Knowing your niche: Why ‘The Daily’ is a work of podcast art

I listen to about 10 different podcasts on a consistent, weekly basis. They are almost all produced by news organizations, everything from NPR’s This American Life to The Ringer’s Bill Simmons Podcast.

What I think separates the good podcasts from the great ones is their ability to reach their audience; how good are the hosts and producers at knowing their corner and playing to it?

While many podcasts do this well, one stands out as an example of how to master this concept. It is the New York Times’ ‘The Daily’ podcast, hosted by the ever-charismatic Michael Barbaro.

This podcast runs daily and is just 20 minutes long. It dives into one or two key news stories of the day and also discusses a few of the day’s top headlines during the closing minutes of the show. It essentially serves as the newspaper’s front page, except in podcast form.

What makes this a ‘work of art’ is that it does a few things to target its audience in an extremely effective manner. The podcast is meant to be something that listeners can consume on their way to work or during their morning commute, as exemplified by its strict (and unusually short) time limit. By accomplishing this, the podcast does not inconvenience its consumers. In fact, it is tailored precisely for their schedule.

The podcast is also meant for a wide range of consumers, those who might know a lot about the story being covered and those who might know nothing coming into that podcast. The host and Times journalists treat each story as if it were a front page newspaper story, bringing elements of formality and expertise into it. The listeners not only feel smarter about a worldly issue after listening, but they also understands all sides of it (thus, the journalistic aspect of the podcast).

Then, by recapping some of the world’s other main headlines at the end of the show, the podcast nonchalantly runs down the sidebars of the rest of the ‘front page,’ giving brief descriptions of each story. After listening, consumers feel educated on the main topics of the day. It is a fulfilling feeling, like reading the newspaper but without actually doing it.

While the ‘good’ podcasts have a certain objective based on their audience and needs, ‘The Daily’ seems to get it exactly right every time. They know that not everyone has the time to sit down and read the Times every day. Therefore, this gives their consumers a quick alternative, while also driving attention to their brand and product (both online and print).

Although it is not discussed in chapter 10 of Keith Quesenberry’s book Social Media Strategy, where he talks about podcasts, this medium is rising rapidly in popularity -- especially in the news industry. Now, nearly every journalist at major (and even small-market) news organizations is encouraged to create or be involved in a podcast, as research has shown that people also enjoy listening to the news (likely because it is more convenient).

As many news organizations struggle to find their footing -- and simultaneously, find their niche -- in the podcast scene, the New York Times is already lapping the competition. In 2017, ‘The Daily’ was the most downloaded new show on Apple Podcasts, according to Forbes.

The Times knows their corner and they play to it well. It’s simple, it’s effective, and ‘The Daily’ isn’t going anywhere.