Paddy Hirsch's Blog, page 2
June 4, 2025
The Principles of Audio Storytelling
Good audio storytelling is a craft that blends writing, performance, and sound design into a cohesive emotional and narrative experience. Whether it’s a podcast, radio piece, or audio documentary, the most compelling audio stories tend to follow these core principles:
1. Start With a Strong Hook
Grab attention early. Listeners can leave with one tap, so open with intrigue, stakes, or an emotional moment.
Use a compelling anecdote, question, or voice that makes the audience lean in.
2. Use a Clear Narrative Structure
Beginning → Middle → End.
Set up the story with context and characters.
Build tension or development (conflict, discovery, transformation).
Resolve or reflect by the end.
Think of it as narrative architecture, not just a collection of clips or facts.
3. Use Strong Characters & Authentic Voices
Let real people tell their own stories in their own voices whenever possible.
Choose characters with emotional stakes, distinctive perspectives, or lived experience.
Use first-person storytelling to build intimacy.
4. Show, Don’t Tell
Use scenes, not summaries.
Audio is powerful when it immerses listeners in a moment: dialogue, ambient sounds, reactions.
Let tape do the work — don’t narrate everything. Let listeners feel like they’re there.
5. Write and Edit with Precision
Narration should be tight, clear, and conversational — not overwritten.
Avoid jargon or overexplaining.
Cut ruthlessly: if it doesn’t serve the story’s arc or emotional power, trim it.
6. Use Sound That Serves the Story
Use ambient sound and silence to establish setting and tone. Let the world provide the score to your story.
Music and effects should enhance, not distract. Music is manipulative. Less is more.
Avoid wall-to-wall scoring — let the natural rhythm of voices and pauses breathe.
7. Keep in mind that Emotional Truth > Factual Overload
Audio is an intimate, emotional medium.
Focus on how people feel, not just what they did.
Data or exposition works best in the service of human stakes.
8. Stick to a Theme
Every good story has a central question or theme: What’s it really about?
Return to that core idea throughout — whether it’s injustice, transformation, mystery, or joy.
9. Let the Listener Discover
Don’t explain everything upfront.
Use reveals, turns, and reversals to keep listeners curious.
Trust the audience to put pieces together.
10. Work for Authenticity Over Polish
Perfection isn’t the goal — human connection is.
Include moments of breath, emotion, or rawness.
A story that feels true, honest, and vulnerable will resonate more than a flawlessly produced one.
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