> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.particle.pro/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Format Profile > What kind of show each podcast is — guest frequency, detected formats (interview, panel, call-in, solo), ads, video, episode length, and publishing cadence — as filterable attributes. Two shows about the same topic can be completely different products: a daily two-minute news brief read by a single narrator, and a weekly 90-minute interview show with rotating guests and a heavy ad load. Particle API derives that distinction from what's actually in the audio — speaker roles, durations, publish timestamps, and video discovery — and exposes it as a compact `format` object on every podcast, with every attribute doubling as a catalog filter. ## The format object Every podcast response (list and detail) embeds the compact form: ```json Response from GET /v1/podcasts/pivot (truncated) theme={"dark"} { "id": "QpMz7GYKfSNuUa6zKXA4Q", "title": "Pivot", "slug": "pivot", "format": { "guest_frequency": "regular", "signals": ["interview"], "has_ads": true, "has_video": true, "avg_episode_minutes": 62, "episodes_per_week": 2.1, "publishing_status": "active" } } ``` | Field | Meaning | | --------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `guest_frequency` | How often episodes feature a guest: `never`, `rare`, `occasional`, `regular`, or `always`. | | `signals` | Detected production formats: `interview`, `panel`, `call_in`, `solo_narrated`. A show can carry several — a panel show with call-in segments carries both. | | `has_ads` | Whether episodes carry advertiser reads. The full sponsor breakdown lives at [Advertising](/podcasts/advertising). | | `has_video` | Whether any episode has a discovered video version (e.g. a YouTube release). | | `avg_episode_minutes` | Average episode length in minutes. | | `episodes_per_week` | Publishing cadence over the trailing 90 days — `5.0` for a weekday daily, `0.5` for a fortnightly show. | | `publishing_status` | `active` (an episode within the last 90 days) or `dormant`. | Attributes are **asserted, never presumed**: `guest_frequency`, `signals`, and `has_ads` are derived from speaker analysis and are omitted until enough of the show's episodes have been analyzed to judge. An omitted field means *not yet known* — it never means "no". The `format` object itself is omitted for podcasts whose episodes haven't been ingested yet. ### Guest frequency buckets | Value | Share of analyzed episodes with a guest | | ------------ | --------------------------------------- | | `never` | 0% — the show does not host guests | | `rare` | up to 25% | | `occasional` | 25–50% | | `regular` | 50–90% | | `always` | above 90% — interview-driven | ### Format signals | Signal | What it indicates | | --------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `interview` | Guests appear in at least half of episodes — conversation with outside voices is the show's core format. | | `panel` | A recurring panel of commentators (review roundtables, sports panels, actual-play shows). | | `call_in` | Listener callers are part of the format (advice shows, talk radio). | | `solo_narrated` | No meaningful guest, panel, or caller presence — narrated news briefs, audio essays, solo commentary. | ## Get the full profile The dedicated endpoint returns the exact rates and distributions behind the compact attributes: ```bash curl theme={"dark"} curl "https://api.particle.pro/v1/podcasts/pivot/format" \ -H "X-API-Key: $PARTICLE_API_KEY" ``` ```js JavaScript theme={"dark"} const res = await fetch("https://api.particle.pro/v1/podcasts/pivot/format", { headers: { "X-API-Key": process.env.PARTICLE_API_KEY }, }); const profile = await res.json(); ``` ```python Python theme={"dark"} res = httpx.get( "https://api.particle.pro/v1/podcasts/pivot/format", headers={"X-API-Key": os.environ["PARTICLE_API_KEY"]}, ) profile = res.json() ``` ```jsonc Response (truncated) theme={"dark"} { "guest_frequency": "regular", "signals": ["interview"], "has_ads": true, "has_video": true, "avg_episode_minutes": 