Moment of Pod Zen: Recent Episodes
Evo Terra - Podcast Pontifications
Introducing: Trailer Park: The Podcast Trailer Podcast is a podcast that showcases podcast trailers. Whether those trailers were made and then abandoned, were made as creative proof, are part of a larger body of work, or were created just for fun, they're welcome here at the park!
Get more info at https://trailerparkpodcast.crd.co/
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy
Not so long ago, it was possible to talk about the future of podcasting in relevant terms for every podcaster. But podcasting has evolved beyond those simpler times. So what do we do in these more complex times?
I'm not gonna beat around the bush. What you are listening to or reading right now is the very last episode of Podcast Pontifications that I will make. This is it.
I wrote out this long and detailed outline of a script that dug deep into why I'm making this decision and what I'm doing next... but I threw it out because it was a little—OK, a lot—self-serving. Brevity is better. Episodes should be as short as you can possibly make them, right? That's something you've heard me say before. So I might as well eat my own dog food.
I'm choosing to shut down production of future episodes of Podcast Pontifications for a lot of reasons, but they all trace back to a single reality: Podcasting has outgrown my ability to keep up with all the changes.
That's something that's likely not going to slow down anytime soon. So I'm doing the only logical thing to do when an industry gets this fractured, and you're just one person. I'm niching down. You know. That course of action I've suggested you do with your own podcast for years now?
The niche I'm picking is fiction podcasting. No, not as a maker of fiction podcasts, which also precludes me from being a pundit. I'm simply not qualified to tell fiction podcasters what they should be thinking about.
No, my role in fiction podcasting starts with curation and enabling. A couple of weekends ago, I sent out a special edition of this newsletter. If you skipped that, here's what you missed:
I'm helping people who love fiction audio—audiobooks, audio drama, radio theater, etc.—to discover great fiction podcasts. Not when those productions start, but when they have reached the (or at least a) conclusion, providing an excellent listening experience.
I'm doing this with a newsletter I call The End, which you can—and I hope you will—sign up for free!
If you like watching fiction TV or movies and you haven't yet dipped your toes into the amazing world of fiction podcasting, you are missing out on some amazing stories. Stories that just might let you cancel one or more of those expensive streaming video services!
So, yes, this is the end of Podcast Pontifications. I've genuinely enjoyed meeting so many amazing people and podcasters, and I'm humbled to know that I've played a small part in helping those podcasters make their own podcasts, and therefore all of podcasting, better.
And I don't see that behavior stopping anytime soon. So please reach out to me if you ever need any sort of help whatsoever. My general email account thisisevo@gmail.com will probably reach me forever. The website for this show will stay up for a little while longer, but not forever. I plan on keeping all of the mirrored posts up on Medium for as long as Medium exists. The audio episodes will stay up as long as Captivate doesn't kick me off. So if you feel like archiving close to 600 episodes of Podcast Pontifications for posterity, now is your time.
Again, thank you. Please subscribe to The End, and I'll see you around
Cheers!
Sponsored by:
- Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company
Links
-
The End
-
Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications.
- Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today!
Podcast Pontificationsis a production of Simpler Media. New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about.
It's created and hosted by Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show.
If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it value-for-value and there are many ways to show your support.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy
The podcast advertising business is once again taking it on the chin, blasted from inside the industry and out. What can podcasters and podcast listeners do about it?
From ad buyers paying for podcast plays that ran inside mobile video games. 20-minute episodes with 20% filled with ads. People are getting fed up with advertising.
If a popular podcast runs ads, it's guaranteed that more than one negative review will simply read: too many ads. A valid complaint leveraged against much of the content we watch on our TVs and mobile devices. Ads we can't avoid.
But podcast creators can (and often do) offer ad-free options. And today, it's super easy. Subscription services built directly into Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Ad-free feeds via Patreon, Supercast, or Buy Me A Coffee. Or network-specific apps like those from Wondery+ and Realm.
The real problems are related to friction and awareness. And there isn't much we as podcasters can do about the friction issue. That's a tech problem only really solved by Apple Podcasts. And not everyone listens on Apple Podcasts.
But we podcasters can do something about awareness. We can make people aware that yeah, they are listening to an ad-supported feed, so expect ads. But also make them aware that there is an option (or options, I guess) to get an ad-free listening experience.
And there's one other thing we podcasters can do: We can stop complaining about ads in podcasting. Production costs—like all costs—continue to rise. The quality bar continues to be raised higher and higher, causing podcast creators who rise to that new level to again incur more costs.
Podcasting may still be a fun hobby to most, and I truly hope it stays that way. But the industry is driven forward by those who treat podcasting like a business. And for many, ads (and an ad-free option) is a very big part of the business.
Let's at least accept that fact, shall we?
Sponsored by:
- Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company
Links
- Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications.
- Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today!
Podcast Pontificationsis a production of Simpler Media. New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about.
It's created and hosted by Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show.
If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it value-for-value and there are many ways to show your support.
Mentioned in this episode:
Support For Abortion Rights
While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com. If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources: 1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion. 2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions. 3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics. 4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet. 5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more. We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy
Podcasting managed to survive a going-on-three-year global pandemic. But the podcasting industry is starting to feel those economic realities finally catching up to us. That won't end soon.
2023 Is the year that podcasting has to pay. And by "pay" I mean pay for itself. And by "itself" I mean it has to make fiscal sense for the people writing the checks that power podcasting.
If you're a fiscally responsible person who diligently balances their books each month or pay period to make sure you have enough money to do the things you both need and want to do in life either as a business owner or just a productive member of society—this is not a shock to you.
But just read the headlines from podcasting over the last few months, and you'll see it's clearly a shock to some people who work in the business of podcasting.
Unfortunately, that shock is now settling in, getting nice and cozy with us, and promises to be a part of podcasting for a very long time. It's up to us to figure out how we each deal with it.
For those at the "top" and "bottom" (I hope the air quotes came through loud and clear) of podcasting, this solidifying reality isn't going to mean many changes in day-to-day life. Well-estabished, highly-downloaded, and money-making podcasts will continue to do well, assuming they remember to stay focused on who they are for and why they are there.
It's a similar situation for the indie podcaster who's not in this for fame or fortune—OK, maybe a little fame, but still no fortune—but instead are in podcasting because podcasting is something they love doing. They aren't seeking much in the way of economic gain, so serious economic pressures on the podcasting industry have less of an impact on many indies.
But for those in the middle of podcasting, it's a very different story. Those who work in the business of podcasting with a range of roles and skills from producer to service provider will be—and are—feeling the effects of the "right-sizing" (I hate that phrase) and pullbacks podcasting is facing at the business level today.
Things are different today. I have many friends and acquaintances who either run or work for small to medium-sized podcasting-focused companies who are telling me things are different. Where it was easy for them to do things just six months ago—things like raising money for launching a new service, or getting a bigger ticket production greenlit, or snagging some budget from other departments to fund new podcasting initiatives—it's now hard. More than one person has been told "No, sorry. Had you asked me six months ago, I'd have said yes."
Buy that world is now gone. And no, I'm not going to attempt to predict when it's coming back.
I don't say these things to panic you. If you, like many of my listeners, work for a large, established, and profitable podcasting company, there's a very good chance you won't feel the crunch. And there are a lot of large, established, and profitable podcasting companies employing lots of people. Hosting companies, software developers, and other service providers who service the industry and can do so profitably.
But if you don't have the luxury of working for one of those podcast companies, then things could be different. How well you—we—ride out the storm is dependent on a lot of factors. If I were a financial advisor, I'd tell you to diversify. But I'm not a financial planner, and sometimes the best podcast companies are ones that specialize, so that may not be good advice.
Come to think of it; I don't have good advice to give on this. So instead, I'll end with hold tight, make the best decision you can for yourself, and do your best to handle whatever 2023 throws your way, podcaster.
With that, I shall be back next week (maybe?) with yet another Podcast Pontifications.
Cheers!
Sponsored by:
- Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company
Links
- Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications.
- Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today!
Podcast Pontificationsis a production of Simpler Media. New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about.
It's created and hosted by Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show.
If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it value-for-value and there are many ways to show your support.
Mentioned in this episode:
Support For Abortion Rights
While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com. If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources: 1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion. 2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions. 3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics. 4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet. 5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more. We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy
If the majority of the world isn't talking about one single must-listen podcast, the industry is dead. Right? Wrong. So very, very wrong. Here's why this mythical success metric needs to die.
Every time there's a negative article focusing on podcasting's inability to generate blockbuster hits, I get a little stabby. Because here's the secret: you don't need to create a blockbuster podcast—because podcasting does not need blockbuster hits.
I know that seems at odds with other forms of media. There's a blockbuster movie every three or for years that everyone is talking about. Every fall, there's a TV program or two that seemingly captures the entirety of the world. A single hit song dominates the airwaves for weeks or months, and there are best-selling books that "everyone" seems to have on their shelves or talks about over coffee.
But in podcasting? Not so much. Not since 2014–2015, by some yardsticks. Here's what I have to say about that:
So what?
You were probably expecting me to break down all the reasons why podcasting is different from those other blockbuster-driven media channels. Like the distributed architecture we built into podcasting from day one. Or the relatively low entry barrier for creating and distributing podcasts. Or the fact that "it's a podcast" tells a potential listener nothing about the audio's actual content.
All of those things are true and certainly contribute to why podcasting doesn't have blockbuster hits like other media forms have blockbuster hits. I shall return to my secret once again.
So what?
Podcasting doesn't need blockbuster hits to survive. Podcast creators—at least those who understand our industry—don't need blockbuster hits to survive.
Yes, the podcast industry must demonstrate that popular shows can attract and retain large audiences. As more shows enter the space with much higher production costs, that will continue to be a driving need within our industry.
But a podcast's audience that qualifies as "large and retained" need not mean everyone. That's another power of podcasting: Establishing an audience that's many orders of magnitude below everyone can still make the efforts pay off for all of a podcast's creators.
That's what matters for many podcasters. That's what matters for many podcast networks. That's what matters for many podcast service providers who build the tools and services necessary to power podcasting as an industry.
If you're looking to make a blockbuster, I advise looking at a media form other than podcasting. Podcasting is a great place to be if you want to build a show—or a service—that can only work in podcasting. And be pretty rewarding.
With that, I shall be back next week with yet another Podcast Pontifications.
Cheers!
Sponsored by:
- Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company
Links
- Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications.
- Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today!
Podcast Pontificationsis a production of Simpler Media. New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about.
It's created and hosted by Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show.
If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it value-for-value and there are many ways to show your support.
Mentioned in this episode:
Support For Abortion Rights
While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com. If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources: 1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion. 2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions. 3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics. 4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet. 5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more. We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy
Podcasting should be made better, not just easier! That's the motto I started this show with. And I still stand by it! But a lot has happened in five years. What if making it easier to podcast also made it better?
podcasting
https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/making-complex-podcast-tech-disappear-with-alitu
One thing that has me terribly excited for the future of podcasting is how the entire process of making a podcast has, for many, changed drastically in the last 20 years or so.
Alitu, a service from The Podcast Host, is one of those services reimagining how podcasts are made. They're the Branded Benefits Sponsor of today's episode, and I recently sat down with Colin Gray to ask him how Alitu makes podcasting better.
His answer surprised me. "We've enabled our users to forget about the tech behind it all so they can concentrate just on their voice and getting their message out to the world.
That's the goal; to make the tech just disappear so creators can concentrate on their message."
You may be looking at that with a marked note of skepticism, especially if you've not been keeping up with how much audio tech has advanced in the last few years.
"We're deeply committed to automation," Colin goes on to say, making the bold statement that quite often audio "cleanup isn't something most podcasters should worry about. It should be fixed automatically, so we do it automatically. They're partnered with Dolby Audio, "who know audio back-to-front... to do automated audio cleanup, clearing the noise, adjusting levels, automatically doing de-essing and de-plosives" and more.
I asked if Alitu was something for audio pros who are comfortable using high-end DAWs. "I know people who use Alitu to create one show, but then they use something like Audition to create another complex show where they want to have the full audio engineering experience and control," was his reply. Makes sense to me.
Is it right for you? We're probably spending time and energy doing things that would be better left to software and systems. Systems and software that, frankly, could probably do a better job than we can. At least sometimes.
Sponsored by:
- Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company
Links
- Alitu
- The Podcast Host
- Colin Gray
-
Branded Benefits Sponsor
-
Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications.
- Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today!
Podcast Pontificationsis a production of Simpler Media. New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about.
It's created and hosted by Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show.
If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it value-for-value and there are many ways to show your support.
Mentioned in this episode:
Support For Abortion Rights
While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com. If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources: 1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion. 2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions. 3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics. 4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet. 5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more. We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy
Large podcast conferences are at a crossroads, with the podcasting community wondering how next year's conferences and beyond will be reshaped by the winds of change. Here are three possible futures.
podcasting
https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcast-conferences-cancel-culture-human-dignity
Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels
But before you say, "Ugh, not another hot take about the kerfuffle at Podcast Movement 2022"—rest assured, I'm not adding another hot take on what happened.
Instead, I want to present three possible futures I believe are likely to play out for future podcast conferences—not just Podcast Movement.
One quick caveat: There's no way in hell I'm going to "both sides" this issue. I've zero patience for deplorable people. And if you're already bristling at my use of that word, you have been warned.
- The Free-Dumb Future For Podcast Conferences
If the free-speech-at-all-cost torchbearers are not curtailed, expect protests. Activist attendees with clever slogans on t-shirts. Panelists and presenters naming names. Disruptions from the audience toward panelists or presenters who seek to undermine democracy.
- The Status Quo Future For Podcast Conferences
Equally likely is a future where...nothing happens. I believe many event organizers and attendees are counting on this future. This keeps marginalized voices away, and conferences cater to the bigger, more monied side of podcasting.
- The Responsibility-First Future Of Podcast Conferences
Or perhaps podcast organizers do make a stand and carefully vet every speaker, sponsor, and possibly even attendee. Or more conferences like She Podcasts Live and BLK Podcast Festival come into existence.
Will those conferences create echo chambers? They can, sure. Do they restrict "different opinions" from being presented and limit the inclusivity they claim to uphold? Oh, FFS. Give me a break. Anyone saying that is either being disingenuous or still has no idea what an asshole they sound like to the rest of us. If they want, they can—and probably will—form their own conference where they can collectively pine for a return to the world of segregation, don't ask don't tell, and a time when less than half the population had the right to vote.
Fuck 'em.
Sponsored by:
- Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company
Links
- Podcast Movement 2022
- She Podcasts Live
- BLK Podcast Festival
-
Mentioned (and then the standard links and credits will follow:
-
Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications.
- Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today!
Podcast Pontificationsis a production of Simpler Media. New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about.
It's created and hosted by Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show.
If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it value-for-value and there are many ways to show your support.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy
Podcasting is like crack for your ears, many have said. Listen once, and they're hooked for life, right? Well... wrong. What do we need to do—as podcasters and an industry—to help build listening habits?
It's a harsh reality that most people who listen to podcasts don't keep listening to podcasts. 62% of the US population +12 have listened, but only 26% frequently listen, according to Edison Research's Infinite Dial survey.
I blame the podcast listening app makers. But I also blame us, the podcasters who provide the content to those apps. We could both do a better job of helping listeners develop the podcast listening habit.
What happens when your Netflix series ends? Netflix immediately makes recommendations. Not after the credits. But during them. And it works.
What happens when you reach "the end" of an ebook on your Kindle? Amazon is making recommendations. Not after the book's back matter. And it works.
Why aren't podcasting apps doing that? Podcast apps are the ones that actually own the relationship with the listeners. So yeah, it's on them!
Or is it?
How do they know when the end of a series or a season has been reached? We have a tag for that, but not all podcast hosts support it. How can we get better at giving app makers more data?
And what do app developers do on the vast majority of podcasts that don't have proscribed endings but just keep going? Recommend a new show too quickly and piss off a lot of podcasters.
There isn't an easy answer. So what do you think we should do?
Sponsored by:
- Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company
Links
- Edison Research's Infinite Dial 2022 survey
- The moth joke
-
Proposed podcast index namespace tag
-
Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications.
- Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today!
Podcast Pontificationsis a production of Simpler Media. New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about.
It's created and hosted by Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show.
If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it value-for-value and there are many ways to show your support.
Mentioned in this episode:
Support For Abortion Rights
While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com. If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources: 1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion. 2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions. 3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics. 4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet. 5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more. We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy
It's almost impossible to make a good podcast without listening to great podcasts. But it probably takes more than listening to get from good to great. The secret is learning those not-hidden secrets.
I recently discovered the secrets to restaurant-quality eggplant parmesan and crave-able Manhattans. Only they weren't secrets. They were just things I'd overlooked or rushed through. Tiny things learned when I (finally) asked people who were better than me.
One thing was clear with decades of hindsight: eating and drinking great examples of both wasn't the answer. No, I needed to learn secrets (that aren't secrets) from people better than me.
The same is likely true if there are parts of your podcast you want to improve. You just don't know how to make them better. And listening to more great podcasts doesn't seem to be helping.
So ask. Ask a podcaster you admire. Don't ask how you can become as good as they are. Share your specific, personal pain points. Don't say, "listen to this and see what you think." Tell them where YOU think you need to improve. And if you're going to Podcast Movement 2022, you'll have an excellent opportunity to ask for help from some of the best.
See you there!
Sponsored by:
- Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company
Links
-
Podcast Movement 2022
-
Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications.
- Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today!
Podcast Pontificationsis a production of Simpler Media. New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about.
It's created and hosted by Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show.
If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it value-for-value and there are many ways to show your support.
Mentioned in this episode:
Support For Abortion Rights
While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com. If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources: 1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion. 2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions. 3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics. 4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet. 5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more. We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy
Finding advice on how to make your podcast better is easy. Knowing what advice to take and what to ignore is trickier. Before implementing any advice, take a close look at the agenda behind that advice. The agenda you have for your podcast is not the same agenda I have for my podcast. The same goes for every other long-time podcaster or podcast consultant. We all want people to keep listening and tell their friends. But what are our real agendas? And how closely do they align with your agenda? Your agenda is not your podcast hosting company's agenda. Or any hosting company's agenda. They create advice designed to keep their business in business by attracting more people to their service. But how well is their general advice aligned to your agenda? Your agenda is not a podcast listening app's agenda. They might make it easy for people to listen to your show on their app. But it's the "on their app" that they care about more than "your show." I'm not disparaging the advice offered by pundits, consultants, hosting providers, or app developers. I'm just stating the obvious: all of that advice is, to one degree or another, serving their agendas first. Not yours. So... does anyone share an agenda with you? Sure! Your ad rep firm is probably very closely aligned if you run ads on your show. Because when your ad revenue grows, the amount they make from your show grows. Win-win! The same goes for the agenda of your staff (employees, contractors, service providers). Your show succeeding means they keep a paycheck. That's a definite shared agenda! So listen to them. Listen to others (like me), sure. But listen most closely to those who share your same agenda, podcaster.
Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company)
Links
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.
Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
1....
Posting about your podcast on social media without posting ONLY about your podcast can be exhausting. I can't fix that, but I can give you 10 questions to ask yourself that make for great social post ideas.
podcasting
Putting words into print or performing solo in front of a camera are necessary social media skills. But neither often comes naturally to podcasters who are most comfortable behind a microphone. Still, social media is part of the game podcasters play. And we know we can't get by just posting a link to our latest episode and thinking we've covered all our social media bases. Yet that damned blank text field or panic-inspiring selfie view that signals the start of a social media post haunts many podcasters. So here are ten quick questions to ask yourself the next time it happens to you: 1. Did someone recently leave you inspired with a new episode idea? No need to wait for the final episode to publish. Share and tag that person! 2. Did you recently record a fantastic interview? Again—tag 'em and share it! Next time, as soon as you end the recording session. 3. Has anything changed in your podcast tech stack? Some in your social circles will find this interesting enough to see what's new. 4. Did you recently schedule an episode? Let your audience know you've just scheduled a fantastic episode, even if it won't come out for days or weeks. 5. Have you learned something new? If you picked up a new trick or technique you're excited about putting into place on your podcast—share that! 6. Did you just sculpt the most fantastic bit of sound? Take a screenshot of your DAW and use it as the background of an audiogram showcasing your mad skillz. 7. Have you made any personnel changes? Tag your new hires or your new outsourced vendors and tell your audience why you're excited. 8. Have you been noodling on writing an article? All of today's social media properties allow for long-form content. 9. Are you frustrated, scared, or facing yet another existential crisis? Open up and be vulnerable about that reality. That sort of honesty is almost always repaid with an outpouring of support. 10. What's happening?If all else fails, post about your life. No, not every single thing about your life is something that should be posted on social media. But at the same time, not everything you post on social should be about your podcast.
Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company)
Links
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.
Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families,...
Podcast discovery isn't broken. It's just not one thing. And it gets a lot easier to improve podcast discoverability when a podcast listening app specializes in just one type of content. So... how's that going? Photo by https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-of-wow-word-from-scrabble-letters-and-headphones-6005405/ (DS stories from Pexels) Four years ago, I dreamed of a rather different podcast listening by the year 2026. Since we're at the middle point of that "prediction" (it wasn't a prediction), let's see how my prognostication is trending. (It wasn't a prognostication.) My vision for future podcast listening apps was that some of them would start to specialize. Rather than trying to service the needs of all podcast listeners, they'd narrow their focus, customizing the entire experience, from discovery to listening. And that would be pretty cool, I thought, because there are lots of types of podcasts that would lend themselves to a more customized experience rather than work sorta-kinda OK on the one-size-fits-all podcast listening apps. My prediction (again, not a prediction) seems to be coming true! I know of two apps that have done this in wildly different ways by focusing in on wildly different types of content. The first is Apollo, customized to finding and listening to fiction podcasts. It's similar to many listening apps but lists only a few thousand shows. But the experience is tailored because listening to fiction podcasts differs significantly from listening to an episodic interview show. The second is Maps.fm (I'm on their advisory board) that smartly focuses just on localized content, using a map-based interface for discovery. Again, they don't have every episode of every podcast. But they are working on indexing every episode that is about a particular geographical area. And that's just two. I'm sure there are some I don't know about. So yeah, I think my vision (totally wasn't a vision) is coming true. Here's to seeing what the next four years bring!
Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company)
Links
https://www.apollopods.com/ (Apollo) https://maps.fm/ (Maps.fm)
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.
Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are...
Too many podcasters skip a key step when publishing: the episode details. Or show notes, as you've likely called them. This helpful text isn't optional. It's required. And I'll give you five new reasons why. Photo by https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-with-beaded-necklace-covering-her-mouth-with-her-hand-8689920/ (Mikael Blomkvist from Pexels) Four years ago, I implored my fledgling audience to spend more time making better episode details. "Stop writing shitty show notes!" I said. That's still excellent advice. But the reasons why have changed a lot since 2018. That, and not everyone heard my plea, so I'm making it again but updating it to reflect 2022 realities for podcasting. Reason #1: Podcast players are getting better. They're more functional, often giving listeners plenty of reasons to interact with the episode as it plays. Other shows are doing it. You should be too. Reason #2: Podcast credits are becoming a thing. I love hearing 2–3 minute credit rolls. What I don't love is not knowing the proper spelling or knowing where to find more about that important person. Text! Links! Images! Please? Reason #3: Episode details are a good SEO practice. Yes, podcast apps suck at search. But some are getting better, and more of us making solid episode details encourage more app developers to take this issue seriously. Reason #4: Episode details make for great repurposed content! Twitter threads. Long-form posts on LinkedIn. An idea generator for spreading the episode far and wide. A savvy podcaster will find plenty of uses for a well-written summary. Reason #5: Good episode details prime you to do more in the future. Listening apps are evolving and adding more functionality. So getting in the habit now of taking the time to write quality episode details will keep your eye on the future.
Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company)
Links
https://soundsprofitable.com/thedownload (The Download) http://soundsprofitable.com (Sounds Profitable)
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.
Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the...
Podcasters have a lot of jobs. One we don't often think of is being ambassadors for podcasting. But it's an important job if we're to grow the entire podcasting pie. Start by having some IHNIs at the ready. https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/changing-the-minds-of-non-podcast-listeners-one-ihni-at-a-time What's an IHNI? That's a podcast episode that makes someone—someone who thinks podcasts aren't for them—look up and say "I had no idea podcasts could sound like this!" Spoiler: A lot of people feel that way. Bad experiences, misconceptions about what podcasting is... there are myriad ways why someone thinks that. The best way to break that cycle? Show them an amazing podcast episode! Do I mean an episode of your podcast? Not necessarily. Or likely, even. Set aside your self-interests for a moment. You're trying to get someone hooked on podcasting, not your podcast! Many podcasts—like mine—aren't the right choice for reluctant listeners. So we have to go out of our way to find podcast episodes that will knock someone's socks off. When you find one, save it on your phone. I use Spotify for this, as it's not my daily driver, but almost everyone has Spotify on their phone. And having my Your Episodes folder filled with exquisite examples of what podcasting can be makes me a good ambassador when I encounter a hesitant listener. You can do it too. Build your own list of INHIs. And the next time you hear someone say "yeah, podcasting isn't for me", you'll have a great opportunity to show them a better way.
Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company)
Links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon%27s_law (Sturgeon's law) https://twitter.com/evoterra?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor&lang=fr (@evoterra on Twitter) https://soundsprofitable.com/thecreators2022 (The Creators report) https://www.20k.org/ (Twenty Thousand Hertz) http://loveandradio.org/ (Love + Radio)
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.
Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to
Listening to podcasts is like eating a submarine sandwich. Making a podcast is like making a submarine sandwich. But too many podcasters try to make one like they eat one. Let's fix that. Photo by https://www.pexels.com/photo/little-girl-eating-huge-delicious-sandwich-5693056/ (Alex Green from Pexels) Do you eat a submarine sandwich (hoagie) from the middle? Of course not. That would be silly. You start eating at one end. And you keep eating from that same end until you reach the other end. Or until you give up, decide you don't care for it, run out of time to finish, or just stop when you've had your fill That's exactly how podcasts are consumed. They're started from the front, not the middle. You listen from the beginning and you keep listening until you reach the other end. Or until you give up, decide you don't are for it, run out of time to finish, or just stop when you've had your fill. Sandwiches and podcasting have something in common when we "eat" them. But not when we make them. Sandwiches aren't assembled one bite at a time until they form a complete sandwich. But for a lot of podcasters, that's exactly how they make their podcasts. Because they don't know of any other way. Or they get turned on by all the new gear and software designed to make record-and-release podcasts. Can you do that? Sure. But I don't think you should. There are more appropriate places for the record-and-release style of audio, many of which didn't exist just a few years ago. A linear style of producing spoken word, where you start at the beginning and progress until you get to the end, adding in the music, guests, co-hosts, segments, effects, and whatever else is needed in real-time... we call that live radio. Or live streaming. Or social audio. Or whatever comes next that makes it even easier just sit down and talk. But I think we're already seeing a division in audiences and audience expectations. Those that want that kind of raw, in-the-moment experience. And those who want content that's been edited, shaped, and transformed into something that can only be experienced as a podcast. Take a look at any ranker or chart and you'll see that today's podcast listeners are voting for the kinds of shows that take more time and care than can be put into a linear record-and-release style of show or platform. That's what makes podcasting special. So let's keep doing more of that, please.
Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company)
Links
Any Links Mentioned (and then the standard links and credits will follow:
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode: Captivate.fm Whether you’re a new or veteran podcaster, if you’re serious about audience growth then Captivate unique feature set and proven, deep-dive education should be the next thing you try. Get a 7-day free trial and access to Captivate’s Podcast Growth Labs at Captivate.fm. https://podcast-pontifications.captivate.fm/captivate (Captivate.fm) Support For...
Growth and monetization are at the top of every podcaster's wish list. At least every podcaster who's yet to achieve those two things. Or perhaps not at the level said podcaster is happy with for their own show. Buzzsprout aims to change the growth and monetization question with a new product they've just released called https://evoterra.link/buzzsproutads (Buzzsprout Ads.) And interestingly enough, they're tackling both of those challenges—growth and monetization—with the same solution. A solution built for indie podcasters of all sizes. Alban Brooke, Head of Marketing at Buzzsprout, thinks the new service is a great way for indie podcasters to get massive reach with promos for their podcast. And he says it's a great way for Buzzsprout podcasters to monetize their podcast. Buzzsprout Ads is pretty clever, with a dead-simple signup process for would-be promoters (like me!) On the other side, their system intelligently analyzes all episodes of a podcast to find just the right mid-roll spot. And yes, the podcaster can adjust those. How does it get scale from smaller indie podcasters? Because it's inserting ads into the entire catalog of episodes, not just the most recent. Long tail, FTW! CPM is set at $20 and the podcaster makes 70% of that. Minimum buy for promoters is currently $100. And yes, I have ads running right now. Let me know if you hear them on another podcast about podcasting! And if you want to try it for yourself, go to https://evoterra.link/buzzsproutads (buzzsprout.com/ads) and give it a shot for your own podcast. Let me know how it goes. Full disclosure, Buzzspout is the Branded Benefit Spnosor of this episode. But that $100 I spent was all mine!
Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company)
Links
https://evoterra.link/buzzsproutads (buzzsprout.com/ads) https://www.linkedin.com/in/albanbrooke/ (Alban Brooke), Head of Marketing at Buzzsprout
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.
Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each...
Politicians get in trouble for flip-flopping on issues. But for podcasters, changing opinions and approaches is a survival tactic. Think about these three questions over the next few months to prep your show for 2023 & beyond. https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-a-paper-taped-on-a-wall-3826572/ (Photo by cottonbro from Pexels) Today I'm sharing with you three challenges on the horizon that will require shifts in your/our ways of thinking. I'm convinced that all of these will leave a mark on podcasting. What shape and what color that mark is I really don't know. Much of that is up to you and how you deal with them for your own podcasting efforts. 1. Dissing Of Programmatic Has Got To Stop This ongoing fad of dissing programmatic content is counter-productive. And yes, I have read the exact same studies you read that show how much more "effective" hard-to-buy, baked-in, endorsement-style, host-read ads are. I just don't believe that the majority of companies eager to spend money on easy-to-buy programmatic ads care about those studies. So even if you are anti-programmatic ads, at least be open to having your mind changed. I'd hate to see you miss out on opportunities because you thought you protecting your audience. They're probably not as fragile as you think. 2. Stop Ignoring Video For the new group of "listeners" coming to podcasting, there is an assumption that video will be and should be a part of their podcast experience. And when they don't find that video component on your podcast, they're going to wonder why you aren't providing that experience for them. I think the question you need to start asking yourself over the next few months needs to shift away from Do I need a video component? to line up with the question those people are already asking: What's stopping you from having a video component? 3, Lean Into Paid Subscriptions "Podcasting should be free and open!", I can hear you shouting at me right now. I'm good with that! But having the majority of podcasting be free and open doesn't preclude a paid-for and closed subset of podcasting. Nor does a paid-for and closed subset of podcasting threaten the free and open majority of podcasting. Not in my mind. I think they can live happily side by side, simply because they are happily living side-by-side right now! There's little doubt that the friction for subscriptions is coming down quickly for both listeners and creators. So it's worth your time to consider how you can embrace this as a way to better serve your audience. Those three are enough for right now. If over the next three to six months you can figure out how to adapt your show to take better advantage of just one of them—I think you'll win. And I think you and your show will sail through the challenges ahead.
Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company)
Links
http://podcastpontifications.com (Podcast Pontifications website) https://www.youtube.com/c/PodcastPontificationsVideos (Podcast Pontifications on YouTube)
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it...
Big Podcasting seems almost designed to collect advertising dollars, with very little left for small to mid-sized podcasts. Rather than fighting for table scraps, maybe the narrative needs to be changed. https://www.pexels.com/photo/silhouette-photo-of-man-throw-paper-plane-1262304/ (Photo by Rakicevic Nenad from Pexels) Big advertisers like to spend money on big shows simply because it's easier than spending money on smaller shows. https://www.magellan.ai/blog-categories/top-15 (Magellan AI tells us the top 15 advertisers are spending more than $1.3 million on podcast ads each month). At an average CPM of $25, that's a lot of M's to manage. About 52 million impressions, in fact. If you're that ad buyer, how many podcasts do you want to spread your money around? The answer is as few as possible. Put yourself in their shoes, with a $500,000 media budget (1/3 of what the top advertisers are spending). Would you spend it $1000 at a time across 500 shows? No, of course not. How about $50,000 across 10 shows? Maybe. But $100,000 across 5 shows makes it even easier on you. And yeah... for the same return. That's not good news for shows that aren't generating millions of downloads per episode. How are shows with more modest audiences supposed to compete? By not competing, actually. Good luck trying to justify why spending $500 on your show is worth some insanely high CPM of $50 to $200 or more. That's a fight you're going to lose nine times out of 10. Instead, reframe the conversation. Don't even use the language of advertising. None of it! Offer custom sponsorships and partnerships big shows simply won't do because they don't need to. Branded segments. Branded episodes. Or a series of branded episodes. Each produced in conjunction with the sponsor. Solid, valuable content that you can only make because of the involvement of that sponsor. Smaller companies are often looking for ways to outdo (but not outspend) their bigger competitors. Getting creative and providing real value through clever partnering and sponsorships that only your show can deliver sure sounds like that's something worth trying regardless of your show's size.
Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company)
Links
https://podnews.net/press-release/siriusxm-team-coco (Team Coco acquired by SXM) https://rainnews.com/marc-maron-and-wtf-to-join-acast/ (WTF with Marc Maron to let Acast handle ad sales and distribution exclusively) https://www.magellan.ai/blog-categories/top-15 (Magellan AI tells us the top 15 advertisers are spending more than $1.3 million on podcast ads each month) https://digiday.com/media/podcasters-are-pitching-longer-more-lucrative-ads-but-ad-buyers-prefer-shorter-cheaper-spots/ (Article from Digiday)
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer...
Today's podcast landscape is busy. So is it still possible to grow a really big podcast? Yes, but you can't rely on just good content and luck. You have to address these five realities. (And get a little lucky.) What does it take to have a really, really big podcast in 2022? It'll take more than just making great content. It'll take more than satisfying your audience. If you're not content to let your show grow over time, you have to do more. Sorry, there isn't an easy-to-follow recipe to creating a really, really big podcast. If there was, everyone would follow it. But I can, perhaps, help you out with the mindset it takes to have a really, really big podcast today. Realize That Reality Trumps A BHAG If your goal is to have the number one podcast in your category, knocking the current leader out of their position, or to just the top 10 list, do you know what it takes to get on that list? Do you know what the shows that are already on the list have done to get there? Maybe you've set a goal of 100,000 downloads per episode so you can monetize seriously. Cool. Do you have the first idea of what you need to do to make that happen? How did other shows do it? Are you banking on luck to get you there? Become Undeniably Unique If you want to have a really big podcast that defines the category, it needs to be demonstrably different. You can't sit back and rely on guests or other contributors to do the heavy lifting. You have to put in the work. And it doesn't stop with episodes. You have to ensure your undeniable uniqueness carries through to all aspects of your show: your website, your social media shares, heck even the emails you send. If that means changing how you communicate on other channels... well, that's a price to pay for having a really big podcast. Your Angle Is More Important Than Your Topic Why should anyone listen to what you have to say on a topic? Especially if it's a topic that already is well covered, as most topics already are. To break out, you have to develop and pursue an angle that clearly demonstrates why you and your podcast are worthy of being called the authoritative voice. This Is Going To Cost Money So Make Sure It's Worth It Having a really big podcast today almost certainly means putting a sizeable marketing budget behind it. And by sizeable, I may mean jaw-dropping amounts of money on each of those. What's the payoff? Before you drop $10–15K per episode to engage a top-notch production firm or spend $50,000 per month on a promotional plan, you must have clear measurement systems in place that aren't based on hope. 5. Keep Your Eye On The Prize If you're investing seriously to get a really big podcast for yourself you need to ensure that your time and money are both well spent. If you're not seeing results quickly enough, or you're not seeing any at all, then prepare to make adjustments. Just because you put it in your plan doesn't mean it's going to work. In fact, many of the tactics and strategies you put in place won't work. So you'll have to adapt constantly. That's what think it takes to have a big podcast in 2022. A very different list of things than what it took five years ago, I'm sure you'll agree. And it's completely disassociated from any advice that you might've received 15 years ago back when just keep plugging along was all you had to do to have a really good shot at making a big podcast.
Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company)
Links
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released
The next few months are looking pretty rough for podcasting. And just about every other industry. Historically, podcasting has proven itself to be rather resilient. But there are lean times ahead. Are you prepared?
podcasting
Photo by https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-pink-suede-long-waller-910122/ (Robert Bogdan from Pexels) Everything just looks... bad right now. War in Europe. A down market. High inflation. Personal liberties revoked. Even crypto is tanking. So to ask the question outright: can podcasting survive the coming storm? Yes. But not because it's too big to fail. Because podcasting is too diverse to fail. First, some good news: I'm stoked to welcome https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomwebster/ (Tom Webster) to the https://soundsprofitable.com/ (Sounds Profitable) team. Both Tom and http://linkedin.com/in/bryanbarletta (Bryan) share in my commitment to make podcasting better, and you're going to love what we're cooking up. OK. Back to the bad news: I don't know a single serious podcaster who isn't looking at the world around them and wondering just how their world will change in the coming months. Me included. But I'm convinced that podcasting will survive simply because I don't see podcasting, or even podcasters, as a monolithic group. But that doesn't mean all podcasters will survive. Candidly, I think "big podcasting" will face the brunt of the onslaught, with casualties expected. Faced with financial pressures, businesses start cutting costs. And one of the first line items to be cut is always advertising and marketing. And podcasting is often under that umbrella. If you're getting paid to run ads on your show, you may see some of your advertisers pull back. So start having conversations with those advertisers now or your agency rep now. And be ready to be flexible and creative. If you're pursuing paid campaigns for the growth of your show, start talking to the other shows, sites, and services you advertise on to see what their plans are. And watch your performance metrics! If people or companies pay you to podcast on their behalf, start talking to your clients and help assuage their fears. And if you get the impression their commitment is wavering...at least you know ahead of time, right? If you work for a company in the business of podcasting, start talking to your bosses. Don't expect the CFO to lay everything out on the table for you, but it never hurts to ask. Gently, though. None of us know how this is going to play out. But it will play out, one way or another. Keep your eyes open. Plan for the worst but hope for the best. The coming recession won't kill podcasting, and I hope you, your show, or your services make it through to the other side.
Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company)
Links
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomwebster/ (Tom Webster) https://soundsprofitable.com/ (Sounds Profitable) http://linkedin.com/in/bryanbarletta (Bryan Barletta)
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support....
Big tech provided podcasting's first shot in the arm in the early days. In fact, big tech often provided the catalyst for several inflection points in podcasting's history. But recently, the tide seems to be shifting. https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-woman-using-virtual-goggles-8728379/ (Photo by Michelangelo Buonarroti from Pexels) Big Tech does not care about podcasting the way we care about podcasting. There. I said it. Rememberhttps://techcrunch.com/2022/03/04/twitter-podcast-tab-spaces/ ( Twitter's big podcasting plans) from just a few weeks ago? Now it's a pretty safe bet that those plans are all out the window as Twitter reshuffles to a new set of priorities now that there's a new sheriff in town. And remember a few months ago when Facebook let ushttps://www.theverge.com/2021/6/16/22537023/facebook-podcast-rss-feed-publish-clips-pages ( link our podcasts' RSS feeds to our Facebook page)? That fizzled out, and it's now "Metaverse or bust". And now we're waiting to learn more abouthttps://podnews.net/update/youtube-podcasting-plans ( YouTube's plans for utter podcast domination). And we've conveniently forgotten about all other instances Google disappointed podcasting over the last two decades. Paid subscriptions on Apple and Spotify haven't yet been widely adopted by a majority of podcasters. Will those tech giants shift away? Social or drop-in audio apps are seeing appalling attrition and declining user rates. How much longer will those be around? All of this reinforces my notion that Big Tech does not care about podcasting. At least not the way that you and I care about podcasting. So what do we do about it? Two ideas: 1. Out-rank apps & directories. You don't have to know a damned thing about SEO to own the #1 search spot for your show. It's enough to write good content and create a fantastic on-page experience. 2. Own the relationship with your audience. That can't be taken away. But it means figuring out what you can create that's worthy of them signing up to receive and looking forward to receiving. That's just two things. Two things you can start working on right away to keep you from being at the whims of changing priorities, tantrums, reactions to perceived governmental overreach, or anything else Big Tech companies are wont to do.
Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company)
Links
https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/04/twitter-podcast-tab-spaces/ (Twitter's big podcasting plans) https://www.reuters.com/technology/exclusive-twitter-set-accept-musks-best-final-offer-sources-2022-04-25/ (What would you do with $44 billion dollars?) https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/16/22537023/facebook-podcast-rss-feed-publish-clips-pages (Facebook now imports podcasts' RSS feeds) https://me.mashable.com/tech/16636/facebook-is-reportedly-halting-its-podcasting-plans (Facebook pivots away from podcasting) https://podnews.net/update/youtube-speaks (YouTube's nothing burger event at Podcast Movement Evolutions) https://podnews.net/update/youtube-podcasting-plans (YouTube's plans for utter podcast domination) https://podnews.net/article/apple-podcasts-top-channels (Slow adoption of premium podcasting via Apple or Spotify) https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/spotify-greenroom-live-1235231178/ (Spotify shifting social audio attention)
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him
Everyone agrees that pre-produced, lifted-from-radio ads suck on podcasts, and that host-read ads are the clear winner. But is that true for every podcast? More importantly, is it true for your podcast? https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/host-read-podcast-ads-arent-always-the-right-answer I think we put too much emphasis on the idea that host-read ads are the be-all end-all for podcasting. Not that I have any doubts about the https://soundsprofitable.com/update/good-data-back-to-basics (myriad case studies and the reports) that provide ample evidence to the fac that yes, podcasting's host-read ads beat the pants off of just about every other form of audio advertising. The reason host-read ads work really, really well is not because the host of the show is reading out the ad. Yes, I know that sounds weird. But it's not the host reading that does it. It's the audience trusting the recommendations of the host. A host-read ad is—and I know I'm oversimplifying, but not much—a recommendation. A powerful one, but that power only extends so far. It's delineated, more or less, by the domain of the topics and issues discussed on the podcast. I'd be heavily influenced by a car recommendation from the host of a car podcast. But life insurance? Nope. I'd listen to a birder podcaster tell me what binocular to buy. But their opinion on patio furniture is less important. And don't forget the myriad fiction, news, or straight-up educational podcasts where there isn't a strong and central host. In all of those cases, there's not even an option for a true host-read ad. Keep that in mind and look closely at the type of show you're producing before you assume that ad types other than host-read aren't applicable. They might be. And they might work even better.
Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company)
Links
https://soundsprofitable.com/update/good-data-back-to-basics (Podcast advertising case studies) https://twitter.com/Clew_less/ (Andrew Clews) https://twitter.com/dbwilldo (Don Burnside) https://www.motoringpodcast.com/ (Motoring Podcast) https://www.whiteroofradio.com/ (White Roof Radio) https://twitter.com/Suzy_Bee (Suzy Buttress) https://casualbirder.com/ (The Casual Birder Podcast)
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode: Captivate.fm Whether you’re a new or veteran podcaster, if you’re serious about audience growth then Captivate unique feature set and proven, deep-dive education should be the next thing you try. Get a 7-day free trial and access to Captivate’s Podcast Growth Labs at Captivate.fm. https://podcast-pontifications.captivate.fm/captivate (Captivate.fm) Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.
Abortion is a basic healthcare need for...
Podcasting's purveyors of picks and shovels—the myriad service providers that make our space an actual industry—are filled with smart people. But smarts only gets you so far. What's needed is experience. I have a pointed, actionable message for everyone who works in the business of podcasting. If you work in the business of podcasting, you need to be a podcaster. If you're feeling called out right now, relax. I'm not advocating for your immediate dismissal. My position is that you should want to have your own podcast, either a solo show or a group effort, because being a podcaster will make you better at your job. It will accelerate your career trajectory. It will increase your value, present and future, and it will make you all the more resilient and able to withstand the upheaval our industry faces every single day. By becoming a person who works in the business of podcasting and is a podcaster, you'll gain a greater appreciation for the role you play in the podcast ecosystem at your job that no amount of training can ever provide. By becoming a person who works in the business of podcasting and is a podcaster, you'll have more than just an appreciation of the effort it takes to put out a podcast; you'll gain empathy for the clients of your company who do. That empathy will lead to understanding, and understanding will make you more efficient and more effective because you'll know the crux points faced as a podcaster because you too faced them as a podcaster. But I do not care what your show is about, where you host it, and even if you can grow it. Sure, start on a free hosting platform. Collaborate if you can. But also try your hand at every aspect. Start with free tools. Spend time hanging out in online communities. All of that is valuable experience. Just don't worry about making a hit, finding sponsors, or landing big guests. All you have to do is learn what it truly means to make a podcast. I assure you that doing so will make you that much more valuable to the podcast-related company you work for today, as well as podcast-related companies you might work for tomorrow.
Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company)
Links
https://www.apple.com/mac/garageband/ (GarageBand) https://www.audacityteam.org/ (Audacity) https://www.descript.com/ (Descript) https://hindenburg.com/products/hindenburg-pro/ (Hindenburg Pro) https://www.adobe.com/products/audition.html (Adobe Audition) https://www.avid.com/pro-tools (Pro Tools) https://www.canva.com/ (Canva) https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/spaces (Twitter Spaces)
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.
Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the...
Fishing where the fish are is a solid strategy, so using similar podcasts to promote your podcast is obviously a good idea, right? You bet! But like any marketing effort, what you put in determines what you get out. Cross-promotion has been a part of podcasting since there were two podcasts. Cross-promo campaigns make up the backbone of growth plans for large podcast networks and are used by some of the biggest podcasters to increase the size of their audience. Let's start with a successful podcaster who spends $10,000/month on a successful cross-promotional campaign. But maybe you only have $1000 in your budget. Or $100. Will it still work for you? Yes, but about 100 times less well. According to http://dzohrob (Dave Zorhob), co-founder and CEO of Chartable, the new listener acquisition rate for cross-promotions was 0.75%. Not 75%. Point-seven-five. Less than one percent. With 10,000 impressions of your promotion, that's 70–80 new listeners. With 1000 impressions, it's seven to eight new listeners. And with only 100 impressions, you'll be lucky to get one new listener. So why do podcasters do this if the math sucks so bad? At scale, that math works fine and it doesn't suck at all. Acquiring a lot of new listeners for $3 each makes sense if the impressions they generate over the course of a year are worth $7.50 or more. And that is precisely why big shows and big networks spend big bucks on effective cross-promotional campaigns. To increase their available and saleable inventory If your show is on the smaller scale, or if you're not selling ads or have another hard outcome with your podcast that you can directly trace back to increased listenership, then the scale problem is real and probably out of balance for you. But that doesn't mean that you should give up on running a podcast cross-promotion! A new listener or two is a new listener or two. Just understand the realities. And don't expect your listener numbers to skyrocket unless you've got big bucks to spend.
Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company)
Links
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.
Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures...
One of the ways we make podcasting better is by holding the people who work in podcasting accountable for doing better. I'm using my induction into the Podcast Hall of Fame to shine more light on that. Image courtesy of http://twitter.com/sheila_dee (Sheila Dee) In case you missed the memo, I was inducted into the https://podcasthof.com/hall-of-fame/ (Podcast Hall of Fame) last weekend. For those who don't have ~2 hours to watch the video hosted on Libsyn's account of the entire event, I've isolated out just my bit for today's episode. I talked a bit about the various perspectives of the people in podcasting. But the main thrust of my talk was about the perspective of people who are aware of podcasting but still aren't picking up what we're putting down. What do we look like to them? It's great that https://www.edisonresearch.com/the-infinite-dial-2022/ (the diversity of podcast listeners is now nearly matching and in some cases exceeding the diversity of the overall country). But that's just listeners. Creators and service providers still over-index on the old white dude scale. I'm doing what I can to change that by leading by example. I no longer apply to speak at podcast conferences because I don't want to force a well-meaning conference organizer to choose between me or someone from an underrepresented group to be on the stage. Someone whose ideas, work, and opinions deserve to be heard by more people. I'll speak at conferences if invited, but only after I do my homework. If (when)the headshots of other speakers aren't sufficiently diverse, I make them invite speakers from underrepresented groups. And if they refuse or are unable to comply with my request, I turn down the offer to speak. I've much the same attitude when I interact with my peers in the podcasting industry, and I don't shy away from calling my fellow old white dudes out on their bullshit or their bad behavior. I'm not virtue signaling here. I call them out because I've been there, spewing similar bullshit or exhibiting similar bad behavior. A friend of mine once said to me, "You get away with so much because you're Evo." She was right. That wasn't good. And it's up to me to do better. I'm trying every day. And because it was an awards speech, I thanked a bunch of people, like: http://twitter.com/sheila_dee (Sheila Dee), https://www.facebook.com/michael.mennenga (Mike Mennenga) https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanialunwin (NJ Unwin) https://twitter.com/TeeMonster (Tee Morris) https://twitter.com/markjeffrey (Mark Jeffrey) https://twitter.com/scottsigler (Scott Sigler) https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069795018864 (Chris Miller) https://www.linkedin.com/in/timlwhite/ (Tim White) https://www.linkedin.com/in/brantsteen (Brant Steen) https://linkedin.com/in/podcast411 (Rob Walsh) https://twitter.com/GaryLeland (Gary Leland) https://twitter.com/jaredeasley (Jared Easley) https://twitter.com/dmfranks (Dan Franks) https://twitter.com/1LanceAnderson (Lance Anderson) http://twitter.com/bkkgreg (Greg Jorgensen) https://twitter.com/Global_Gaz (Ric Gazarian) https://twitter.com/alushlifemanual (Susan Schwartz) https://twitter.com/Daughterpick (Allie Press) http://twitter.com/walkersam (Sam Walker) http://twitter.com/bryanbarletta (Bryan Barletta) http://twitter.com/jamescridland (James Cridland) http://twitter.com/libsyn (Libsyn) https://www.captivate.fm/ (Captivate) https://maps.fm/ (Maps.fm) https://scribl.com/ (Scribl) the https://mobile.twitter.com/bipoccreators (BIPOC Podcast Creators) community,
... and the myriad people and companies I couldn't squeeze in. (Did I mention I was over time?)
Other Links http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout) Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the...
I give you, the serious podcaster, lots of things to think about. Not just about the future of podcasting, but how you can make podcasting better. Now I'm giving you another gift: some of your time back. Image via https://www.rawpixel.com/image/139790/premium-photo-image-megaphone-loud-adult (RawPixel) This is the final episode of Season 4 of Podcast Pontifications. Yes, that's quicker than anticipated. But don't fret, because Season 5 of Podcast Pontifications will start on Wednesday, March 30th, 2022. And new episodes will drop every Wednesday following that! But only Wednesdays. As I've been hinting about in the last few episodes, this show is... a lot. And you've already got a lot going on as a serious podcaster. Asking you to spend 10 minutes listening to me, reading me, or watching me four days a week... it adds up. And I really want you to think about how the questions and concepts I bring to you on each episode impact your life as a podcaster. And it'd be great if maybe you could even put them into practice! I'm not making that easy to do when I'm shoving another question or idea into your brain 24 hours later. So starting Wednesday, my philosophical deep-dives into the most pressing questions about podcasting for serious podcasters will switch to a weekly format. I've shopped this around to a few people, including many I engaged with last week at Podcast Movement Evolutions 2022. So far, every single person I've shared this with has breathed a sigh of relief. They too are busy and it's been hard for them to keep up with the fire hose of content I shove out four days a week. Moving to a weekly publishing schedule means more great news: no month-long summer break for me in June, my birthday month (though if you want to buy me a present, feel free), and no Long Winter's Nap to where I don't put out episodes during November and December of each year. Nope. Weekly means weekly, and you can count on new episodes or newsletters (or both if you're really a fan) dropping every Wednesday morning at the standard publishing time you've grown accustomed to; 10:00 AM Phoenix time. If you're one of the few who opts to pay for a subscription(thank you very much for your support) on https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-pontifications/id1438981144 (Apple Podcasts), https://open.spotify.com/show/7JqIHVGhX2FaRYNQE6AkBp?si=a50c59ccf91e4011 (Spotify), or via http://buymeacoffee.com/evoterra (Buy Be A Coffee), you'll get the episode/newsletter a few hours before anyone else. So if you'd like to support the show and be an early bird, you have options! Again, the first season of Season 5 of Podcast Pontifications will drop on Wednesday, March 30th, 2022. New episodes weekly after that. Thank you so much for listening to, reading, or watching me pontificate about podcasting all these years. I'm excited to keep on doing that, but now at a more sustainable frequency. I shall be back directly with yet another Podcast Pontifications. Cheers! Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.
Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few....
When people complete your latest podcast episode, what do you want them to do? Reflect on your brilliance? Bask in a sense of satisfaction? Or would simply remembering what you said 5 minutes later be enough? Making your podcast memorable isn't easy. There isn't an easy-to-fill-out template or checklist to get you there. Even if you do manage the herculean feat of making a truly memorable episode, your memorable episode is in direct competition with dozens of other pieces of content your listeners are exposed to that very same day. And we quite literally cannot keep everything in our active memory. So what's the trick to making memorable podcasts? Here are a few practical tips that I use that you too can use 1. Have a schtick. I know it sounds gimmicky. But if people are memorizing repeatable parts of your show, there's a good chance they'll remember other parts of your episodes too. 2. Be about one thing. If your format allows it, try to keep your episode to just one topic. Even if you have an interview show, you can ask your guest about just one thing. (And you can always invite them back to talk about more things!) 3. Reinforce and repeat. Don't assume the nuggets you or your guests drop will be picked up. Call them out. Make a big deal out of them. And then end with a recap of the key point for good measure. 4. Less is more. What you found fascinating in creator-mode may seem tedious and even boring to those listening in enjoying-content-mode. Try to take an objective listen before you make your final edits. 5. Don't flood your audience. By that I mean don't give them more to think about than they can handle. I've been guilty of this on Podcast Pontifications but I'm finally doing something about it starting next week. Stay tuned for more!
Links https://evoterra.link/vocalize (Vocalize Inc) http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout) Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.
Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t
Podcasting is an audio-first medium consumed on devices that have built-in microphones. Yet the listening experience is reliant on eyes and hands. What would a voice-only listener experience look like? https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/a-glimpse-of-podcastings-voice-only-future Building on my talk with the CEO of https://evoterra.link/vocalize (Vocalize), today we'll explore a "what if" scenario where podcast listeners only have to use voice commands to control their podcast listening experience. Let's first focus on the idea of reserving a memorable phrase for your podcast that when spoken aloud with intent or accompanied by an activation phrase does more than just take someone to your podcast. Can it drop them into where they left off? If they're caught up, could it recommend a different podcast from your network? Or an episode of a different podcast where you were the guest? I know such a service seems fantastical. And I'll grant you that today it is. But I don't think it always will be. Today, we type in URLs—secret phrases—to get to a destination. It's not really a stretch to consider tomorrow we'll be able to speak a secret phrase—likely a different secret phrase than the URL—to get to a destination. Should I also register make podcasting better? Or maybe Evo Terra's podcast? And will the system be smart enough to offer suggestions or request clarification if the spoken phrase isn't an exact match? One of the first tricks a solid voice-enabled podcast listing experience has to figure out is how to navigate through the episodes of the show. That's not going to be easy. But using voice commands to navigate within an episode might be. Commands like start, stop, and skip variety seem like low-hanging fruit, along with volume up, rewind 15 seconds, or even get details. Implementing these base-level, common interactions to a voice-only mode would solve the sudsy hands or back pocket problems of podcasting. Again, I'm spitballing here. I know it's a lot of work to make this viable happen. In fact, I think the bet is it will happen. And when it does, I think it will certainly make podcasting better. (Trademark Evo Terra! Just kidding.)
Links https://evoterra.link/vocalize (Vocalize Inc) http://wannagetaway.com (wannagetaway.com) http://tires.com (tires.com) http://whoownswhoinpodcasting.com/ (whoownswhoinpodcasting.com) http://ihearthin.gs/ (ihearthin.gs) https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/carglass-inc (OttoRadio) http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout) Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in
More ad dollars flowing into podcasting is generally seen as a good thing. Yet niche podcasters don't see very much of it. Yes, there are "riches in the niches," but only if your podcast is attractive enough. Podcasting has a healthy and growing industry set up to serve the needs of both the big-money advertisers and the podcast publishers who get the lion's share of the more-than-a-billion dollars spent on podcast advertising. But that industry doesn't work all that well for podcasters on a smaller scale. Nor does it work for many potential advertisers and sponsors with more modest budgets. That doesn't preclude niche shows or smaller would-be sponsors from participating in podcast advertising and sponsorship. It just means those niche podcasters have to be little scrappy. And they can start by making their podcasts more attractive to potential sponsors. Here are five ways you might go about doing so. 1. Know Thine Audience. Deeply. Set up a survey, like https://www.edisonresearch.com/edison-research-podcast-listener-survey/%5C (the template) gifted to podcasters by Edison Research. Set up an online group, community, or forum. Or start a newsletter. You can learn a lot by just email domain names. 2. Have A Commitment To Quality Does your show present itself well? If they select a random episode—or your most recent—will it sound, look, and feel like something they'll want their brand associated with? 3. Have A Brand Story To Tell Spending money in an unexplored channel is a little scary, regardless of the size of the budget. So you might need to prime the pump by putting brand messages on your show so the brands you want to work with have a clear idea of what their money gets them. 4. Ask For The Sale Yes, put a sponsor or advertiser inquiry page on your website. But also put your sales hat on and start making phone calls, sending emails, and brushing up your LinkedIn profile as you go on the hunt for dollars. 5. Grow Your Podcast's Audience Yes, some brand-based sponsors are going to want to know how many people your podcast reaches. Advertising and sponsorship is often a numbers game, but so is talking to the right audience in the right way. Grow wisely.
Links https://evoterra.link/vocalize (Vocalize Inc) https://www.edisonresearch.com/edison-research-podcast-listener-survey/%5C (Podcast listener survey template) via Edison Research http://podcastpontifications.com/survey (Take the survey for Podcast Pontifications) http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout) Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S....
Podcast advertising has much greater recall than other forms of ads. But how many times have you forgotten a URL, a coupon code, or even the name of the advertiser when you were ready to take action? Podcast advertising is hard. On all sides of the equation if I'm honest. One company, https://evoterra.link/vocalize (Vocalize Inc)., is trying to change that. They're the Branded Benefit Sponsor this month, and here's what CEO CJ Silva told me their up to and how they are working to make podcasting better: Vocalize makes it easy for people to remember how to connect with brands. No memorizing URLs. No clunky coupon codes. Instead, listeners speak a memorable phrase into their phone—like Nike's "just do it"—to get where they need to go. And no more spending tens of thousands to get people to search for competing products and services. In essence, Vocalize is creating a bunch of "speakeasies" where podcast listeners have a secret phrase to get content. Perhaps exclusive content. Content that they can't get any other way. Click-based advertising in podcasting. But this just might be a better analog for us to get behind. We all remember jingles phrases from when we were little kids. We all sing. Or we repeat them. We find them stuck in our brains. For years. Vocalize uses that same capability within humans, giving them something that's easy to remember. Something that they'll be able to recall—and use—at any time. But you probably don't have the Vocalize app installed. They get that and is why they're focused on getting their SDK baked into apps that podcast listeners use every day, getting us closer to a future where listeners can not just talk back to the podcast they love, but use voice-enabled tech in a unique and novel way. ----- Links https://evoterra.link/vocalize (Vocalize Inc) CEO https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-silva/ (CJ Silva) http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout) Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
------ Podcast Pontifications is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released four times a week, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted by https://twitter.com/evoterra?lang=en (Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.net (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it value-for-value, and http://podcastpontifications.com/support (there are many ways to show your support). Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.
Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
If you or someone...
Podcast advertising has much greater recall than other forms of ads. But how many times have you forgotten a URL, a coupon code, or even the name of the advertiser when you were ready to take action? Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.
Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
- ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
- DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
- Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
- PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
- Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.
This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy
Sometimes the advancements we see in podcasting look pretty small compared to the hype we see and hear about in other forms of media. Would you be better off jumping ship to try the Next Big Thing? I love distractions. I think it's healthy for podcasters to explore new tools, technologies, and other nifty things that live on the periphery of podcasting. But don't get so distracted you lose sight of why you are here—to podcast. For the most part, podcasting has proven to be a rather resilient medium. Many of podcasting's purported disruptors have either fizzled out or remain little more than a curiosity. So to will the next Remember enhanced podcasting? It's been here in various forms since 2006. And on the surface, it's a compelling idea. But the fact that listeners don't have to watch or engage with their devices as they enjoy a podcast episode is one of podcasting's strongest features. It's not a weakness to be exploited. Clearly. That "pivot to video" that's been predicted for the last 16 years also has failed to happen. I'm not ignoring the huge successes of video-empowering companies like YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and others. But for similar reasons, podcasting hasn't pivoted to video. And likely won't. Social audio's entry onto the stage was fortuitous. Being lockdown for a couple of years had many craving real-time human interaction drop-in audio could provide. But producing a fun live call-in show and producing an engaging podcast episode are two very different things. And the predicted mass migration away from podcasting to producing shows exclusively on social audio platforms never materialized over any of drop-in audio's ongoing iterations. And it likely won't. And then there's the VR, AR, and metaverse movement. As much as I'd love to have a heads-up display projected onto my iris or be able to check out for a few hours in the middle of the day to a virtual beach in the tropics... none of that is going to replace podcasting. Not anytime soon. So yes, enjoy the bleeding edge, podcaster. Get out there and explore. Just don't make such a big bet on any of those distractions that you lose sight of your podcast. Podcasting has resilience. Don't lose it.
Links http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout) Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.
Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a...
Podcasters love regular listeners. And regular listeners love their podcasts. Dependability on both sides has been a driving and differentiating factor for podcasting. But is that still a good thing? When the book I'm reading ends, I go get another book. With millions of choices for me to read, there's never a time when I can't find anything to read. When the series I'm watching ends, I go get another TV series. With hundreds or maybe even thousands of shows I can watch, there's never a time when I can't find anything I want to watch. When I'm in the mood for a new movie, I'm spoiled for choice, and there's never a time when I can't find a new movie to watch. There's a lot of content at our fingertips. More content than any one person can hope to consume. People start and finish dozens or hundreds of books, tv shows, and movies every year. But a lot fewer podcasts. Not podcast episodes, which easily get to the hundreds. But discrete, podcast titles or shows. Why is that? I have a hypothesis. Edison Research's Infinte Dial report tells us that you can count the number of "shows" the average listener is actively consuming on one hand. And the most common type of podcast is the episodic, ongoing show. The type of show that doesn't give a chance to say "Well, that's over, so I guess I gotta go find something new to listen to." Episodic podcasts don't have the terminal nature of books, television series, or movies. They don't have a finite end-point. They don't have a natural conclusion. There's no "the end" experience with forces listeners to hunt for something else to fill their time. Not with most episodic podcasts. They. Just. Keep. Going. For months on end. For years. Podcasting is different from other media forms. They've adapted to provide their consumers a "get this and then get this when you're done" content fountain. But much of podcasting is still built around the "get this and then never leave mode". But I wonder for how long? Perhaps we'll learn more about that when the https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-infinite-dial-2022-tickets-290830069567?aff=edisonsocial (2022 Infinite Dial by Edison Research comes out next week).
Links https://www.edisonresearch.com/the-infinite-dial/ (Edison Research's Infinite Dial reports) http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout) Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
------ Podcast Pontifications is a production of http://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released four times a week, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted by http://twitter.com/evoterra (Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.net (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it value-for-value, and there are http://podcastpontifications.com/support (many ways to show your support). Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.
Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
Restricting access to comprehensive
The tools podcasters use are constantly changing. But we tend to ignore changes to a critical piece of our podcasts: the podcaster. Has your podcast changed to keep up with changes in your own life? I half-jokingly asked a fellow podcaster and friend the "what do you want to be when you grow up?" question. Their immediate response was unexpected and worth exploring further. "The problem, Evo," they said "with people like us is that's the wrong question. We really should be asked, 'what do we want to be this year?'" I feel that. In the 2 decades I've been podcasting, I've moved houses 11 times. I've raised a kid and now have grandkids. I've changed jobs five times. I've changed actual careers four times. I'm clearly a different person. Which means my show has effectively changed hosts, right? Podcasting is like other media forms. When there's a brand new person at the helm, things are supposed to change. They have for me. And will continue to change for me. Yet a lot of podcasts haven't changed much at all since inception. Maybe because of habit. Concerns about disappointing or turning off listeners. Maintaining an excellent cash flow. Fear of the unknown. Or perhaps the show is hosted by someone who actually knew what they wanted to be when they grew up. Think for a moment about your own show and all the changes you've seen in your life, from family to job to hobbies. Have you changed? And have you changed your show enough to match the person you are today? Would doing so make you happier? Would that re-energize you? Would that possibly re-engage your audience? And can you do it in a way that doesn't jeopardize the success you've already seen thus far? if you look in the mirror and the person staring back at you isn't the same person you see in your head, it might be time to mix things up on your podcast.
Links The https://www.bangkokpodcast.com/ (Bangkok Podcast) http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout) Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.
Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
- ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
- DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
- Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
- PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
- Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.
This podcast uses the following...
Two decades and millions of podcasts later, it's likely what you want to talk about is already talked about. But if you're not afraid of doing things differently, you can still make a splash with your new show. Photo byhttps://www.pexels.com/@belart84?utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels ( Artem Beliaikin) fromhttps://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-terrestrial-globe-scale-model-taken-1079033/?utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels ( Pexels) It's hard for anyone to keep up with all of the news about any given topic. Unless your full-time gig is keeping up with everything about one thing. For people who've acquired the podcasting habit, podcasting is where they often turn for a curated view of the important bits of their treasured topic. So podcasters like https://twitter.com/jamescridland (James Cridland) of https://podnews.net/ (Podnews) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmcc (Brian McCullough) of https://www.ridehome.info/show/techmeme-ride-home/ (Techmeme Ride Home) spend hours a day wading through a hundred and more articles, press releases, newsletters, emails, and other forms of inbound information every single day to create daily, timely episodes. Some tech services are now cropping up to help creators, either by helping them automate the "bulleted' nature of quick reads or by letting publishers re-publish podcast episodes multiple times a day so it's always fresh at the time of download. But helping people make sense of an avalanche of news with short-form episodes isn't the only business case for podcasters. Consider for a moment the two- to three-hour episodes, some of the more popular podcasts put out every week. Or more frequently. That's the price of being in the club, right? But what about the people who do care about the facts or the thought leadership occurring on those long, rambly episodes. People who just don't have the 2–3 hours to commit to listening. Would they be interested in a distilled, just-the-facts version of those episodes? If the length of a popular podcast is a barrier for many, a bulleted, facts-reported-only version could approach and perhaps even exceed the size of the audience of the source show. Maybe your next podcast?
Links https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/01/books/01podb.html (NYT piece on podiobooks from 2007) - https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/01/books/01podb.html https://podnews.net/ (Podnews) by https://twitter.com/jamescridland (James Cridland) - podnews.net/ https://www.ridehome.info/show/techmeme-ride-home/ (Techmeme Ride Home) by https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmcc (Brian McCullough)- ridehome.info/show/techmeme-ride-home/ https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/07/business/media/axios-local.html? (New York Times piece on the growth and expansion of Axios) - nytimes.com/2022/03/07/business/media/axios-local.html? https://www.spooler.fm/ (Spooler) - spooler.fm/ http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout) - evoterra.link/buzz Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). - podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! - AdvancingPodcasting.xyz
------ Podcast Pontifications is a production of Simpler Media. New episodes are released four times a week, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted by Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter (twitter.com/evoterra) for more podcasting insights as they come. Allie Press (alliepress.net) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it value-for-value, and there are many ways to show your support. -...
Figuring out what type of podcaster you want to be is important to establishing your podcast. But have you thought about and established what kind of interviewee or guest you want to be on other podcasts? Photo byhttps://www.pexels.com/@padrinan?utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels ( Miguel Á. Padriñán) fromhttps://www.pexels.com/photo/illustration-of-gray-metal-chain-in-4-digit-form-1061139/?utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels ( Pexels) Guesting on other people's podcasts is a time-honored way to gain targeted exposure for you and for your podcast to podcast listeners. It may not be the growth hack of the century (spoiler: It's not), but it is a solid top-of-the-funnel activity likely worth your time. So how do you become a better podcast guest? I don't have a pat "how to" answer at the ready. But I do have four questions you should consider that will help you boost your podcast interviewee skills. 1. Agenda or objective? An agenda means you have a few key talking points around a central theme. An objective means you have a clear call to action to push as often as you can. 2. Prep or go in cold? Prepping means you won't be hit out of the blue. But going in cold could make your answers and reactions sound more spontaneous and natural. 3. Short or long answers? Do you keep your answers direct and to the point? Or do you embrace meandering and anecdotes, leaving it up to the host or their editor to tighten things up as they see fit? 4. How accommodating will you be? Do you have only certain days or times when you can be available? Or do you have ultimate flexibility and can say "Whenever is good for you" to all requests, moving your schedule around as necessary? Now, as I said, there aren't right or wrong answers to any of those questions. If you're curious how I'd answer: I almost always have an agenda, but rarely an objective I prepare for every guesting opportunity, but not obsessively I give way too long answers but am working on going shorter I'm very accommodating, but I have some hard blocks on my calendar so I can get things done
Links https://3clipspodcast.com/ (the podcast 3 Clips by Castos) http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout) Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!
https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.
Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including
Trust in podcasting extends beyond the host and the listener to a larger, overall trust in the idea of podcasting. Interestingly, podcasting enjoys a greater level of trust than other forms of media. But for how long? In The States, https://eshap.substack.com/p/fourth-estate-sale?utm_source=url (trust in traditional broadcast media is at or near an all-time low), a trend that has been happening since the 1970s. And we're all keenly aware that, left to their own devices, the social media platforms we use every single day would serve their own interests far more often than they'd serve ours. Weirdly, podcasting doesn't follow those trends. Listeners report rather hard-to-believe trust scores for podcasts. A trust that's even extended to the ads played on podcasts. Why? Part because there's no algorithm deciding what podcast episodes someone should and shouldn't be exposed to. And because there aren't multinational media conglomerates vying for their share of a limited set of channels, frequencies, or shelf space on a newsstand. But that's changing. We're starting to see some of the same scenarios that predicated trust issues consumers have with other forms of media worming their way into podcasting. The rise of celebrity podcasters and other fast-growing personality-based podcasts are getting podcasts in the ears of 70% of the population who don't yet consume podcasts regularly. That's great! But is it good for the perception of trust in podcasting? Take a look at any of the https://podnews.net/uploads/edison-podcast-ranker-publisher-q4.png (podcast) https://tritondigitalv3.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/PodcastReports/Dec%202021%20USA%20Ranker.pdf?utm_source=podnews.net&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=podnews.net:2022-02-18 (ranker) https://www.tritondigital.com/resources/podcast-reports (charts), and you'll find plenty of shows—incredibly popular shows—that you wouldn't consider all that worthy of your trust. Mainstream media is bringing the same biases and points of view that are staples of their broadcast content to their podcasts and networks. Billions of dollars of investments in podcasting are consolidating voices, enabling more rapid production, and further siloing podcast content. But they're also getting podcasters, and people in the business of podcasting paid, which is also a Very Good Thing. But I do wonder about the cost to the trust podcasting has enjoyed thus far. And I have more thoughts (less depressing?) in both the audio and the article of this episode of @PodPont, which you can get at: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/can-podcasts-keep-the-trust-theyve-earned. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every serious podcaster should be asking athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Everyone leads busy lives, and the smart podcaster doesn't waste their audiences' time. But in your quest to tighten things up, don't forget to build in time to let your audience reflect as they listen. If there's an ongoing struggle between podcasters and podcast listeners, it is the conflict between breadth and depth. We're busy cranking out more and longer episodes. But what they want from us is to go deeper. And get to the point quicker. Yeah. That's a conflict. Sp we podcasters often look for quick fixes, employing tools to make easy subtractions from our content. We re-record our long, rambly questions or aggressively tighten up every single pause and gap between sections. Because shoving more information in less time means more depth, right? No, not really. Part of going deeper is giving your audience time to reflect as they are listening. Like you, they're doing other things as they listen. So it's up to you to sculpt reflection points, using silence, bed music, repetition of words, or other effective ways to ensure the clarity of your message is delivered. Because going deep requires clarity, which means leaving room for clarity. So yes, tighten up where you can. But also leave room in your audio for reflection. And remember that the parts of your episode where no one is talking are the parts where your audience's brains have a chance to get deeper into your episodes. That's how they feel like you're letting them be a part of the conversation. Build in time so that can happen. I dig deeper into this concept in the article and audio of @PodPont, which you can get at: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/building-reflecting-time-into-your-podcast. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every serious podcaster should be asking athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
A lot of podcasters live episode-to-episode, dreaming of getting ahead so they aren't always rushing to get an episode produced and publish. For many, that's an achievable dream. The trick is staying there. Broadly speaking, there are two types of podcasters. Those who are working on the next episode they need to produce, and those working on the next episode they need to publish. Those two groups are very much not the same. For many, the episode currently in development is the next episode the audience will hear. Sound familiar? And would you like to not be in that position? I feel you Many of us who have chosen to mirror both our production and release schedules yearn for a change. We see ostensibly-smarter-than-us podcasters working on episodes that won't publish for weeks or months and we wish we could get ahead like they are. But they aren't ahead. They're on schedule. If you work your tail off to get three or four episodes in the can, you're not ahead. But you let a production date slide. You get distracted by a fun project you think you have the bandwidth for now that you're "ahead". But you're not ahead. And you're sliding back to your baseline with every missed production opportunity. That's my reality. I was a full month "ahead" in early January. Now it's early March, and I'm about a week "ahead". I'm slipping because I didn't make every day a production day as I had done previously for 3.5 years, So my lead has gradually withered. There's no getting ahead with your podcast. There's only adjusting your calendar and developing the discipline to keep separation between your production schedule and your publishing calendar. If you can do it. I left out a lot in this thread, like a clunky workout metaphor that talks about my moobs, weirdly. Check it out in the article or the episode of @PodPont, which you can find at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/why-youll-never-get-ahead-with-your-podcast . You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every serious podcaster should be asking athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Data power the business world, and podcasting is no exception. Knowing what works and what doesn't across the whole of podcasting is a major competitive advantage. And guess who now owns it? Recently, https://newsroom.spotify.com/2022-02-16/spotify-acquires-podsights-and-chartable-to-advance-podcast-measurement-for-advertisers-and-insights-for-publishers/ (Spotify reached into their big bag of holding and pulled out enough cash to purchase both Podsights and Chartable). A good chunk of the overall podcast advertising spend is at least partially tracked by those two companies. From indie podcasters all the way up to large podcast networks. Beyond advertising, both let podcasters gain a more complete view of their shows' audience and download activity. And now, both of those services are owned by Spotify, giving Spotify access to data about more podcasts that aren't hosted on a Spotify-owned hosting company. And that may not be such a great thing. All of that collected data or additional insight can now be accessed by Spotify. All the smart promos, attribution modeling, and other nifty optimization features can now be accessed by Spotify. Because they own the companies that collect the data. Are you sure they won't peek? Spotify has placed massive, GDP-level bets on podcasting. If you listen to Daniel Ek, it seems like he's staking the future of his entire company on podcasting. Their investments—incredibly large investments—in podcasting have to pay off. Are you sure they won't mine through all of those juicy data in their quest for profit? Data collected on podcasts of every shape and size that extend well beyond those hosted on their platforms? Spotify is in the business of making money. How long can they keep their hands out of the cookie jar when the pressure from their investors to turn a profit really heats up? My bet is not very long at all. I'm not at Chicken Little level, but there are more implications I explore in the article and on the episode of @PodPont, which you can find at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/all-your-podcasts-data-are-belong-to-spotify . You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every serious podcaster should be asking athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Teens & Young Adults Prefer Listening To Podcasts Like any growing industry, podcasting needs to appeal to a younger audience, if only to keep replenishing supply as well, natural attrition occurs, shall we say. The good news is: the kids love podcasts! Edison Research dropped an early data point showing podcasts kicking the pants out of AM/FM radio. At least among 13–24 year-olds listening to spoken-word audio. If that sounds like NBD to you, let me attempt to persuade you that this is, in fact, a BD. This is about 13–24 year-olds. A mix of not-yet and the freshest consumer generation. An entire generation that discovered podcasting and is making it a preferred method of consuming entertainment, information, and education. An entire generation that will very likely carry that listening or media consumption preference forward, likely further increasing their reliance on podcasting as they continue to age. And that's what has me excited. And so does the fact that where consumption habits go, so flows investment dollars. Investment in content creation. More advertising dollars. More investments making podcast advertising more efficient and more effective. More investments in creation tools and services for a new generation of podcasters. More investment to listening tools and services a new generation of podcast listeners. And that's just scratching the surface of my excitement and the possibilities. I go a lot deeper into what it all means (or may mean) in the article and on the episode of @PodPont, which you can get at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/teens-young-adults-prefer-listening-to-podcasts. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every serious podcaster should be asking athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Podcasting has made a lot of progress in 20 years for both creators and listeners. But the overall experience isn't all that different. However, some already-here tech might drastically change things. What will the Singularity of podcasting look like? That's hard to predict. But I'm certain it won't be creator-focused advances that will bring it about. No, it'll be listener-focused advances that get us there. Which ones? Well, don't quote me on this, but I think one (or more) of these five candidates has a shot. See if you agree: Smart Speakers - It would make sense that a speaker, a device with a primary function to transmit audio to human ears that is semi-sentient, would bring about the podcast listening Singularity. That hasn't happened because the interface is really clunky. But it might not always be. Voice Assistants - Today's phones are communication and control interfaces for our world. But for voice assistants to really power the podcast listening experience without visual output for and tactile input from the listener, they're going to have to get a whole lot better. Wearables - When you wear a pair of modern wireless earbuds, you're really sticking two small computers in your ears. They have their own chipsets. They talk to one another. With some scifi-looking hand gesture tech, could they handle the complete podcast listening experience? The Metaverse - I doubt that anyone is going to log into the Metaverse just to listen to a podcast. But they might goggle into the Metaverse to engage with podcasts communities or attend podcast events. Web3 - There's far too much buzz/focus on what I see as rent-seeking/wealth-accumulation and far too little on the user-enabling benefits of Web3. However, the decentralized nature of podcasting and the decentralized nature of the blockchain ought to have some synergies. Just don't ask me how. I get even more crystal-ball-gazing (kidding, these aren't predictions) in the full article and episode of @PodPont, which I highly encourage you to read/listen to at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/when-will-the-singularity-moment-for-podcasts-happen and then, of course, share with the world.
