Tackling the Supernatural (without Turning Off Your Audience)
The spooky season is upon us. Skeletons and ghosts adorn most retailers and shut-down storefronts are temporary oases of frights. You might be feeling in a festive mood and want to take on some “weirder” topics for your podcast. Or perhaps you think now is the perfect time to launch that ghost hunting podcast you’ve been mulling about all year. Here are some things I’ve learned along the way, as someone who has spent years chasing down the more mysterious aspects of life.
Be Interested
If you’re bored, your audience is bored. It’s perhaps the most important thing to remember when podcasting, and it certainly applies to supernatural topics. If ghouls and monsters are not something you have even a passing interest in, and you’re considering this just because it seems like the right time to do so, it’s best to just skip it. All sorts of people love a good ghost story, but you have to be willing to tell it right. With that in mind…
Find Your Angle
What is it about supernatural tales that interest you? For me, there are all sorts of reasons to enjoy them. Ghost stories can teach us about local history; monsters can shine a light on collective fears of the unknown; folklore can be foundational to a culture. There’s so much more to these topics than just the blood and guts. Are you a history buff? There might be a really interesting story behind the haunted hotel in your area. Are you into psychology? Tales of vampire and witch panic exist all around the world - did you know people were convicted of being werewolves in 16th century France? Do you find conspiracies fascinating? Alien visitation is a huge one. There are all sorts of more interesting questions than “Do you believe in ghosts?”
Have an Open Mind
I’ve heard more stories that begin with “I was walking through the woods and saw a big, hairy ape-man looking at me” than I care to count. And if I’m being honest, many of them sounded like complete nonsense. Usually I knew that during the interview itself. But I found long ago - after listening to many hours of late-night radio - that it’s more interesting to your audience to have an open mind and “go along” with the story than it is to spend the entire time poking holes and calling out what you perceive to be hogwash. Let your audience make up their own minds. More often than not, people don’t like to listen to uncomfortable conversations, or just miserable people in general. Like I said at the top, if you’re not willing to have some fun with it and show a little interest, then it’s best to just not do it at all.
Engage the Audience
There is one thing I believe to be 100% true - EVERYONE has a story to tell. They could be the most buttoned-up skeptic you could imagine, but if you talked to them long enough, you’d eventually hear them say something like, “Well, there was this one time at my great aunt’s house that I still can’t explain…” If it’s not their story, it happened to their parents or another family member. Maybe a friend. But everyone has a story and would love to tell it. As we approach Halloween, you have a perfect hook to reach out to your audience and ask them “What’s your favorite scary story? What is your local legend? What is that one thing that happened to you that you can’t wrap your mind around?” You might be surprised by what you hear, and your audience will LOVE hearing their story read on your show.
Keeping these things in mind, I think you can have a very fun and successful spooky edition of your podcast. You never know what secrets you might uncover when you start peeling back the layers of reality just a little!
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