62, "episodes_per_week": 2.1, "publishing_status": "active", "analyzed_episodes": 164, "episode_count": 167, "guest_episode_rate": 0.57, "ad_episode_rate": 0.94, "call_in_episode_rate": 0.0, "panel_episode_rate": 0.02, "episode_minutes_p25": 54, "episode_minutes_median": 61, "episode_minutes_p75": 70, "publish_days": { "monday": 2, "tuesday": 81, "wednesday": 1, "thursday": 0, "friday": 80, "saturday": 2, "sunday": 1 }, "first_episode_published_at": "2024-06-04T09:00:00Z", "latest_episode_published_at": "2026-06-02T09:00:00Z", "computed_at": "2026-06-03T14:22:51Z" } ``` `analyzed_episodes` is the sample size behind every role-derived attribute — surface it when you need to qualify a claim. The `publish_days` histogram reads the schedule directly: this show ships Tuesdays and Fridays. ## Filter the catalog Every compact attribute has a matching query parameter on [`GET /v1/podcasts`](/podcasts/overview#get-a-podcast), and they compose with the existing `topic_id`, `language`, `suitability_tier`, and `popularity_threshold` filters. Find ad-free interview shows: ```bash theme={"dark"} curl --get "https://api.particle.pro/v1/podcasts" \ --data-urlencode "guest_frequency=regular,always" \ --data-urlencode "has_ads=false" \ -H "X-API-Key: $PARTICLE_API_KEY" ``` Find 20–40 minute commute-length business shows that are still publishing: ```bash theme={"dark"} curl --get "https://api.particle.pro/v1/podcasts" \ --data-urlencode "topic_id=business" \ --data-urlencode "min_avg_episode_minutes=20" \ --data-urlencode "max_avg_episode_minutes=40" \ --data-urlencode "publishing_status=active" \ -H "X-API-Key: $PARTICLE_API_KEY" ``` Find weekday-daily news briefs (solo-narrated, \~5+ episodes a week): ```bash theme={"dark"} curl --get "https://api.particle.pro/v1/podcasts" \ --data-urlencode "format_signal=solo_narrated" \ --data-urlencode "min_episodes_per_week=4" \ -H "X-API-Key: $PARTICLE_API_KEY" ``` | Parameter | Matches | | ----------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | `guest_frequency` | Comma-separated list of buckets; a podcast matches any listed bucket. | | `format_signal` | Comma-separated list of signals; a podcast matches any listed signal. | | `has_ads` | `true` or `false`. `false` is an assertion of ad-free-ness and requires enough analyzed episodes — sparsely-analyzed shows are excluded rather than presumed clean. | | `has_video` | `true` or `false`. | | `min_avg_episode_minutes` / `max_avg_episode_minutes` | Bounds on average episode length. | | `min_episodes_per_week` / `max_episodes_per_week` | Bounds on publishing cadence. | | `publishing_status` | `active` or `dormant`. | Format filters only match podcasts whose profile supports the claim — podcasts without enough analyzed episodes are excluded from role-derived filters rather than guessed at. ## Limitations * **Sample-based.** Role-derived attributes (`guest_frequency`, `signals`, `has_ads`) require at least 5 analyzed episodes; below that they are omitted and the podcast won't match those filters. Check `analyzed_episodes` on the full profile for the sample behind any claim. * **Cadence needs observation time.** `episodes_per_week` measures the trailing 90 days and is omitted for shows tracked more briefly — a show's full back catalog isn't part of the measurement, so cadence reflects current behavior, not lifetime averages. * **Dormancy is time-derived.** `publishing_status` flips to `dormant` 90 days after the latest tracked episode; a seasonal show between drops will read as dormant until its next release. ## Related * [Guests](/podcasts/guests) — the people behind `guest_frequency`: lifetime guest profiles, appearances, and trends. * [Advertising](/podcasts/advertising) — the full sponsor breakdown behind `has_ads`. * [Episodes](/podcasts/episodes) — per-episode speakers, durations, and videos. * [Brand Suitability](/podcasts/suitability) — the other show-level assessment surfaced compactly on every podcast object.