Many podcasters follow the same playbook: Build a big audience, then give early, special, and private access to a select group who pay for the privilege. But what would happen if you flipped the script? Podcast apps and big podcast networks often rely on "windowing" to give select users—paying users—exclusive access to a podcast for a week. Sometimes a month. Indie podcasters do something similar, but we call it "early release" and keep it exclusive for a few hours or days, using specialty services to handle the mechanics for us. After the windowed or early release period is up, the episode is released to the main audience. At least that's how we think about the larger release. And I wonder if we have that backwards? I wonder if we're missing an opportunity to shift our thinking? What if, instead of viewing the release as early, what if that release was the main release? What if we created content for the benefit of the exclusive group who listen first, and treated the wider distribution as... well, reruns, I guess? What if we cared more about the select group of people who get our windowed content? What if we only cared about those people? if you're making a good living running podcast ads on your show, then this strange strategy may not be your best play. You don't want to jeopardize your bread and butter, so be cautious before you do something that could reduce the ad-supported downloads you're already successfully selling. But for shows unlikely to ever get fat stacks of cash by getting two pennies per listener... then this might be an interesting approach. Actually, a totally different approach. As the podcast ranks continue to swell with new shows from top-notch content producers, this could become a strategy—perhaps a survival strategy—that more and more everyday podcasters like you and me embrace. Crazy, I know. But it's an interesting notion and one I go deeper into in the article and episode of @podpont today. I recommend giving it a read or listen at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/should-indie-podcasters-window-their-content (https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/should-indie-podcasters-window-their-content) . You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every serious podcaster should be asking athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
As much as I rail against the "podcasting is cheap and easy" mentality, I have to admit it: podcasting is cheap and easy for a lot of podcasters. But your content doesn't have to sound that way. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but recently, during the recording of a different podcast than this one, my audio was bad. Not so bad that you can't clearly hear what I'm saying, but bad enough that a disclaimer will be placed at the top of the episode that basically says, yes, we know Evo's audio sucks. Sorry. And I hate that! Call me an audio prima donna who refuses to accept anything except perfection if you want, but in reality, I don't care all that much about perfection. But I won't settle for producing podcast content that isn't quality. To me, quality means doing the best you can with what you have to work with. Your environment. Your equipment. Your voice. Your experience. Your level of comfort. All of those things are part of your overall "working with" toolset. It's your best you're striving to achieve. Not everyone else's best. It's what you personally have to work with. Which has very little in common with what everyone else has to work with. Approaching quality this way means you don't obsess over the latest "best of" or "top-rated" piece of kit. It's just an object! An object that performs differently under different hands. Making a personal commitment to quality means you're committing to quality in all the podcast-y things you do. Guesting. On your episodes. Your conference presentations. Your collaboration with other podcasters. A personal commitment to quality simply means that you are confident that you are doing the best you can with what you have today. And if you can get better tomorrow, then you will. If that piqued your interest, check out the full thought-provoking audio and article of @podPont, available at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/making-your-commitment-to-quality-podcasting (https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/making-your-commitment-to-quality-podcasting) . You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every serious podcaster should be asking athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Keeping your audience happy is important to maintaining your podcast. But there may be other things you can give your audience to keep them better fed and even happier with your show in the future. It's unlikely that your audience listens to your show in a vacuum. And it's not just other podcasts, but other types of media and information all vying for more attention from the person you all count as your audience member. In an effort to keep you and your show relevant as your listeners' needs and subsequent media diet changes, today I'm expanding on https://building.theatlantic.com/weve-spent-two-years-studying-readers-listeners-needs-of-the-atlantic-2a84ff9a57d1 (five very good ideas that The Atlantic came up with) recently as they were grappling with the changing needs of their readers. Use these to help ensure that your audience keeps a seat for you at their media consumption table. 1. Provide Depth, Clarity, & Context It's quite possible your audience wants you to go deeper. Not longer. Not more frequently. They may want you to get to the point faster. And they may want you to provide context on ideas and topics they hear from others. 2. Help Them Discover New Ideas Your audience may rely on you to know more about something than they do. They likely expect you to be a step or two ahead of them and rely on you to look out for your shared future. 3. Challenge Their Assumptions I don't recommend going after core beliefs right away. But you may be able to explore the fuzzy edges and chip away at some lighter long-held notions in a way that captures and keeps your audience's attention. 4. Provide A Welcome, Meaningful Break Embrace the slowness of podcasting, and never underestimate your show's ability to give your audience a chance to breathe as they listen to you. And maybe do nothing else for a while. 5. Introduce Your Audience To Better Media Options Your audience may appreciate it if you help surface new and better media for them to consume. Yes, other podcasts. But also other forms of media related to the topic of your podcast. So there you have it, five ways to think about what you can do for your audience to keep you and your podcast as a healthy part of their media diet. I have a bit more about each of these in the article and on the episode of @PodPont, which you can find at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/5-ways-to-serve-your-podcasts-listeners-future-needs . You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every serious podcaster should be asking athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Regardless of your position on podcasting's "discoverability problem," you probably wouldn't mind it if it were easier for potential listeners to find your podcast, right? Me either. But would that come at a cost? While not everyone agrees on the severity of the problem, few people doubt that social media platforms have been engineered in ways that really aren't the best for our mental health. So far, podcasting hasn't been lumped in with that. Complaints against podcasting personalities are usually a result of...well, the podcaster acting like an asshole. And while the offending comments certainly impact those targeted by the assholery of the podcaster, those problems haven't rolled up to the broader podcasting industry. But that doesn't mean podcasting is safe. What keeps us safe, at least as an industry, from being lumped in with "bad for you" content is inherent intentionality baked into the podcast listening experience. It takes work to find a podcast to listen to. There isn't a stream of new podcast content pushed at people as they listen. There isn't an algorithm deciding for you what you should listen to. The financial incentive to keep you locked into an app hasn't appeared. But what if that changed? Do you really want an app that pushes relevant recommendations the second you stop listening to an episode? Do you want an app that triages your listening queue for you, promoting and demoting content to you? Do you want even more content pulled in, giving you no reason ever to leave your more-than-podcasts app? That's what living in a post-discoverability-problem podcasting world could look like, a future world where podcasting could become another anxiety-inducing, mental-health-damaging aspect of modern living. And how do we not do that? I go a bit deeper (depressingly, sorry) in the article and episode of @PodPont if you'd like more insight into this cautionary tale. Check it out at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/solving-podcastings-discoverability-problem-at-the-cost-of-our-mental-health and tell a few friends about it.
Having a set of processes and procedures to keep you and your podcast moving is an obvious success factor. But when those processes and procedures start to fail, can you adjust quickly? Successfully deployed tactics sometimes have a shelf life and you start to notice their effectiveness waning over time. Best practices are often eroded by the winds of change. Yes, there are plenty of time-tested methodologies and truisms podcasters can almost always count on. But at some point, you're going to find that something you thought was a staple of your process is no longer delivering for you or for your podcast. And if you're like most podcasters—me included—you'll keep doing that thing, comfortable in your own conviction that it's the right thing to do. We should learn to drop things that aren't working faster. But there's an actual force working against us when we try: momentum. Momentum is typically something you want in a time-intensive, creative pursuit, like podcasting, It's a lack of momentum—or at least the inability to quickly achieve momentum—that contributes to so many novice podcasters burning out after just a handful of episodes. We need momentum in podcasting. We need a force pushing us or carrying us along once the machine is underway. But momentum doesn't recognize when the environment in which it exists changes. Momentum is resistant to suggestions or evidence that a tactic may no longer be working carrying you over the cliff when you fall asleep at the wheel. But momentum doesn't have total control over you as a podcaster. You have agency, so you can pump the brakes or crank the wheel or take some other action when you find that momentum is working against you. Or at least not working out the way you wanted it to. The trick is having enough bandwidth—and foresight—to analyze the effectiveness of the momentum you've developed. Analysis that isn't too quick to jump at the small fluctuations, but also doesn't take you two years to figure out when something just isn't working. To do that you have to know why you are doing as much as what you are doing. You have to know the difference between foundational tactics—processes that produce results that by their nature are difficult to quantify—and promotional tactics that can quickly show diminishing results. And are designed to be dropped quickly. It's very easy to conflate the two. Even for seasoned podcast pros like me, obviously. I go into much more detail in today's article and episode of @podpont, including a silly thing that took me 2 years to quit. It's worth a read or listen: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/controlling-the-momentum-of-your-podcast
The decision of whether or not to run ads on your podcast isn't an easy one. Nor should it be. Smart podcasters understand the risks and rewards. And they give their most loyal listeners an escape route. How many ads or sponsored messages are too many ads or sponsored messages in a podcast episode? Last summer, I made the decision to make the current season of Podcast Pontifications sponsor-supported. There's a message from the title sponsor right after my cold open, and then another shorter sponsor block mid-way through the episode. And it's not just the audio. Articles published on the show's website and on Medium have a text-version of those sponsor blocks as well. That article—with sponsor messages—is also emailed to a few hundred people who get the free "in your inbox" version. I'm a completist! I recently activated a few "escape routes" for those who don't want to suffer through the relevant sponsor messages. Supporting members of https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra (BuyMeACoffe.com/evoterra), a few who https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-pontifications/id1438981144 (pay for a premium subscription on Apple Podcasts), and absolutely no one (yet?) paying for a https://open.spotify.com/show/7JqIHVGhX2FaRYNQE6AkBp?si=23c6ad628a704a41 (premium subscription on Spotify). I decided to add those premium options when I started getting complaints. Thanks for your candor, http://twitter.com/pojones (Patrick) and April! If the two of you aren't happy, then at least 20 others aren't either. Or more. Because yes, 20–30% of an episode dedicated to sponsor messages and calls-to-action is a lot. Even though that's on par with broadcast TV and commercial radio. In the coming weeks, I'll probably lighten that load a bit. Because I agree; it's excessive. Until that time, you can always pull the rip-cord and choose one of the sponsor-free options, either on https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-pontifications/id1438981144 (Apple Podcasts), https://open.spotify.com/show/7JqIHVGhX2FaRYNQE6AkBp?si=23c6ad628a704a41 (Spotify), or via https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra (Buy Me A Coffee). At least that's how I'm feeling about things right now. Like everything that I do on Podcast Pontifications, this is a work in progress. Who knows when I'll decide to change my mind and do things differently? :) Check out the full article or the audio episode—yes, with sponsor messages—at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/adding-opt-out-options-from-your-podcasts-ads for more of my thinking. Like always with me, it's a work in progress!
It's hard to have a conversation about using technology to fight podcasting's misinformation and disinformation problems without being called an anti-free speech commie. But I'm going to do it! Back in May of 2020, Twitter started an experiment in changing the tone of the discourse on its service. Twitter was testing to see if the equivalent of a tap on the shoulder or a subtle ahem could get people to be... well, uh, you know... less of an asshole to one another. https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/371025/twitters-warning-prompts-may-actually-make-social.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=headline&utm_campaign=125230&hashid=e-_ehqRLR9-NSNIczEQpgg%5C (The results of that experiment have been announced, and those results are dramatic). Nearly a third of people, when prompted to reflect on what they were about to do, actually changed their behavior. Can we do that in podcasting? Fair warning: this is going to sound like some crazy Big Brother, nanny state, liberal pansy bullshit. Please assume that I'm well aware of that and play this out with me, if you can. Why can't a podcast hosting company use A.I., Machine Learning, and other advanced algorithms to do something similar before we published a podcast episode? But that could be too late. Editing a Tweet takes a few seconds. Not true for a podcast episode that took many hours editing and assembling. Can we do that earlier? A https://yoast.com/ (Yoast) or a https://www.grammarly.com/ (Grammarly)-style plugin that looked over your shoulder as you draft your outline or reviewed the transcribed portions of your in-production episode? That's not all that crazy, as we already use those tools to do a similar job to make our content sound better. Is it really a bridge too far to have them look out for accidental misinformation as well? Before you let loose your anger and point out what a naive dumbass I am for even suggesting such a thing, I want to restate that I do know how Orwellian this sounds. I see the same slippery slope you do. And I know this won't do anything to curb intentional disinformation. But scrutiny is coming to podcasting. You may think the best course of action is for us to do nothing. And that's your right. But I think that approach is equally as naive as what I just put forth. I highly encourage reading the full context of my thoughts at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/warning-our-way-to-less-toxic-podcasting . There are some subtle points likely missed in this Twitter thread. And then you can light me up in the comments. I can take it!
Praise is a weird thing, isn't it? We know it makes others feel good to receive it, but many of us get shy or feel awkward when we're the recipients of praise. I'm right there with you. And I need to get over it. It was https://podcastmovement.com/featured/announcing-2022-class-of-the-podcast-hall-of-fame/ (recently announced that I will be inducted into the Podcast Hall of Fame). Which is... kind of cool! The award ceremony will take place this March at https://evolutions.podcastmovement.com/ (Podcast Movement Evolutions in Los Angeles). Good thing I bought a ticket, huh? I'm sharing this with you today to say simply... thank you for letting me think out loud about the present and future of podcasting across the nearly 600 episodes of Podcast Pontifications produced since 2018. Thank you for engaging with me on http://twitter.com/evoterra (Twitter), the http://advancingpodcasting.xyz (Advancing Podcasting Community's Discord server), or asking me to be a part of your show to talk about podcasting. A big thank you to those who stuck with the podcast https://3clipspodcast.com/ (3 Clips) as I take over the reins as the new host for Season 2. Another big thanks to you if you engage with the various properties of https://soundsprofitable.com/ (Sounds Profitable), where I serve as the editor and oversee strategic operations. And a special note of thanks to the hundreds of authors-cum-podcasters who took a risk by making a podcast version of their books on http://podiobooks.com/ (Podiobooks.com) back in the day. Finally, a huge thanks to many friends I've made along the way who followed my tangled, wandering path through podcasting that started all the way back in 2004. Thank you very much for following me from show to show, suffering through my months-long hiatuses, and for putting up with my never-ending existential crises that cause me to change directions on a dime. None of that is conducive to building an audience. But it has certainly made me a lot of friends along the way. I'm humbled. And you can hear me humbly saying all of that on today's edition of @podPont, which you can find at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/adding-some-evo-to-the-podcast-hall-of-fame . Thanks again! Thank you for letting me be a part of your podcasting journey.
Not every podcasting idea is a great podcasting idea. At least not beyond the person who had the idea. How predictable is your next podcasting project’s success (or failure)? And would you bet on it? If your next podcasting project will take serious resources in time, treasure, or talent to get off the ground, is there a litmus test you can put your idea through before you make that investment? Not one with any accuracy. But there are four questions you can ask to help triage your idea and to see if it has legs. 1. Is there a benefit to this podcast, or is the podcast just a feature? Go beyond the caliber of your guests or the wealth of knowledge you bring to this subject. Those are just features. You must translate those features into clear, obvious, and desirable benefits for the listener. 2. Who will care about this podcast? You, I hope, because if you don't care about it, you're going to have a hard time find finding anyone else who will. And do you have more than just your own passing interest or infatuation to the topic? 3. How unique will this podcast be? Do you really want to join a crowded niche where there are already 50, 500, or 5000 podcasts on the same topic? And could someone besides you make a podcast on the same topic that could out-compete yours? 4. How promotable will this podcast be? Does this podcast idea lend itself to novel promotions? Is your platform big enough? Can you partner with someone with a bigger platform? Do you have the budget to make a big push? And are your prior answers strong enough to justify the spend? So there you have it, four questions to ask yourself to help you triage your next podcasting project. I go into a bit more detail in the article and episode of @podPont: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/4-questions-to-help-predict-your-podcasts-success , which I highly encourage you to read. And to spread!
As creative a pursuit as podcasting is, it sometimes looks like a math equation with so many numbers being tossed around. Numbers that we're told should be important. But...says who? As podcasters, we get pretty twisted up by numbers we're told are important to podcasting and to our podcasts. Downloads. Listeners. Social media followers. Drop-in audio attendees. Paying supporters. Satoshis streamed. Advertisers. Episodes produced per year. Audience demographics. Creator demographics. And how many podcasters are competing with us. Tracking numbers like those is how we measure the success of podcasting, right? Well...who said? Some of them might be important to us. But most are not. Some of them shed some light on the health of podcasting. But most don't. Some of them we can change if we work at making them change. But most are out of our control. Yet still, we get twisted up by numbers just like these, relying on digits on a screen to determine the worthiness of our podcasts. That makes sense if we're tracking things like funds received from listeners. But everything else is suspect. So if you find yourself getting twisted up in these numbers, my advice is to figure out the few numbers that actually matter to you. And then pay as little attention to the other numbers as you possibly can. You'll be a much happier podcast or for it. I lay this even more bear at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcasting-is-a-numbers-game-you-dont-have-to-play (https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcasting-is-a-numbers-game-you-dont-have-to-play), which you can either listen to or read at your convenience. Spread the word, will ya?
There may not be a formula for success in podcasting, but there are many established best practices that we dutifully follow as we work to perfect our craft. But does that come at the cost of our creativity? I'm afraid I'm making boring podcasts. I'll take it a step further and say that I'm afraid we're all making boring podcasts. By design, actually. Not that we intended to make boring podcasts. But in our quest to reduce imperfections and increase the consumability of our episodes, we may have introduced boring-ness to our shows. I struggled with whether or not to talk about this. Please don't assume that I am advocating for no editing. Or worse that I condone the record-and-release style of podcasting. My position is quite the opposite. When in doubt, edit it out. That's my motto. But I'm still worried we've embraced boring as we make podcasts. We intentionally seek out or create "neutral" music to use in our episodes, music not only as an afterthought but as something that won't compete with the words spoken. We're intentionally perfecting every voice, removing "filler" content, and working to "normalize" tracks. We select efficient formats and choose pleasing and markedly unchallenging structures to listen to. None of that screams excitement. None of that allows for the messy, chaotic, and just human nature of how we express ourselves in the real world. I don't have a solution to this problem. Heck, I don't even know that this is a problem. It's just something on my mind. And now, it's on your mind too. There's more for your mind, if you too are a trend-bucker, in the episode and article of @PodPont than you can find at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/have-best-practices-in-podcasting-made-us-boring . And if this wasn't too weird for you, I'd appreciate a share.
When you started podcasting, things were different. Maybe a little. Maybe a lot. At some point, those differences are going to start adding up and you won't podcast the same way ever again. And that's OK. Change comes for all of us at some point, and podcasters like you and me are not immune. Neither are those individuals who run companies that provide services to podcasters like you and me. The same goes for those providing services to podcast listeners. They aren't immune either. In reality; no aspect of podcasting is immune to change. Changes to podcasting don't have to be predicated by massive upheaval. And the stabie podcasting world you think you live in is either an illusion or a temporary condition. Change is inevitable and has been with podcasting since the beginning. But as I look back at recent months, it sure looks like changes are coming at us a whole lot faster than they were before. Here are 3 indicators: 1. "Inactive" podcasts are swelling, whatever that means. There are many reasons why a podcaster makes the decision to stop podcasting at a certain point. But one commonality is that something has changed for that podcaster from the time they started podcasting to the time they posted their last episode. 2. Podcast-listener-focused services getting out of the game. It's not just https://bellocollective.com/the-final-newsletter-c30c140a5415 (Bello Collective), but they did specifically point to changes to the landscape that led to their halting—or at least pausing—of operations. Changes not only to podcasting, but to how and people listen. 3. Podcaster-focused services are consolidating. Flying under the radar of mergers with envy-inducing price tags are a slew of smaller mergers and roll-ups as interest from creators change. If there's a takeaway for you in all of this, it's simply a reminder that change comes for us all. In podcasting. In life. In business. For those of us who've wrapped all three of those things together, it sure is making for an interesting ride. I go a bit deeper in the article and on the episode of @PodPont, which you can find at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/changes-to-podcasting-mean-changes-for-you . And if this message resonated with you, I'd appreciate you spreading the word. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every serious podcaster should be asking athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Audience building and community building in podcasting are two very different things, though we use the terms interchangeably. And tend to ignore the latter. But true-community building has its own rewards. As a podcaster, it's often considered important to grow your audience. And I agree with that. But it's also important to do actual community building, where you and your podcast play an active role in helping build out or support the community in which you and your podcast belong. Why? Because you live within communities. Not just professionally, but also personally. When you think about community building, think wider. Here are three aspects to consider. Get Involved With Your Local Communities The people within a five-kilometer radius of where you podcast from may not be the audience of your show, but you still have to live near them! So play an active role and at least attend local community organization meetings or business mixers. Get Involved In Podcasting Communities There are several vibrant and active online communities you can join. Again, not to rake in new listeners, but to support all of podcasting. Like the https://bellocollective.com/ (Bello Collective), https://www.earbudspodcastcollective.org/ (Earbuds Collective), https://www.thepodcastacademy.com/ (The Podcast Academy), and other groups that support, spread, or empower the people who make podcasts. Get Involved In Your Trade/Industry Communities And finally, don't forget the communities in and around the trade or the industry in which you and your podcast belong. Just about every industry or trade group out there has governing bodies or other special interest groups that put on mixers, create publications, host trade shows, and more. Podcasters tend to know the importance of community building, but all too often take too narrow of a view. Hopefully, this higher-level picture of how you and your podcast can get involved with the communities in your orbit might be helpful. I have a few more examples in the article and episode of @PodPont, which you can get at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/prioritize-community-building-with-not-for-your-podcast . And spread the love if you feel so moved! You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every serious podcaster should be asking athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
There's something to be said for making a high-value podcast, which is why many continue year after year. But making a high-concept show can also be rewarding. Do you have time to make both? Broadly speaking and missing a whole lot of nuance to make a point, podcasts are either news/talk or high-concept. We know listeners like listening to both kinds of podcasts. But we also know most podcasters only produce one or the other. Is that because making a high-concept podcast is too difficult for most podcasters? I don't think so. But I think it tends to be easier to make news/talk podcasts compared to high-concept shows. Can you do both? Probably. Your challenge will be keeping your high-value news/talk podcast running as you devote the time necessary to make a new high-concept show. I have two tips to help you figure that out: 1. Think Big, Smart Small - You're taking the elephant-as-a-meal approach. You've probably lots of research and some things to learn. Prepare yourself for a nights-and-weekends project. Yes, 2. Think Differently - A lot of what you know about production, releasing, and promoting will need to change. The expectations for high-concept podcasts are quite different than what you've learned with your news/talk podcast. Give yourself room to figure those out. High-concept podcasting is not for everyone. But if you'd like to give it a shot, there's a lot you can borrow from your current high-value news/talk podcast. But plan on learning a few more tricks, so make the time to make that happen. And if you try your hand at making a high-concept podcast, be sure to let me know about it. I'd love to listen. I go a bit deeper into these thoughts in the article and on the episode of @PodPont today. Find that at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/making-high-concept-podcasts-on-a-high-value-budget and share away!
