Podcast Pontifications
THIS SHOW IS CURRENTLY ON HIATUS - PLEASE ENJOY THE ARCHIVE OF CONTENT FOCUSED ON MAKING PODCASTING BETTER. Where plenty of podcasts about podcasting (PAPs) tell you what to do, Podcast Pontifications gives you what to think about in podcasting. These insightful forward-looking episodes have one central tenet: Podcasting needs to be made better, not just easier. Designed for the working podcaster, these short-form episodes get you thinking about the future of podcasting and how you can better prepare yourself -- and your shows -- for the future. The goal is simple: help you develop critical thinking skills needed to...
Bonus · Wed, February 15, 2023
Do You Think Too Much Or Too Little About Your Podcast Trailer?
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
S5 E24 · Wed, November 02, 2022
You Have Reached The End of Podcast Pontifications
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.co
S5 E23 · Wed, October 26, 2022
How Can Podcasters Make Podcast Advertising Better?
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 Pontifications is a production of Simpler Med
S5 E22 · Wed, October 12, 2022
2023: The Year Podcasting Has To Pay
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 la
S5 E21 · Wed, September 28, 2022
Podcasting's Lack Of Blockbuster Hits Is A Feature, Not A Bug
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: <a href="https://evoterra.link/cap
S5 E20 · Wed, September 21, 2022
Making Complex Podcast Tech Disappear With Alitu
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 <a href="https://www.thepodcasthost.com/" rel="noopener nor
S5 E19 · Wed, September 14, 2022
Podcast Conferences, Cancel Culture, & Human Dignity
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. 1. 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. 2. 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. 3. 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 ----- <a href="https://2022.podcastmovement.co
S5 E18 · Wed, August 17, 2022
How Podcasting Can Encourage The Podcast Listening Habit
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 Pontifications is a production of <a
S5 E17 · Wed, August 10, 2022
Getting Past Your Personal Podcasting Humps
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 Pontifications is 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 w
S5 E16 · Wed, August 03, 2022
Avoiding The Perils Of Un-aligned Podcast Advice
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: 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 Pontifications is 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. <a href="http
S5 E15 · Thu, July 28, 2022
How Podcasters Can Generate Great Ideas For Social Media Posts
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: Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company ----- Links ----- Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of <e
S5 E14 · Wed, July 20, 2022
In The Future, Podcast Discoverability Will Be Specialized
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 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: Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company ----- Links ----- Apollo Maps.fm Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! -
S5 E13 · Wed, July 13, 2022
5 New Reasons To Write Better Podcast Show Notes
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 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: Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company ----- Links ----- The Download Sounds Profitable Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! ----- Podc
S5 E12 · Wed, July 06, 2022
Changing The Minds Of Non-Podcast Listeners One IHNI At A Time
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: Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company ----- Links ----- Sturgeon's law @evoterra on Twitter The Creators report Twenty Thousand Hertz Love + Radio Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! ----- <a href="https://podcastpontifications." rel="noopener noreferrer
S5 E11 · Wed, June 29, 2022
Breaking Free Of The Podcast Sandwich Paradigm
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 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: 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? <a href=
S5 E10 · Wed, June 08, 2022
Podcast Growth & Monetization With Buzzsprout Ads
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 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 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: Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company ----- Links ----- buzzsprout.com/ads Alban Brooke , Head of Marketing at Buzzsprout Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! ----- Podcast Pontifications is a production of <a href="https://simpler.me
S5 E9 · Wed, June 01, 2022
3 Podcasting Trends To Take You Beyond 2023
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. 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 t hey 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 chal
S5 E8 · Wed, May 25, 2022
Creative Ways To Get More Ad Dollars For Your Smaller Podcast
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. 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 . 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: Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company ----- Links ----- Team Coco acquired by SXM WTF with Marc Maron to let Acast handle ad sales and
S5 E7 · Wed, May 18, 2022
Can You Still Make A Really Big Podcast In 2022?
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.
S5 E6 · Wed, May 11, 2022
Podcasting: Too Diverse To Fail?
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 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 Tom Webster to the Sounds Profitable team. Both Tom and 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
S5 E5 · Wed, April 27, 2022
Big Tech Doesn't Care About Your Podcast
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. Photo by Michelangelo Buonarroti from Pexels Big Tech does not care about podcasting the way we care about podcasting. There. I said it. Remember 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 us 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 about 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: Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company ----- Links ----- <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/04/twitter-podcast-tab-spaces/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_
S5 E4 · Wed, April 20, 2022
Host-Read Podcast Ads Aren't Always The Right Answer
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 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: Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company ----- Links ----- Podcast advertising case studies Andrew Clews Don Burnside Motoring Podcast White Roof Radio Suzy Buttress The Casual Birder
S5 E3 · Wed, April 13, 2022
If You Work In The Business Of Podcasting, You Need A Podcast
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: Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company ----- Links ----- GarageBand Audacity Descript Hindenburg Pro <a href="https:
S5 E2 · Wed, April 06, 2022
The Ugly Math Of Podcast Cross-Promotion
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 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: 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 Pontifications is a production of <a href="https://simpl
S5 E1 · Wed, March 30, 2022
Evo Terra's Podcast Hall of Fame Speech (For Good!)
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 Sheila Dee In case you missed the memo, I was inducted into the 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 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: Sheila Dee , Mike Mennenga NJ Unwin Tee Morris <a href="https:/
S4 E106 · Mon, March 28, 2022
Podcast Pontifications Season 5 Announcement
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 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 Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or via 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 W
S4 E105 · Thu, March 24, 2022
Ways To Make Your Podcast More Memorable
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 Vocalize Inc Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! <br/
S4 E104 · Wed, March 23, 2022
A Glimpse of Podcasting's Voice-Only Future
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 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 Vocalize Inc wannagetaway.com tires.com whoownswhoinpodcasting.com ihearthin.gs <a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/car
S4 E103 · Tue, March 22, 2022
Make Your Niche Podcast More Attractive To Advertisers
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 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 Vocalize Inc Podcast listener survey template via Edison Research Take the survey for Podcast Pontifications <a href="http://evoterra.link/buzz" rel="noopener
S4 E102 · Mon, March 21, 2022
Vocalize For A Better Podcast Ad Experience
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, 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 Vocalize Inc CEO CJ Silva Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! ------ 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 <a href="https://twitter.com/ev
S4 E102 · Mon, March 21, 2022
PREMIUM - Vocalize For A Better Podcast Ad Experience
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: 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
S4 E101 · Wed, March 16, 2022
Keeping Your Podcast Distraction-Free
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 Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor
S4 E100 · Tue, March 15, 2022
Where's The Churn Rate In Podcasting?
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 2022 Infinite Dial by Edison Research comes out next week . ----- Links Edison Research's Infinite Dial reports Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community</a
S4 E99 · Mon, March 14, 2022
Who Is That Podcaster In The Mirror?
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 Bangkok Podcast Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the 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 pe
S4 E98 · Thu, March 10, 2022
Less Is More: The Benefits of A Brief Podcast
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 by Artem Beliaikin from 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 James Cridland of Podnews and Brian McCullough of 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 NYT piece on podiobooks from 2007 - https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/01/books/01podb.html <a href="https://podnews.net/"
S4 E97 · Wed, March 09, 2022
4 Questions To Becoming A Better Podcast Interviewee
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 by Miguel Á. Padriñán from 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 the podcast 3 Clips by Castos Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications .<
S4 E96 · Tue, March 08, 2022
Can Podcasts Keep The Trust They've Earned?
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? Photo by Charlotte May from Pexels In The States, 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 podcast ranker 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'r
S4 E95 · Mon, March 07, 2022
Building Reflecting Time Into Your Podcast
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. So 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. ----- Links Five ways to serve the changing needs of your audience Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the 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 c
S4 E94 · Thu, March 03, 2022
Why You'll Never Get Ahead With Your Podcast
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. ----- Links The Download from Sounds Profitable Podnews Techmeme Ride Home Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the <a href="https://evoterra.
