Feb. 9, 2026

450. The Curiosity Loop That Forces Listeners to Stay

Show Notes

Great podcasts don’t just share information. They guide listeners through an experience. In this installment of our Obsession Worthy Podcasts, co-host Jonathan Howard guides us on a close look at Hyperfixed to understand why some narrative shows are so easy to fall into and so hard to forget. Using this show as a case study, we explore how strong storytelling choices shape attention and keep listeners engaged from start to finish. We unpack what makes Hyperfixed obsession-worthy and how its design choices can spark new ideas for your show. This is for anyone who wants to tell better stories and experiment with structure, and our conversation might send you back to your own podcast with inspiration on how you can tell better stories.

Episode Highlights:

[01:46] Overview of the Hyper Fixed podcast

[05:06] Discussion on narrative podcast storytelling

[13:22] Building tension and emotional connection

[17:51] The role of AI in storytelling

[22:03] Curiosity loops and pacing

[26:03] Initial takeaways and reflections

[28:10] The role of the host in podcast success

[28:39] Building curiosity and emotional engagement

[32:37] Crafting intentional and impactful content

[41:54] Super Bowl commercials discussion

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