion of the table talk, it can add another layer to the listening experience. Good Actual Plays have that ‘oh hell yeah’ moment as the audience reacts as the cast does. What they’re hearing can be imperfect, but it’s usually real, and an audience responds to that.

Summary: Chaos Vs Control

The biggest difference between scripted fiction and actual plays is the difference between chaos and control. 

There are a lot more variables in actual plays. Not everyone can adapt easily to this, but the benefit is shared storytelling. Multiple voices create a unique story. It can feel more genuine as the reactions to the roll of a dice, the tension, and the drama waiting on success, are all real. 

In scripted fiction, on the other hand, you have to know everything. You can craft a very clever and compelling story. Every word can have meaning. Actors are phenomenal folks – they can perform everything as you intend, and people resonate with a well-told and performed story.

Really, I have absolute respect for anyone who can write a script. It’s blooming hard! You’re heroes. But I also know that not everyone can run a game and still maintain an engaging plot. I’m just glad there’s space at the table for both.

Related Article

The Dungeonmaster’s Guide to Better Actual Play Podcasts

So you want to make an Actual Play podcast so good that its known throughout the podcasting realm? You’ve come to the right place. Find out more »

Let me now crack open another of my books, the Character’s Guidebook, lovingly plastered with Post-it notes for actual play comments. It’s time to get you ready, not only to play, but to be great.

By Volonda of The Lucky Die

Hem Brewster is a Brit living in Iceland, Hem GM’s actual play podcasts, and is also the lead producer at Blighthouse Studios. They’ve also been known to voice act in the odd podcast.

Let’s dive into these six tips for actual play podcast players…

1. Talk to the Game Master

Ask questions about the story or the world and how your character concept might fit into it. This is usually a dialogue, where both player and GM can mould the character and the world to create a good story that should be heard, and a character that you’ll want to play.

Learn, not only the game’s rules but the table’s rules too. Safety Tools, what house rules exist, schedules, tone/mood.

Treasure Token Tip – Keep talking with the GM throughout the game to ensure you’re both getting the best out of the game.

2. Create a Character That You Want to Play

Give them a goal, a purpose and a history. Gnome Stew has some great articles on this. As an experienced player, I can tell you that your character will grow and change in ways you could not have predicted, so be prepared to be flexible.

Ask yourself the Who, What, How, and Why questions. Who had the biggest impact on them? How did they get that scar? What’s the origin of their wizarding wand? Why do they need to steal from everyone? Do they have any weaknesses?

Give the GM a wealth of potential plot hooks, i.e. something that you do not know the answer to – surprise inheritances, mysteries unsolved, unknown warlock gods… the list goes on. A great GM will use these to craft a story that engages your character, and, thus, you. 

Treasure Token Tip – Having a character with amnesia is fun and gives the GM potentially a lot of plot hooks. But it also gives the GM literally nothing. Give them something, even if your character knows nothing.

3. Interact With the World

Try to ask questions and explore the narrative. There are many hidden details that are only briefly hinted at. These often go undiscovered without player involvement. 

If you ever wondered why there’s a tailor with a battle scar? Go ask! They could be the big baddie in disguise or be your new best friend. If your boss hints at trouble at home, ask them if they’re ok. 

The discovery of the world is in your hands as players. It’ll feel so much bigger if you explore it. You’re also more likely to discover more about the plot and ways to advance the characters’ growth. Not only does this make your actual play podcast more enjoyable and rewarding to create, but it also makes for a captivating listening experience too!

Related Article

What Is an Actual Play Podcast? 3 Roll Models for Aspiring Adventurers

An actual play podcast is based on roleplaying games, where a group of people improvise a story together. Intrigued? Let’s roll…  Find out more »

4. Interact With Other Player Characters

It can be difficult to balance being a proactive team member and giving other characters time to shine. A good player will make space for others to shine at their thing (sneaking, eldritch knowledge, etc.), but a great one will engage with other player characters and support their journey (even if it’s in an antagonistic way).

Your characters don’t have to be friends to create interesting relationships. Making a relationship with another character, even if based on begrudging respect, helps to keep the team together narratively. They can bring out different sides of a character and help them to feel less 2D.

5. Have Respect

Respect everyone’s time by being punctual and ready to record, which includes reading any notes, so you’re not asking “What happened last time?”.

Respect the narrative the GM is trying to tell and work with, rather than against them (unless that’s the table’s style, in which case, burn baby burn).

Respect the editor. Keep audio quality in mind when you record, so they don’t have to listen to you eat an apple or ask them to try to deal with a loud AC unit.

Respect the table rules, including Safety Tools, and whose turn it is to bring snacks.

Treasure Token Tip – Say thank you! Thank the GM for running the game. Thank the other players for being rock stars.