S4 E93 · Wed, March 02, 2022
All Your Podcast's Data Are Belong to Spotify
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, 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. ----- Links Spotify reached into their big bag of holding and pulled out enough cash to purchase both Podsights and Chartable Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! Got a podcasting service? <a href="https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorshi
S4 E92 · Tue, March 01, 2022
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. So yeah, I'm excited. How do you do, fellow kids? ----- Links Early data point from Edison Research's Share of Ear report Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! ----- Podcast Pontifications is 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<a href="https://twitter.com/evoterra" rel="noope
S4 E91 · Mon, February 28, 2022
When Will The Singularity Moment For Podcasts Happen?
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 really to 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 will log into the Metaverse just to listen to a podcast. But they might goggle into the Metaverse to engage with podcast 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. ----- Links Looking for a remote recording solution that handles both audio and video? you need Riverside.fm ! The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice. Descript for text-based podcast production Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! Got a podcasting service? <a href="https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information" rel="noo
S4 E90 · Thu, February 24, 2022
Should Indie Podcasters Window Their Content?
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 backward? 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. ----- Links Looking for a remote recording solution that handles both audio and video? you need Riverside.fm ! SmartLess BBC Sounds windows some shows for a month ! Get early access to these episodes on Apple Podcasts or Buy Me A Coffee Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Got a podcasting service? <a href="https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-in
S4 E89 · Wed, February 23, 2022
Making Your Commitment To Quality Podcasting
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 your 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 to better tomorrow, then you will. ----- Links Looking for a remote recording solution that handles both audio and video? you need Riverside.fm ! Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Like the show? Buy me a coffee . Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcastin
S4 E88 · Tue, February 22, 2022
5 Ways To Serve Your Podcast's Listeners' Future Needs
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 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. ----- Links Looking for a remote recording solution that handles both audio and video? you need Riverside.fm ! My spirit animal, Tom Webster <a href="https://building.theatlantic.com/weve-spent-two-years-studying-readers-listeners-needs-of-the-atlantic-2a84ff9a57d1" rel="noopener noreferrer" tar
S4 E87 · Thu, February 17, 2022
Solving Podcasting's Discoverability Problem At The Cost Of Our Mental Health
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 have an impact on 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? ----- Links Looking for a remote recording solution that handles both audio and video? you need Riverside.fm ! Cambridge Analytica scandal Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Like the show? Buy me a coffee . Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! Got a podcasting service? <a href="https://podcastpont
S4 E86 · Wed, February 16, 2022
Controlling The Momentum Of Your Podcast
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. ----- Links Looking for a remote recording solution that handles both audio and video? You need Riverside.fm ! Medium's Partner Program <a href="https://podcastpontifications.com/#subscribe" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"
S4 E85 · Tue, February 15, 2022
Adding Opt-Out Options From Your Podcast's Ads
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 the 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 BuyMeACoffe.com/evoterra , a few who pay for a premium subscription on Apple Podcasts , and absolutely no one (yet?) paying for a premium subscription on Spotify . I decided to add those premium options when I started getting complaints. Thanks for your candor, 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 Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or via 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? :) ----- Links Looking for a remote recording solution that handles both audio and video? You need <a href="https://evoterra.link/riverside" rel="noope
S4 E84 · Mon, February 14, 2022
Warning Our Way To Less Toxic Podcasting
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. 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 a podcasting 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 Yoast or a 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. But sure; light me up in the comments. I can take it! ----- Links Looking for a remote recording solution that handles both audio and video? You need Riverside.fm ! Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications .
S4 E83 · Thu, February 10, 2022
Adding Some Evo To The Podcast Hall Of Fame
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. https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/adding-some-evo-to-the-podcast-hall-of-fame It was 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 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 Twitter , the 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 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 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 Podiobooks.com back in the day. Finally, a huge thanks to many friends I've made along the way who following 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. ----- Links Looking for a remote recording solution that handles both audio and video? you need Riverside.fm ! Podcast Hall of Fame to induct me this year! <li
S4 E82 · Wed, February 09, 2022
4 Questions To Help Predict Your Podcast's Success
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 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. Again, this is not a litmus test. Neither success nor failure is guaranteed, regardless of what your answers were. ----- Links Looking for a remote recording solution that handles both audio and video? You need Riverside.fm ! Like the show? Buy me a coffee . Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join
S4 E81 · Tue, February 08, 2022
Podcasting Is A Numbers Game You Don't Have To Play
For 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 rfew 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. ----- Links Looking for a remote recording solution that handles both audio and video? you need Riverside.fm ! Like the show? Buy me a coffee . Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! ------ 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 for more podcasting insights as they come. Allie Press assists wi
S4 E80 · Mon, February 07, 2022
Have Best Practices In Podcasting Made Us Boring?
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 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. ----- Links Looking for a remote recording solution that handles both audio and video? you need Riverside.fm ! Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! ----- 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 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 ca
S4 E79 · Thu, February 03, 2022
Changes To Podcasting Mean Changes For You
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 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 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. ----- Links Looking for a remote recording solution that handles both audio and video? you need Riverside.fm ! Tracking "inactive" podcasts, whatever that means Bello Collective closing up. For now. Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout. Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasti
S4 E78 · Wed, February 02, 2022
Prioritize Community Building With, Not For, Your Podcast
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 Bello Collective , Earbuds Collective , 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. ----- Links Looking for a remote recording solution that handles both audio and video? you need Riverside.fm ! Bello Collective Earbuds Collective The Podcast Academy Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! ------ <p
S4 E77 · Tue, February 01, 2022
Making High-Concept Podcasts On A High-Value Budget
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? https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/making-high-concept-podcasts-on-a-high-value-budget 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 to listen 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 soo. 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 train 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 give yourself room to do that. 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. ----- Links Looking for a remote recording solution that handles both audio and video? You need Riverside.fm ! - evoterra.link/riverside Edison Research's Podcast Consumer Report - edisonresearch.com/the-podcast-consumer-quarterly-tracking-report/ The proverbial elephant meal - en.wiktionary.org/wiki/eat_an_elephant_one_bite_at_a_time 1080p displays in a pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses - cnet.com/tech/computing/tcl-new-tv-glasses-actually-kind-of-stylish-ces-2022/ Serious about podcasting? Join the <a href="https://evoterra.link/app" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank
S4 E76 · Mon, January 31, 2022
Should Your Podcast Get Drawn Into The Spotifight?
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 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. ----- Links Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm! Podnews has an excellent primmer on Spotify's Rogan problem Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout. Serious about podc
S4 E75 · Thu, January 27, 2022
Two Paths To Podcasting Leaves No Middle Ground
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 going to 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. ----- Links Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice. Descript for text-based podcast production Serious about podcasting? Join the <a href="https:
S4 E74 · Wed, January 26, 2022
The Not So Sad World Of Podcast Follower Remorse
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. ----- Links Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout . Serious a
S4 E73 · Tue, January 25, 2022
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? ----- Links Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm! - evoterra.link/gumball Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout. - evoterra.link/buzz Serious about podcasting? Join the 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 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 Abort
S4 E72 · Mon, January 24, 2022
Do We Need The Zillow Of Podcasting?
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 many 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. ----- Links Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm! - evoterra.link/gumball <a href="https://www.podchaser.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" t
S4 E71 · Thu, January 20, 2022
Content Strategies For Your Podcast's 3 Different Audiences
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 very different groups with very different wants and needs, so a single audience engagement strategy just won't work. ----- Links Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! ------ 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 for more podcasting insights as they come. Allie Press assists with the production a
S4 E70 · Wed, January 19, 2022
Solving Your Audience's Problems With Your Podcast
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 who 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. ----- Links Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! ------ 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 <a href="https://tw
S4 E69 · Tue, January 18, 2022
Focus On The STORY Of Your Podcast's Episodes
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 Dawn Fraser . 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. ----- Links Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! Storyteller Dawn Fraser Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! ------ Podcast Pontifications is a production of Simpler Media . New episo
S4 E68 · Mon, January 17, 2022
Selfish Reasons To Listen To Your Own Podcast
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. ----- Links Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! 3 Clips Email me! Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout . Serious about podcasting? Join the <a href="https://evoterra.link/app" rel="noopener noreferrer
S4 E67 · Thu, January 13, 2022
The Case For Making Private Podcasting Data Public
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? #podcasting Photo by Adeolu Eletu on Unsplash https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-case-for-making-private-podcasting-data-public 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 John Lee Dumas and Pat Flynn . It's purely hypothetica 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 Podchaser and the tag can be leveraged to show just how connected and interwoven podcasting is, beyond the pretty voice behind the microphone. But remember, this is a thought exercise. There are terrible people in the world who prey on others, so I am in no way suggesting that anyone should drop their guard from any real threat they face every day. But with all deference to that reality, I do think that some data points from podcasting could be made more public for the bette
S4 E66 · Wed, January 12, 2022
Can Podcasters Get Paid For Their Attention?
