The Unscripted Voice - A qualitative study of how rhetoric techniques constructs authenticity in podcasting
(2025) SKOK11 20251Department of Strategic Communication
- Abstract
- In today's media landscape, podcasts have become a central platform for personal storytelling, entertainment and marketing. With its conversational and audio-based structure, podcasts offer unique conditions for building credibility and authenticity through language. While previous research has examined authenticity in digital media and rhetorical techniques separately, there is still limited understanding of how these elements interact within the podcast format. The study contributes to existing research by exploring how authenticity is created through rhetorical techniques in both spontaneous conversations and within sponsored content in podcasts. To address the research gap, a rhetorical content analysis was conducted of the Swedish... (More)
- In today's media landscape, podcasts have become a central platform for personal storytelling, entertainment and marketing. With its conversational and audio-based structure, podcasts offer unique conditions for building credibility and authenticity through language. While previous research has examined authenticity in digital media and rhetorical techniques separately, there is still limited understanding of how these elements interact within the podcast format. The study contributes to existing research by exploring how authenticity is created through rhetorical techniques in both spontaneous conversations and within sponsored content in podcasts. To address the research gap, a rhetorical content analysis was conducted of the Swedish podcast Ursäkta, hosted by Johanna Nordström and Edvin Törnblom. The aim is to examine how rhetorical techniques such as humor, irony, hyperbole and informal language are used to strengthen the hosts personal brand and make sponsored segments feel more authentic. By analysing recurring rhetorical patterns, the study shows how ethos, pathos and logos are embedded in the podcast's tone and how these appeals contribute to audience trust and emotional connection. The analysis demonstrates that the same rhetorical style is maintained across both everyday conversation and sponsored content, blurring the boundaries between entertainment and promotion. The consistent tone reinforces a sense of closeness and credibility, which plays a key role in how listeners perceive both the hosts and the products they endorse. These findings contribute to new insights into how authenticity is rhetorically constructed in podcasts. They also carry practical and theoretical implications, as podcasts advertising becomes a growing part of strategic communication. In a media environment where customers' trust is increasingly tied to perceived authenticity, understanding how rhetorical techniques shape the perception is more important than ever. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
http://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/record/9193220
- author
- von Knorring, Elsa LU and Ericsson, Lisa
- supervisor
- organization
- course
- SKOK11 20251
- year
- 2025
- type
- M2 - Bachelor Degree
- subject
- keywords
- Authenticity, Rhetoric, Podcast, Ethos, Logos, Pathos, Sponsored Content, Personal Branding.
- language
- English
- id
- 9193220
- date added to LUP
- 2025-06-17 09:50:26
- date last changed
- 2025-06-17 09:50:26
@misc{9193220,
abstract = {{In today's media landscape, podcasts have become a central platform for personal storytelling, entertainment and marketing. With its conversational and audio-based structure, podcasts offer unique conditions for building credibility and authenticity through language. While previous research has examined authenticity in digital media and rhetorical techniques separately, there is still limited understanding of how these elements interact within the podcast format. The study contributes to existing research by exploring how authenticity is created through rhetorical techniques in both spontaneous conversations and within sponsored content in podcasts. To address the research gap, a rhetorical content analysis was conducted of the Swedish podcast Ursäkta, hosted by Johanna Nordström and Edvin Törnblom. The aim is to examine how rhetorical techniques such as humor, irony, hyperbole and informal language are used to strengthen the hosts personal brand and make sponsored segments feel more authentic. By analysing recurring rhetorical patterns, the study shows how ethos, pathos and logos are embedded in the podcast's tone and how these appeals contribute to audience trust and emotional connection. The analysis demonstrates that the same rhetorical style is maintained across both everyday conversation and sponsored content, blurring the boundaries between entertainment and promotion. The consistent tone reinforces a sense of closeness and credibility, which plays a key role in how listeners perceive both the hosts and the products they endorse. These findings contribute to new insights into how authenticity is rhetorically constructed in podcasts. They also carry practical and theoretical implications, as podcasts advertising becomes a growing part of strategic communication. In a media environment where customers' trust is increasingly tied to perceived authenticity, understanding how rhetorical techniques shape the perception is more important than ever.}},
author = {{von Knorring, Elsa and Ericsson, Lisa}},
language = {{eng}},
note = {{Student Paper}},
title = {{The Unscripted Voice - A qualitative study of how rhetoric techniques constructs authenticity in podcasting}},
year = {{2025}},
}