4 Storytelling Tips From The Co-Creator Of Blockbuster Mystery Podcast "Serial"

Julie Snyder is the senior producer and co-creator of "Serial" podcast, which spun off of "This American Life" and quickly developed a devoted following. Here, Snyder offers some guidelines for telling a story the Serial way.

For the past several weeks, Thursday mornings have taken on a special meaning for hundreds of thousands of curious souls around the world. That's when the the makers of the podcast Serial release the latest installment of the weekly show. You'll know the new one has arrived when your Twitter timeline begins to look like a Serialword cloud. The true crime narrative show debuted earlier this fall to instant acclaim, and it has only gained in popularity each week—taking the top spot on iTunes, inspiring memes and Reddit sleuthing, and spawning bookshop listening parties and the like. While the subject of Serial is indeed a juicy whodunit, there's no mystery about just why people are mainlining episodes with such rabid intensity: this is seriously compelling storytelling.

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