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, BuyMeACoffee , 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. ----- Links Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! Giving Your Podcast's Listeners A Public Voice With PodInbox Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout . Serious about podcasting? Join the 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, unfortunat
S4 E65 · Tue, January 11, 2022
Will We Ever Get Better Podcast Engagement?
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 going on 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 have 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. ----- Links Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! Giving Your Podcast's Listeners A Public Voice With PodInbox PodInbox - A place for your audience to ask questions and share their stories. Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout . 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
S4 E64 · Mon, January 10, 2022
Giving Your Podcast's Listeners A Public Voice With PodInbox
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 a voicemail. And it's an incredible pain in the butt to do so! 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 Branded Benefit Sponsor for today's episode, and founder Pat Cheung told me how he's designed PodInbox to make podcasting better, with things like: A dedicated "page" for each podcaster 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? There's a PodInbox page for Podcast Pontifications! ----- Links Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! Get a PodInbox account for your podcast Founder, Pat Cheung Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout . Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today! ----- Podcast Pontifications is a production of <a href="https://simpler.media" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_b
S4 E63 · Thu, January 06, 2022
Writing Your Way To A Successful Podcast
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. https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/writing-your-way-to-a-successful-podcast 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 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. ----- Links Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to <a href="https://evoterra.link/gumball" rel="noopener noref
S4 E62 · Wed, January 05, 2022
A Brands-Eye View Of The Podcasting Industry
Nearly twenty 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? Image credit: Grand View Research 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. Who do you consider as 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 equations 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. Not $1.4. They absolutely consider 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. ----- Links Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! 2021 IAB podcast advertising revenue $1B <a href="https://whats
S4 E61 · Tue, January 04, 2022
2022: The Year Podcasting Says "Hold My Beer!"
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! I'm back, baby! As happens 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 Captivate.fm because 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. Brad . Next is that I'm hosting yet another podcast about podcasting! No, I'm not building a publishing empire like Dave Jackson . But I am taking over hosting duties for 3 Clips , a role previously filled by the person who started the show back in late 2019, Jay Acunzo . Thanks to the fine folks at 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 3ClipsPodcast.com and see if you agree. Finally comes 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 Betty , Arlen, 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 in
Bonus · Fri, December 17, 2021
Episode Drop! PodCraft
No, my Long Winter's Nap is not yet over. Almost. Just a few more weeks. I promise! While you wait, I wanted to let you know about another podcast for podcasters that I think you'll be interested in. Podcraft is the show I'm featuring today, and it's designed to help you to create a better podcast. Your hosts are Colin Grey and Matthew McLain from The Podcast Host, an organization helping folks all around the world start and grow a successful podcast since 2007. The episode I've selected is one that details a great content creation hack for podcasters, but one that actually works. I even use this technique myself from time to time. So keep listening to this episode of Podcraft, and I'll be back right after the first of the year. Promise! 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
Bonus · Fri, December 10, 2021
Episode Drop! Between 2 Mics
My long winters nap is soon coming to an end - just a few more weeks! Today, want to let you know about another podcast I think you'll be interested in. Between 2 Mics is the podcast for podcasters presented by the cofounders of Squadcast and friends of the show; Zach and Rock . What I love most about Between 2 Mics is that it's not a 30-minute long pitch for Squdcast. Instead, it's podcasters talking podcasting, with fun tips and tricks along the way. The episode I'm about to play features another friend of the show, Andrew Wang , host of the podcast, Inspired Money and the co-founder of the Asian-American Podcasters Association . I think you'll like it. See you in a couple of weeks! Now here's the full episode of Between 2 Mics. 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. W
Bonus · Tue, November 16, 2021
Planned Podcasting Breaks Are The Best!
Like all creators, serious podcasters need to take care of themselves. Sometimes that means taking time for yourself. Sometimes it means adjusting priorities to make the creative process better. I'm doing both! Hello and welcome to the announcement of my Long Winter's Nap away from Podcast Pontifications with me, Evo Terra! If you're brand new to the podcast; welcome! This is a very special episode letting you know what long-time listeners of the show know already: I'm on a scheduled mid-season break. That means you'll not hear a new episode of Podcast Pontifications until January 4th, 2022. Yes, I know that sounds like an incredibly long time. But I assure you; it's not. So pretty please, with sugar on it, stick around. New episodes will resume shortly. In the meantime, my full back catalog of over 500 episodes are on display for you PodcastPontifications.com . If you click on the "Episodes about" link at the top of the page, you'll see I've grouped all of them together for you by category. So if you want to think more about podcast accessibility , I have lots of episodes for you to explore.Or perhaps you want to bone up on current thinking around listener experience . That's always important. And you'll even find episodes there that'll help you think through ways to take care of yourself as a podcaster . Speaking of self-care once again, that's why I take this mid-season break each and every year. Putting out daily episodes of my podcast is a job. It's a fun job, but it's also a hard job. And just one of the jobs that I have. So a scheduled season break is warranted. And just so we're clear: I'm not really napping during this time. I'm actively recording new content so that when January 4th 2022 rolls around, I'll have a wealth of episodes ready to get to you without delay. So again, don't worry if you do not hear from me for the next few weeks. That'll change soon enough and soon I'll be back to giving you plenty to think about as you work on making podcasting better. So once again, I shall be back on January 4th, 2022 with yet another Podcast Pontifications . Cheers! ----- Get more podcasting insights from Evo Terra on Twitter as they come. Return the value-for-value of the podcasting wisdom of this episode and more at <a hre
S4 E60 · Thu, November 04, 2021
Facebook Ads for Podcasts: Good Money After Bad Math
It’s said that money can’t buy happiness. Well...it can’t buy podcast listeners either, according to the data generated from a Facebook Ad experiment I funded for 76 days and have just terminated. Over the last 2.5 months, I spent $360 of my hard-earned cash on Facebook Ads to prove something I already knew: Facebook Ads are not a great choice for podcasters looking to grow the audience of their podcasts. But to get my negativity and bias out of the mix, I contracted with a firm that specializes in running Facebook Ad campaigns for podcasters with the express purpose of attaining dramatic audience growth. Spoiler: It didn’t work. My $360 bought me about 500 clicks. Does that mean 500 new listeners? In a word—no. In four words—no, of course not. Using the high-end of a standard conversion rate, 500 clicks might be as many as 10 new listeners. 10 new listeners for $360 dollars. An acquisition cost of $36 per new listener. That’s terribly expensive. So after 76 days of ad spend with no indications anything would change for the better, I pulled the plug. So why did I spend $360 on a tactic I knew wouldn’t work? Mostly so that I could demonstrate to you, the serious podcaster, that it is highly unlikely that a Facebook Ad campaign will grow your podcast audience by any meaningful degree. Not if you look past clicks, one-time-download numbers, or any metric other than the one that matters: Is my show’s audience growing? My advice. Don’t waste your money. ----- Links: • Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! • The experiment begins - https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/time-for-podcast-advertising-to-put-up-or-shut-up • The dataset - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LzMvxhOH8UYKDIwhztaXPnBLCHtzIJYMhnq9j8pgvDE • Give value for value for the show! - https://podcastpontifications.com/value-4-value • Now booking sponsorships for 2022! - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/facebook-ads-for-podcasts-good-money-after-bad-math. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Return the value-for-value of the podcasting wisdom of this episode and more at https://PodcastPontifications.com/support And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to s