Spotify has long faced criticism while buying its way into having a larger slice of the podcasting pie. At all levels. But that criticism is reaching a crescendo and podcasters are taking action. Should you? If you need a catchup on the Spotify-Neil Young-Joe Rogan spat, I recommend https://podnews.net/update/spotify-rogan-problem (Podnews' excellent primmer) before you continue. Also: As with any Podcast Pontifications episode, I'm giving you things to think about, not telling you what to think. Groovy? Groovy. For The "I'm A Podcaster And I'm Very Angry About Spotify" campers: I hear and accept your anger. I'm right there with you. Spotify doesn't have a lot of grey areas to stand in when they pay Rogan's salary. But remember Spotify really is only in it for the money. If you remove your show from Spotify's directory, will it financially matter to them? Switch to a different host will have a financial impact on Spotify. Albeit a small one. You can also ditch Spotify's monetization options, like premium subscriptions or their dynamic ad server. But can you? Or are you under contract? If the podcast(s) you make are Spotify-exclusive, you have a lot more powerful levers to pull. But only if you can pull them without getting in legal hot water. Before you take any action, take some time to think about the impact your actions will have on your listeners. Not everyone has the same strength as your convictions, and they may decide its easier to stop listening to you than to switch. But not every podcaster is pissed. Some even pro-Spotify camp. If either describes you, I'll repeat what I said earlier. I'm not telling you what to think. This situation is very fluid. It's evolving by the day (or faster), and I'm reticent to predict any sort of outcome or how this looks when the dust settles. If the dust settles. There are too many things in flux with lots of outside pressure. It's possible that all this is a precursor to something larger that becomes too much for Spotify to bear and they cut their losses. I'm not predicting that. I'm not saying it's likely. But it is a potentiality. And we should at least be aware of potential outcomes and prepared to act if we have to. So do what you're going to do. My only request is that you do so with your eyes wide open. Choose wisely. But this is just a summary. I dig into this a little deeper on the article and episode of @PodPont, which you can find at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/should-your-podcast-get-drawn-into-the-spotifight . And feel free to share with people in either camp. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every serious podcaster should be asking athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
The future comes at every industry hard, including podcasting. Should you learn bleeding-edge skills you hope will emerge in the future, or relevant-now skills you hope will still be relevant in the future? I've made the bold statement that podcasters like you and me are the last generation of podcasters to use DAWs at the center of our creation process. The next generation will take a completely different approach, putting text-based editing tools at the center of their creation process. I still stand by that assertion. What worries me is the lack of a middle ground between these two approaches to making audio. Last month, I decided to take the plunge and go all-in with the new paradigm of using a text-based system to produce episodes for one of my clients' podcasts. So I sat aside my DAW and produced three episodes of the show using only Descript. It took some time to learn, but I was markedly faster by the third episode. And best of all, those episodes are indistinguishable from others made with a DAW. Mission accomplished! My experience proved my assertion that the next generation of podcasters will make content in this text-based way, not the waveform editing way. But I stopped after three episodes and switched back to my DAW, which brings me back to my assertion that there isn't much of a middle ground between these two paradigms. I had thought—naively—the experience would give me two vastly different approaches to making great-sounding audio in my toolkit. But it didn't work out that way. Not for me, at least. I blame it on my brain that had already gone through a paradigm shift to get waveform editing. But don't let my problem be your problem. If you're relatively new to podcasting or audio work and have a relatively young brain, try out the new, future way of making audio without a DAW. I still stand by my assertion that text-based editors will become the dominant way that podcasts are made in the future. How far away that future is rather questionable. The good news is that old dogs like us with mad skills to make great sounding audio the DAW-based way won't be displaced by young whippersnappers with their fancy text-based processes anytime real soon. Not as long as the output sounds the same to the ears of our listeners. So breathe easy. For now. I go into more detail in the article and episode @podpont, which you can read/listen to a this https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/two-paths-to-podcasting-leaves-no-middle-ground (https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/two-paths-to-podcasting-leaves-no-middle-ground) , which I highly recommend you share. Thanks in advance! You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every serious podcaster should be asking athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Your podcast is followed by lots of people who don't listen. So is mine. So is everyones. Is that a problem to be solved? Or just a reflection of the complex relationship people have with on-demand content? I wonder how many of the subscribers to or followers of your podcast have followers remorse? And by your followers and subscribers, I of course mean my followers and subscribers as well. By followers remorse, I mean someone who took the time to add your podcast to their listening app... but now they kind of wish they hadn't. For whatever reason, your show is no longer for them. But they haven't removed your show from their listening app. You and I would just unsubscribe or unfollow, right? Well... we're not most people. Compare the download metrics from any podcast's hosting provider to the listen metric from the podcast apps and the behavior of the "middle" subscriber or follower emerges. In most cases, middle listeners had every intention of listening to every episode of the podcast they subscribed to or followed. But now they're not Maybe they got everything they needed from you and your podcast after listening to just a couple of episodes and are keeping the connection in case they have new needs. Maybe their interest in the topic your podcast covers slowly waned over time. Maybe they discovered and prioritized a different podcast or a different set of podcasts that better fits where they are today. Maybe they're very good at triaging their podcast listening app, deliberately choosing which episodes to listen to, using their own decision tree or sorting methodologies to make decisions you just can't know about or influence. Maybe they keep the subscription or following active as a show of solidarity for your show or yourself, like some fort of a badge that says they are part of your tribe. Or maybe they view your feed updates as transactional, keeping you and your show top of mind for them, and weirdly happy enough just to know you're still producing content because maybe someday they'll listen. What should we do about these middle followers, if anything? Should we wish for a way to clear out those who've stopped listening just so our listening stats match up with our download stats? No, I don't see much value in that. Should you try to convert as many of these middle followers to dedicated listeners as you possibly can? Well, yeah, of course. But that's something that's probably not very much in your control. But that doesn't mean you should stop trying. I have some thoughts that compare and contrast email spam and unsubscribe links that would be interesting to see in podcasting. That's in the full article and episode of @PodPont, which you can read/hear at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-not-so-sad-world-of-podcast-follower-remorse .
Are You Teaching How To Podcast Or A Podcasting MFA? As an experienced podcaster, it's only a matter of time before you're called on to teach what you know. But what will you teach? And is it designed to make the next generation of podcasters better? From time to time, I've been asked to "teach" podcasting. Often as a guest lecturer but also in workshops, seminars, and other tightly-focused programs I've been involved with over the last 17 years. Because of when I learned how to podcast—at the beginning of podcasting—everything I know about podcasting was learned on the job. Like others of my generation, we brought the accumulation of our skills from various careers, disciplines, and interests with us to podcasting. Few of us wanted to be professional podcasters back then. But here we are, some two decades later with a slew of classes and workshops that formalize the educational processes for students who want to become tomorrow's professional podcasters. And where will the organizations that provide those classes and workshops find people to teach those classes? You and me, baby. So what kind of educational experience would you provide if you were tapped to use your skills to teach a podcasting class? Will you teach a very tactical and practical class so your students can make a single type of podcast? Maybe just a single podcast episode? Or will you go wider to teach them a range of skills necessary to cover the entirety of podcasting so they feel empowered to explore their own creative interests? Both have value. Which kind of podcast teacher will you become? I discuss this further using a painting metaphor—ask me about my turtle scene—to get more into the nuances in the article and episode of @PodPont at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/are-you-teaching-how-to-podcast-or-a-podcasting-mfa (https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/are-you-teaching-how-to-podcast-or-a-podcasting-mfa) , which I hope you'll share with a few dozen of your closest podcasting friends. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every serious podcaster should be asking athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Buying a house and finding a new podcast have more in common than you'd think. You aren't always in the market for both, and there's a problem if you have too many of either. Can lessons from one inform the other? I remain skeptical that anyone will ever build the YouTube of podcasting. But the Zillow of podcasting? Now that's an interesting proposition, weird as though it may sound. Zillow flipped the script and put would-be homebuyers in complete control of the "discovery" part of home buying. Today, anyone with an internet connection can use Zillow to view almost every property for sale, almost anywhere in the entire country. So what does this have to do with podcasting? Especially when most podcasts are publicly listed in every app and directory along with millions of other podcasts? Zillow's trick wasn't just giving homebuyers access to a lot more listings. It was how Zillow unpacked and exposed data—lots of data—for every property. That's what a Zillow-like service could bring to podcasting. How about recommendations that are (finally) based on criteria you either establish or are inferred from your listening activities that give a much higher degree of certainty? The recommendation engines in podcasting today are rudimentary at best. Imagine a new discovery system that atomized, ingested, and analyzed podcasts, making push-based discovery demonstrably better. Or how about a sort of "open house" for podcasts that lets the listener experience what it's like to "live in" a podcast for a while. Some type of lower level of commitment than subscribing to or following a show could be attractive to listeners who don't want to risk the hassle of unsubscribing to or unfollowing a show that wasn't a perfect fit. Those are just two quick examples of the benefits a service like this might offer podcast listeners. But there is a slew of challenges. The good news is that most datasets are public and have adequate APIs. But the bad news is that those data sets are woefully inadequate to perform the type of analysis needed here. Anyone seriously trying to develop a system like this has to invest time and resources to create new complementary data sets. Who's going to pay for that? A service like this wades into very treacherous waters. Just like Zillow pissed off a lot of the extant real estate industry big networks, powerful podcasters, or dominant listening/discovery platforms may see this as a threat and fight against it. But the biggest hurdle to overcome is the one that makes this a winning service: listener adoption. This new service cannot be incrementally better than what listeners go through today. It has to be orders of magnitude better. Like Zillow was. Want to know more? I have some additional thoughts and ideas in the article I wrote and the episode I produced for @PodPont, which you can read at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/do-we-need-the-zillow-of-podcasting (https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/do-we-need-the-zillow-of-podcasting) . I appreciate sharing that link or this post with someone who needs to hear it! You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every serious podcaster should be asking athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Successful podcasters know the importance of making content your audience loves. But your podcast has more than one audience—audiences with different needs. Are you making content for all of them? Business-minded podcasters often have a binary concept of a listener: A person is either a listener or they are not. It's how a lot of businesses think about their customers; Someone either is a customer or they're not. But taking this simplistic view of a podcast's audience often leads to poor podcast planning and implementation A better approach is to create three different podcast audience buckets, not just two. Group 1: The Never-Have-Listened If someone has never listened to your podcast, you're probably not going to win them over with amazing podcast episodes. This group needs content that lets them know your podcast exists and also makes it easy to sample and then get more of. And that content has to be supported with the marketing budget that it deserves. Group 2: The Dedicated Listener Yes, make excellent podcast episodes. But go further, creating content designed to live where your listeners live as they enjoy your podcast. And that content has to be supported with a community building and engagement budget that it deserves. Group 3: The Dippers & Dabblers Most of your audience doesn't listen to everything you put out. So this group needs a compelling reason to listen. Content from you that's fit for their purpose, not just fit for yours. And decisions on which content to make needs to be supported by a budget for research and measurement tools. Three are very different groups with very different wants and needs, so a single audience engagement strategy just won't work. That's a lot to take in, but it's just a taste. I have a full article with even more examples. Read it or listen to the podcast episode at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/content-strategies-for-your-podcasts-3-different-audiences (https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/content-strategies-for-your-podcasts-3-different-audiences) . And as always, I appreciate you sharing this thread or that URL with someone who needs to hear it. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every serious podcaster should be asking athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
We don't often think of listening to podcasts as problem-solving, but it happens. A smart podcaster knows how to present solutions to their audience, as well as whoever else is helping solve their same problems. Problems, broadly speaking, fall into one of two camps: acute problems and chronic problems. Acute problems for podcast listeners might be things like needing just the right information to file their taxes this year. Or that their facing an 8-hour flight and need to be entertained or informed. Or maybe they need your help finding the new laptop that fits their needs best. Great titles, excellent packaging, and getting right to the point will be appreciated by your listeners, as you're helping them solve an acute problem. But each of those have similar chronic problems. It's not filing taxes this year, it's solid financial planning or money management. Maybe that's a flight your listener takes every week? Or they aren't buying a laptop, but are responsible for the tech needs for large organization. To service chronic problems like those, you'll need higher-concept episodes, not just "how-to". You'll need a deep catalog of content. And you'll need to brand you as a trusted source as much as your podcast. And I know you'll be shocked by this, but the reality is your audience is made up of people with both chronic and acute problems. How do you solve for that? But you're not alone, and you don't have your audience's undivided attention. You compete for your audience's attention as they turn to YouTube, books, and more to solve their acute problems or stay on top of their chronic issues. The best you can do is make the best podcast content that you possibly can, and accept that a good swath of your audience will dip in and out of your content. You can't solve every single problem for every single member of your audience. But you can work to make sure you've covered as much of the problem landscape as makes sense for you and your podcast. I've gone into a bit more detail on this topic in the article and on the episode, which you can read or hear at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/solving-your-audiences-problems-with-your-podcast . And as always, RTs and shares are greatly appreciated!
Many podcasters say they want to improve their shows. One easily overlooked area of improvement is you. Specifically, your ability to tell better stories with your episodes. This mnemonic device can help. One of the most crucial skills a podcaster must possess is the ability to tell stories. Your ability to tell stories is more important than the timbre of voice, your equipment stack, and your marketing efforts. Fortunately, storytelling is a skill that can be acquired, with many practitioners offering workshops, classes, and one-on-one training. One of those practitioners is @dawnjfraser. I learned a clever mnemonic device from her that will you can tell better stories on your podcast—S-T-O-R-Y. S is for stakes. Not the why of the episode, but the want of the episode. It's the hunger. It's the expectation you set for your audience that keeps you on track and keeps your audience locked in place. T is for theme. The main through-line or meat of the story. It's your topic, angle, and where you're taking the story. If you know your theme, you can trim away the excess bits so that only the best parts make it into your episode. O is for organization. Every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. But sometimes, starting in the middle and guiding your listeners through a less obvious path makes for a better episode. R is for recreating. Your audience wasn't there when the thing happened. They're here now, relying on you to summarize points and recreate scenes to make your story work as a podcast episode. Finally, the Y is for you. You are an integral part of every single story. You are our proxy. You get us deeper into the stories you tell on your podcasting episodes. We want some of your personality and even biases in the episode. With some odd edge cases aside, every podcaster is a storyteller. 200,000 years have shaped the human brain into a story-receiving vessel. Podcasters will do well to remember that. It's hard to sum all of that up in an epic Twitter thread, so to get more, check out the article I wrote and the episode I produced on this topic: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/focus-on-the-story-of-your-podcasts-episodes (https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/focus-on-the-story-of-your-podcasts-episodes) . You'll love it. And if when you do, share the link or this thread with someone who needs to hear it.
Appealing to the needs of your listener base is key to making a successful podcast. But there's one listener who has slightly different needs than the rest. Make sure you're fulfilling their needs too. What is it that you get out of experiencing your own show as a listener? If your answer is "I don't listen to my own show like a listener, just as I produce the episode, and that's enough.", then I'm afraid we can't be friends. For those that do: why do you do it? What itch does it scratch for you? I've a few possibilities to consider: Listening Back Can Make You A Better Podcaster The craft of podcasting is one of continual improvement. And while I'm sure you listen to other podcasts to learn other techniques, you can't know why certain decisions were made by those other podcasters. But you do know the what and the why of your own specific choices made during your own production process. Listening back to your episode when you're not in production-mode lets you evaluate whether or not those choices worked out in situ. Listening Back Can Reassure You Are A Good Podcaster Podcasting, like any creative endeavor, can leave you feeling quite vulnerable. Listening back to the way listeners listen can boost your self-confidence, give you the self-affirmation you need, and give you proof that yeah, you are good enough to keep going! Listening Back Can Keep You Humble Podcasting is often done in isolation, where it's easy to become a bit too full of yourself. This problem is compounded if you're not getting much or any feedback from your audience. It's up to you to keep yourself in check! Listening For Defensive Reasons Someone is listening to your show. It might be your peers. It might be your competition. It might be your prospects. All groups of people you want to make a good impression upon. Listening back gives you confidence that you're putting your best foot forward. Listening Back Can Keep You On Mission Everyone has their own reasons why they podcast. What True North they're trying to reach. What greater purpose their podcast serves. You need to check the final product to make sure you are producing a show that is the perfect fit for who it is for and is, in fact, why they are there. I go into those buckets a bit deeper in the article and on the episode, both of which you can get at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/selfish-reasons-to-listen-to-your-own-podcast if you are so inclined. And if you loved this little nugget, I'd appreciate RT, reshares, and more. Thanks in advance! You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every serious podcaster should be asking athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com). I’m Evo Terra. This has been your Moment of Pod Zen.
For as public a medium as podcasting is, a lot of information about specific podcasts is private. But private doesn't necessarily mean secret. How different would podcasting be were we more forthcoming?
How would the podcast industry change if podcasting better embraced transparency, making currently-private information public?
Let's start with the obvious: audience size.
Imagine a world where the size of a podcast—every podcast—was a matter of public record. A world where you could size up the competition or see how many other fans are loving a show because audience size data would be attached to each and every show.
Social media already does this with pubic follower counts. And any podcast that has advertising representation publishes how many people they reach on a monthly basis.
There's nothing special about podcasting that requires us to keep the information about audience size a secret. Other than how we'd count it. That, and pride.
Let's go further, maybe to financials? The money-in / money-out of a show? A lot more controversial. But not without precedence. Publicly-traded companies publish their financial information. So do some long-running podcasters like https://www.eofire.com/ (John Lee Dumas) and https://www.smartpassiveincome.com/ (Pat Flynn). It's purely hypothetical for all podcasters to do this. But it would promote a much healthier view of the realities of building a profitable podcast.
We can also make crediting people more public. Services like https://www.podchaser.com/ (Podchaser) and the https://github.com/Podcastindex-org/podcast-namespace/blob/main/docs/1.0.md#person (
If you've ever snail-mailed a friend, you've paid to get someone's attention. In the future would you allow your listeners to pay you to get your attention, podcaster? Spoiler alert: you probably already do. More often than not, podcast tech always seems to be looking for a way to get podcasters paid. And many podcasters are keen to try out new monetization options. But the idea of monetizing a podcasters attention, if you will, tends to be a pretty polarizing topic. If you see this as an additional revenue stream, it's a positive thing. Yet if see this as just one more consequence of late-stage capitalism that further divides the world into the haves and the have nots, it's a negative thing. I think both are valid positions. It's an ethical conundrum, to be sure. But one we're already wading into. Most social sites have some sort of a badge or icon identifying the special-ness of a select group of users and marking them as "better" than the rest, giving their posts and even direct messages extra heft. More specific to podcasting, listener-support services like Patreon, Buy Me A Coffee, and myriad other similar services are used by podcasters allow for special tiers, some of which give members-only rights to those who pay enough. Like a members-only message board or assigning priority status to messages sent from members who pay for the privilege. Seen in that light, allowing someone to boost a voicemail message to the top of a queue with a contribution of funds doesn't seem all that nefarious. But I am not naive. I know that there are huge opportunities for abuse and asshattery. My hope is that the developers that implement services like this are taking that into consideration and working to shut down as much as they can. Yet even with the risks and uncertainty, I think the idea of listeners paying for a podcaster's attention is a space worth keeping our eye on. Want to know more? I wrote some more thoughts and ideas around the possible benefits and the risks at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/can-podcasters-get-paid-for-their-attention. Check it out and share it with someone who needs to hear it. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every serious podcaster should be asking athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Few things make podcasters happier than a slew of emails from deeply engaged listeners filled with praise for the latest episode. Good work if you can get it. But should you expect and encourage it? Do you want more engagement from your listeners? Sure. But do your listeners want to engage with you? Well... Keep in mind that for almost every type of creator—books, tv shows, movies, Michelin-rated chefs—engagement with their audience is rare. And engagement during the time of creation is unheard of. Some of the perceived need for podcasters to get immediate feedback stems from the podcasting versus radio fight that's been going on for two decades now. Our RSS feeds could out-distance their radio towers. But they could have live callers. And we couldn't. Boo. Should we podcasters give up on the idea of getting more engagement from our listeners? No. But we probably should better understand what engagement opportunities we do have. Not all engagements need to be live. And I'm encouraged by the efforts of companies like PodInbox who are improving podcast-specific forms of engagement. But at the same time, maybe podcasting already has enough engagement from listeners? Searching, finding, subscribing to or following, listening... These are forms of engagement that our listeners are doing right now. And honestly, it's the kind of engagement that podcasts are best set up to receive. I almost hate to say it, but the majority of your audience will not get any benefit from engaging more deeply with you or your podcast than they already are. It is very natural for us to want more engagement from our audience. But we serious podcasters need to first make sure we're giving our audience good reasons to engage with our content in the first place. If you don't already hate me for such sacrilege, check out the full article and episode I wrote on this topic at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/will-we-ever-get-better-podcast-engagement (https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/will-we-ever-get-better-podcast-engagement). And then decide if you hate me. :) You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
It's the rare podcaster who doesn't want more engagement or feedback from their listeners. But getting people to do so has been historically hard. Maybe the incentives need to change? Many podcasters try to get their listeners to leave voicemail. And it's an incredible pain in the butt to do so! https://evoterra.link/podinbox (PodInbox) is trying to change all that. They're using the power of voice—both for the listener and the podcaster—to actually increase podcast engagement. PodInbox is the https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Branded Benefit Sponsor) for today's episode, and founder https://twitter.com/patcheung (Pat Cheung) told me how he's designed PodInbox to make podcasting better, with things like: A dedicated "page" for each podcast where fans go and interact by leaving audio messages All messages are public to make it a little bit more fun and give a social atmosphere to leaving messages. This one-ups public reviews, because podcasters can reply to each message left by a listener. The process is dead simple, with no need for separate apps or clunky plugins, making it a breeze for the podcaster to share the message on their podcast if they choose Soon, Pat and team will add some monetization options to boost messages
I'm pretty excited about the idea of making messages left via voicemails public. This concept might be the better reviews we've all been looking for. Want to give it a try? Enter "Evo" into the promo code box at sign up you'll save 30%. That gets you a PodInbox page for less than six bucks a month. Want to see it in action? https://podinbox.com/evoterra (There's a PodInbox page for Podcast Pontifications!) To read or listen to the full interview with Pat to see all the cool things PodInbox does for podcasters, check out the article at: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/giving-your-podcasts-listeners-a-public-voice-with-podinbox You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every serious podcaster should be asking athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Your podcast is more than just your audio file. And as podcasting continues to mature, the not-just-audio parts of your show will become more important factors that influence your podcasting success. Did you make a resolution to get more serious about your podcast? If so, I've what may seem like an odd place to focus: copywriting. Why writing? Because we collectively need to "grow up" when it comes to making our podcast episodes. We need to be less lazy and stop propagating the myth that all we have to do is get the audio right and everything else will take care of itself. That's not enough anymore. To help illustrate the point I'm making, consider the performance of the last episode I released before I went on my Long Winter's Nap at the end of last year. That episode outperformed my "average" episode performance by about 15% or so. So far so good! But why stop there? If you only have a Pod.link or LinkTr.ee to give out, you're kinda stuck. But if you have a webpage, you're not. My webpage for that episode was viewed nearly as many times as the podcast episode was downloaded. That's great! You could argue that some of those webpage views were also listeners. Maybe. But the average time on page for that page was 4.5 minutes. That's more than just a quick click-through. But why stop there? Why not let people subscribe to your webpages? I do it with a newsletter. The newsletter edition I sent out for the episode we're talking was opened and read by about half of the number of people who read the webpage. But that's a good thing, because it likely means those views are all additive. But why stop there? Why not condense that article down to a couple hundred words and format it social shares? Copy/paste if you can get away with it. Or use a nifty service like https://evoterra.link/chirr (Chirr App) to break it into a Twitter thread. For the episode we're talking about, the social reach was in the thousands and the engagement numbers in the hundreds, easily tripling the combined reach of the audio, article, and newsletter. Let me be explicit: serious podcasters take all aspects of their podcast seriously, including copywriting. If you want your podcast to be taken seriously, then get serious about the entirety of your podcast production process. That includes excellent writing. That's a lot to chew on, so please check out the article I wrote and the episode I produced. Find both at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/writing-your-way-to-a-successful-podcast. And yeah, you can share that link or this thread. Please do!
Nearly 20 years in, and many podcasters still have trouble thinking of podcasting as an industry. But our problem does not plague cash-flush brands looking to enter our industry. Who's perspective will win out? Let's start with two questions: #1 - Do you know the value of the podcasting industry? You heard people talk about the $1 billion U.S.-based podcasting is projected to earn from advertising income this year. Make that almost $1.4 billion if you look at the rest of the world too. But that's just advertising income. What about the money podcasters spend, from buying new mics or other equipment, paying our hosting providers, hiring staff or contracting with freelancers, or paying our way to attend a few podcast conferences. Question #2: Who do you consider the big players in the podcasting industry? Apple, Spotify, maybe Wondery...the usual suspects. But not TuneIn or Soundcloud, right? You, like me, probably don't consider them influential in the "true" podcasting industry, right? Our answers to both of those questions are incomplete because we're on the inside looking in. For big brands and industries on the outside looking to invest heavily in podcasting need a more complete perspective. When they look at the size of the opportunity in podcasting, they see our industry with an estimated value of $14 billion dollars. Not $1.4 They absolutely take into consideration many companies we've collectively decided to poo-poo, like TuneIn and Soundcloud, as integral parts of the $14 billion podcasting industry. So...should we care? Does it matter that fat-cats are basing the value of our industry off a handful of reports thick with cringe-inducing statements written by analytics with little understanding of what it means to be a podcaster? Hell yes, we should! We need to know what those outside looking in find so appealing about podcasting. Because as the podcasting industry appears more appealing, we'll see more interest, more money, more content, and yes, even more listeners. But what about the indie podcaster, you might ask? Yes, this will impact them. But perhaps not as negatively as you think. At least, not universally. I go into that a bit more in the article, which you can read at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/a-brands-eye-view-of-the-podcasting-industry (https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/a-brands-eye-view-of-the-podcasting-industry). You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
My Long Winter's Nap is over, and the podcasting landscape has never looked brighter. And maybe a little different? No, a lot different. I'm convinced the changes are just getting started. Hold onto your butts! Some significant changes have happened to my relationship with podcasting while I was been away. All positive! Let me start with the one that has the biggest impact on more than just me: I am no longer an advisor to https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm) because https://podnews.net/press-release/global-acquires-captivate (Captivate was acquired by Global, a leading UK media company!) Podcast Pontifications shall remain hosted on Captivate, as it's a great service with phenomenal UX and a forward-thinking leadership team. But that does mean I'm now free of conflicts if you're seeking out a new member to join your podcast-related company's advisory board. https://twitter.com/BradTirpak (Brad). Next is that I'm hosting yet another podcast about podcasting! No, I'm not building a publishing empire like https://twitter.com/DaveJackson (Dave Jackson). But I am taking over hosting duties for https://evoterra.link/3clips (3 Clips), a role previously filled by https://twitter.com/jayacunzo (Jay Acunzo), the person who started the show back in late 2019. Thanks to the fine folks at https://castos.com/ (Castos) for choosing me to handle Season 2. 3 Clips is a lot of fun and a very different show from Podcast Pontifications. 3 Clips and Podcast Pontifications are complimentary shows, I think. Subscribe/follow at https://3clipspodcast.com/ (3ClipsPodcast.com) and see if you agree. Finally, some changes to how I produce and publish Podcast Pontifications. Starting now, I'll no longer write, record, produce, and release each episode, article, and issue promotional shares in a real-time, four-hour block four days a week. Yes, that's insane. No, I don't recommend it. Instead, I'm working ahead, like a sane person. Sadly, that means no more live recordings. Sorry to disappoint https://twitter.com/ifyouaskbetty (Betty), Arlen, https://twitter.com/DrKevinPatton (Kevin), and maybe three or four other regular watchers who enjoyed my daily live tapings. Hopefully, better episodes will make up for it! Those three really big changes for me personally are indicative of what's to come for all of us in 2022. Expect more acquisition and consolidation this year. Expect your favorite podcast hosts to launch or host additional podcasts. Those factors, plus the huge influx of advertising dollars, new namespace changes, and creative people clawing back from two years struggling with a pandemic that just won't go away... 2022 is going to be a wild year for podcasters. I hope you're ready. I go into more details on my prediction and the moves that informed them on the episode and in the article, both of which are at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/2022-the-year-podcasting-says-hold-my-beer . And if you feel inclined to share this Twitter thread or that link, I appreciate you! You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every serious podcaster should be asking athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Your podcast is unique, just like every other podcast. Or just like every other podcast tries to be. The truth is figuring out your show’s unique point of view is hard. Asking these four questions can help. My friend and community-building powerhouse Pam Slim uses these questions when workshopping with her business consulting customers. I find them to be excellent questions that podcasters can also use to help nail down what it is that makes their show special.