6. Beware the “I Work Alone” Character Trope

Bitter, Cynical, Asshole, Self Absorbed… Too bitter and cynical to make a connection with anyone. An asshole to everyone they meet. So self-absorbed that they don’t care about anything not directly related to them and their goals.

These can be GREAT and incredibly FUN characters. It’s the extreme manifestations that I’m applying the “but” to… BUT…

These roles can be terrible for long-form actual play podcasts. It’s harder to engage in the world, explore the plot and work as part of a team if your character isn’t willing to do so. Don’t mistake me here, you don’t need to explore EVERY thread presented to you, but at least care enough to engage in SOME threads.

And as a player, it’s on YOU to help show off and explore the world the cast has built. Why you, you ask? Because you’re the audience’s eyes and ears in the plot, the world and the characters.

In an actual play, the audience rarely goes where you do not – and if you have an audience, give them the world.

Final Thoughts on Making Great Actual Play Podcast Players

As I return the guidebook to its shelf, I want to gush over the freedom an actual player has to express themselves as an actor. Your character can grow and change organically, and it’s incredibly rewarding to play. No director telling you to sound 20% cooler… Oh no, my wizard friend! You be you… or rather, be Whizzle the Wizard. It’s, of course, scary because there ISN’T a director to guide you, but in my opinion, it’s worth it. 

Related Article

The Dungeonmaster’s Guide to Better Actual Play Podcasts

So you want to make an Actual Play podcast so good that its known throughout the podcasting realm? You’ve come to the right place. Find out more »

One might say I’ve levelled up.

By Volonda of The Lucky Die

Hem Brewster is a Brit living in Iceland, Hem GM’s actual play podcasts, and is also the lead producer at Blighthouse Studios. They’ve also been known to voice act in the odd podcast.

So let me unravel my ancient map and guide you through the dark and treacherous tunnels of the podcasting dungeon.

Here, we seek one thing, and that’s the ability to create a long-form actual play podcast that sounds great and grows a loyal following!

There are three acts to this play. We’re going to take a look at pre-production, production, and post-production. By the end of it, you’re going to be equipped with a map to take you to the very deepest treasure-filled chambers of this dungeon.

Pre-production

1. Choosing the Right TTRPG (Tabletop Roleplaying Game) System for Your Story

When someone says roleplaying game, most people think Dungeons and Dragons, but there are a whole host of systems and rulesets out there. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses for play, but should also be considered with respect to your audience.

For example, some systems are heavily tailored to the fictional worlds in which they are set (Dark Heresy), some are really linked to the tone (Call of Cthulhu) while others require a spreadsheet (Rolemaster). 

When preparing an actual play, you should assess the rulesets you might use and ask yourself the following:

• Are the rules clear and concise?
• Do the rules help to create a good story? 
• Does the system’s license allow you to create a podcast? (Looking at you Games Workshop and Wizards of the Coast).

Treasure Token Tip – choose a system that helps the story and isn’t overly reliant on looking things up in a book, which can interrupt the flow and immersion. Well-known systems will have a bigger audience, but lesser-known systems may suit your story better.

Related Article

6 Differences Between Scripted Fiction and Actual Play Podcasts

Scripted and actual play are two very different types of fiction podcast. Both have their own unique strengths and challenges. Find out more »

2. Casting and Characters

A great player will be one who can create a compelling character, help others express their own, and doesn’t actively seek to be a nuisance. Having characters not getting on is one thing, but players at the table shouldn’t be bickering – they should be a team, and a team of improvisers nonetheless.

The Game Master (GM) will also need to be good at bringing character stories to a conclusion, know how to control the pace and energy of an episode, and be able to respond to complete curveballs. They should also know the difference between running a game, telling a story with friends and allowing players their agency. 

It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway – the cast needs to be reliable. Recording across multiple timezones can kill a podcast if folks don’t turn up regularly for sessions – because everyone needs to be there. This also extends to having character backstories prepared, character notes from session to session, and uploading files in a timely manner!

Production

3. The World, The Story, The NPCs

Depending on if you’re making up an entirely new world, or if you are running a prewritten module, the GM should know the world well enough to confidently respond to the players for the session they are recording. 

Remember: People, Places, Pests, Plot – the four P’s of preparation. Gnome Stew is a source for how to prep for a session. Big brushstrokes for the overall story, small brushstrokes for the sessions. This allows the narrative to have cohesion but also to be able to adapt to changes easily.

When players have their characters weave their stories into the world you’re using, it helps to give motivation to the characters to follow the story. This makes the journey important to them.

Another vital piece of advice here, too – HAVE AN ENDING! For an audience, the story needs to feel like it is going somewhere and having an ending will create a guideline towards a point, even if it doesn’t end the way the GM first envisioned. 

