Search Engine with PJ Vogt

We are testing a theory at Search Engine that audiences prefer shows that come out weekly instead of shows that come out “when they feel like it.” This theory is based mainly off of emails I’ve received on shows I’ve made in the past. The feedback I’ve gotten is that listeners feel like, “either you’re there for me when I do my laundry or you’re not.” Nobody adores a flaky laundry companion. 

So this year with Search Engine, we’re teaching ourselves how to make a show that’s there for you most Fridays. 

Our strategy for now is that we’ll give you a mix of episodes. Some like last week’s story about airline coffee, which take a while to research. And some like this one, where we build the whole story around one conversation with someone we really love talking to*. 

Episodes like this week’s are exciting for me because long-form conversation podcasts are some of my favorites. The first public radio show I ever loved enough to seek out was Fresh Air with Terry Gross. I still listen. Lately, my ear’s been more drawn to that sort of show than to the reported and narrated ones. I also really dig The Ezra Klein Show. 

I’ve even been enjoying interview podcasts from the non-public-radio-adjacent world. Work from people like Rich Roll and Tim Ferris. I’m curious how they make conversations compelling for their audiences, and what Search Engine can learn from them. 

I can’t do exactly what any of these above-mentioned people do, but we’re trying to find our version of the interview-driven episode. I’d love to hear what you think of it. Drop your comments on the page for this Substack, or shoot us an email. 

There’s a version of a podcast I would make where I just talked to Kelefa every week. He’s one of my favorite thinkers, I find him to be completely unpredictable in the best way. He’s one of the people who, when something strange happens in the world that I’m not sure how to feel about it, I like to check in with. 

Besides his book, you can also just find him in the New Yorker, where, from issue to issue, he jumps around pretty fantastically between topics. A story about the TV show where men slap each other real hard, a profile of Kim Petras, a report on the Christian Nationalism movement. 

First of all, thanks to everybody who signed up for a paid subscription last week. And if you can’t swing it, please don’t fret. Listening and telling your friends helps, so does reviewing us on Apple Podcasts. Or on Spotify. Anyway, don’t worry, we’re going to figure it out. 

And thanks for the nice notes people sent in. Specifically, I want to say hi to Scott who says he’s listening to Search Engine in the car with a sullen teenager. I also want to apologize to Scott’s teenager in case Search Engine is something he’s enduring instead of enjoying. Search Engine is occasionally partly edited by pre-teens who have surprisingly wonderful barometers for when they feel bored or confused, so if Scott’s teenager likes the show, that might be part of it.