So here they are, with an example for each:
- What is missing from the conversation?
Bryan Barletta realized no podcast about podcasting was covering podcast ad tech, so he started Sounds Profitable to do just that! And the niche is better for it.
- Whose important perspective is not being shared?
Greg Jorgensen realized that shows about Thailand and Bangkok were all focused on travel and of limited value to the hundreds of thousands of expats who call Bangkok home. So he created The Bangkok Podcast to serve that audience.
- What obvious truths are being ignored?
Someone needs to make a movie/TV podcast that exposes the crappy, B-grade moves and shows that Netflix foists upon us, often with incredible hype and possible algorithm manipulation to try to convince us the shows are worth watching. Shows that aren’t necessarily bad, but certainly are not good. I’ll follow that show.
- What critical steps are not being covered?
The podcasts about podcasting space is dominated by how-to shows aimed at beginning podcasters. We need shows for the mid-level podcaster on the verge of turning pro and making their full-time living as a podcaster.
Digging deep into any of these questions will be a big help as you nail down your show's unique point of view. Ideally, you'll dig into all of them and come up with some interesting answers for each and every one.
I have additional information and thoughts on these questions and examples on the article, which you can find and share at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/4-questions-to-uncover-your-podcasts-unique-point-of-view (https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/4-questions-to-uncover-your-podcasts-unique-point-of-view)
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Consistency is often key in podcasting. Your show’s format is part of that. But "format" is simply a tool that helps you better tell the story to your audience. Sometimes a different tool may get better results. Today's missive is for podcasters who adhere to a format. I’m one of them, demonstrated on over 500 episodes thus far of my short form, single topic, monologue show.
But here's a reality check: My chosen format, like your chosen format, is just a construct.
Chat cast. Headline rundown. Poem of the day. Narrative deep dive. Monologue. These are all simply constructs.
Extremely helpful constructs that better craft the information presented in your episode, sure. No argument there.
But what's more important? The information/story you're imparting/telling or the format you’ve chosen to tell it in?
If you said “the format,” then I’m afraid we can’t be friends. Or you need to buy me several beers as you attempt to convince me of your position.
Your audience is not here because you interview guests on your podcast. They’re here for the information.
Your audience isn’t here because you do a solo show. They’re here for the insight and inspiration.
Your audience isn’t here because you include exactly three short headlines in your daily news roundup. They’re here to be caught up.
So sometimes, on occasion, and when it is really, really warranted, it's OK to temporarily eschew the construct if a different format better serves or compliments the story you’re telling with your overall podcast.
I've a bit more to say on this topic of @PodPont at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/breaking-your-podcasts-format-isnt-always-a-bad-thing, which I'd love for you to check out, read/listen/watch, and share with a podcaster who needs to hear it.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Why do you podcast? Yes, plenty of selfish reasons are important if only to keep you podcasting. But does it go deeper than that? I asked the community and was blown away by the responses I received. Garret Godfrey says his show, Good Patron, explores “...how we can better support the bands & musicians we love.” Dr. Carrie Gillon says her show, Vocal Fries, exists ”...to highlight the fact that judging language is judging humans in racist, sexist, classist ways, and more.”
Susan Ni Chriodain says: “Over 80% of people are disengaged in the workplace. In Life Beyond the Numbers, conversations are about how to have a more fulfilling work-life.”
Travel podcaster Amanda Kendle says that her podcast, The Thoughtful Travel Podcast, “...connects to my whole kind of life/career purpose, which is sharing the value of travel as a tool both for personal growth and to make the world a better place.”
Martha Lawton of Squanderlust says her show’s purpose is: “To help people overcome fear and shame around how they have managed their money, so they can face where they are now and change it for the better.”
Neil Hedley of The Snooze Button says his show is “... an effort to save people from the hucksters who would capitalize on ignorance by pushing ridiculous solutions that don’t actually help people.”
Gary Arndt sums up the purpose behind Everything Everywhere Daily with: “I'm trying to combat ignorance. Too many people just don't know much about the world around them. How it works and how it came to be.”
And Andrew Clews says the Motoring Podcast wasn’t started for a goal, but that: “As we’ve gone on, we have found ourselves fighting misinformation/lack of understanding….”
Again, there’s no requirement to do that. Podcasting just for fun can certainly be quite fun. But if building something bigger with a true community around it, it’s probably worth your time to figure out the bigger mission your podcast plugs into.
I have some additional thoughts plus links to the initial thread and more in the article of @PodPont, which you can find at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcasting-with-a-purpose-even-if-its-your-own.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
On the whole, podcasting hasn’t been kind to video content producers. And video hasn’t been kind to podcasters’ wallets. But four developing trends could change how podcasters think about video in the future. In the beginning, there were audio podcasts. And then, about 13 seconds later, there were also video podcasts.
But the bifurcation of audio podcasts and video podcasts was relatively short-lived, thanks to Google’s acquisition and promoting the hell out of YouTube.
Since that time, several entrepreneurs have tried to bring video back to podcasting with varying degrees of success, though none deserving of the adjective “breakout”.
But now, forces are converging and video podcasting again could become a thing... again?
Here’s why:
Earlier this month, YouTube announced they were looking for an executive to oversee podcasting on their platform. Today, many podcasters are (often crudely) already making video versions of their podcasts and distributing them on YouTube.
Just last week, Spotify and Anchor announced they'd soon be hosting audio and video versions of select podcasts in the Spotify app.
Right now, developers in the Podcasting 2.0 movement are developing a way to distribute more than one media file per episode. Like a video and an audio version, doing what Spotify is doing but in a non-propriety manner.
And with those moves comes Descript, getting us closer to a world where we edit media holistically, rather than editing audio and video separately.
Oh, what a time to be alive. While you’re making your holiday gift guides, you may want to have a serious think on how your show fits in a world where audio and video are both valid options for your listeners.
Because it again might be coming. Again?
I have more thoughts plus links and such in the article and episode of @PodPont, which you can find at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/theyre-making-video-podcasts-a-thing-again-again-and-it-might-just-work-this-time
Big thanks to @musciguy for the actual coffee and @centresteer for the virtual coffee. And thanks to @GumballFM for sponsoring the show this month!
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Far too many podcasters cede control of the narrative of their episodes to their subject. Here’s how to take that power back, make better episodes, and wind up with even more content to share. Lots of podcasters struggle with content creation, especially as deadlines approach. When an episode has to get published, less-than-strategic approaches show themselves in an interview that feels forced or an angle on a topic that seems out of place and quite different—in a not-good way to the audience.
At the root of these problems of bad fit lies the same cause:
The podcaster allowed the subject of the episode to dictate the narrative of the episode.
But you can do a better job than that.
A podcaster’s superpower over other media formats is this:
Once you know—deeply—what your audience wants, you can shape almost any subject into a narrative that your audience wants to hear.
Done right, those crappy, unresearched guest pitches turn into a content fountain! All you have to do is figure out which stories you can pull out of guests that your audience wants to hear.
You do this by controlling the narrative.
Don’t just turn the mic over to your guest and let them run the show. That’s your job!
This same approach goes well beyond sorting through unsolicited guest pitches.
Because you know your audience and are in charge of the narrative of your episodes, you can build an episode out of almost every trending topic.
Content ideas galore!
You're the podcaster.
You’re in control of the narrative.
You’re in control of your listeners’ experiences.
Never forget that.
I have lots more examples on how to do this for any type of show in the audio and article for this @PodPont episode: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/making-your-podcast-better-by-controlling-the-narrative
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
You Can Be An Expert On Your Podcast Without Being A Jerk About It “Just the facts, ma’am,” said no podcast listener ever. Yet, the podcasting directories are filled with niched-down podcasters proclaiming their expertise. Is that what your audience truly wants?
Ask yourself: Are you an expert, or are you a guide?
A better way to ask that question might be:
Does your audience want you to be an expert, or do they want you to be a guide?
Yes, there are plenty of examples of podcasts where the audience does in fact want to hear expertise from an expert.
But how often is that? Even for a tightly-niched-down podcast, a good portion of the audience probably wants the podcast host to use their expertise to guide them—the listener—through the episode.
Here’s a quick litmus test: If you start to answer a question on your podcast and you either say or think the words “Well… it depends” before you give your answer; then it’s a near-certainty that the next words you say will be in the voice of a guide, not an expert.
Guides recognize there's no one right way to present their ideas on their podcast.
Guides recognize they don't have all the answers and therefore can’t share all the answers on their podcast.
Guides recognize the role that serendipity and circumstance play in the lives of their podcast listeners. Lives that might look quite different from their own.
So reflect back on the last few episodes of your show. Is your audience relying on you to tell them what to do? Or are they relying on you and your expertise to guide them?
I try very hard to do the latter. But as with all things in life, YMMV.
I have more to say, with some fun examples including howler monkeys, in the audio and article of this episode of @PodPont, which you can get and share right here: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/you-can-be-an-expert-on-your-podcast-without-being-a-jerk-about-it
Big thanks again to @GumballFM for their support of the show this month!
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Most successful podcasters don’t make most of their income from their podcast. So why do successful people, from celebs to business leaders, keep investing in their own podcasts? Legitimacy and access. For every successful podcaster I know who makes most, if not all, of their income directly from their podcast, I know a hundred more successful podcasters who see very little direct income from their podcasts.
Yet each and every one of the successful podcasters I know credits their podcast as being instrumental to their ongoing success.
Let's not forget the tangible benefits running a successful podcast brings to your podcast. Tangible benefits that are oftentimes better and more lucrative for you in the long term.
A well-produced podcast is significantly better than a one-sheet at communicating your goals.
A well-produced podcast can be better than a headshot at conveying your talents.
A well-produced podcast showcases that thing you do much better than a 6-minute explainer video.
And even though I’m an author, I think that a well-produced podcast is much better than a book at demonstrating your knowledge in a particular area.
One of the biggest powers of a well-produced podcast is the outsized legitimacy it provides.
That legitimacy opens up doors to you that other people who do not have an established, respected, and well-produced podcast may find difficult to get through.
Those tangible benefits are often much more valuable to you and to your total income possibilities than any small ad campaign, affiliate deal, or whatever bundled service offering you were pitched just this week.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Worrying about growth, new tech, and other podcasting distractions can cause you to forget that your audience is your audience, not a nameless pool you have to fight for week after week. Lean into them. I'm not a big fan of the word _authentic_. It’s become overused and often used incorrectly.
But there’s one place where I’ve no issue with hearing the word, and that’s when talking about your authentic self.
I’m incapable of being anything other than my authentic self for more than a dozen minutes.
But that may not be you. Either by choice or by forced circumstances. Regardless of how much you can let your authentic self shine through during your waking hours, I hope you are able to be your authentic self on your podcast.
While listening to a conversation between Cameron Esposito and Jessica Kupferman at ShePodcasts LIVE over the weekend, I jotted down this note:
Your audience is your audience. It's okay to talk about things that only your audience cares about. The masses don't matter.
Now, I think that's an incredibly grounded perspective for any podcaster to take and reflect on from time to time.
Your audience is _your_ audience.
Those five words can work as a re-centering mantra when you need it. Saying them out loud can, when needed, help you reconnect with your show, which in turn will help you reconnect with your audience. Again, when you need to.
It's very easy to get caught up in the desire to grow your podcast. And yes, I think that growing a show is important. To some degree, growth is at least somewhat important to most podcasters. How important is debatable, obviously.
But if your quest to grow your show drives you too far away from the content your authentic self cares about, then you may see the opposite of growth.
To thine own self be true. That's why your audience is listening to you and your podcast in the first place.
I have a bit more to say on this topic in today's article and episode of @PodPont, which you'll find at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/authentic-podcasting-is-the-best-self-care
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Some once-exclusive podcasters are challenging the notion that you can never go home again. They assume their audience will be happy to see them. But reality may not line up with those assumptions. Podcasters who’ve gone exclusive do the calculus on moving back to free and wide distribution by making three assumptions.
Assumptions that could do with some challenging.
Assumption #1: My existing listeners will keep listening when the podcast is no longer exclusive.
Yes, I think that assumption is largely true. But what if the exclusive app you left is only for exclusive podcasts? Or did you burn a bridge and your podcast is no longer welcomed there?
And what if the listener’s experience is truly better on that platform? A platform where your show is not?
Assumption #2: The listeners I lost when I went exclusive will love to have my podcast back.
Are you sure about that? Some grudges run deep and are hard to get over. And every lost listener found other podcasts to fill the void left by your podcast. People move on.
3rd Assumption: Wider distribution + loyal fans + the fans who returned = larger audience.
The math checks out on that, but the big question is: larger audience than when? There’s a very good chance you lost a lot when your podcast went exclusive. And a lot of your old fans won’t return. You may have to learn a new hustle game.
But please understand: I’m not opposed to shows deciding to take the exclusive route if that is the right opportunity for them. Just be sure you’ve thought through what happens when the exclusivity is over. The game may have changed while you were away.
I dig deeper into this thought in the article and episode of @PodPont at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/from-free-podcast-to-exclusive-podcast-back-again. Give it a read and this a retweet!
Also: welcome to PHX, #ShePodcastsLive attendees! I'll be there as well, carrying nifty and exclusive gifts for Podcast Pontifications listeners, so please say hi!
Podcasting is easy. For like five minutes. Then reality sets in. The reality of making great content that people can’t help but share. Podcasting doesn’t come with guarantees. So is it worth it? Chat with me about growth marketing for podcasts, and it won’t be long before I utter the phrase: Podcasts tend to get the audience they deserve.
Those eight words have become more than mantra. They form an axiom that describes my overarching worldview about podcasting.
Please understand the axiom has nothing to do with your worth and everything to do with the product—the podcast—you produce.
Is it just a good product? Or is it a great product?
Are the conversations just interesting? Or are they incredibly compelling?
Do all the parts mostly work together? Or was your podcast packaged with the utmost care?
Does your podcast fit neatly in the lives of your audience? Did you choose the length based on that fit? Or for some other less-perfect reason?
Are you giving them the perfect amount of new content on a regular basis? And do they just "like" the show's personalities? Or are they bordering on fanaticism?
The operative word that brings this whole axiom together is tend: Podcasts tend to get the audience they deserve.
Tend means that neither success nor failure is a foregone conclusion, and that external pressures and serendipitous events live outside your control.
Does your podcast deserve a bigger audience? That’s a decision that lies in the relationship between your podcast and your audience.
But I stand by my axiom: Podcasts tend to get the audience they deserve. You can try to buck the trend, sure. Or you can examine the relationship between your podcast and your audience and adjust accordingly.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Micropayments have been touted as the next big revenue source for podcasters since the beginning without much success. But could changes by social media finally herald in our money-flowing future? You let your listeners listen on whatever listening app they want, don’t you?
You let your listeners reach out to you on lots of different communication channels, don’t you?
So as a smart and savvy podcaster, you’ll take that same attitude for receiving direct payments from your listeners, won’t you?
Not long ago, podcasters picked a listener-support platform and drove their listeners to that podcaster-chosen platform. But Twitter moved all of that cheese by announcing integrated direct payments. Available right now.
With a few clicks—and never leaving Twitter—your listeners can send you funds directly from Twitter.
It’s a safe bet other social platforms will follow.
That has a lot of implications for all podcasters to consider. Here are a few I’m thinking of at the moment:
1st, there’s going to be a wave of buzz around this, and it’s important that you and you’re podcast able to be funded. So go through the process as soon as you can.
2nd, I don't think the direct-payments and crowd-funding industries are going to take this sitting down. It's not too crazy, I feel, to expect funding platforms to allow creators to publish content directly to the platform. No, not tomorrow. But it's conceiveable.
3rd, to quote the noted economist Gorgeous George; this will get messy. Some apps/services will do a better job of integration than others. Hopefully, we don’t slide into the chasm that is the Tyranny of Choice.
So my advice: get there, hold on, and see what happens. Let’s embrace the concept of letting our listeners provide value back to us on their terms.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Starting a podcast is easy. But becoming better by following self-serve, learn-at-your-own-pace materials will only get you so far. Sometimes, you need specialized curriculum to make you a better podcaster. Writing _Podcasting for Dummies_ back in 2005 taught me to love podcasting.
Writing _Expert Podcasting Practices for Dummies_ a few years later almost made me hate the idea of getting better at podcasting.
Why? Because the journey to becoming a better podcaster is a thousand or more different paths, each winding in, out, and around the others.
Anyone selling you a master class on podcasting is probably only offering a master class in how they podcast.
So today, I'm going to list six—yes, only six—educational resources, each designed to help seasoned podcasters to up their game.
- Take a Transom Workshop.
Transom’s goal is to make you the best audio storyteller you can be.
- Read Out On The Wire, by Jessica Abel
It's a timeless book I think every serious podcaster should have in their head as well as on their bookshelf.
- Get NPR-level training from NPR.
They’ve packaged up a wide range of incredibly insightful resources that serious podcasters can consume.
- Up your podcast marketing with Polymash
If, that is, you’re looking for higher-level marketing and optimization strategies specific to podcasting.
- Get better with other podcasters in @podcastacademy.
There's a shift in focus with TPA this year to small mentorship groups consisting of several seasoned podcasters, allowing each small group to evolve in its own way that serves the needs of each member of the group.
- Get specialized audio training from The Podcast Audio Lab.
Coming very soon, Marcus dePaula will offer short, highly focused training videos designed to solve very specific audio/recording challenges faced by more advanced podcasters.
You’ll find links to these resources, more of my thoughts on each, and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Where does the serious podcaster go when seeking to up their game? The web is lousy with “how to get started in podcasting” resources. Fortunately, there are also some great next-level resources for the serious podcaster. Like you? 1. Podnews - The aim of the publication is not to make you a better podcaster. Instead, it’s designed to update you on the latest podcast news. Which, I’d argue, is an important thing for serious podcasters.
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Sounds Profitable - Even if you don’t care about podcast advertising, you need to read what Bryan Barletta has to say every week. True, the focus of Sounds Profitable is podcast ad tech. But podcast ad tech is becoming podcast tech.
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Hot Pod - Hot Pod has been a staple of podcasting for several years and was founded to cover how the larger players—big media organizations and large production houses, mostly— are finding success with podcasting. Serious podcasting, one might say.
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HowSound - HowSound is a podcast that showcases the best in audio storytelling. Each episode helps you understand the why as much as the how behind stories that work really, really well in audio, leaving you with plenty of great nuggets to apply as you kick your podcast up a notch or two.
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Podcast Pulse - A Twitter list of 100+ Twitter accounts that frequently post excellent content to help any podcaster improve their skills. Follow the list to see what the current podcast Twitter zeitgeist is bubbling with.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Unfortunately, the confidence one gains with podcasting bestows neither invulnerability nor immortality. When you’re taken down—or perhaps out—do you have a good plan to inform your audience? On a long enough timescale, one day, our audience will no longer be able to hear our voice. Perhaps forever. Or, less dramatically, perhaps for an extended period of time.
How much thought have you given to what you can do when you can do the thing you do no more?
You can do nothing. If podcasting is just a hobby for you like it is for the vast majority of podcasters, then you probably shouldn’t spend much effort planning this inevitability.
Or you can do something, like designate another podcaster to step in and post an episode letting your audience know what’s happening. But who is that person? And how will they know when you need their help?
But something may not be enough, so maybe you need to do everything with a detailed plan that updates your audience where they live. Not only via an emergency audio episode. An update for YouTube. Your website. Your newsletter. Your outside publications. Your social properties.
That sounds…complicated, and likely describes many processes that are locked inside your head, not written down. No shared login credentials. No clear designation of who’s doing what. No real contingency plans for when things go bad.
I know I’m not well prepared for this inevitability. Are you?
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
No rational podcaster likes spending money needlessly. But every day, podcasters make choices on and around their shows without understanding the underlying costs to their podcast... or themselves. Mentioning products or services on your podcast has value. But each mention also comes with a cost. A cost you pay with your reputation.
With advertising or sponsorships, there’s a risk listeners will react negatively. To offset the costs associated with that risk, podcasters charge money for those mentions.
But what about the not-compensated mentions podcasters make every day? Yes, those too come at a cost.
That listener support service you mention on every episode? That costs you, so it’s important the service you chose works really, really well & provides a smooth customer experience.
The links you share to get people to listen? That costs you. Are you sure everyone has a great post-click experience?
And you can blame your hosting provider for their shortcomings all you want, but your listeners will lay the blame squarely at your feet. You made the choice. You incur the cost.
That guest appearance on another podcast? Is it worth the cost to mention it, if it wasn’t all that great?
That speaking engagement you said yes to? How sure are you of the reputation and credibility of the event itself? What will it cost you to mention it?
Don’t think I’m telling you to stop mentioning things. That’s silly. Just be sure you understand that everything you mention comes with a cost. Like it or not, you’re making a tacit endorsement with each mention. So make sure it's worth it.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
The degree of autonomy & self-determination we have as podcasters is staggering. But we can get caught up in “the rest” of podcasting & overlook others struggling to find the freedom we enjoy. I sometimes forget how empowering the act of podcasting can be. Intellectually, I understand it. But I tend to forget that, for many podcasters, empowerment is the entire reason why they podcast.
While many—perhaps most—podcasters are in it to make money, make art, or just have fun, some podcast as an act of empowerment.
And I have to admit that I have a tough time relating to the people who podcast because of the empowerment podcasting provides to them.
But I think I can do better. In fact, I think we all can do better by acknowledging not just the empowering capabilities of podcasting, but that it’s exactly what some podcasters need. That empowerment itself is enough of a reason to podcast, because podcasting provides a voice, a sense of worth, and a way to become something beyond the limitations of someone’s own circumstances.
More to the point, I think these podcasters deserve our support along their unique podcasting journey... without us trying to force them to podcast the way that we podcast. Instead, we should listen, support, encourage, and even celebrate their successes however they choose to define them.
Let's make all of podcasting better by also being better podcasters to other podcasters.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
If you haven’t heard the phrase “podcasting is an intimate medium”, then you must be new. Can this reported intimacy ever be anything more than an empty promise made by podcast advertising advocates? It’s not looking good. Is intimacy overhyped in podcasting? Probably. Advertisers don’t buy podcasts because podcasts are intimate. They buy podcasts because podcasts perform and provide results. Making a more intimate experience hasn’t really impacted average ad CPMs which feel rather stagnant at between $20–$30 CPM for what… the last decade or so?
And can we really measure intimacy in podcasting? Spoiler: we can’t. Consumption rates are neat, but only if you assume few people play podcasts in the background while they study, work, or sleep. But we don’t have a good way to prove that.
And I’m not sure we ever will. Our current standards body, the IAB, cares about measuring audience reach, not intimacy. And then there are the myriad bad actors who would almost certainly use intimacy measurement protocols in nefarious ways.
What would you do if you could measure intimacy, either across your episodes or across your audience? Would you use those metrics to change how you produced your podcast? Or would you just compare your show’s intimacy metrics to the average intimacy metrics across all other podcasts, much the same way we benchmark our download numbers or CPM rates?
I’m genuinely curious, so comment here or on AdvancingPodcasting.xyz. Because who knows? Maybe if the benefits of such information were surfaced, the infrastructure providers in podcasting would come up with clever ways to get us there, in a safe and thoughtful way.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves at PodcastPontifications.com.
Many podcasters sacrifice the majority of their free time so they can podcast. Some of them seem to love that, while others wonder if they’re missing out on what life has to offer. You may have seen the news from China on the growing pushback against the “996” way of doing business, where workers to are expected (or required) to be productive from 9:00 AM until 9:00 PM six days a week.
While I am in no way trying to conflate the hellish conditions exploited workers around the globe face every day with the “job” of podcasting, I can say that many podcasters do work incredibly long hours.
For many working podcasters, 996 is just getting started. I know podcasters who are at it 8-12-7 or on the 10-3-7 kick. For many, that’s their choice.
I don’t presume to know your individual circumstances, so I can’t tell you how you should or should not spend your time, even on your podcast.
But I can say that if you have a choice, and if you feel like you need to make a choice, it's okay to bug out early on your podcast from time to time. It’s OK to take a day off from your podcast when you need it. Heck, it’s OK to take the long weekend to do whatever you want. And yes, it’s perfectly acceptable to go on vacation and just relax for a week or more.
If you want to take a break, and if you can take a break, it’s OK to take a break. Podcasting will still be here when you get back. I'd much rather have you in podcasting for the long run than see you burn out too quickly, as far too many would-be podcasters do. Do what’s right for you.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Podcasting is often touted as a way to reach a younger, hipper demographic. But that ignores the millions of people 55+ who listen to podcasts today, with different habits and content preferences. Yes, it's true that younger people do listen to podcasts. But according to Edison Research, so do 24 million Americans over 55 lup from just 4 million a decade ago.