4. Audio Quality

The difference between good and bad audio doesn’t require a lot of money, but it does mean being aware that you are recording and making efforts to reduce crosstalk. There is no substitute for good raw recordings, so a good mic in a treated room is a good start. Check out The Podcast Host’s full podcast equipment guide where you’ll find options for every need, setup, and budget.

Recording for an audience also means remembering that they cannot see your character sheets, maps, or expressions. Avoiding phrases like “Yeah, I’m going to move my token over there” does not help your audience to connect to what is happening, be descriptive! 

Treasure Token Tip – Please, PLEASE, do your audience the respect of recording everyone individually on microphones that are not headsets or mobile phones. If you want someone to listen, give them audio worth listening to. Also, I’ve made great use of Pre-Recording checklists in the past. I’d highly recommend making your own.

Post Production

5. Music, Soundscapes, & Voice Overs

A great actual play will use non-obtrusive ambient music when it enhances the story. Songs with lyrics can be distracting under your voice, so using ambient pieces only is the best practice. The Lucky Die scores all their own original music. Taking Initiative, on the other hand, uses copyright-free music. Here’s where to find music for your podcast that’s safe, legal, and sometimes free to use.

Many actual plays create soundscapes, adding whooshing sounds for spells, grunting, and even closing bear traps (Dark Dice). Adding echoes to character voices when in specific locations, as well as pitch shifts when under spell effects can all add to the feel of a world and help to build the experience for the listener. Here’s where you can find some quality sound effects to throw into the mix.

Then there’s voice-over considerations, too. A GM can have anywhere between a dozen and a hundred characters they must portray. A good way of helping to distinguish important characters is to have them voiced by another actor. This signals to the audience that this character is so important, they got someone to voice them.

Treasure Token Tip – You will also need a piece of reliable and intuitive audio editing software to pull it all together and create your finished episode. Then, you’ll need a podcast hosting account to upload your content and make it available on the many listening apps and platforms out there in the realm.

Final Thoughts

As I roll up my ancient map and tuck it back into my satchel, I want to add the caveat that navigating the dungeons of podcasting will vary from group to group: from ruleset used to the number of voiceovers. That’s the joy of roleplaying… Ahem, I mean podcasting. Your table, your rules, your podcast – there will be an audience for it.

In case you missed it, check out my piece on What Is an Actual Play Podcast? (including three roll models), and be sure to meet me back in the tavern next week, where I’ll offer six tips to make great actual play players.

Related Article

What Is an Actual Play Podcast? 3 Roll Models for Aspiring Adventurers

An actual play podcast is based on roleplaying games, where a group of people improvise a story together. Intrigued? Let’s roll…  Find out more »

By Volonda of The Lucky Die

Hem Brewster is a Brit living in Iceland, Hem GM’s actual play podcasts, and is also the lead producer at Blighthouse Studios. They’ve also been known to voice act in the odd podcast.

“But Hem,” I hear you type, “nuts and bolts me here, what are you talking about?”

“Actual Play Podcasts utilize the drama inherent in the ruleset of a roleplaying game to tell a dark and dramatic improvised tale.” – Volonda

An actual play is based on roleplaying games, where a group of people improvise a story together, with one person called a Game Master (or Dungeon Master) usually taking over the role of being the world the other characters encounter. The gaming aspect arises when a challenge arrives within the story that has the potential of failing or succeeding. The character rolls a die, flips a coin, pulls a card (whatever the game rules dictate), and the result determines if the character succeeds or fails. An actual play podcast records and releases the whole process to the world. And this can be short (a couple of hours recorded in a single day) or as long as the story takes to tell (several years… yes, years).

You can have different rule sets (Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Call of Cthulhu, Blades in the Dark as examples), you can have different settings (fantasy, steampunk, sci-fi, modern day etc.) and different genres from horror to comedy.

Ah, so the types of actual play depend on the system, the setting and the genre?

Well, now, this is where I push my stylish glasses up my nerd nose and get my Game Master book out. So, technically… hold on there, my level one paladin friend, let me break down some more nuances. Here are three common types of actual play podcasts, along with their advantages (and, potential downsides).

Related Article

6 Tips That Make Great Actual Play Podcast Players

Unlike being an actor, there are additional skill sets when it comes to being a cast member in an actual play podcast. Improvising, knowing the basic rules, and playing well with … Find out more »

1. Actual Play into An Audio Drama

When you take the raw recording and turn it into a scripted audio drama, with all the bells and whistles of a scripted audio drama.

Recording a roleplaying game has a lot of improvisation, which, if you’ve ever done improv before, you know doesn’t always hit those perfect story beats, those winning one-liners, or make any sense at all. 