S4 E59 · Wed, November 03, 2021
Podcast Like A Celebrity With 5 Easy Tips
Celebrity podcasts are killing it, and plenty of podcasters wonder if there’s a secret to podcasting like a celebrity. As it turns out, there is! But is it relevant to podcasters who aren’t celebrities? Even seasoned podcasters can be caught up in the hype surrounding celebrity podcasters. Some look for shortcuts, seeing how listeners don’t seem to mind the low-quality, often rambly episodes put out by celebrity podcasters. So today, on the penultimate episode before I go on my mid-season break I’m going to detail five tips to help you podcast like a celebrity. Try not to let your eyes roll out of your head. 1. Actually be a celebrity! With throngs of fans who care little for the skills necessary to make make a good podcast. But you’re not a celebrity, which means you have to do plenty of work to compete for attention among people who aren’t your fans. 2. Already have a huge audience! An audience of ardent fans who’ll dutifully spread the show through fandom like a wildfire. But you don’t have a built-in huge audience, so you’ll probably find it hard to get word of mouth working for you en masse. 3. Have lots of disposable income to spend on staff and paid services! Writing checks and offloading every responsibility lets you focus just on being the talent on your show. But you’re not sitting on millions of extra dollars, so you have to control your costs. 4. Be connected to other celebrities for instant network effect! Your other celebrity friends will happily let you on their show so you can spread the word about your new podcast. But your connections are a bit more mundane, so you’ll have to build relationships more slowly. 5. Get national media coverage with a phone call! That magazine, paper, or news program is just waiting for your call to give you prime coverage. But your name isn’t instantly recognizable, so you’ll likely find it hard to get even a local news outlet interested in your podcast. In case I was too subtle: There’s very little podcasters can learn from celebrity podcasters, unless they themselves are also celebrities. ----- Links: • Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! • Give value for value for the show! - https://podcastpontifications.com/value-4-value • Now booking sponsorships for 2022! - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcast-like-a-celebrity-with-5-easy-tips. <br
S4 E58 · Tue, November 02, 2021
What Podcasting Can Learn From Apple TV+
Streaming services like Apple TV+ are changing how television and movie content are created, consumed, and classified as successful or not. Changes an agile medium like podcasting can learn from. I’ve been watching a lot of Apple TV+ recently. And as I am wont to do, I’m relating a lot of what I see to podcasters like you and me. Specifically, I think there are four key lessons Apple TV+ can teach podcasters and podcasting in general. 1. Make a manageable amount of bets. You don’t have to always have something new. You can instead learn a new genre, go deep in that genre, and then do it all over again. Podcasters with a network get the most benefit here. But some of this lesson may be useful for single-show podcasters planning out new episodes. 2. Invest for the audience you have. You probably can’t afford to drop $200M on a show that only gets a 37% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Call that a flop if you like. But it’s a flop that seven million people really enjoy. Seven million people who want more shows just like that, please and thank you. 3. Implement diversification of creativity. Apple TV+ doesn’t need every show to be a hit with their entire subscriber base, so they embrace and fund a wide swath of creativity. Where else can you create content that serves a subset of your audience? Or a new audience? A new audience who can become a consumer of your podcast? 4. Play up and to your strengths. Content aside, the shows Apple TV+ makes are stunning to watch. Very on-brand for Apple. Podcasters like you who can consistently hit a quality note again and again with every episode or new show you make will, eventually, become known for that, building a loyal following over time. ----- Boostagram Corner Thanks to ReverendErik for the Paypal boost. Links in the next section. ----- Links: • Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! • ReverendErik - https://twitter.com/arnemancy • The Arnemancy Podcast - https://arnemancy.com/episodes • Give value for value for the show! - https://podcastpontifications.com/value-4-value • Now booking sponsorships for 2022! - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/what-podcasting-can-learn-from-apple-tv. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Return the value-for-value of the podcastin
S4 E57 · Mon, November 01, 2021
Indie Podcasting Does Not Mean Poor Podcasters
The romantic notion of the struggling artist runs deep in indie podcasting. But while every indie podcaster struggles to get their production to the world, not all struggle to make ends meet. Today a topic that just about everyone considers sensitive. Independent podcasters even more so. And that topic is…money. Money earned by your indie podcast. And money spent on your indie podcast. Let me rip off the bandaid right away and say this: Indie podcasting doesn't mean poor podcasters. Being poor as an indie podcaster is not a requirement. It’s not a badge of honor. Nor is it a mark of shame. It may be your current state. But it’s not the state of every indie podcaster. Most indie podcasters fail to earn any revenue—at all—from their shows. But many other independent podcasters earn enough revenue from their shows to live very comfortable lives. And between those two extremes are countless other indie podcasters, some making a little, some making a lot. Most indie podcasters rely on free services to power their podcasts. But many other independent podcasters spend tens of thousands of dollars (or more) on their productions. And between those two extremes are countless other indie podcasters, some spending a little, some spending a lot. Don’t judge the totality of indie podcasting by your pocketbook. Not every service is aimed at the totality of indie podcasting. Or even the state you and your indie podcast occupy today. ----- Boostagram Corner Thanks to Mark Steadman for the virtual coffees. Links in the next section. ----- Links: • Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! • Mark Steadman - https://twitter.com/amarksteadman • PodcodeTV - https://twitter.com/PodcodeTV • Give value for value for the show! - https://podcastpontifications.com/value-4-value • Now booking sponsorships for 2022! - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/indie-podcasting-does-not-mean-poor-podcasters. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Return the value-for-value of the podcasting wisdom of this episode and more at https://PodcastPontifications.com/support And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Alli
S4 E56 · Thu, October 28, 2021
4 Questions To Uncover Your Podcast's Unique Point Of View
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: 1. 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. 2. 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. 3. 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. 4. 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. ----- Boostagram Corner Thanks to the anonymous person for the Paypal contribution. No links because… well, anonymous! ----- Links: • Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! • Pam Slim is super smart - https://pamelaslim.com/ • Bryan Barletta - http://twitter.com/bryanbarletta • Sounds Profitable - https://soundsprofitable.com/ • Greg Jorgensen - http://twitter.com/bkkgreg • The Bangkok Podcast - https://www.bangkokpodcast.com/ • Give value for value for the show! - https://podcastpontifications.com/value-4-value • Now booking sponsorships for 2022! - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor -----
S4 E55 · Wed, October 27, 2021
Breaking Your Podcast's Format Isn't Always A Bad Thing
Consistency is often key in podcasting, and your show’s format is part of that. But your 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, my short form, single topic, monologue episodes. 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. These are all simply constructs. Extremely helpful constructs that better craft the information presented in your episode, sure. 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 podcasts. 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. ----- Boostagram Corner Thanks to Rich, Regina, Oscar, and Dane. Links in the next section. ----- Links: • Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! • Regina Revazoa - https://www.linkedin.com/in/regina-revazova/ • Open Conversation - https://www.openconversation.com • Oscar Merry - https://twitter.com/MerryOscar • Fountain podcast listening app - https://www.fountain.fm • Dane Cardiel - https://twitter.com/danecardiel • New Podcast Apps - http://newpodcastapps.com • Give value for value for the show! - https://podcastpontifications.com/value-4-value • Now booking sponsorships for 2022! - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/breaking-your-podcasts-format-isnt-always-a-bad-thing. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. <