That’s partly because 55+ podcast listeners have more discretionary time. That grouping includes more senior employees with more flexible work schedules, plus many retired and semi-retired people. They aren’t forced to follow the listening patterns of those who work a 9-to-5.
Also, there’s a lot of variance among 55-and-up podcast listeners. My hunch is that if you plotted out the percentage of listeners for each age starting at 55, you’d likely see a standard Power Law develop. The “younger ages” on the left would have the biggest percentages, which gradually taper down as the age itself gets higher.
But 24 million will look small tomorrow. When The Infinite Dial 2022 report comes out, people who were 54 in the prior report will now be counted in the 55+ bracket.
Finally, podcast listeners and over seem to like age-specific content. If someone listens to Alan Alda’s podcast, Clear+Vivid, they also tend to like Katie Couric’s show. She’s 64. And the podcast by Rob Lowe who’s 57. And even WTF by Marc Marin, also 57.
So yes, old people do listen to podcasts. And they’re going to keep listening to podcasts as _we_ become _they_ of whom we speak. So You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
It doesn’t matter how long your podcast episodes are, so long as you tell a great story. Great storytellers make great podcasts. And with some work and dedication, you too can join their ranks. Now, I’m not a teacher of the art of storytelling, so I’m reticent to give “how-to” advice here. But I am a practitioner of the art, so I can share with you four things I do to continually refine my skills as a storyteller. I consume great stories from great storytellers. From fiction podcasts to articles written by world-class journalists, I fill my eyes and my ears with great stories, soaking in the rhythm of a quality, well-told story. I outline stories before I tell them. The outlining I learned in school was rubbish. The outlining I was forced to learn writing the first edition of Podcasting for Dummies showed me the outlining light. Working with an extremely detailed outline lets the creative parts of my brain flesh out sections in real-time as I follow along. I keep some favorite stories in my back pocket. The next time you run into me at a podcasting event, ask me to tell you a story. I might tell you about the time was kicked out of a football game (and not arrested), selling everything and traveling abroad with my wife for three years, or a non-joke that same wife refuses to let me tell. And I practice my storytelling skills. Four days a week on Podcast Pontifications. With every guest appearance on other podcasts. And every chance I get to talk to others Faced with the choice to either give advice or tell a story, storytelling wins every time. Think about that the next time you sit down to prep for an episode of your podcast. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
A lot of podcast marketing advice starts and ends with: build a funnel and keep feeding people into it! And while that can and does work for some, it’ll frustrate a lot of podcasters. All models are wrong. Some happened to be useful. That an accurate reflection of how I feel about podcast marketing funnels. The core concept of a podcast marketing funnel is making a lot of people aware of your podcast, then getting some of them to consider listening to your podcast, and then getting an even smaller set to actually listen. Seems simple, right? Perhaps too simple. I’ve a few issues with the simplicity marketing funnels describe and the panacea far too many marketers claim them to be. To start, I think the metaphor of a funnel itself is wrong. A real funnel’s job is to… well, _funnel_ everything through it and not spill a drop. But every marketer knows that marketing funnels are leaky and only help the right people progress through the process. Also, actual funnels have a single entry point: The top. There’s no “side hatch” on my kitchen funnel. But in reality, people are quite likely to first encounter your podcast at any stage of the funnel, not just the top. And then there’s the problem of gravity. Every marketing funnel, be it for podcasts or anything else, assumes linear, top-to-bottom refinement and progression from awareness to consideration, to conversion. Nice and neat, And not at all accurate of the chaotic, messy, & unpredictable way individuals actually interact with content. No, I’m not anti-funnel. Just skeptical. Keep in mind that what works for a SaaS company may not work for your podcast. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
For as DIY-friendly as podcasting is, it’s still a complex web of creation, distribution, and promotion. So it’s no wonder many are looking for shortcuts through the complexity. Only… do they work? Generally speaking, I'm skeptical of podcasting shortcuts. No, I don’t like wasting my time any more than you like wasting yours. And podcasting offers plenty of places to spin your wheels and waste a lot of time on, I’ll grant you that.
But before you glom onto a peddled podcasting shortcut, ask yourself these three questions:
1st: Do you understand the process this shortcut is bypassing?
The shortcut itself may be a black box, but you need to have a good idea of what the shortcut is doing. Perhaps not exactly, but you need to at least understand the “why” behind the process.
2nd: Is this shortcut really better than nothing?
Because there are so many things you could be doing in podcasting, it’s a safe bet that you’re probably missing a step or two. So many podcasting shortcuts exist with the promise of doing that thing your not, but with minimal effort. The justification? Well… it’s better than nothing.
But is it really? Got any proof of that?
3rd: Does this shortcut seem too good to be true?
If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. The internet is full of people selling things with questionable—if not downright fraudulent—results.
Just like that $10 sonic mosquito repellent gadget doesn't actually keep the skeeters off you when you put it on your patio, a $10 secret to unlocking podcast riches shortcut probably isn't going to bring the windfall you had hoped.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
We know that the podcast listening experience matters. And we know the big podcast apps don’t seem to share that sentiment. It’s time for working podcasters like you and me to do something intentional about it. For our own good. And the good of podcasting.
I don’t have to tell you how important it is for your podcast to be distributed everywhere people may choose to listen to podcasts. With very few exceptions, adding one more destination point for your podcast is a one-time action that's a simple form-submit away.
Also: just because your show is in a big app, it doesn't mean you have to use that app to listen. And you certainly don’t have to remind listeners that your show is on a big app. Of course it is!
What's more important is this: You should have a considered opinion on which app you think gives a great listener experience. Not which one may (or may not be) the biggest.
It’s weirdly controversial to say the big podcasting apps put their own interests ahead of podcasting. Yet we know it's true. And many podcasters continue to pay fealty to big players even as the actual listening experience on those apps is getting demonstrably worse.
So be the change you want to see in the world.
Instead of just lamenting, take some time this weekend and play around with a new podcast listening app. Regime change starts at home, and there’s no risk to you or your show for trying out something different.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Can spending $5 a day on ads really add 10,000 or more new listeners to your podcast? I highly doubt it. But I am crazy enough to put up the money to see if I’m right or if I have 10,000 new listeners. I don’t think you should spend a dime on advertising until you’ve nailed the fundamentals AND have a show that your hard-core audience continues to recommend. But if you’ve accomplished those non-trivial tasks, why not spend some money to advertise your show?
Good question. And one I’m about to put to the test, as I’m a fan of eating my own dogfood. Starting today, I’m trying out a system that reports to, by the end of a year, boost the listening audience of Podcast Pontifications to 10,000 listeners. That averages out to around 800 new listeners to Podcast Pontifications every month. Not clicks. Not impressions. Not one-time downloads. Actual podcasters who don’t yet listen to Podcast Pontifications.
And I’m going to get that by spending $5 a day on ads. Or so the theory goes.
I’m skeptical of the efficacy of this initiative. However, any good skeptic should be willing to change their position when evidence is presented. And I want to be a better skeptic. Let’s see what happens.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
I’ve never heard a podcast listener say: I wish my favorite podcaster cared less about their show. Instead, they tend to be appreciative and reward those podcasters who work to master their craft. Not-shockingly, most listeners aren’t keen on recommending podcasts created by hosts who can’t be bothered to master the craft of podcasting. And yes, podcasting is a craft. The good news is that you can take a class on making better-sounding audio, advanced interview techniques, improving your writing skills, storytelling for audio, and just about any other aspect of podcasting where you may be lacking.
But that still may not be enough to get your existing audience to recommend your show to others. What then? If you can afford it, considering hiring an outside auditor or consultant to examine… well, everything. There may be things you’ve missed because you’re too close to the problem.
Or maybe the audience you have is the audience you have. Is that enough for you?
Can you fix it with marketing? Maybe. I know many successful podcasters who see great success growing their shows with marketing campaigns. But spending money to market, advertise, otherwise promoting a podcast that even the most ardent fans can't be bothered to recommend seems rather unproductive to me.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
In reality, it’s hard for podcast listeners to recommend podcasts. If your show’s growth has stalled, there are some steps you can take to make it easier for your most loyal fans to recommend your show. Asking listeners to recommend your show while they are actively listening to your show seems logical, until you consider the mechanics. Links from podcast listening apps aren’t universal, and most people don’t even have their phone in hand when listening to your show.
Social apps make this a lot easier because with social apps, sharing and recommending is the feature. And the benefit!
Find out which social platforms are used by your loyal listeners, and then be there. Follow your most loyal listeners. Engage with the posts your most loyal listeners make on that platform. Share the content they produce. And sure, post your episodes on that platform so they can in turn recommend your episodes to others.
And don’t overlook the power of email to get recommendations from your listeners. Before you write your next email, ask yourself if the contents are valuable enough that a listener would pass it along as a recommendation to someone else. And if not; don’t send it until it is.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Begging your listeners to tell others about your podcast will only get you so far. Getting more people to do it starts by understanding what people love about your podcast and why they keep listening. Tom Webster had made a great statement during his excellent opening keynote at Podcast Movement 21 last week:
Know who you are for and why they are there. (You can't give your listeners the unexpected if you don't know what they expect.)
Now there's a lot to unpack there, so let's unravel it:
“Know who you are for...” means looking at the Venn diagram overlap between “us”—our podcast, and “them”—the listener.
“… and why they are there” encourages us to understand why people listen deeply. Some we can infer from various data points available right now. But for maximum understanding, we need to find out. And unless you too are an expert at understanding consumer behavior, I strongly suggest you use the survey template Edison Research has made freely available to all podcasters.
And finally, “You can't give your listeners the unexpected if you don't know what they expect.” Because if your podcast is only meeting the expectations of your audience, you can’t expect your audience to be excited about recommending your podcast.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Sustaining podcast growth week after week is really hard. And while there are plenty of consultants, plans, or methods that promise to fix it for you, the root cause may be something frustratingly simple. When facing flatline audience numbers, many podcasters turn to various marketing tactics. Perhaps you do need to spend more time on and with your social media. Maybe you need a big name guest who’ll share the episode with their big fan base. Or maybe you need to be a guest on other podcasts. Perhaps it’s time to spend some money on advertising your show. And you know what? Some of those tactics may work for you. But none of them are going to solve the root cause of your plateaued podcast problem.
So what is that root cause? It’s this: Your core audience has stopped recommending your show to other people.
That's it. That's the reason.
Because if your core listening audience were continuing to recommend your podcast to other people in their lives, you wouldn’t see a plateau in your podcast’s growth.
Word of mouth is how discovery happens. So If you’re not seeing consistent growth month over month, then the simple fact is that your audience is no longer recommending your podcast to other people.
The question becomes why? Why has your core audience stopped recommending your show to the people they encounter in their lives?
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Most interviewing podcasters know how to trim the fat. It’s a much smaller set who can identify only the best bits while still keeping the guest at the center of the episode. Done right, this editing technique can set your show apart. Many podcasters find it very hard to edit interviews with their guests. They say This conversation was great from start to finish, and my audience is going to love every single word! I’m not cutting a thing!
But it probably wasn’t. And they probably won’t.
Others think that removing excess filler words, shortening up long pauses, or correcting stumbled answers is good enough. And sometimes it is. But it may not be enough to make your podcast stand out.
Instead of an approach that focuses on removing the bad parts, what would happen if you made a commitment to only use the very best parts of your interviews?
Doing so is a bit of a process, using research, automated transcription tools, and something called a paper edit. But the results are tremendous, allowing you to craft an episode filled with stories from your guest that are perfectly aligned to the topic and angle you wanted to cover.
That is how you make an interesting interview podcast that people want to not just listen to once, but to come back and see what you have for them again and again.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
With the rise of celebrity podcasts, many indie podcasters are worried about being overlooked and outspent. But another concern is a lowering of the quality bar as the pace of new shows continues. I’m not terribly worried about the rise of the celebrity podcast, because I know the internet is big enough to hold indie and celebrity podcasts. But I do agree celebrities have a leg up when it comes to “discoverability”. And that is that podcast listening apps love celebrity podcasts. Curators of those apps trip over themselves to get the latest celebrity podcast in front of every user of their app.
I worry a little that the income attributed to celebrity podcasts won’t justify their high costs, resulting in lower quality as the studios try to squeeze more profits out the other end.
While you and I might be punished by listeners for lowering our quality bit by bit; the fans of the celebrity won’t care about a low-quality podcast. Fans have a high tolerance for mediocrity, as they really just want more and more from the celebrity who they are fanatical about. No matter how much it offends our refined ears.
That could be bad for all of podcasting, as potential listeners stick with music streaming services and audiobook providers to give them the quality they couldn’t get with podcasting. We need apps that care about being excellent on-ramps to podcasting, getting the right content in front of their users to keep them happy.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Busy podcasters know that there’s always more that can be done. Fans of busy podcasters know that too, often trying to be helpful by highlighting new opportunities. Which, while nice, can lead to burnout. Podcasters face huge pressures to do more. Some of those pressures are self-motivated and internal. But a lot of times, they’re external from people who expect you to do more in podcasting. And don’t forget that all of us are living through a time of extreme growth and disruption in podcasting. So you work hard to be everywhere you can, trying to connect with everyone you can.
Or you want to turn up the heat on the modest success you’re seeing with your podcasting efforts.
Or perhaps the universe dropped a cool opportunity in your lap. An opportunity that’s really hard to say no to.
If the thought of adding one more thing to your plate fills you with dread, I have good news: Opportunity will knock again.
Maybe the same opportunity. Maybe a different one. Or maybe just the opportunity to focus on your own mental health for a while.
Your mental health is just that: your health. Treat it as such.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
The future of podcasting is already here. It’s just unevenly distributed. And while it certainly is an access problem for many, it’s often just a problem of apathy or laziness. Which is good news for you! What happened to all the tech advancements that were supposed to change podcasting forever and usher in a brand new era for us? GTP-3 promised that machine learning algorithm would write better scripts and text for our podcasts. Drop-in or social audio was supposed to, if not replace podcasting, then at least be a viable option for podcasters who’d rather do a live show.
Back in 2014 I remember an audience member arguing to me during my https://youtu.be/lEgEXKLmIsA (Podcast Movement) keynote that https://www.stitcher.com/ (Stitcher) would revolutionize how people listen to podcasts.
Today, we’ve nothing but breathless enthusiasm for the namespace changes https://podcastindex.org/ (Podcasting 2.0) is pushing forward and whatever new magic https://www.descript.com/ (Descript) is coming up with.
But keep this in mind: most podcasters aren't going to use these tools or services. They don't even know about these advances. And they’re just not interested in disrupting their own status quo.
That’s good news for us more forward-thinking podcasters. It means we don’t have to trip over ourselves to be the first to try something. And that when we do adopt new tools & tech into our podcasting, our shows stand apart from the masses.
So yes, find some time to play around with the next new thing, but do it on your schedule. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Can you use commercial music in your podcast? Few questions shut up most podcasting pundits more quickly. But the better questions are “What’s the worst that can happen?” and “Will this ever change?” I don’t need to disclaim my lack of a law degree when I state the fact that yes, it is legal to play copyrighted music on a podcast so long as the rights to the song have been cleared or the podcaster is following the fair use doctrine. It’s also a fact that podcasters can and do use copyrighted music in their podcasts every single day under the fair use doctrine. According to Professors of Law https://www.american.edu/soc/faculty/paufder.cfm (Patricia Aufderheide) and https://www.wcl.american.edu/community/faculty/profile/jaszi/bio (Peter Jaszi), the fair use doctrine applies to commercial music in podcasts.
But what happens when someone takes a different opinion on your assumed fair use? If you’re lucky, you’ll be forced to remove the music from your episodes. If you’re unlucky, you fight it out in court.
A potentially more likely risk: It might get your podcast booted from directories like Spotify, YouTube, and more. And good luck getting in touch with a human at those big tech firms to plead your case.
So… is it worth it? You’ll have to answer that for yourself.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Good news! It’s easy to start podcasting. Real news! It takes practice and study to become a true professional. Anyone can do it. But few will make the commitment to master the craft. Buck the trend. Thanks to the internet, it’s easy to acquire the “what should I do” knowledge to get started in podcasting. And even keep going. Many multi-year podcasters are able to crank out episodes only knowing the what, not the why.
But To be a professional podcaster, it's not enough to simply know proper microphone technique and how to export at -16 LUFS. Professional podcasters know not just the proper way to do those things—and a slew of other as-important things—but why those are the proper things to do.
Also, professional podcasters know that getting a great-sounding audio file isn’t the end-game in podcasting. It’s just the start!
Ready to develop your professional skills? You have options, ranging from well-crafted curricula, skilled podcasting coaches and much more. Just be sure you’re able to discern garbage from gold.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Many podcasting services are too good to be true and are cleverly disguised scams. But some new services do present leapfrog opportunities to podcasters. The challenge? Knowing the difference. Unscrupulous actors are quick to offer—for a nominal fee—promises of helping you cut in line or sure-fire ways to accelerate your podcasting efforts. And you probably find those offers enticing, especially when the prevailing wisdom all sounds like “put in your time and maybe you’ll make it in a few years”.
No one wants to hear that. Especially when they also hear anecdotes of success shortcuts. Maybe The Olds just don’t know everything.
And we don’t. But some of us, like me, are particularly good at sniffing out bullshit. To that end, I've created a new section in the http://advancingpodcasting.xyz/ (Advancing Podcasting community) called Too Good To Be True. So the next time you encounter an offer, service, or piece of advice that seems… well, too good to be true - post it there. AdvancingPodcasting.xyz
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
On your next podcast, will you follow a trend and take your fair share? Or do you have an idea that’s never or barely been tried before? Both have their rewards and challenges, so which is right for you? To a certain degree, all new podcasts steal at least some market share from other podcasts. Some 80 million Americans report listening to podcasts on a weekly basis. And it’s really hard to listen to two podcasts at the same time.
But some are true pioneers—seasoned podcasters scratching a creative itch by presenting something radically different to podcast listeners. During my tenure in podcasting, I’ve been among those people.
If you’re going for an existing marketplace, can you compete against the already there players, either in process or budget?
If you’re blazing a new trail, how confident are you that anyone wants to listen to what you’re creating?
Podcasting is anything but uniform. So your approach to audience development for your next podcast needs to be tailored to the audience you’re trying to reach—one that already exists or one that you have to build from scratch, one person at a time.
Both options are valid, and the path you take really is mostly dependent upon you and your capabilities. So as I often say on this show, choose wisely.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
On your next podcast, will you follow a trend and take your fair share? Or do you have an idea that’s never or barely been tried before? Both have their rewards and challenges, so which is right for you? To a certain degree, all new podcasts steal at least some market share from other podcasts. Some 80 million Americans report listening to podcasts on a weekly basis. And it’s really hard to listen to two podcasts at the same time.
But some are true pioneers—seasoned podcasters scratching a creative itch by presenting something radically different to podcast listeners. During my tenure in podcasting, I’ve been among those people.
If you’re going for an existing marketplace, can you compete against the already there players, either in process or budget?
If you’re blazing a new trail, how confident are you that anyone wants to listen to what you’re creating?
Podcasting is anything but uniform. So your approach to audience development for your next podcast needs to be tailored to the audience you’re trying to reach—one that already exists or one that you have to build from scratch, one person at a time.
Both options are valid, and the path you take really is mostly dependent upon you and your capabilities. So as I often say on this show, choose wisely.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Not every guest you interview is going to be amazing. Not every monologue you write is going to be stellar. There’s no way to fix that reality. What do you do with a sub-par episode? Don’t release it. That’s the advice of Mike Carruthers of the podcast Something You Should Know. He reports that 20% of the interviews he conducts are never heard by his audience. And you know... I wish more podcasters cared so much about their show that they too would only allow the highest quality episodes to be heard. Can you do that? Can your podcasting process handle every 5th episode needing to be scrapped? More importantly, do you care enough about your podcast to ensure that only the very best episodes are released? Every day, professionals with years of media experience are tirelessly making their shows more attractive to their listeners, as well as drawing audiences away from subpar shows. Don't let your show be a statistic. The best way to control the quality of your podcast is actually to start controlling the quality of your podcast. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Who says you can’t teach an old podcasting dog new podcasting tricks? The start of a new season is a great way to introduce fresh ideas and collaboration opportunities to your podcast listeners. If you’ve been listening to Podcast Pontifications for a while, you likely noticed some changes in this week’s episodes. One change is quite trivial, but others are subtle (hopefully) and a bit more foundational. It’d be hard to miss the new theme music I chose for this new season. Again. But. I do not recommend changing up your theme music with each new season. Or anytime, really. Having consistent, tonally correct theme music is especially important if you’re a new voice in your given niche. So don’t be like me.
You also likely noticed an ad placement at the top of the episode. That ad spot you read/heard is available. It’s a (but not the only) place where you’ll hear future collaborations with some of my listeners. I’ll use it as a place to spread awareness of the cool things they are doing to make podcasting better, which is the underlying conceit of Podcast Pontifications and my mission in life, as it were.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Comparatively speaking, podcasting has been one of the slower-growing mediums for mass adoption. What we need is a big, bold PR push to spread the message of podcasting even wider. But would that work? Where are the “Got Milk?” but for podcasting, https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/milk/images/6/62/Got_milk.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140808035644 (billboards)? Where are the “Beef. It's what's for dinner.” https://godsofadvertising.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/leftovers.jpg (print layouts), but for podcasting? Where's the podcasting equivalent of https://media1.tenor.com/images/bcc6e5014e4c3b65ea6a18d70b6f85df/tenor.gif?itemid=12872122 (animated dancing California grapes)? I worked with some creative and strategically sharp people in my days running digital advertising agencies, so I’ve no doubt that some of them would rise to those challenges and come up with an awesome media plan for the podcasting industry.
But who's going to pay for it?
The associations and councils that fund commercials for any given agricultural category are each comprised of people who have two things in common: a shared product and a shared economy.
We have a shared product in podcasting, but we absolutely do not have a shared economy. No matter what the ad firms and annual revenue tracking reports would have you believe. We're not all in the same economic boat. We're not even following the same monetization path. And unlike the agrarians above, most podcasters haven’t invested their entire life savings in the business of podcasting. If podcasting went away tomorrow, most podcasters would be fine. Yes, of course, a lot of livelihoods would be seriously impacted, like mine. But for most podcasters, they’d just go back to something else with fond memories of their time in podcasting.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
For many, podcasting is an end goal. But many creators are using podcasting as a way to reach more people—people who prefer listening to podcasts—by reformatting their previously created content. https://variety.com/2021/film/box-office/marvel-black-widow-box-office-opening-weekend-1235016977/ (Black Widow killed it at the box office) and with streaming revenues last week. Even with hundreds (or more) of illicit copies o uploaded to various torrent servers within hours of the movie’s premiere. Last week, Macmillan Publishers repurposed their Stories from Among the Stars podcast feed and are now https://us.macmillan.com/podcasts/podcast/stories-from-among-the-stars/ (releasing full audiobook versions of some of their most popular titles on that feed).
These two examples demonstrate a drum I’ve been beating for years: The container often matters as much as the content.
And as has been proven time and time again, digital containers aren't cannibalistic to other forms of content.
If you’re more than just a podcaster, you should ride this again-trending wave.
Do whatever it is you do, customized for as many containers as you can, to give your source content the legs it deserves. Because you're much more than just a podcaster. Assuming you want to be.
I think we're seeing the reemergence of a trend of using podcasting as a vehicle to spread content, but not the only vehicle for spreading that original content.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
If we’re to advance podcasting, we have to lose the “been there, done that” mentality. A reimagining of what podcasting can be is underway, and it needs the help of podcasters like you if it’s to succeed. For the better part of 16 years, all of us since-the-early-days podcasters who’ve done more in podcasting than simply produce a podcast have dropped the ball, letting Apple dictate what podcasting can be. And it only took a global pandemic and the re-emergence of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Curry (Adam Curry)—who was instrumental in ushering in podcasting back in 2004—to show us a different path. He calls this new way Podcasting 2.0. And, not surprisingly, we're collectively resisting those efforts. Some of that is likely due to politics. You may not buy into—or perhaps only vaguely understand—some extreme elements that seem deeply entwined with the Podcasting 2.0 movement. I know I don’t have much of an appetite for constant crypto talk, and I’m very OK with shutting the door on mayhem-inciting asshats. However, the work that the Podcasting 2.0 community is doing with the namespace to extend RSS feeds—the lifeblood of podcasting—is truly innovative. Maybe even revolutionary. With these new namespace tags, podcasters can do more. More with their shows. More with their episodes. More with their audiences. Curious what’s happening? Go to http://newpodcastapps.com/ (NewPodcastApps.com) for a list of listening apps and podcast hosting companies who are already on board. And no, you won’t find Apple or Spotify listed there. However, the more companies that do jump on board, the more likely the big behemoths will follow suit. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com/ ( PodcastPontifications.com).
A lot of attention is directed at the Top 100 (or pick a number) lists of “most popular” podcasts. But I've a cryptic message for you. No one listens to all the top 100 most popular podcasts. All of the shows on those lists are popular and have many rabid fans. I’m just saying that no one listens to all of them. In fact, no one listens to most of them. If you were to total up the hours every podcast listener listening, you’d find the hours spent listening to shows not in the top 100 would greatly exceed the time spent listening to those in the top 100. That’s https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_tail (the long tail). It occurs in just about every large data set and isn’t talked about enough. And the true power of podcasting lies in the long tail. Not the short head. Podcasters with shows not in the top 100 “most popular” lists are often quite successful. Some lead luxurious lifestyles. Many are able to pay all of their bills with podcasting. Many more are living satisfied, completely fulfilled lives. And an even greater number are happily putting their craft out into the world. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
I think anyone who wants to have a podcast should have a podcast. Or at least try it on for size and see if it’s for them. But the reality is that podcasting is not for everyone.
