We’re all just a toaster away from being toast.

I recently read an article using a toaster to explain the current situation befitting radio stations.

The problem with many radio stations is they sound very much the same. Just slightly different music, similar features, they all do traffic news, weather and with the same sort of voice from the presenter with the similar amount of life experience.

Hence homogenised sounding radio.

The premise set out in the article is something podcasters would do well to observe.

It said everyone wanted to have a toaster. They all polished and shined their toaster until each was the best-looking toaster ever.

Although in reality everyone’s toaster looked the same. Nothing was different. The brand, the presenters and colours and so on.

What they forgot was that it wasn’t the toaster that was important, it was what the toaster did.

In other words each one of these toasters was capable of toasting bread, pop tarts and many other things. Each could toast them to a different degree too.

The point the article made is that although we all have the same kit, we may use the same research for targeting our listener, and we may have the same techniques to get great content out there… We don’t have to sound exactly the same.

The same goes for podcasts.   Every podcast can be as individual as it’s hosts, guests and the very seed ideas that created its original concept. Yes we use current techniques and trends to create great content, that doesn’t mean you should all sound the same.

So to use the analogy of the other article – which I can’t find sorry, you may well want to think more than the toaster or else you could become toast.