How to Research Your Narrative Nonfiction Podcast
Cara McGoogan shares her process for Bed of Lies
Hey Besties!
Did you catch the latest episode with Cara McGoogan on how she transformed her podcast into a book? Podcast-to-book is a brilliant iteration strategy that I think should be used a whole lot more.
One of my favorite parts of the interview was the way Cara explained her research process, which I’m sharing an excerpt of below. It’s so helpful!
➡️ Before we get into the excerpt, I just want to let y’all know that I’m hosting a webinar this coming Saturday, September 28th at 10am PST about the many monetization methods available to podcasters and how I make a full-time income as a writer/podcaster.
This webinar is only available to paid subscribers (and yes, it will be recorded). Upgrade now!
So, how did you form the team, and how did you approach the research process?
CM: It was me and my boss, Theodora Louloudis. She's now left The Telegraph and is at Wondery doing more brilliant narrative podcasts.
We hired a producer who was a very natural fit—the first person we met knew this story in-depth because she had a connection to one of the women who had been deceived into a relationship. So, she already had insight into the story from the beginning. She’d done a lot of radio documentaries, but this was her first time working on a multi-part series like this.
So we were all starting from scratch and learning, but it was amazing because we each brought different skills to the table and we were all very willing to learn from each other and binge a lot of narrative shows, which really informed our approach. So it was a steep learning curve.
What were you listening to?
CM: Well, I think Serial was the original, for sure... God, I listen to so many podcasts that it's hard to pinpoint which ones influenced me the most.
You were in the S-Town era, right?
CM: Yeah, S-Town, Dirty John, In the Dark—those were the starting points. But then, we were also seeing more diverse series. The BBC had some very good ones like The Missing Cryptoqueen and The Lazarus Heist.
But Bed of Lies was the first narrative show from a British newspaper, so we were kind of pioneering this type of journalism in the UK. So we listened to a lot of things, but once we started gathering material, we let that drive how we wrote it, rather than listening too closely to other people's shows.
Yeah, totally. I’m curious about the research process, especially since I’m about to embark on a similar journey. You obviously conducted first-person interviews. How did you find those people, and what other sources did you seek out?
CM: So the first series was about the undercover cops, and the second was about a medical treatment that gave people HIV, part of a scandal in the UK known as the "infected blood scandal," which has been a 40-year fight for justice. But obviously the story has tentacles in America, which is in the podcast and book.
For both series, I had already written features on these topics before starting the podcast, so I had characters to go to initially. The sources I’d interviewed for those features were the first people I contacted. In both cases, there are campaign [advocacy] groups, and one person leads you to another. You interview someone, and they say, “Oh, you should really talk to my friend whose story covers another aspect that we haven’t gone through with mine.” So I find that it creates a snowball effect—one interview leads to another until you've got too many.
How long did you let yourself go on that process before you started putting everything together?
CM: There’s a sort of a feeling to it. When you start to feel overwhelmed by the amount of information you have, and people start telling you similar things, that’s when you realize you’ve gathered enough. You think, Oh, we've actually already heard that. So you start to get a sense…
I go through waves. In the beginning, I'm always panicked that I won't find anyone and the podcast won't come off because I won't get enough material, which I know is an anxiety that's just unfounded.
Then I do a few interviews, and I think, Okay, we've got some good starting material, I could stretch that out to this. And then, before you know it, you've got way too much material, and that becomes its own kind of anxiety because you realize I'm never going to be able to use all this. So you get to a point when you need to stop. Then you go through the information, come up with the structure, plan out the series—and then you'll find there are holes and bits of information you still need to find out, avenues to go down, and do more reporting, but with a bit more focus towards the end.
This excerpt has been edited for clarity.
Listen to the full episode here.
Spotify opens its wallet again: but now, for video: And the BBC doubles-down on its windowing strategy
Podcast fills stadium with listeners: And happy 20th birthday, the word 'podcast'
Serial’s creator on podcasting, ten years on: The current podcast industry is in a worrisome cycle, she says
Data shows new opportunities for podcasting: And the biggest shows in the UK
Podcasts: most trusted, say registered voters: And YouTube adds new gamification features
These quick hits are courtesy of Podnews editor James Cridland, who happened to be the first-ever guest on Podcast Bestie, the Podcast. Listen to his episode!
Ready to claim your time back? Outsource your editing and social media with Edit Pods. We are your one-stop shop for podcast audio/video editing and social media management. We make it easy for you! The Best Podcast Editors
Ready to take your writing career to the next level? November Newsletter & Pitch Party Extravaganza will help you craft compelling pitches, land dream bylines, and create impactful content for your newsletter. Use code BESTIE for $100 off.
These ads provide vital support for this newsletter!
Click here for info and rates.
Private Parts Unknown: Infertility, IVF & VBA2C: Selah Victor on the Benefits & Challenges of Being an “Old Mom”
For the latest episode of
, I talked to actress, comedian, momfluencer, and mom of three Selah Victor about her experience becoming an “old mom.”Private Parts Unknown: The Practicalities of Polyamory with "Monogamy? In this Economy?" Author Laura Boyle
This conversation with Laura Boyle delves into the practical aspects of polyamorous relationships, including managing finances, child-rearing, and cohabitation—the subject of Boyle's latest book, Monogamy? In this Economy?
The Bleeders: The Five-Year Revision: Lexi Kent-Monning on Writing & Publishing Her Debut Novel “The Burden of Joy”
In the latest episode of
, details the five-year journey of revising and submitting her debut novel, The Burden of Joy. She also shares how her manuscript evolved from memoir to autofiction and her DIY approach to book promotion. explains how he adapted his podcast into his debut book, Write About Now, which features inspiring origin stories from his guests. Jon also discusses the challenges of obtaining permissions, the decision to self-publish, and the common themes that emerged from these stories.Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff: Part One: The Orange Alternative: The Polish Hippie Surrealists Who Tore Down a Communist Government
I guested on
’s podcast and learned about anarchy and a really interesting slice of history. Also, Margaret’s latest book, The Sapling Cage, published by Feminist Press, is out TODAY.So… ROLL CALL! 🗣
Do YOU have any tips on tackling podcast research?
Follow me @courtneykocak on Twitter and Instagram. For more, check out my website courtneykocak.com.