Additionally, there is also a lot of table talk during a roleplaying game. This can be discussions of rules, deciding spells or ammo type, tactics talk, blaming Nazir for not bringing the snacks, ribbing Guðrun for forgetting their character’s brother’s name… anything not pertinent to the story is considered table talk and can slow down the pace of the episode.

Both of these things can disengage some listeners as they are reminded that this is fiction by allowing them to peek behind the curtain of the story.

2. Actual Play RAW

When you take the raw recording and do either nothing or the absolute bare minimum to it before presenting it to your audience.

The connection to the players can be as strong as the connection to the characters they are playing. There can be a second level of engagement for the audience as they get to know both player AND character. There is nothing like hearing the players win or lose as they roll dice to determine the fate of Tayless, fighting her father’s killer after months of searching, which could be years in real-time. You can feel for Tayless and for their actor, which is potentially double the audience investment.

You cannot get that, however, if you cut all table talk. The table talk creates a very intimate relationship with the audience – player reactions are as genuine as they can be when they encounter challenges, and listeners connect with real feelings,

And, of course, actual plays have an audience that LOVE the rules. It’s a part of the game, and people want to hear that. They want to hear the dice rolling. They want to hear the mechanics work in the favour of the heroes. The rules are a big part of the hobby that we play, and removing that removes a huge part of the charm of roleplaying games.

3. Actual Plays Edited for Your Listening Pleasure

Editing the content, adding music or fx, minimizing table talk, adding voices…

The final type of actual play that I would like to talk about is the partially edited actual play. This is a delicate balance of finding the right mix between polishing out the rougher edges of unnecessary table talk and keeping the honesty of the moment.

No one wants to hear Alisha struggling with the virtual tabletop online, but they do want to hear them squeal in delight when they realize they missed a clutch spell. It truly is a balance, and every show will have its own mix of story and table talk.

Editors can add music or SFX if they want. The team can retake lines or have important characters played by the GM voiced by another actor, too. This can work together to make something that would take 20 minutes of player planning into a more listenable 5 minute in character discussion, all for the sake of allowing your audience to more easily follow what is going on.

Actual Play Podcasts: Ready to Record & Roll?

As I put my GM’s handbook back onto the bookshelf amongst the horde of dusty RPG tomes, I’ll return my glasses to where they belong on my nose.

Some final thoughts for the day are that actual play podcasts, like all fiction podcasts, require work to have quality, from world-building to audio mixing to storytelling.

And we’ll cover that subject next time, as I reach over to another tome on the bookshelf.

Related Article

6 Differences Between Scripted Fiction and Actual Play Podcasts

Scripted and actual play are two very different types of fiction podcast. Both have their own unique strengths and challenges. Find out more »

Do you suppose audio drama could be one third thing?

Fiction is the least densely populated category in podcasting, and the most difficult to promote. The category has such breadth and depth of topics, styles, and audiences that directories should have more fiction sub-categories. How do we get folks to realize that podcasting is more than simply, as Webster says, “some person with a mic and an opinion?”

Introducing new audiences to audio drama can have benefits for creators and sponsors, such as:

• Creators can challenge themselves by crafting stories to audience needs.
• Making a “gateway podcast” can invite new audiences to sample more challenging audio drama podcasts.
• Recap episodes or videos enhance accessibility.
• Audio drama and fiction podcasts have higher rates of episode completion and repeat listening. For sponsors, this is fertile ground.

But, it takes effort on the listener side, the creator side, and the hosting or app development side to entice new audiences. Let’s take a look at some actions to ease introducing new folks to audio drama podcasts.

What Listeners Can Do for Audio Drama

Audio drama competes with television, video games, and movies for new audiences. Many people have no idea what it’s like to immerse themselves in a story and let their brains light up. Tiffanie Wen’s This Is Your Brain on Podcasts describes audio drama listening as an experience like meditation and/or light exercise. Whether scary, thrilling, or funny, it’s good for your mind and body. So, how do we draw more people into these benefits?

If you want to introduce your friends to audio drama, then put them first. Share an individual episode and explain what it is about your friend that makes you feel they’d enjoy it. Don’t shove your favorite show on them, saying, “You have to hear this. You have to.” Instead, say, “Hey, I know how much you enjoy English literature, so I thought you might like Silly Old Bear,” or whatever fits the bill.

Related Article

Best Fiction Podcasts & Audio Dramas 2022 – Not Just the Usual Suspects!

Most ‘Best Fiction Podcasts’ roundups feature the same shows over and over. Let’s try something a little different. Find out more »

Winter holidays are a great time to share audio drama, especially with older relatives who are used to radio drama. It’s not hard to find productions of It’s A Wonderful Life for family listening. Striking 12, Hannukah Haunting, and Holiday Greetings from Sugar and Booze are also fun.