I think we podcasters need to be more honest and upfront with that reality during our conversations with people who express an interest in podcasting.
When a business, perhaps a business you work for, asks you about podcasting, they may not realize the actual work and have a poor understanding of likely outcomes. Don’t let them disappointed or cause them to wonder why you weren’t more forthcoming.
While talking to your creative friends about podcasting, help them understand the time and effort it will take them to develop the new skills necessary to be creative in a new medium.
When your super-smart friends ask, let them know how different podcasting is from other ways they express their knowledge, and that just because you make podcasting look easy; it’s not.
We owe it to the people in our lives to be every bit as honest as we are encouraging. Because nothing sours a working relationship or friendship like unmet expectations.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Podcasting is in a period of accelerated growth. More articles about podcasting are appearing in mainstream media. More consolidation is happening internally, and companies outside of podcasting are investing money to get in. All of that means more opportunities are abundant for all of us podcasters. So, of course, you should get your fair share by saying YES quite a lot! Bit it's equally important to know when to say NO.
Saying NO to the wrong client can save you a lot of stress.
Saying NO to the wrong guest can keep you from chasing vanity metrics.
Saying NO to the wrong advertiser can increase the value of your show.
Saying NO to the wrong opportunity to present at a workshop or event can protect your integrity.
Saying NO to the wrong collaboration can keep you from disillusionment.
Not that you should be dismissive. You should take the time to examine the opportunities sent to you. And if one seems the right fit, you should absolutely take it. But if it’s not the right deal, then don’t fret giving it a pass. Another deal will come along presently that’s a much better fit for you.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
There's a lot that we can change about our podcasts when we feel like we need a change. Like our topics, our angles, the format, branding elements, and myriad other changes, some subtle and some gigantic, that we can make to our podcasts. But what about changing our personality?
I think there are some aspects of your personality that are “affected habits” if you will. A sort of “muscle memory” of brain-behavior that is expressed outwardly, to use a layperson's and probably clumsy metaphor.
Take me, who’s rush to joke gets in the way of being a good interviewer. I’m learning to suppress that affected behavior by interviewing people (on a different podcast) on markedly un-funny topics.
Take Don, a long-time podcaster experimenting for the first time short-form, scripted content in a semi-private, limited-run show.
Take Terry, a newer podcaster who tends to get tangential who’s learning to (and being rewarded for) stay tight and succinct on a short-form video platform.
Are any of those examples really a changed personality? I don’t know. But I do know that each represents someone who’s making (and able to make) a decision on which parts of their personality to emphasize and expose, and which ones they de-emphasize and keep out of the podcasts you hear.
We’re all three trying to make better podcasts. Not just for us, but for our audiences as well.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
If it isn’t abundantly clear, I have more than a passing interest in making podcasting better, not just easier. Oftentimes, podcasters who listen to or read my words are inspired to take some concepts back to their show, making their own podcasts better. In no particular order, here are 9 ways you can give back to podcasting and make podcasting better
- Write a niche newsletter that leverages your secret sauce.
- Buy something advertised on a smaller podcast. Your auctions can keep that advertiser funding your favorite shows
- Volunteer to help at a podcast event to make a memorable experience for all attendees
- Participate in PodRevDay and leave a review to make a podcaster’s day
- Share great-sounding podcasts outside of podcasting circles to showcase how great podcasts can be
- Try out new podcasting tools and services and share your experience with other podcasters in your network
- Become a mentor to a less-experienced podcaster
- Host a local podcasting meetup in your town
- Start collaborating with other podcasters to make great things
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
I’m often critical of podcasting award shows. I’ve found them either a little too navel-gazy or they devolve into pleading-for-attention popularity contests. That’s what originally attracted me to The Ambies, which were awarded last night. They focus on excellence in podcasting. They’re committed to surfacing the best of the best, helping raise the profile of podcasting amongst other forms of media. But let’s be realistic: Awards ceremonies that elevate the best are a zero-sum game. When we elevate the best-sounding shows, all other shows lose. It doesn’t matter if you think a show is a winner. It doesn’t matter if the producers think their show is a winner. It doesn’t matter if the deeply engaged extant listening audience thinks the show they love is a winner. Statistically speaking, the show you or they want to win is going to lose. It probably won’t even be nominated. So yes, we should absolutely bolster the up-and-coming, indie-minded podcaster. Without question, we should be working to bring new voices into podcasting. There’s plenty of room and we should go out of our way to make sure anyone curious about podcasting is encouraged to jump in. But I also think we need to do our part in talking up award-winning podcasts to people outside of podcasting. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Successful podcasting is often talked about in zero-sum terms. Do more of this thing, less of these others, and success will come. But success is subjective and relative. Oh, and never guaranteed. Perhaps, instead, we should focus on measuring our own happiness. Or better yet, our contentment with our podcasts. Being content doesn’t mean being complacent. Getting to the right amount of contentment might mean doing more things, like more post-production work to make sure your episodes sound great. Or it might mean doing less of some things, like cutting back on or cutting out social properties that you don’t enoy. Or it could mean just doing things differently, perhaps a simple a shifting when or where you podcast. Ultimately, your happiness is just that: your own happiness. So take control over it. Especially if you’ve tried to chase someone else's definition of what success in podcasting is and found it lacking. Podcast in a way that makes you as happy of a podcaster as you can be. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
What happens when podcast content goes viral? That’s been an elusive goal, as social media companies don’t allow audio files to be shared. But that’s changing in the coming weeks, causing podcasters to re-think how they can capitalize on social media. Some podcasters will over-optimize their episodes to get the most shares possible by saying dumb things just to get attention. That’ll alienate listeners and cause paying members to flee. But all those shares could boost download counts, causing a huge windfall in ad revenue. Other podcasters may tweak their episode length or update frequency to appeal to their newfound social audience, which might have positive impacts on their overall audience retention rate and episode completion rate. Yeah… this is going to complicate things. Hooray! You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Is your podcast worthy of fast updates? Believe it or not, podcast directories do not treat every podcast as equal, choosing to update some podcasts faster than other podcasts, based on factors that they, the podcast directory, determine. And if you think “no worries, that won’t impact people who’ve subscribed to or follow my show”, you’re wrong about that. And as podcasting continues to grow, directory developers may have little choice but to continue to slow down their update cycle. There’s not much we can do about this. Other than developing a one-to-one relationship with our listeners, something we really can’t do with RSS feeds and podcast directories. Yes, those are important, and we should continue to publish to public directories. But it’s now more important than ever to start cultivating a deeper relationship with your most important listeners. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Finally, after 16 years of near absenteeism, Apple is making a play to monetize podcasts with their new Apple Podcasts Subscriptions. But I think there’s more at play on than just Apple going after the premium podcast market. I think Apple thinks much bigger than that and sees a huge revenue potential if they can get us podcasters thinking more like app developers. Apple already has a well-defined, well-established, and friction-free commerce platform with the App Store. They’re nicely positioned at the middle of the equation and are incentivized to keep all of those adjectives in place so the money keeps rolling in. Why wouldn’t they do the same with podcasting, creating a marketplace for podcasts where Apple is incentivized to not just drive more listeners, but more revenue? Imagine the full force of Apple’s marketing machine working hard to re-introduce that little purple square to every iPhone user. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
For years, I’ve gone along with the advice that podcasters should stick to a format and a release schedule, if only because people are creatures of habit. But they’re also creatures of the world around them, and a lot of their world is impacted by seasonality. So… why aren’t we changing our podcasts’ format and frequency to reflect that seasonality? More to the point: Are we sacrificing opportunity in the name of evergreen content? Seasonal activities cause people’s habits to change. For a great many products people consume, seasonality plays a big role. Especially for specialty goods and services, consumption habits change significantly depending on the season. And your podcast is special, right? Maybe too special to be contained within a purely evergreen format, perhaps? You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
One great thing about podcasting—it’s always been more or less welcoming of less-than-perfect, authentic voices. But with so many professional actors and production studios investing big bucks into podcasting, many creators are wondering if there’s still room for “normal” voices like theirs in podcasting? And there absolutely is! In fact, your authentic voice—assuming the voice that comes out of your face matches the one that’s in your head—is a big part of what makes your podcast special! So lean into your accent, if it’s a part of you. Those quirks and mannerisms that annoy you just a little? Your listeners may find them endearing. And don’t worry about your cadence when literally every listener can speed up or slow down your voice with the click of a button You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
There’s no doubt that we’ve built a real economy out of podcasting. But some things about the podcasting economy we’ve built are still dumb. And I hope it doesn't take us another 16 years to stop doing some of those dumb things. Smart Speakers still suck for listening to podcasts. Podcasting data is still untrustworthy and obfuscated. RSS feeds still suck and limit making podcasting more useful. And Podcasting is still terribly under-monetized, even with the reported billion dollars ad revenue should break this year. But all of those issues are solvable. More to the point, I think all of those issues will be solved. And I don’t think it’ll take another 16 years. That’s exciting to me. Because once we get those issues resolved, or at least edge them closer to perfection, podcasting will be made better. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
What if every podcast hosting company made it easy for any podcaster—every podcaster—to start running ads? And what if those hosting companies realized they were making so much money from their portion of the ad revenue, that they decide to offer podcast hosting for free. Well, in exchange for running ads. Would that be bad? Well… maybe. An arms race might develop, where hosting provides fought against each other and commoditization of the industry But a new crop of service providers might rise up to fill the void. Premium providers who gave high-touch services in exchange for higher fees. Paywall providers and aggregators to maximize revenue without ads. Even software-specific hosting providers who sell directly to you, the podcaster I can’t predict the future. But I’ve pondered this a bit, to its logical and downright dystopian conclusion. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Podcasting is a great creative exercise. But with millions of podcasts available, a smart podcaster finds time to do the boring things required to keep their show fresh and attract new listeners. Here are five for you to consider.
1 Write better in-app episode details. This remains one of the biggest areas of neglect in podcasting. Which means if you do it right, you can get a quick win.
2 Find time to experiment with new podcasting services. Tech moves pretty fast in podcasting. Find the time to do boring research and see what tools you should adopt to improve your show.
3 Clean up your podcast website’s copy. Your website will be visited by people new to your show, either recent followers, searchers, or those doing their due diligence before following your show.
4 Review your podcast’s competition. With millions of podcasts, you need to keep your eyes ears what other shows listeners are listening to. Even beyond your podcast’s genre or category.
5 Continue your podcaster education. Subscribe to podcast newsletters. Take podcasting workshops. Attend conferences, either in-person or online.
You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Podcast producers who don’t leave things to chance often fall into one of two camps: architects or gardeners. And while they sound totally different, they’re actually a lot more closely related than you might think. Both are planners, starting at the very foundation of a podcast. Both think several episodes ahead, developing and following an arc that can keep the show moving forward—and understanding the components that will make up each episode. Both rely heavily on templates because they know that there’s more to a podcast than just making some nice-sounding audio. And, especially when they work together, architects and gardeners can make truly remarkable podcasts that listeners love. Which are you? You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
It's difficult to have a conversation about personalization in podcasting without drawing some well-deserved side-eye from privacy advocates. But what happens if we re-imagine podcasting, not as the one-size-fits-all approach, but a personalized one that delivers obvious and demonstrably better experiences for our listeners? With non-invasive data, listeners can express their preference for only getting certain types of podcast content. Or custom assembled episodes that fit their needs better. Or any number of other listener-first personalization options that don’t require zip code or mother’s maiden name. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Being a podcast producer can be great work if you can get it. But it’s still work. Work that someone else is paying you to do. Work that—eventually—will come to an end. How can you prepare for that? You can do and document your best work. Avoiding any contract issues, take screenshots or grab source files that show what you did and how you did it, storing them privately so you can share snippets with potential employers later. You can get your name added to the credits section of the show right now. It’s a best practice to follow, after all. And you can get yourself out there on the podcasting circuit, talking up your skills as a podcaster, referring to shows you’ve worked on. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Podcasting is a terrible experience for opportunistic listeners. You can still flip through TV shows, radio stations, and even stories and articles in newspapers or magazines. But serendipitous podcast listening, where a listener cycles through a list of podcasts playing right now… it just doesn’t happen. Only… it is. Because that’s exactly what’s happening with new drop-in audio spaces, and has been happening with a variety of “lives” pushed out through social properties. While you might lament the lack of engagement/quality on those platforms, they might be attracting more and more opportunistic listeners. And with the barrier to get your show, or at least the live recording of your show on those platforms, so low… why wouldn’t you? You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Low startup costs get people as excited today about podcasting as was the case 15 years ago. But a lot has happened in 15 years, and the huge increase in podcasts—from a supply and a demand-side—has caused on specific and often overlooked costs of podcasting to skyrocket: Promotion. If you want your podcast to reach the masses you have to understand that there’s competition at the top. A lot of competition. A lot of expensive competition. So while there’s a chance the pitfall-free, high-quality podcast you’re launching in 2021 can become a breakout success that achieves mass circulation, the odds of that happening without a corresponding big promotional budget are dwindling. Rapidly. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
I'm not so sure that bonus content for podcasters is the best thing. Sure, some podcasters make good money offering bonus content, merch, and other “more” items to their listeners. So some listeners clearly want those “more” items. But most don’t want them, as is evident by the dismally-low conversion rates on fee-based bonus feeds or other paid options podcasters provide. As a podcaster, the prospect of making even more episodes may freak you out! Couple that with most weekly podcast listeners only listen to 8 episodes, and it makes you wonder if bonus content is worth your effort. Or their money. With new monetization options coming from Apple Podcasts, Twitter, and more, perhaps it’s time for podcasters to start thinking about other ways of getting paid for their podcasts without podcasting more? You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
For Sounds Profitable, I’m Evo Terra with your Minute of Pod Zen. In the decentralized and distributed world of podcasting, trust is paramount. It’s grown far too big, far too quickly for any single person or company to grasp fully, so we podcasters have to trust others. We have to trust our chosen podcast media hosting companies are doing not just a good job today but have their eyes on the future. We have to trust the apps and directories to play nicely and to display our content the way we intended. And we have to trust our peers and associates to challenge us to be better podcasters. All of that allows us to trust ourselves to do what’s right by our show and our audience. Unless that trust is eroded. Then that trust is hard to win back. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Not content to only move our cheese with the switch from subscribing to following, the new version of Apple Podcasts will no longer automatically download episodes. Streaming is the way, bringing the dominant iOS podcast listening app in line with… well, the 20s, I guess you could say. There are a few ramifications for this coming change, but one really, really big one: your download numbers are going to go down. My podcasts’ download numbers are going to down. And if you sell advertising on your podcast AND that revenue is tied to episode downloads, revenue is going to go down. Maybe by a lot. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Apple Podcasts is killing the “subscribe” feature. Don’t worry. Listeners can still… well, subscribe to get episodes delivered directly to them. But with iOS 14.5 that action will be called “follow”. Which, by the way, is what Spotify, Amazon, Audible, Stitcher, and others call the action. So what does that mean to you, the working podcaster? Clean up your language, obviously Strike the word “subscribe” from your vocabulary. Scrub it from your site. 47% percent of people who don’t listen to podcasts say the reason they don’t listen is because podcasts cost money. Ostensibly, because almost every subscription service they have, they pay for. So let’s all make this change. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
In celebration of International Women’s Day, I started making a list of the women in podcasting I’ve had the privilege to work with over the better part of the last two decades. When I reached 50 names, I stopped writing. Not because I was out of names. But because I realized the futility of the exercise. All too often, podcasting deserves its reputation as a bro’s club. But it doesn’t take much looking to realize what a false narrative that really is, and what an integral part women play in podcasting. I don’t say this to be glib or dismissive of the very real problems with equality in audio. Yes, all of us need to work hard to elevate women in podcasting. Personally, I owe a huge debt to many women in podcasting and can honestly say I likely wouldn’t have a career in podcasting were it not for the amazing women in podcasting in my life. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Good news! A recent study by Nielson shows https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/report/2021/podcasting-today/ (US-based podcast listeners are much more diverse than the overall population), with non-white listeners clocking in at 41%, A full seven points over the 36% overall population. While the white listening audience has quadrupled in size over the last decade, all ethnic groups are growing at least five-fold, with Hispanics growing six times! This study demonstrates millions of racially and ethnically diverse listeners are already tuning in. But let me be clear: https://discoverpods.com/integrated-diversity-podcasting/ (Podcasting is still really, really white). This sort of survey shows a need for that to change. I’m optimistic that it will change. Eventually. But only if we all do our part. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
In 2020, https://blog.anchor.fm/updates/podcasting-in-2020 (one million podcasts powered by Anchor launched), effectively doubling the size of podcasting. Concerns podcasters and listeners raised about “control” and “quality” didn’t matter. New creators with something to say flocked to Anchor. https://www.joinclubhouse.com/ (Clubhouse), the audio-only, drop-in social platform is currently tracking 10 million active weekly users. https://backlinko.com/clubhouse-users (That pace of growth doesn’t seem to be slowing.) So imagine a world where Clubhouse enables distribution, turning every “club” into its own podcast, and then distributing that podcast to every single podcast directory automatically. One million brand new Clubhouse-created podcasts by the end of 2021 seems quite possible. So what’s a podcaster like you to do? You should explore Clubhouse, but not abandon podcasting. Those million shows will be raw, rambling gabfests. Do you want to try to compete in that? Or stick to what you’re best at? You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Perhaps I've been too subtle, so let me speak clearly and louder for those in the back: Accessibility matters. Many podcasters are operating under the impression that accessibility is optional. It's not. People with vision loss and hearing loss have access to all sorts of tools and services to allow them to enjoy the same content that fully-sighted and full-hearing people enjoy. But only if you, the podcaster, do your part to include them in the party. Because it’s the right thing to do. You can start by mhttps://www.descript.com/transcription (aking transcriptions available) starting with your next episode. Fully corrected and readable. You can upload subtitles with every video you post. You can use a https://www.google.com/search?q=website+accessibility+checker (website accessibility service) to scan your existing web pages for glaring accessibility issues and fix them. Yu can use alt-tags when you post images on your social media properties. And if you run a podcast production house, you can change your services so that accessibility is baked-in to your offerings, not sold as an add-on. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves athttps://podcastpontifications.com ( PodcastPontifications.com).
Every day, podcasters have to live with the uncomfortable reality that still, two decades in, we’re only reaching around a third of the population. The reasons why two-thirds don’t listen are many, but at least some of it has to do with a perception of “sameness” in podcasting. Sometimes, that perception is reality. Podcasting has a vicious cycle of over-optimization that leads to “sameness”. The same guests answering the same questions on multiple shows. The same breaking news covered in the same way to squeeze as much Google juice as possible. All that sameness leads to podcast listening fatigue. Even I’m feeling it. With the exception of Post Reports and Techmeme Ride Home, I’m almost exclusively listening to serialized podcasts. Why? Because they end. And episodic podcasts, like mine, don’t. There’s no satisfying, “the end” moment. And unsatisfied people rarely return. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves at PodcastPontifications.com.
https://www.podcastersdeclare.com/ (Podcasters Declare) is an open letter you should consider signing. The goal is to get Apple to add Climate Change as a top-level category inside of Apple Podcasts. A worthy cause, to be sure. But what about the other worthy causes? Can our categorization system handle the pressure of giving every worthy cause its due? No. No, of course it can’t. And therein lies the problem. We’re not approaching the problem from the correct angle. Your https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/584f1m/how_many_books_are_there_in_an_average_sized/ (average bookstore only has a few thousand titles on its shelf )at any given time. Those bookstores have categorization systems that are incredibly expansive. But in podcasting, we have millions of titles. Yet only around 100 categories to sort them into. That’s never going to work. Even https://github.com/Podcastindex-org/podcast-namespace#phase-3-open (the Podcasting 2.0 initiative’s efforts at addressing) https://github.com/Podcastindex-org/podcast-namespace/blob/main/categories.json (only has 112 categories) in it currently. The solution isn’t to add more categories. The solution is to ditch categories altogether and do something fundamentally different. A decade ago, Google quickly overtook Yahoo!s Directory approach. We need that in podcasting. Like… now? You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcast should be asking themselves at https://podcastpontifications.com/ (PodcastPontifications.com).
Yesterday's big podcasting news was https://twitter.com/evoterra/status/1362037770500280324?s=20 (iHeartMedia’s acquisition of Triton Digital for $230 million.) I see this as an “all things podcast tech” move. And a bold one that will accelerate the shift away from static podcasts, which most of us podcasters are making today. At the heart (heh) of this acquisition is technology that allows iHeart to make podcast content that is truly dynamic. And as more podcasters start embracing and experimenting with dynamic content in their shows—or create shows entirely dependent on dynamic content—listeners are going to expect it. From all of us. We’re already seeing some evidence of this. From Libsyn buying Auxbus, to Buzzsprout’s new dynamic content tool, to companies like Captivate who are announcing a brand new dynamic content engine this quarter. The future of podcasting is dynamic. And that’s a big change from our static past and present. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcaster should be asking themselves at PodcastPontifications.com.
In 2040, how will we listen to podcasts? It’s 2021. In 19 years, it’ll be 2040. Deal with that for a minute, and then think about sound quality advancements. Yes, there’s a limit on the range of sound frequencies our human ears can perceive. And by and large, we’ve been able to create speakers and sound transmitters that produced rich and immersive sounds within that range for decades. Will we “fix” the problem with lossy files in the future? Will technology solve the problem, so our episodes always sound perfect? Will we have to change our approach if binaural audio, spatial audio, or other “3D” sound formats become normal in the near future, making even the richest stereo sound seem dated? We can’t predict the future. But we can plan for it and keep working on making our timeless episodes more timeless. You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcast should be asking themselves at PodcastPontifications.com.
Have you ever noticed that most online forums, groups, or rooms are dominated by conversations around monetization, growth hacking, or launch strategies? While that can be great for the budding podcaster, there’s not a lot of incentive for working podcasters to chime in. But lurking under the surface are many podcasters looking for more out of those groups. They’re looking for stories, connections, and fresh ideas and approaches. At the risk of someone misinterpreting my words, I honestly think that content that inspires is every bit as important as content that informs. So the next time you head to a Facebook group about podcasting, join a podcast-specific Clubhouse room, comment on a Reddit thread, or chime in on a Discord server, think about why you podcast. And share that! You’ll find more thoughts on this topic and other questions every working podcast should be asking themselves at PodcastPontifications.com
At some point, many podcasters feel the need to share the knowledge they have gained with other less experienced podcasters. But how you do that, and how you bill yourself matters. Do we need another book about podcasting? And are you the right person, with the right experience, to write it? Should you Write a how-to podcast course? Take some time to do some research on what already is out there, and have a self-check-in to make sure you can deliver the goods. Should you become a podcast coach? If so, narrowly-define your role, and coach people on one aspect of podcasting, rather than the entire game. Is podcast mentorship right for you? Mentoring is often great for both mentor and mentee and tends to work best in as a more general and open-ended relationship. I know you have great knowledge to share about podcasting, and I’m sure you’ll make the right choice on how to share it. I have more thoughts on this topic at my website, https://podcastpontifications.com/ (PodcastPontifications.com)
It’s hard to make an engaging podcast when you’re bored. You may think you’re hiding it well, but your audience will pick up on it. Luckily, there are ways to beat back boredom before it beats down your show. You can change things up. Make a change your podcast’s format, try adding or subtracting voices, or making other subtle but profound shifts to your podcast’s area of focus. You can start something brand new. Sure, an additional podcast. But you could also explore not-podcasting mediums to reach a brand new audience. Or you team up with creatives you respect and admire. If none of that sparks an idea, maybe it’s time to throw in the towel. There’s no shame in retiring from podcasting. All things come to an end. And if you later decide you want to make your comeback—great! Podcasting will welcome you back with open arms. I have more thoughts on this topic at my website, PodcastPontifications.com.
Is your show secretly serialized? Many podcasters aren’t even aware of the difference between episodic and serial podcasts, or that by changing one field in their podcast’s settings, they could make their secretly serialized show that much more enjoyable to new listeners. If you could make a book intended to be read from cover to cover from your podcast; you’re making a serialized podcast. If your episodes build upon each other; you’re making a serialized podcast. If your podcast follows a linear progression from start to finish across episodes; you’re making a serialized podcast. If any of those scenarios apply to your show, please go into your podcast hosting platform and look for that setting. Because you’re not making an episodic podcast. You’re making a serialized podcast. Please tag it so. It’ll make the listener experience—at least for some—so much better. I have more thoughts on this topic at my website, PodcastPontifications.com
Podcasters tend to love collaboration, but it’s not easy. Unless we embrace the notion of syndicated content. I don’t mean syndicated content as defined in the acronym RSS feed. I mean using syndicated content to inject fresh and relevant content into your podcast’s episodes, both enhancing your episodes and making them more enjoyable for your listeners. All without requiring you to create a lick of new content. Podcasting has the technology to do this today, allowing you to incorporate a tip for healthy living into your health-focused podcast, run the latest scores on your sports podcast, always showcase the latest news from inside your niche, and so much more. Using Syndicated content in your podcast is quite new. So these ideas are technically possible, but the syndicated content may not be there just yet. Such is the nature of all early adopters. I have more details, samples, and at least one way you can start running syndicated content in your podcast tomorrow.
I’m Evo Terra, and this is your Minute of Pod Zen. Are you a good ambassador for podcasting? Not for your own podcast, but for all of podcasting? 2/3rds of the population still do not listen to podcasts. And while most people have listened to at least one episode, most of them were disappointed by what they heard. But you can change that the next time a non-podcast listener asks you for a podcast recommendation. Instead of pimping out your own show or suggesting they listen to the most popular podcast in the world, give them an IHNI. An IHNI. I H N I. It stands for I Had No Idea. And that’s just the feeling you want the recalcitrant listener to have. You want them to say I had nO idea podcasts could be this great! So make your list of IHNI shows and keep them at the ready. I have more thoughts on the topic on my website, PodcastPontificiations.com. I’m Evo Terra, and this has been your minute of pod zen