Fill Your Pockets With Endings

Story endings serve as the final, lasting impression of an audio piece, often determining whether listeners engage with future content. Robert Smith, a contributing host at Planet Money and journalism professor, categorizes effective endings into distinct types to overcome the common challenge of having "empty pockets" at the conclusion of a script. Cinematic endings utilize evocative imagery or scenes to avoid didactic explanations, as demonstrated in Scott Carrier’s *Running After Antelope*. Alternatively, "just the facts" endings, such as the conclusion of *This American Life’s* "Harper High," aggregate data to provide a devastating, broader context. Finally, ending on a written quote—even if delivered by the host—can provide a necessary narrative anchor. These techniques ensure that stories leave a lingering impact, transforming a simple conclusion into a powerful, memorable resolution.