Treat your favorite audio drama podcast like a band. Buy your favorite show’s merchandise and put it on show. Share your opinions about your favorite episodes on social media the same way people get excited about their favorite shows.

If you’re a superfan of a podcast that has many seasons and it’s hard to follow, make a “[favorite show] explained” or recapped video and put it on YouTube. Vanity Fair did this for HBO’s Westworld, and Marvel summarized half a dozen movies in 60 seconds in advance of Loki’s launch on Disney+. Imagine what this could do for your favorite audio drama. The creators will thank you.

How Developers Can Make Introducing New Audiences to Audio Drama Simpler

Fiction series depend on the ability to consume the episodes in the order the podcast producer intended. “Newest to oldest” is great for a podcast about current events or the latest developments in beauty products. For a long series, “oldest to newest” can skip from the oldest episode to the newest episode without stopping in between (i.e., from episode 1 to episode 10, instead of 1, 2, 3, and so on).

If podcast app users can curate their own playlists, they’re more likely to continue using the app and recommend it to others. Overcast, for example, has color-coded Smart Playlists that users can set up according to their preference, activity or mood. Audio Drama listening is different than with other pods, and the developers for Apollo and other listening apps have unique challenges. They’re worth the investment, though.

When Apple Podcasts set up a Fiction category, they helped audio drama podcast discovery by leaps and bounds. Right now, Apple has three sub-categories: Drama, Comedy Fiction, and Science Fiction. Meanwhile, romantic comedy podcasts rise in popularity, to name just one of the many kinds of fictional podcasts. If directory developers made more subcategories, it could better reflect the wide range of stories that audio drama podcasters have for audience entertainment.

Hosting services can (and often do) make technology to improve accessibility with complex material. More and more hosting services offer podcast transcripts as an additional service, or part of users’ hosting package. Hosting services that include a website can provide more options than the description and an embedded player. For example, Buzzsprout‘s podcaster websites offer extra links for host information and episode transcripts.

Audio Drama Creators: Start With an Appetizer.

Most people are used to entertainment that emphasizes visuals (i.e., movies, tv, TikTok). Since audio drama requires a slightly different kind of attention, it’s smart for audio drama creators to try making a very accessible podcast, as an introduction to their craft. Immersive audio that brings the setting and space to life makes an exciting experience. If you couple this with a straightforward plot and cast a variety of voice actors, your podcast is understandable, while exciting enough to share. Plus, you can promote the podcasts in a way that helps understanding. For example, include transcripts in blog posts, or include a brief, “previously, on…” recap message at the beginning of each episode. Think of this as the tasting platter that a chef offers before they show you the secret menu.

Mix Audio Fiction to Life, or Write For Your Restrictions

Make the environment as real as you can, or change the story’s environment. If you can’t make cinematic sound, write a story that includes rough sound. Homecoming, for example, uses lots of phone conversations and doctor’s office recordings. The Goblet Wire, The Tower and Quid Pro Quo use rough-sounding audio to heighten the unearthly presentation. If you can’t get your actors in one room, make the characters talk on the phone or have online chats. Poorly mixed audio that’s inconsistent with the narrative and setting isn’t a good way to introduce new audiences to audio drama; it’s distracting.

Binaural audio, or “you really have to have headphones to appreciate this” sound is exciting. However, it can be a barrier for some people. Try mixing your audio for at least one episode or series where people can listen on speakers, together. A recent study by Sirius XM says that “the mindsets and moods of listeners during these shared audio moments is important to keep in mind. While listening with others, people feel a host of positive emotions, with relaxed, happy, entertained, productive, and carefree topping the list.” Shows like The Thrilling Adventure Hour are meant to be heard by a group. They’re recorded and presented for radio that existed before stereo, and easy to share.

Related Article

How to Make a Fiction Podcast | The Ultimate Guide

Love fiction podcasts? Always wanted to make your own? You’ve come to the right place! Find out more »

Keep The Plot Straightforward and Clear

For just one series, keep your plot straightforward, and your character voices varied enough so that it’s easy or the audience to keep track. I love a multi-layered story with plot twists too. But, when you’re introducing your audience to the audio drama medium, save prestige-style storytelling for your next big project.

Diversity in casting means more than you think. The more your performers in a scene have different ages, voice pitches, regional dialects, etc., the easier it is for your audience to tell the characters apart and follow the story. The more the characters sound alike, the more confusing the story is to follow.

Promote It Like Cable TV: Recap, Explain, Warn.

Recaps are extra work, but they help. Again, with a podcast that has more than one season, many characters and complex plots, do what you’d love your fans to do. Make a recap video, explaining everything that happened in the last season and promote it on YouTube. Or make a recap episode as part of your regular RSS feed. Write your recap so that it avoids or warns the audience about spoilers.