S4 E54 · Tue, October 26, 2021
Podcasting With A Purpose (Even If It's Your Own)
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. ----- Boostagram Corner Thanks to James Cridland for the Satoshis! Links in the next section. ----- Links: • Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! • Pam Slim - https://pamelaslim.com • She Podcasts LIVE - https://www.shepodcasts.com/live/ • The Tweet that started it all: https://twitter.com/evoterra/status/1452845830721785858 • Garrett Godfrey - https://twitter.com/musciguy • Good Patron - https://utrmedia.org/podcasts/good-patron-podcast • Dr. Carrie Gillon - https://twitter.com/carrie_gee • <
S4 E53 · Mon, October 25, 2021
They're Making Video Podcasts A Thing Again… Again And It Might Just Work This Time
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 is 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. ----- Boostagram Corner Thanks to Garret Godfree and John Kostuch for the coffee. Virtual and physical. Links in the next section. ----- Links: • Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! • Happy Tree Friends - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Tree_Friends • Ask A Ninja - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ask_a_Ninja • YouTube seeks podcast boss - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-05/youtube-looks-to-hire-its-first-executive-focused-on-podcasts • Spotify wants video podcasts - https://blog.anchor.fm/updates/video • Value-for-value for this show - https://podcastpontifications.com/value-4-value • Descript all-in-one platform (affiliate) - https://www.descript.com/?lmref=xjgbqw • Garrett Godfrey - https://twitter.com/musciguy • Good Patron - https://utrmedia.org/podcasts/good
S4 E52 · Thu, October 21, 2021
Making Your Podcast Better By Controlling The Narrative
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 problem: 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 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. ----- Boostagram Corner Thanks to Casey Broda for a nice episode review. Links in the next section. ----- Links: • Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! • Tom Webster - http://twitter.com/webby2001 • Edison Research - https://www.edisonresearch.com • Danny van Leeuwen - https://twitter.com/HealthHats • Health Hats - https://health-hats.com • Bill Risser - https://twitter.com/billrisser • The Real Estate Sessions - https://therealestatesessions.com/ • Keith Bacon - https://twitter.com/madewithbacon • All Ways West Seattle - https://www.allwayspodcast.com • Casey Broda - https://twitter.com/CaseyBroda • Her review on Podchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/podcast-pontifications-740003/episodes/authentic-podcasting-is-the-be-100070794/reviews/73991 • Value-for-value for this show - https://podcastpontifications.com/value-4-value • Now booking sponsorships for 2022! - https://podcastpontifi
S4 E51 · Wed, October 20, 2021
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 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. ----- Links: • Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! • Monkey River - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_River • Howler monkeys - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guatemalan_black_howler • Value-for-value for this show - https://podcastpontifications.com/value-4-value • Now booking sponsorships for 2022! - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/you-can-be-an-expert-on-your-podcast-without-being-a-jerk-about-it. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Return the value-for-value of the podcasting wisdom of this episode and more at https://PodcastPontifications.com/support And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with po
S4 E50 · Tue, October 19, 2021
Moving Past The Full-Time Podcast Income Fallacy
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 podcast. 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. ----- Boostagram Corner Thanks to Suzy Buttress for the virtual coffee! Links in the next section. ----- Links: • Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! • Suzy Buttress - https://www.instagram.com/suzybee_2 • The Casual Birder podcast - https://casualbirder.com • Value-for-value for this show - https://podcastpontifications.com/value-4-value • Now booking sponsorships for 2022! - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/moving-past-the-full-time-podcast-income-fallacy. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Return the value-for-value of the podcasting wisdom of this episode and more at https://PodcastPontifications.com/support<
S4 E49 · Mon, October 18, 2021
Authentic Podcasting Is The Best Self Care
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. 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 Cameron Esposito was having with Jessica Kupferman at She Podcasts LIVE over the weekend, I jotted 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 your podcast in the first place. ----- Boostagram Corner Thanks to Doug Berger for the virtual coffee! Links in the next section. ----- Links: • Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! • Cameron Esposito - https://www.cameronesposito.com • She Podcast LIVE - https://www.shepodcasts.com/live • Suzy Buttress - https://www.instagram.com/suzybee_2 • The Casual Birder podcast - https://casualbirder.com • Doug Berger - https:
S4 E48 · Thu, October 14, 2021
Don't Be Afraid To Showcase Your Podcasting Talents
Conflicting advice plagues podcasters. Be yourself, but also follow this exact format, or you won’t have a successful show. Resolving that conflict isn’t easy. But it starts by trusting your talents. Society whispers at us all the time... no one likes a showoff . At the risk of offending my late grandmother who was the physical embodiment of that notion, that doesn't really cut it in podcasting. Today, I'm going to ask a challenging question for you to ponder over the weekend: Are you showcasing your talents on your podcast? I'm constantly surprised how often this isn't the case, with podcasters credulously following a format or playbook that was developed by someone else, ostensibly to be more successful more quickly. Let me turn my question into a statement: Don't be afraid to showcase your talents as you podcast . Unless you are the Übermensch, you are better at some skills over others. Maybe is a natural talent. Or maybe you trained hard to become good. Lean into it! I suck at interviewing because I’m not a good listener. But I’m a good researcher, so I can come up with weird questions that make for interesting answers, in the rare instance when I do an interview. So what’s your skill? And how can you lean into it? Do you have an infectious laugh? Let it out! Are you a talented musician? Think about scoring your episodes. Showcasing your own talents is a much more likely pathway to success than following some arbitrary plan or format that someone else gave you. Especially if thousands of other people are following that same “proven” playbook. There's nothing special about that. But there is something special about your show. And that's you. So showcase that! ----- Links: • Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! • She Podcast LIVE - https://www.shepodcasts.com/live/ • Value-for-value for this show - https://podcastpontifications.com/value-4-value • Now booking sponsorships for 2022! - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/dont-be-afraid-to-showcase-your-podcasting-talents. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Return the value-for-value of the podcasting wisdom of this episode and more at https://PodcastPontifications.com/support And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, pleas
S4 E47 · Wed, October 13, 2021
From Free Podcast To Exclusive Podcast & Back Again
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 you burned a bridge your podcast is no longer be welcome there? And what if the listener’s experience is truly better on that platform? 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 content and hosts to fill the void left by your podcast. Because 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. 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. ----- Links: • Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! • She Podcast LIVE - https://www.shepodcasts.com/live/ • Value-for-value for this show - https://podcastpontifications.com/value-4-value • Now booking sponsorships for 2022! - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/from-free-podcast-to-exclusive-podcast-back-again. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Return the value-for-value of the podcasting wisdom of this episode and more at https://PodcastPontifications.com/support And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show. Learn more abou
S4 E46 · Tue, October 12, 2021
Showcasing The Best Episodes Of Your Podcast
