01 · THE ENGINE
Funny shows need a format, not just funny people
Most comedy podcasts that last have a repeatable engine: a game, a ranking, a review, a recurring argument. Funny hosts with no format tend to run out of material around episode eight. Pick a format first, then let the jokes come from it.
02 · REVIEW
Review and react formats
Review shows never run out of material, because the world keeps producing things to review.
- Reviewing terrible movies, one per episode
- Rating snacks, drinks or fast food items
- Reacting to your old diaries, school essays or texts
- Reviewing online reviews: the angriest one-star posts you can find
- Rewatching a childhood TV show as adults
- Reviewing product instruction manuals
03 · GAMES
Game and challenge formats
Games give every episode a built-in structure and a natural ending.
- A weekly quiz where the hosts keep losing
- Would you rather, with escalating stakes
- Defend the indefensible: argue for a terrible opinion
- One host teaches a skill they learned in 24 hours
- Draft episodes: pick the best of anything, sports-draft style
- Guess the price, the year or the lyric
04 · ADVICE
Advice and opinion formats
Unqualified advice from confident people is a comedy staple. Be clear that it is a joke.
- Terrible advice for real listener problems
- Petty complaints: small things that ruin your week
- Overthinking it: three hosts spend an hour on a tiny decision
- Settling arguments sent in by listeners
- Ranking everyday things that do not need ranking
- A fake expert panel on a made-up subject
05 · STORY
Story formats
Story formats work if your hosts are good at telling things out loud.
- Embarrassing stories from guests
- Worst job ever
- Bad date stories sent by listeners
- Family group chat readings, with permission
- The weirdest thing that happened to you this week
- Historical events retold badly from memory
06 · FICTION
Fiction and character formats
Scripted comedy takes more prep, but stands out in a feed full of conversation shows.
- A fake local radio station
- An improvised soap opera that continues every episode
- Characters interviewing characters
- A parody of a serious podcast genre
- A tabletop game campaign played for laughs
- A fake commercial break as the whole show
07 · KEEP IT GOING
Staying funny on episode 40
Record more than you need and cut hard. The funniest comedy podcasts are often an hour of recording edited to 35 minutes. Editing by transcript makes that fast: read the conversation, delete the parts that dragged and keep the moments that made you laugh.
- Keep a running list of bits and callbacks
- Bring in listener submissions early
- Cut slow intros ruthlessly
- Let recurring segments do the heavy lifting
Record the bit before you forget it.
Record with friends, cut the dead air by editing the transcript and publish in Hilite.