Content warnings don’t have to spoil any surprises. We’re used to ratings for television and films; they give us a vague idea of what to expect. Put them in the show notes, or put a link in the show notes to a blog post with detailed content warnings.

Take advantage of comparisons; they’re obvious, but they work. I’ve told people that if they like the Thor movies and the Loki tv show, or if they play God of War: Ragnarok, they’ll like Jarnsaxa Rising. Introducing new audiences to audio drama works best when you start with something they like. Bait the hook with cheese, not caviar.

Lots of Things Are An Acquired Taste: That Doesn’t Mean They Have to Disappear.

Wine, chapulines, and hákarl aren’t the first foods most people would reach for, but they all have nutritional benefits. Some people grew up with audio drama and some seasoned podcasters have never heard of it. Audio drama podcasts give the audiences’ brains and emotions a workout without the risk of real danger. Advertisers and sponsors need to know that fiction podcasts have a higher conversion rate than non-fiction podcasts, because audiences pay attention longer.

Finally, podcasts with emotional stakes and changes help us build empathy, which we could all use. Tom Webster’s wish for a broader, deeper, more intimate and immediate podcast experience is here; it simply needs more people to share it. When creators, fans, and developers work together, we can all benefit.

Related Article

How Do You Edit and Produce an Audio Drama Podcast?

Audio Drama is one of the most complex types of podcast you can create. If you’re just starting out, it’s always good to see some examples of real workflows. So here’s ours… Find out more »

Maybe your playlist has grown increasingly sparse, and you’ve started to panic about what you’re going to listen to next.

Making audio drama is a complicated and lengthy process, so once you reach this stage, your favorite creators can struggle to keep up with your listening needs.

Enter, Audible

Audible is famous for their audiobook distribution, but they also have a fine selection of quality audio drama in their catalog. This can be rough on listeners. Whether it’s an immersive, dramatic experience with sound effects and ambiance, or one person reading a story, it’s all categorized under “fiction.” So, this article should help you find your way to audio drama excellence. 

How to Start with Audible

The most common method of buying from Audible is through paying a monthly subscription.

With podcasts, we usually listen for free. But, there are a few reasons why you might want to consider paying for some additional audio entertainment:

• You can binge an entire story, from start to finish, on your own terms. You don’t need to wait for new episodes to drop.
• Professional and experienced production houses tend to create the audio drama on Audible.
• You won’t need to listen through any adverts or sponsorship messages.
• You can add several hours of quality audio drama to your playlist with one credit.

I’ve listened to a fair bit of audio drama through Audible in the past. It seems that Audible makes a comfortable home for artists because the same creators come back again and again with good content.

In 2020, Audible didn’t just bet that there was more demand for the best audio drama; they doubled down. “Audible Original Dramas” are stories that aren’t available anywhere else. Immersive stories with celebrity actors are a staple of Audible’s catalog.

Again, Audible divides its catalog by the work by its kind of story (mystery & thriller, or comedy, for example). So, it’s tough to tell which is a book with one or more voices narrating and which is a dramatization. If you’re trying to find an experience like a radio play, movie, or television show, here are a few resources for the best audio drama on Audible.

Heads up: Our Audible 30-day free trial link is an affiliate, so we’d earn a small commission should you decide to upgrade to a paid account further down the line. This is at absolutely no extra cost to you.

Neil Gaiman and Dirk Maggs

This writer-director team is an unstoppable force. Fortunately, they’re using their powers for good and not evil. Sandman, parts 1 & 2, are a dramatization of Gaiman’s landmark graphic novels for DC. Before Sandman, though, they dramatized Neverwhere and Good Omens (Gaiman’s collaboration with Terry Pratchett) for the BBC. Consistently, they’ve attracted stellar acting talent to their work, such as James McAvoy, Natalie Dormer, Christopher Lee, and Benedict Cumberbatch. If you enjoy mythic themes and characters, complex plots, the risk of the apocalypse, and some adult content, anything from these two artists should be on your wish list.

Listen to Sandman 1 & 2, Neverwhere, or Good Omens with Audible’s 30-day free trial.

Wireless Theatre Company

London-based audio drama production company Wireless Theatre Company are stalwarts of the medium, and they have a wealth of talent in their ranks. In the summer of 2016, they released two chunky anthology collections (Volume 1 and Volume 2) packed with many of their wonderful productions—the stories within range from comedy to horror and everything in between.

Wireless has also made some Audible Original Drama stories, such as The Hound of The Baskervilles, starring Stephen Fry, and their award-winning production of Treasure Island, with Catherine Tate and Philip Glenister. These are only the tip of the iceberg of the Wireless Theatre back catalogue, too. They have a large volume of audio drama available via their website.