You can’t judge a book by its cover. But our podcasts are judged by a single episode—our most recent. It’d be better if we were judged by a collection of our best episodes. But how would we do that? There are a number of untapped opportunities for podcasters—and podcasting—if we knew the relative popularity of podcast episodes. Here are three quick ones: A “Start Here” collection for new listeners. What better way to ensure new listeners have a great experience than letting them first listen to your greatest hits? Better-deserved podcast awards. A single episode isn’t enough to determine if a podcast is award-worthy. But a collection of episodes would make for much more informed decisions. Better experience in podcast listening apps. Present that “Start here” concept to new subscribers. And if they consume all of those episodes, auto-subscribe the listener to the full show. But back to my question; how do we know which episodes are popular? Do we base on downloads? Meh. It’s a start. And some forward-thinking podcasting peeps are on that case already. Data from listening apps would be much better, using things like play-thru, multiple-plays, time-to-consume, and other human-based interactions. Or inbound link data. Data-normalization issues aside, perhaps an existing social monitoring service would be interested in doing something like this for podcasts? I wonder what I missed? And If you're a podcast service provider. I'd love to know what you think you could do with “popularity” data and how that would make your podcasting service better. ----- Links: • Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! • Twitter thead by forward-thinking podcast providers - https://twitter.com/podcastharry/status/1447307179808149504 • What did I miss? Email me at evo@simpler.media • Value-for-value for this show - https://podcastpontifications.com/value-4-value • Now booking sponsorships for 2022! - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/showcasing-the-best-episodes-of-your-podcast. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Return the value-for-value of the podcasting wisdom of this episode and more at https://PodcastPontifications.com/support And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help y
S4 E45 · Mon, October 11, 2021
Listening To Podcasts Is An Easy Habit To Break
Consistently releasing episodes on a set schedule is a good idea to keep your overall audience happy. But that doesn’t mean that every individual listener is listening to every individual episode. Is that OK? Last week, I didn't get to listen to any new episodes of any podcasts. Why? Because I was exploring the jungles and beaches of Belize, that’s why! After six days of neglect and on the ride home, I started listening again. But I didn’t start at the top of my listening queue. Not with a backlog that large. I chose to catch up on two serialized podcasts I’m listening to more or less in time with the show’s release schedule. Then I listened to the latest episodes from only three different podcasts out of that backlog. And then we landed. Will I go back and listen to all the non-serialized podcast episodes I missed? No, I probably won’t. Even though I genuinely enjoy those podcasts. Because I know that those shows will soon release a new episode, probably this week, which will let me get my fix. Without having to go back and listen to what they published that I missed. In a similar vein, I texted a podcasting friend a week or so ago with a great idea for an episode of their show. A show of which I’m a huge fan. Their response? “I did that a month or so ago”. Oops. I missed it. So did I go back and listen to that previously produced episode which was on the very topic I wanted to hear? No, I did not. This happens a lot. A lot more than we probably want to admit to ourselves. No one can ensure that every episode of your show will be listened to by every one of your listeners. My advice? Don’t sweat it. And also don't assume that every one of your subscribers hangs on your every word. Some do, for sure. But many more do not. ----- Boostagram Corner: Thanks to Steve Stewart, Coach JD, Biray Seitz, and Gary Arndt for their support! Links in the next section. ----- Links: • Getting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm ! • Steve Stewart - https://twitter.com/SteveStewartMe • Podcast Editing For Busy Podcasters - https://stevestewart.me • Coach JD - https://twitter.com/jd_thejedi • Health Talks With JD - https://www.veritasfit.com/podcast • Biray Seitz - https://twitter.com/Befitt • Gary Arndt - https://twitter.com/EverywhereTrip • Everything Everywhere - https://everything-everywhere.com • Fountain - https://www.fountain.fm/ • Value-for-value for this show - https://podcastpontifications.com/value-4-value • Now booking spons
Bonus · Mon, October 04, 2021
Blame The Beach For This Interruption
There are those who would have podcasters believe that they have to grind out episodes, day after day, week after week, month after month, and never take a break. I am not one of those. ‘Cuz that’s dumb. If you’re a brand new or an infrequent listener, this episode is going to sound unusual. I’m not producing episodes this week because I’m on vacation, exploring some of the beaches of Belize in Central America, and enjoying the warm Caribbean ocean right outside my hotel room. But I promise to you that I shall be back on Monday, October the 11th, 2021 with yet another Podcast Pontifications. ----- Links: • Running ads on your podcast? Talk to Gumball! - https://gumball.fm/?utm_source=sponsorship&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=podpont • Value-for-value for this show - https://podcastpontifications.com/value-4-value • Now booking sponsorships for 2022! - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/blame-the-beach-for-this-interruption. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Return the value-for-value of the podcasting wisdom of this episode and more at https://PodcastPontifications.com/value-4-value And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show. Learn more about Allie at http://alliepress.net. Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe/follow today at https://PodcastPontifications.com. Photo by Meritt Thomas on Unsplash 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 dir
S4 E44 · Thu, September 30, 2021
International Podcasting Day 17 Years In The Making
It’s International Podcast Day! A day when podcasters around the globe celebrate their craft and their journey, regardless if they’ve been podcasting for 17 days or 17 years. Speaking of that last one… I’m going to break down the +17-year journey of one podcaster—me!—if only to prove that, for many of us, podcasting is quite a tangled path. My official entrance to podcasting started in October of 2004 with The Dragon Page . Soon after that we launched Slice of Scif , followed quickly by Wingin’ It. After adding a podcast we didn’t host called The Dragon Page With Class to our roster, we launched the first scifi podcast network called FarPoint Media. And it was still 2005! Parallel to all of that, I personally started working with authors to help them podcast, soon creating a network of “podiobooks”, a portmanteau of podcasting and audiobooks, if that wasn’t obvious. Tha directly led to me co-authoring Podcasting For Dummies and Expert Podcasting Practices For Dummies . parting ways with FarPoint Media in mid-2007, I launched two short-lived podcasts: Cult Cast and Found Things . You’re better for not hearing either of them. And because I sometimes bet on the wrong trends, I also co-hosted Palm Fu, a podcast all about the Palm Pre smartphone, plus a podcast build on Google+ called The Books & Beer Hangout. You pays your money and you takes your chances. Some time in there, I decided the world needed more me so I did a limited run podcast called Evo at 11. A show that I’m very, very glad I pulled after 100 episodes. Apparently, I can be an asshole behind the mic. Who knew? (Kidding. I knew.) Then my wife and I left the country, using a podcast to document our travels around the world. Then I found out it’s a lot of work to produce a journalistic style podcast. But those travels led me to living in Bangkok where I became the co-host of the 2nd season of The Bangkok Podcast. And Bangkok is where my podcast consultancy, Simpler Media, was born. I’ve been back in The States since 2018, and podcasting is very much what I do. Not just with Podcast Pontifications, but I also do some hired-gun hosting for RadioMD, am the editor for Sounds Profitable, and sit on the advisory board for Captivate.fm, Maps,fm, Scrib, and a few others. My wish for you on International Podcast Days is that your podcasting journey be as varied and rewarding as mine. Cheers! ----- Boostagram Corner: Thank you, Dave Jackson, for the sats boost! Links in the next section. ----- Links: • FREE 3-week trial of My Podcast Reviews - https://mypodcastreviews.com/pp • International Podcast Day - https://internationalpodcastday.com<
S4 E43 · Wed, September 29, 2021
Podcasts Tend To Get The Audience They Deserve
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 part mantra, part axiom for me. Because they do accurately represent my overarching worldview of podcasting. My axiom has nothing to do with your worth and everything to do with the product you produce. Is it just good or is it great? Are the conversations interesting or are they incredibly compelling? Do all the parts kinda work together, or was it packaged with the utmost care? Does your podcast fit neatly in the lives of your audience? Did you choose your length to do just that, or for some other reason? Are you giving them the perfect amount of new content? And do they like the host, 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 of any given podcast is a foregone conclusion. Tend allows for external pressures and serendipitous events that 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. ----- Boostagram Corner: Thank you, Dave Hanley from AdvertiseCast, for the virtual coffee. Links in the next section. ----- Links: • FREE 3-week trial of My Podcast Reviews - https://mypodcastreviews.com/pp • Dave Hanley (Twitter) - https://twitter.com/dwa_hanley • AdvertiseCast - https://www.advertisecast.com • Value-for-value for this show - https://podcastpontifications.com/value-4-value • Now booking sponsorships for 2022! - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcasts-tend-to-get-the-audience-they-deserve. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Return the value-for-value of the podcasting wisdom of this episode and more at https://PodcastPontifications.com/support And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://
