You’ve just finished that first episode of your brand-new podcast. It took a lot of work to complete just the first episode – the planning, then the agonizing, then more planning, then more agonizing. Finally, your girlfriend got tired of listening to your “plans” for your podcast and went all Shia Labeouf on you, screaming, “just do it.”

You sit back and just listen to your podcast and, of course, hate how your voice sounds. But after that self-loathing dissipates, you focus in on the timbre of the podcast and ask yourself, “Do I need a co-host?”

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That question is asked by thousands of new and experienced podcasters every day. As we listen with a critical – sometimes hypercritical – ear to our own podcast, we worry about the possible monotony of only one voice. Would the podcast be better served to have another voice to spice up the narrative and have someone to bounce ideas off of?

Then you blast off into the podcast universe to evaluate one host versus a co-host or even a panel of hosts. You check out single-host successful podcasts like Freakonomics, Hidden Brain, Sweating The Small Stuff, Something You Should Know, and Problem Solvers. After listening again to these podcasts, you realize these single-host podcasts maintain your interest throughout an episode with just one host.

And then you notice something else. More often than not, these single-host podcasts spend an episode interviewing a guest on the podcast. On Freakonomics, it could be an economist. On Sweating The Small Stuff, it’s probably a scientist. On Problem Solvers, it’s an entrepreneur and on Something You Should Know, it’s typically an author. The interaction between the host and the guest being interviewed creates interest and enables another voice to impart information that listeners did not know, knew but did believe or were skeptical of its efficacy.

Now you do more research. You listen to single-host podcasts that do not have guests. Slate’s Hit Parade with Chris Molanphy typically has that single voice talking about music on the Billboard charts for about an hour an episode. And you realize, Molanphy is good. He voice exudes passion; his words convey knowledge about chart history and his narrative builds toward a dramatic climax.

You ask yourself: Can I do that? Can my voice keep the interest of listeners for 40 minutes?

The answer is: you’re not sure. So you do more research.

You go through your podcast playlist again and now look for podcasts with multiple hosts and do a sample listen of those episodes. Safe For Work has a man and woman who co-host and their chemistry is evident throughout the podcast. Political podcasts like Pod Save America and Slate’s Political Gabfest have multiple co-hosts that serve up morsels of insight that just make their shows so popular with so many listeners. The Rewatchables discusses established movies with multiple people talking and the mash-up of voices seems to work.

After several days of research, you have not been able to answer the question: Should I have a co-host?

The Deciding Factors

This dilemma goes often unresolved by new podcasters who become paralyzed by conflicting information. Sometimes, single-host podcasts are highly successful. At other times, co-hosted podcasts are wildly popular. So how does a new podcaster make that critical decision?

Let’s look at the factors that can help you make a decision about a co-host.

What is the length of your podcast?

The Quick Dirty Tips people have built a mini-podcast empire (Nutrition Diva, Grammar Girl, Savvy Psychologist, etc.) on circa 10-minute podcasts on very specific topics that are packed with factual information. Each of these podcasts has a single host and for 10 minutes minus the ads, the hosts seem to keep listeners’ interests.

So if your podcast is short, then a single host may be preferable. Having two people talking within a 10 or 15-minute time span could be too frenetic.

What is the topic of your podcast?

If your topic is, for example, the history of old, rare stamps, your podcast can flourish with a single host because that one person can keep the podcast interesting with a revolving door of factual information on the topic.

If, however, your podcast is political in nature or a pop culture – books, movies, TV, music – review show, you’ll definitely need at least one co-host because these topics, by definition, require disagreement, insight, even vitriol to make the podcast interesting for listeners. It would be difficult, for example, to sustain any kind of review podcast if you were the only one reviewing the book.

“On today’s episode, we’ll review Frozen II. I loved it. See you next week!”

What is the current state of your podcast hosting skills?

Do you sound nervous or stiff on the podcast? Is your voice robotic as you read the script you’ve so lovingly prepared for the episode?

Sometimes, hosts encounter rookie jitters that fade with time and experience. Sometimes, that sense of unease never goes away despite the passion you have for your podcast.

If that is the case, a co-host can loosen you up and your back-and-forth banter can instill new life into your pride and joy.

How do you find the right person to be a good co-host? First, that person must also have a passion for podcasting. Second, the co-host candidate must sound articulate, relaxed and relatable on the podcast. Having two people co-host a podcast who are not comfortable with speaking isn’t any better than one person muddling through the hosting duties.

Most important of all, find a person who knows the definition of “co-host.” It’s your podcast and that person is the co-host. Their job is to make the podcast more spontaneous, more effortless and more interesting. You don’t need a co-host – no matter how engaging, insightful or funny – who talks over you and cuts you off mid-sentence.

The History Chicks podcast, for example, manages the secret recipe of Beckett Graham and Susan Vollenweider in just the right proportions. On Switched On Pop, Charlie Harding and Nate Sloan exemplify how their combined skills make the show stronger and ultimately more fascinating. When Harding was recently on paternal leave, Sloan wrangled a strong cast of fill-in co-hosts but something was missing without Harding.

What is the contrast in voices?

Here, I’m making a plug for vocal diversity. If you and your co-host are both men – or women – with similar voices that may be indistinguishable by your listening audience, think again about your co-host choice. The contrast between a male and female voice can provide freshness and sonic interest. For instance, Tom Kraeutler and Leslie Segrete of the Money Pit podcast provide a perfect counterpoint in vocal range and knowledge base on the show.

Moreover, that vocal blending should include voices from different races, ethnic backgrounds and from different countries. Wendy Zukerman from the Science Vs podcast uses her Australian inflections to maximum effectiveness in her episodes.

The Bottom Line

Don’t worry if you hate your own voice on your podcast. Unless you’re a card-carrying narcissist, we all have that “ugh, is that what I sound like” feeling.

But do an honest assessment of whether or not your podcast needs a co-host. If you decide you need a podcasting partner, find someone with complimentary – not identical – skills who can help you transform a monologue into a dialogue that is irresistible.

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