Get The Wireless Theatre Collection with Audible’s free 30-day trial.

L.A. Theatre Works

Founded in the 1980s, this non-profit theatre organization works to “produce, preserve, and distribute classic and contemporary plays of significance.” L.A. Theatre Works has produced over 400 staged readings with actors who usually work in television and movies. This is one of the few ways to hear, for example, M. Butterfly with B. D. Wong and John Lithgow, Arthur Miller’s Broken Glass with Jobeth Williams, and many more plays that influence the American experience. LATW’s productions bring a whole world of theatre, classic and contemporary, to audiences anywhere.

Get plays by L.A. Theatre Works with Audible’s free 30-day trial.

BBC Audio

The fluid relationship between The BBC and Audible has brought hours and hours of BBC radio drama to the US. Interestingly enough, you can purchase collections of dramatizations by one author (such as Terry Pratchett or Jane Austen), with hours of entertainment, for as little as one Audible credit. Not only this but also beloved series such as John Finnemore’s Cabin Pressure, Pilgrim by Sebastian Baczkiewicz, and Welcome to Our Village, Please Invade Carefully by Ed Robson can make their way across the pond.

Get comedies, thrillers, and drama from BBC Audio with Audible’s free 30-day trial.

The Colonial Radio Players

If you’re seeking the best audio drama on Audible for a family audience, The Colonial Radio Players have plenty of intriguing work to please multiple generations at once. Perry Mason mysteries, Brothers Grimm fairy tales, Westerns, and historical dramas are just the beginning. Colonial shows particular skill with stories by Ray Bradbury. For example, Bradbury originally wrote The Halloween Tree as an animation collaboration with Chuck Jones. The sweeping epic relies heavily on exposition and explanation, methods that kill forward action. Colonial supports the dreamlike narrative with a rare and compelling musical score. Combined with immersive sound and the acting talent of the young cast, this should be part of any spooky season celebration.

Get comedies, thrillers, and drama from The Colonial Players with Audible’s free 30-day trial.

Related Article

Best Podcasts Apps for the Ultimate Listening Experience

What are the best podcast apps for your needs? Let’s find what you want on your smartphone. Find out more »

Audible: Taking the Pressure off your Favourite Podcasts

There you have it – well over 40 hours of uninterrupted, top-tier audio drama for just a few Audible credits.

That should be enough to handle even the longest of commutes for the foreseeable future.

And in that time, your favorite podcasts will continue to release new episodes, too. Before you know it, your playlist will be longer than Dr. Who’s scarf!

Of course, if paying for your audio drama is absolutely off the agenda, there are still plenty of free podcasts out there.

Check out our best fiction podcasts roundup for some great suggestions on that front.

Boost Your Listening Experience

One final note. Audio drama producers spend huge amounts of time painstakingly building nuanced and atmospheric soundscapes that help paint entire worlds in your mind.

If you’re a fan of fiction podcasts, then it’s totally worth listening on a good set of earbuds or headphones. That doesn’t mean breaking the bank, either. Here are our best headphones for listening to audio drama – there’s something there for any budget. If you’re listening with a group, try pairable Bluetooth speakers, such as The JBL Flip 5.

The Fiction Podcast Weekly

Fiction Podcast Weekly is an email newsletter bringing you the latest from the world of audio fiction, audio drama, and sound storytelling.

Are you involved in audio drama in any way? Whether that’s as a writer, producer, voice actor, curator, or even just a hardcore listener who loves the “behind the scenes” stuff. Whoever you are, whatever you do, this is a great way of staying up-to-date with the latest happenings and opportunities in the fiction podcasting realm!

Movies are generally something people like, or, at least, have an opinion about. So, a podcast about movies should be popular, right? We know that if a podcast isn’t specific about its topic, style, and audience, it doesn’t stand out. We also know that if a podcast has a niche, something which makes it targeted, focused and specific, it’s more likely to cultivate a loyal audience.

Podnews published a list of how many podcasts exist in each of Apple’ Podcasts’ categories In December of 2020. At the time, there were 6,872 podcasts in the “film” categories combined. It’s not easy to stand out. But, if you love movies, film theory and the industry, this is for you.

In no particular order, here are five great movie podcasts. They stand out because of quality editing and mixing, thoughtful planning, and what they add to a cinephile’s experience.

You Must Remember This

Subtitled “The Secret and/or Forgotten History of Hollywood’s First Century,” Karina Longworth’s You Must Remember This has been one of the biggest movie podcasts for six years. When I say big, I’m talking about in terms of scope, depth of research and detail, and layers of sound. Longworth started out balancing a laptop in a closet, and grew this podcast with careful research, finding connections between the film industry, private lives, and themes and styles of movies. Seasons focus on Hollywood sagas, such as the treadmill at MGM, or the connection between Manson, The Beach Boys, and Roman Polanski. The podcast shows America and its vanity, at turns glamorous or grim. Don’t miss the episode, “MGM’s Children: Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland,” including Dana Carvey’s funny and affecting voice acting as Rooney.