S4 E42 · Tue, September 28, 2021
Avoid These 4 Bad Habits Of Bad Podcasters
It’s hard to predict which podcaster will be successful. But it’s fairly easy to see who won’t make it for long just by looking at their actions. Or inactions. Here are some of their bad habits for you to avoid. Not all of the podcasting habits you develop as you get in your groove are good. In fact, bad podcasters tend to accumulate a collection of bad habits. Bad habits you (and I) would do well to avoid. With that... Bad podcasters don’t listen to their own shows. Yes, you might have spent four, 40, or 400 hours in production. But if you aren’t listening to the finalized audio proof as if you were a listener… you’re missing things! Bad podcasters don't respond to their listeners. No one owes you anything for making your podcast. So when a listener takes the time to say nice things—publicly or privately—You owe that to them to respond in kind. Bad podcasters invest more in gear than they do content. Yes, the quality of the audio you produce is super important, and better gear might get you there. But it's not nearly as important as your ability to tell great and compelling stories on a consistent basis. Bad podcasters have production schedules that mirror their release schedules. Get ahead. Like, really ahead. Weeks or months if possible. Yes, I’m calling myself out on this one. It's very likely that you, like me, currently have one or more of these bad habits. That doesn’t necessarily make you a bad podcaster. Heck, even having all of these bad habits doesn’t necessarily make you a bad podcaster. But if you can break those bad habits in favor of better ones, how much better could you and your podcast be? ----- Boostagram Corner: Thank you, Matt Mederios, of podcast Matt Reports and of Castos, for the Twitter boost. Links in the next section. ----- Links: • FREE 3-week trial of My Podcast Reviews - https://mypodcastreviews.com/pp • Parkinson’s law - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson%27s_law • Matt Mederios (Twitter) - https://twitter.com/mattmedeiros • Matt Report - https://mattreport.com • Castos - https://castos.com • Value-for-value for this show - https://podcastpontifications.com/support • Want to sponsor Podcast Pontifications? - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/avoid-these-4-bad-habits-of-bad-podcasters. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Return the value-for-value of the podcasting wisdom of this episode and more at https://PodcastPontifications.com/support <
S4 E41 · Mon, September 27, 2021
A Little Bird And The Future Of Value For Value In Podcasts
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 just flipped that cart upside down and announced that direct payments would be integrated into the social platform. With a few clicks—and never leaving Twitter—your listeners can send you funds directly from Twitter. And it’s a safe bet other social platforms will quickly follow. And 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’re able to be funded. So go through the process as soon as you can. 2nd, The direct-payments and crowd-funding industries aren’t going to take this sitting down. I don’t think it’s too crazy to see funding platforms allowing creators to publish content directly to the platform 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. ----- Boostagram Corner: Thank you, Kyle Hebert of The Intergalactic Boom Box Podcast, for the Twitter boost. Links in the next section. ----- Links: • FREE 3-week trial of My Podcast Reviews - https://mypodcastreviews.com/pp • Twitter announces direct payment methods - https://blog.twitter.com/en_us/topics/product/2021/bringing-tips-to-everyone • Noted economist Gorgeous George: https://clip.cafe/snatch-2000/this-will-get-messy/ • Kyle Hebert (Twitter) - http://Twitter.cin/kylehebert • The Intergalactic Boom Box Podcast - https://www.podpage.com/the-intergalactic-boom-box/ • New support page is updated! - https://podcastpontifications.com/support • Want to sponsor Podcast Pontifications? - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full trans
S4 E40 · Thu, September 23, 2021
Get Serious About Your Podcast With These 5 Upgrades
It’s true that it’s cheap to start a podcast. It’s also true that the best podcasters don’t often podcast on the cheap. Getting serious about podcasting means selecting serious podcasting tools and services. As is the case with most other creative pursuits; podcasters have options to use a better suite of tools and services that allow them to save time and—in the long run—money by letting them focus more on mastering the craft of podcasting. To that end, I offer you five upgrade paths for tools and services used by serious podcasters. 1. Upgrade to a serious DAW. Yes, I know you can do everything you currently need to do for your podcast with the free digital audio workstation (DAW) that you're using. But I assure you there are a great number of options, efficiencies, and enhancements you've not been exposed to because of your continued use of the tool that came on your computer or the one you downloaded for free. 2. Clean your audio before adding it to your DAW. It may sound, to you, that pre-cleaning audio instead of letting your DAW’s plugins is a needless step. But done right, doing pre-clean will sound, to your listeners, like an essential step. 3. Improve your recording environment. Acoustically treating the space you use the most to record and getting rid of those cheap, noisy mic cables can make a huge difference that your audience will hear. 4. Pick a centralized communication, coordination, and collaboration service. Your Rube Goldberg-esque system using Dropbox, Google Docs, Slack, WhatsApp, Messenger, and email can only be pushed so far. 5. Start outsourcing. No, not your audio editing. Start by getting a trusted assistant to do every rote task, and then consider investing in a pro to master every episode before it’s published. Both allow you to be that much better. ----- Links: • FREE 3-week trial of My Podcast Reviews - https://mypodcastreviews.com/pp • Hindenburg Journalist Pro (DAW) - https://hindenburg.com/products/hindenburg-journalist-pro • Adobe Audition (DAW) - https://www.adobe.com/products/audition/free-trial-download.html • Reaper (DAW) - https://www.reaper.fm • Logic Pro (DAW) - https://www.apple.com/logic-pro • Pro Tools (DAW) - https://www.avid.com/pro-tools • iZotope (cleanup) - https://www.izotope.com • Accusonus (cleanup) - https://accusonus.com • Waves (cleanup) - https://www.waves.com • Audimute (sound conditioning) - https://www.audimute.com • KOPUL (mic cables) - http://www.kopulcables.com • Mogami (mic cables) - https://mogamicable.com • Basecamp (comms) - https://basecamp.com • Notion (comms) https://www.notion.so • Monday (comms) -
S4 E39 · Wed, September 22, 2021
6 Training Resources To Make You A Better Podcaster
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 a 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 it. 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 break down six—yes, only six—educational resources designed for seasoned podcasters to up their game 1. Take a Transom.org Workshop. Transom’s goal is to make you the best storyteller you can be. But fair warning, these educational programs, like many good educational programs, are not inexpensive. 2. Read Out On The Wire , by Jessica Abel, a timeless book I think every serious podcaster should have in their head as well as on their bookshelf. But it’s not a book filled with worksheets and actionable takeaways. Instead, it’s about the process of making great audio. 3. Get NPR-level training from NPR. They’ve packaged up a wide range of incredibly insightful resources that podcasters can consume. It's a huge treasure trove of information that’s worth regular visits to see what new information they’ve made available to all of us podcasters. 4. Up your podcast marketing with Polymash if you’re looking for higher-level marketing and optimization strategies specific to podcasting. 5. Get Better With Other Podcasters In The Podcast Academy. I’m excited to see a shift in focus this year to mentorship groups where seasoned podcasters meet and collaborate on a regular basis, allowing each small group to evolve in its own way that serves the needs of in each small group. 6. 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. If I missed your favorite resource (which is bound to happen), please share your thoughts in the Advancing Podcasting community with a hundred or so other seasoned podcasters who want to get better at the craft of podcasting. ----- Links: • FREE 3-week trial of My Podcast Reviews - https://mypodcastreviews.com/pp • Podcasting for Dummies (1st Edition, the newest is 4th) - https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Podcasting+For+Dummies-p-9780471748984 • Expert Podcasting Practices for Dummies - https://www.
