Podcasts in the software testing area

Podcasts for software testers are audio and video formats that cover topics such as test automation, quality assurance and soft skills. As a medium, they are primarily consumed on the move, i.e. while commuting, exercising or cooking. Compared to webinars and blog posts, they create a stronger personal connection through the voice, but hardly provide any direct listener feedback.

Key Takeaways

• Podcasts are mainly consumed in everyday situations: while commuting, jogging or cooking, which makes them fundamentally different from webinars, which require conscious attention at the workplace.
• Anyone starting a podcast should prioritize continuity over perfection: many podcasts fail after three to seven episodes because the production effort is set too high.
• Conferences are an efficient source for podcast guests because speakers bring a proven topic, are communication-tested and the call-for-paper already serves as a quality filter.
• AI saves an estimated two to three hours of work in the post-production of a podcast episode, for example when creating summaries, show notes and quotes.
• Podcast reach can hardly be monetized directly: There is no advertising revenue or direct booking requests; instead, the value lies in visibility, customer loyalty and community building.

Why a podcast for the testing environment works

A podcast reaches testers in moments that are closed to other formats. Listeners consume episodes on the way to work, while jogging, at lunch or over the weekend. This use is incidental and blends into everyday life, unlike a webinar for which you sit down at your desk at a fixed time.

The voice creates a closeness that a blog post does not. The listener reflects on a topic while doing something else, and the speaker is present in their everyday situation. This creates a more familiar space than text.

The dialog is the second advantage over the webinar. Webinars are often dominated by a one-sided presentation with a question and answer session at the end. In a conversation between two speakers, points become clearer because they are examined from both sides.

The big disadvantage: a podcast is a strong one-way channel. A lot goes out, but little comes back. It lacks the accompanying chat of a webinar, and feedback is often sporadic.

What makes the effort worthwhile if no money comes back

Anyone who produces a testing podcast on their own initiative usually finances it through their own job. Advertisements or sponsoring are not a matter of course, and community partnerships often pay off in terms of reach and network, not money.

The motivation is then different. Those who have learned from free content and podcasts over the years give this back. The feedback from the community supports this attitude, even without monetary compensation.

In the corporate context, the calculation looks different. There, a podcast is part of online marketing, backed by working hours and geared towards customer loyalty. Here too, the cost-benefit ratio is not favorable and the effect can hardly be measured directly. The value lies in the additional channel and visibility.

One story shows the potential impact more clearly than any number of views: after one of the first episodes, a listener wrote that she wanted to become a tester. The advice was to take the ISTQB Foundation Level and apply for it. Weeks later, she heard back that she had passed the certification and was starting a new position as a tester.

How broad should the choice of topics be?

The target group is broader than just testers. Business analysts, developers and project managers also listen as soon as the topic of software quality takes center stage. Quality plays a role in the entire development process, from soft skills to hard facts.

A clear focus with open frameworks has proven its worth: testing remains the core, but topics such as automation, data or coding are part of it. A partnership with a developer platform also brings in an audience that is heavily involved with code.

Those who produce more closely tied to customers cut more closely. Test automation, test management and test processes then form the environment, supplemented by job descriptions or process models with a test impact.

The softer topics are always well received. Communication for testers, conflict management, team building and the impostor syndrome hit a nerve. Testers are the networkers in the project: they gather information from everywhere and pass it on. Good communication skills are therefore a central part of the job description.

Aging topics. AI has long been a self-starter, but the general appeal that you have to deal with AI is no longer valid. What is needed now is specific content: how exactly, and what is currently happening? You have to pay attention to this dynamic, otherwise the listener will drop out after a few minutes.

Conferences are the most efficient source for guests

Conferences provide guests with a built-in quality filter. Those who speak there have a topic that is close to their heart, can speak in front of an audience and have already gone through a selection process via the call for papers.

The mechanics are simple. You agree with the conference in advance which speakers and presentation slots are suitable and make direct contact with selected speakers on site. This results in six to eight episodes in one day, which is physically demanding but produces a dense output.