Mary vs. The Movies

The 1980s and 1990s were a good time for movies in America. Not only were movie theaters the place to go, but also, home video systems and cable TV made distribution easier than before. Unfortunately, Mary missed out on this cinematic boom. At the time, she was too young to appreciate Fitzcarraldo, 9 to 5, or Desperately Seeing Susan. Mary vs. The Movies is a deep dive into under-appreciated movies. What makes this a great movie podcast is the quality of discourse and sound editing. She and her partner Dennis are also musicians, so they know their way around a studio setup. She’s also a classics scholar, so she knows her way around narrative and structure. The theme which makes this podcast stand out is, how an appreciation for a movie changes over time. The most poignant episode examines the Studio Ghibli film, My Neighbor Totoro. Come for the flying cat bus, stay for the intersection of childhood, mortality, and magic.

Bill Watches Movies

If you like Mystery Science Theater 3000, or if you grew up with late-night movie hosts like Dr. Shock, then Bill Watches Movies is your jam. Bill Mize takes it upon himself to watch the weirdest B movies and explain them for you, so you don’t have to suffer. What makes this a great movie podcast is how incredibly deep these cuts are. Bill picks out monster movies way outside the Hammer Studios and Hollywood factories. Monster movies from Spain, Mexican vampire movies, Japanese sci-fi, and the oeuvre of auteur Craig Denny are just a few of the cinematic wonders that Bill Mize dissects for you. All this comes with a sense of humor as poetically absurd as Christopher Durang on Jolt Cola. If “You Must Remember This” serves you the mainstream pop culture zeitgeist, Bill Mize has his finger on the pulse of weirdo underdog culture, and he’s making sure it stays healthy.

Black Film Space Podcast

People of color, particularly African Americans, have been underrepresented, overlooked, or exploited in the film industry since its beginning. That’s changing, particularly with more black-owned studios and production companies, and Academy Award wins for films such as Moonlight or Get Out. But, Black filmmakers still need the connections more easily afforded to their white peers. The Black Film Space Podcast not only examines movies and talent, but also, how to get hired in the movie and TV industry, or produce, market and distribute films. It’s a win-win for movie lovers, whether you love behind the scenes education or the fun of the silver screen. Primarily, their organization exists to build a community for filmmakers of African descent. Their commitment to their topic and community building makes it an even better podcast. Every episode has value for anyone who loves how movies are made, and what they can do.

The Bechdel Cast

The Bechdel Test, also known as The Bechdel-Wallace test, is a measure of representation of women in fiction (movies, novels, podcasts, etc.). Essentially, the work of fiction must include two women, who, at some point, talk about something other than a man. MacArthur-Award-winning cartoonist Alison Bechdel pointed this out in 1985. The test is imperfect, and it doesn’t fix anything. But it gives us a way of discussing equality and representation in mainstream cinema. Which, of course, brings us to The Bechdel Cast.

In each episode, hosts Jamie Loftus and Caitlin Durante, examine a movie through an intersectional feminist lens. The hosts’ backgrounds are in comedy and screenwriting, so the overall tone is lighthearted. What makes this a great movie podcast, though, is that often their guests and discussions help them use the film to explain larger concepts in history and culture. For example, their recent episode about The Handmaiden includes discussion of Japan’s annexation of South Korea from 1910-1945. It’s not easy for a podcast to balance intersectional feminism, history, and fun. The Bechdel Cast does a great job managing this balancing act.

What Makes a Great Movie Podcast?

This is another one of those questions like, “how long is a piece of string.” But, considering these podcasts, I think there are some consistent qualities that make a great movie podcast great.

• High quality of sound editing and mixing. Don’t distract your audience with the lawn mower outside your window while you record.
• Planning and attention to detail. Do your research, know what’s different or significant about this movie, for each episode. Know what you want to do before you start recording.
• Context. Figure out the “so what” factor. Why is it important to talk about this particular movie, for you and for the audience? Why should the audience listen to you talk about the movie, when they could simply watch it themselves?

There are tons of variables that go into making a podcast great. As time goes by, the technology becomes easier to work with. Take, for example, our all-in-one podcasting solution, Alitu. It helps you record (solo or with guests), edit, polish, and publish your show. if you want to learn about how to make great content, share it with others, and grow your show, check out Podcraft Academy. Our courses, downloadable resources and more can help you launch and grow your show, and our Weekly Live Q&A sessions can help you answer any questions you may have. Won’t you join us?