Diggnation, the weekly podcast for the social bookmarking engine Digg.com, is now on it's seventh episode and in only a month and a half has taken Podcasting audiences by storm. Within it's first few weeks, it quickly shot up the ranks of the iTunes Podcast Directory (as well as other directories), and has in the process created a fan-following for a Podcast like no other (buy your t-shirts here). Why has it grown so quickly in popularity? Sure, you can attribute it to the huge number of the Digging masses subscribing to the show (not to mention the iTunes hack *cough*) but Diggnation hasn't just jumped in popularity and fizzled out, it continues to grow by leaps and bounds. And to tell you the truth, it's one of the only Podcasts I listen to that I can't wait to hear the next episode. It truly captures you from beginning to end.
So let's disect it a bit and maybe we can learn a thing or two from Diggnation's skillz.
The Opening Music. Lasting no longer than 15 seconds, Diggnation starts off with different music everytime (ok, Episode #6 had a quote from the movie "Fear and Loathing"). Usually the music is something with some hype behind it, so you get revved up immediately.- The Introductions. Next, Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht always announce the episode number, the name of the podcast, and the basic purpose of the podcast on EVERY EPISODE. This is key for people who subscribe to a billion podcast feeds and for new listeners alike.
The Beer. On every episode of Diggnation, both Kevin and Alex pound back some beers while chatting with us. It's a nice touch because you get the feeling that you're hanging out with the crew bullshitting about geek stuff. Plus it adds an ongoing bit they can fall back on (snarfing the beer, talking about how it's going to their head, dropping it, etc) to prevent dead-air.- The Voice. Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht actually DON'T have the classic deep "Radio Voices" we've been exposed to for so long on terrestrial radio. They also don't do the cheesy wacky-radio-guy "Heeyyy everybody!" voice either. No, instead they talk normally as if they were talking to a group of people in front of them. What's really nice is that both Kevin and Alex have very distinct voices. You can tell one apart from the other very quickly and that makes for a more exciting recording.
Their voices also keep you awake. Sure, they're both ex-TechTV guys, so they understand the basics in broadcasting, but they break the mold of classic broadcasting by speeking very rapidly, which only serves to fortify the geeky aspect of the show. They have a level of excitment in their voices that really keeps the listener tuned in. Pitch, tempo, clarity - all these things are extremely important when Podcasting. 
The Personality. Each Diggnation Podcast has a purpose - to talk about the top stories of the week - but it's the comedy and human side of Diggnation that connects the listner to them. Alex serves as almost the comic-relief while Kevin balances him out - perfect. They talk about the stories, and then veer off into a tangent that leads to crazy discussions that a bunch of friends would be having while just hanging out.
And I think that's really the beauty of Diggnation - just a bunch of geeks just hanging out talking about geek stuff. The sound quality if great, the conversation is awesome, and you feel connected with them. Not like listening to a guy in a room talking to himself, but rather as part of the Digg experience.
I digg it.
1. Nice summary. I'll check it out.
Posted at 5:23PM on Aug 16th 2005 by Willy Volk