The second source is through recommendations and chance acquaintances where the topic fits. These episodes are usually produced remotely via an online studio.

Renounce perfection, rely on continuity

The most common reason why podcasts die is the effort involved. Many formats end after three to seven episodes because the demand for perfection and production costs become too high. A podcast thrives on continuity, and perfection makes this continuity difficult.

The better way: start faster, make it easier to produce episodes. If you plan every episode down to the last detail and want perfect technology and post-production, you might get two motivated episodes far. After that, the project is exhausted.

In the end, it’s all about the content that is delivered.

• Richard Seidl

An early fundamental decision determines the overall effort: with video or without. Video delivers shorts and reels, but brings significantly more complexity with light and setting. Pure audio can be recorded with a smartphone if necessary.

How much preparation does an episode really need?

Intensive thematic preparation is not essential. For a conference episode, the abstract is often enough: the conversation starts with the topic, followed by a few questions that are of interest to the speaker. This spontaneity arises partly out of necessity, because with six recordings per day, in-depth preparation is not possible.

The counter-design works in a structured way. Questions can be built up in advance from a submitted presentation, coordinated and worked through in conversation. This requires more preparation and is less spontaneous, but delivers a clearly structured result.

Both methods have advantages and disadvantages. The spontaneous variant risks missing an important question afterwards. The prepared variant minimizes this risk, but loses liveliness.

A practical trick for a spontaneous tour: only speak the intro after the recording. Conversations often veer off into a topic that does not match the starting point. If you record the introduction afterwards, you describe what was actually discussed.

What still needs to be done after the recording

The episode is not finished once it has been recorded. Each episode includes a blog post, show notes, links, biography, photo, quotes and headline. Much of this is the same from episode to episode, which allows for automation.

Editing video and audio is worth outsourcing as soon as it eats up your time. There are two schools of thought when editing content: only cut the beginning and end and leave the rest of the conversation as it is, or intervene more strongly and specifically remove filler syllables such as frequent “ehs”.

AI takes over a growing part of the post-processing. The transcript is used to create summaries and suggested quotations, which serve as input and are checked manually. This saves around two to three hours per episode, but does not replace the editorial check, because it also includes unusable results.

How does the podcast get onto the platforms?

Distribution takes place via two channels. Video goes to YouTube, in the background also to YouTube Podcast. Audio is hosted by a service that automatically distributes it to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and RTL Plus.

Manual post-processing follows for the major platforms. Spotify allows a survey after each episode, while Apple Podcasts adds separate guest pictures and portraits. The automatic distributor does not cover such steps.

Each episode has its own podcast or blog page with additional text and further links, embedded in German and English. If you want to know more about a topic, you can find more in-depth information there.

Success is not only measured by the number of views

Pure listening figures are a weak compass. They show what works, but are often not comprehensible. Episodes directly at Christmas and New Year’s Eve were surprisingly strong, which can hardly be explained, except by the lack of competition during this time.

Comments and likes on LinkedIn, YouTube and in guests’ networks are more meaningful. This tells you whether a topic is catching on, whether a controversial opinion is triggering reactions and where consequences are being passed on.

There are two different communities. The pure listeners consume on the side. YouTube viewers watch actively because video is difficult to watch on the side and are often more involved.

A third measure of success is the benefit for the guest. Companies and speakers use their episode for their own marketing and reputation. Many guests are first-time podcast listeners, ask detailed questions in advance and appreciate a clean video and audio format that they can reuse.

Local communities deserve their own language

An ISTQB initiative lists testing podcasts from various countries, such as Poland, Hungary and the USA. The value lies less in understanding foreign-language episodes than in seeing that these communities are active and produce in their own language.

For German-speaking countries, German remains the obvious choice, even if individual episodes are produced in English because an interlocutor only speaks English. In your own language, topics can be examined differently and in more detail, which is a clear advantage.

The fact that a certification organization thinks beyond its structure and makes the community visible is an invitation to join in. It shows where you can find information and inspiration outside of certification.