S4 E38 · Tue, September 21, 2021
5 Resources To Help You Think Like A Serious Podcaster
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. Here are five: 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 to do. Being informed across a large cross-section of our industry is important to any podcaster wishing to up their own game. 2. 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. Consider podcast ad tech as the canary in the coal mine, if you like. 3. 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, instead of hobbyist podcasting. 4. 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. 5. 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. ----- Links: • FREE 3-week trial of My Podcast Reviews - https://mypodcastreviews.com/pp • Podnews -https://podnews.net • Sounds Profitable - https://soundsprofitable.com • Hot Pod - https://hotpodnews.com • HowSound - https://transom.org/topics/howsound • Podcast Pulse - https://twitter.com/i/lists/1091683091872010240 • Advancing Podcasting community - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Email me - evo@simpler.media • New support page in progress - https://podcastpontifications.com/support • Want to sponsor Podcast Pontifications? - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/5-resources-to-help-you-think-like-a-serious-podcaster. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your pod
S4 E37 · Mon, September 20, 2021
Why Learning Podcasting From The Pros Is Bad Advice
Who better to inspire fledgling podcasters than a podcaster at the top of their game! But for seasoned podcasters who want to get better, the value of playing follow the leader can quickly fade. Many podcasters want to get better at podcasting. The fact that you're reading this article or have listened to the accompanying audio episode is a strong indicator that you want to get better at podcasting. And if you are actively engaging with the Advancing Podcasting community on Discord , it’s a near-certainty that you wish to get better at podcasting. Learning from the best in our craft seems logical. But in fact, history is littered with examples of why that’s often a terrible idea. Wayne Gretzky, arguably the greatest NHL player to ever lace up the skates, wasn’t a good coach, losing more games than he won in four years. Stephen King's book On Writing is a memoir, not a “how-to-write-books-the-way-Stephen-King-writes-books” book Yngwie Malmsteen cannot, in fact, teach how to shred just like Yngwie Malmsteen. Working actors tend not to flock to masterclasses taught by actors with multiple academy awards on their mantle. That’s because, generally speaking, these pro-created curriculum target beginners or those who just want to dabble. Those looking for shortcuts to make them feel like they’re better than they were before. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But those resources are for dabblers and beginners providing marginal improvements without imparting any of the stepping stones that lead to further improvements. And that’s all the beginner or dabbler typically wants. But for podcasters wanting to get serious about their career, the educational bits aimed at beginners are of little value. Especially when the podcasting pro you want to learn from is putting out 101-level content. So where are, exactly, the resources that help serious podcasters get better? How do we get the information we need to keep improving our craft so that we too can someday reach the top of our game? I’d love to hear what you’ve personally found helpful to move you to the next level. And I’ll have a few to share with you for the rest of this week. ----- Links: • FREE 3-week trial of My Podcast Reviews - https://mypodcastreviews.com/pp • Join the free Advancing Podcasting community - https://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Email me - evo@simpler.media • New support page in progress - https://podcastpontifications.com/support • Want to sponsor Podcast Pontifications? - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode
S4 E36 · Thu, September 16, 2021
Before You Join A Podcast Network, Check These 5 Boxes
As interest in podcasting heats up, networks new and old are reaching out to podcasters to make it a group effort. Joining a network may be right for your podcast, but consider these five must-haves before you sign. A quick caveat before I start: Podcasters join networks for lots of reasons. Podcast networks exist for lots of reasons. Keep that in mind if anything I say below doesn’t sit squarely in the box you’ve defined for the podcast network of which you’re a part, OK? I’ve personally managed two moderately successful podcast networks, and I’ve consulted with many other podcast networks on a variety of strategic and operational capacities. It’s from those experiences I derive the following “must-haves” before joining a podcast network. But with all things in life, YMMV. 1. You should be able to walk away from the network. If the network isn’t living up to your expectations, you shouldn’t be stuck. Once you’ve fulfilled your obligations, you should be able to disengage. 2. You should own your own content. Who owns episodes made while on a network can be a little fuzzy, so make sure there aren’t any entanglements that cause you to give up more ownership than you want. 3. Continuity for the show’s audience is paramount. When the dust settles, 301 redirects should be in place and kept in place. Not screwing over the audience is in both party’s best interests. 4. You should get a guaranteed minimum payment each month. It’s not your fault if the ad sales team for the network is bad at their job. The network should want to make sure you don’t take your podcast-shaped ball and go home. 5. You should get a share of the network’s profits. If the rising tide lifts all boats, your boat and every other boat in the harbor should get a piece of the overall action, not just your own contribution. If you’re on (or own) a network that hits all of these marks (and then some), let me know about it. I’d love to sing their praises, as I get asked about joining podcast networks several times a week. I’m happy to refer good podcasters to good podcast networks. ----- Links: • FREE 3-week trial of My Podcast Reviews - https://mypodcastreviews.com/pp • Email me - evo@simpler.media • New podcast apps - https://newpodcastapps.com • New support page in progress - https://podcastpontifications.com/support • Want to sponsor Podcast Pontifications? - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/before-you-join-a-podcast-network-check-these-5-boxes. Visit https://twitte
S4 E35 · Wed, September 15, 2021
3 Lessons Podcasters Can Learn From Norm MacDonald's Life
What’s great about podcasting is that not everyone has to get you or your podcast. That was one of the great things about Norm MacDonald, a comedian from whom podcasters can learn a thing or three. It’s been said that when people want to laugh, they watch a comedian. But when comedians want to laugh, they watch Norm MacDonald. Norm was, by all accounts, a comedian’s comedian. I rather like the idea of being known as a podcaster’s podcaster. So with that, here are three lessons podcasters can learn from the life of comedian Norm MacDonald. First, know what aspects of podcasting you are really good at. There were plenty of aspects of comedy Norm didn’t care for, so he didn’t master them. Be did master the mechanics and fundamentals of comedy. Podcasting is already at a point where you can choose to specialize in particular areas of podcasting. Just make sure you also get really good at fundamentals and the mechanics of what makes podcasting work. Second, surround yourself with other podcasters who are really good at podcasting Norm traveled in an elite circle of comedic greats who weren’t always the most in-demand comedians of the day. But they were great at their craft. Who do you admire and respect in podcasting, who feels the same way about the craft of podcasting that you feel about the craft of podcasting? And if you’re not already, how can you become pals with them? Third, don’t try to please the audience. Arguably the most counterintuitive podcasting advice you’ve heard all day, but that’s Norm for you. Norm absolutely knew who he was for and why they were there. And he didn’t care much about those in attendance who he was not for , regardless of why they were there. It takes an extreme amount of confidence to know that in the audience are just the people who grok you. Thanks for the laughs, Norm. ----- Links: • FREE 3-week trial of My Podcast Reviews - https://mypodcastreviews.com/pp • Norm MacDonald, dead at 61 - https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/norm-macdonald-dead-dies-snl-1235064570 • Tom Webster on Twitter - http://twitter.com/webby2001 • Edison Research - https://www.edisonresearch.com • Prior episode on knowing who you are for and why they are there - https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-surprising-delightful-way-to-grow-your-podcast • Support Evo by buying him a virtual coffee - https://buymeacoffee.com/evoterra • Want to sponsor Podcast Pontifications? - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/3-lessons-podcasters-can-learn-from-norm-macd
S4 E34 · Tue, September 14, 2021
Podcast Planning For The Worst Day Of Your Life
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 for an extended period of time. Perhaps forever. Or, less dramatically, perhaps for an extended period of time. How much thought have you given to what you can do when the thing that you do you can 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? ----- Links: • FREE 3-week trial of My Podcast Reviews - https://mypodcastreviews.com/pp • Want to sponsor Podcast Pontifications? - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcast-planning-for-the-worst-day-of-your-life. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show. Learn more about Allie at http://alliepress.net. Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe today at https://PodcastPontifications.com. Photo by Etienne
S4 E33 · Mon, September 13, 2021
Recouping Your Podcast's Reputation Costs
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 has a cost. A cost you pay with your reputation. With advertising or sponsorships, there’s a risk listeners will react negatively. To offset the cost of that risk, podcasters charge money. 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 surely 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 sill. 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. ----- Boostagram Corner! Someone used Breez to send me a boost. Dunno who. Sorry! ----- Links: • FREE 3-week trial of My Podcast Reviews - https://mypodcastreviews.com/pp • Looking Back on 9/11 - http://compliancepodcastnetwork.net/category/innovation-in-compliance • American Vigilante - https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/americanvigilante • Sounds Profitable - https://soundsprofitable.com/episodes • Breez podcast listening app - https://breez.technology • More new podcast listening apps - http://newpodcastapps.com • Want to sponsor Podcast Pontifications? - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/recouping-your-podcasts-reputation-costs. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, pleas
S4 E32 · Thu, September 09, 2021
Embracing The Empowerment Of Podcasting
The degree of autonomy and 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 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. ----- Boostagram Corner! A big thanks to York Campbell of Poetic Earthlings for buying me a virtual coffee along with the following note. Links in the next section. ----- Links: • FREE 3-week trial of My Podcast Reviews - https://mypodcastreviews.com/pp • York Campbell on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Poeticearthling • Poetic Earthlings - https://poeticearthlings.com • York’s guest episode, 3 Lessons Podcasters Can Learn From Audio Drama Producers - https://player.captivate.fm/episode/99e5f217-2a56-4903-9a28-cc44362dee79 • Want to sponsor Podcast Pontifications? - https://podcastpontifications.com/sponsor ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/embracing-the-empowerment-of-podcasting. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Allie Press assists with the production and transcriptio
S4 E31 · Wed, September 08, 2021
Adding Teeth To Podcasting's Promise of Intimacy
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 do we even measure intimacy in podcasting? Spoiler: we can’t. Consumption rates are neat, but only 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 email your thoughts to me or share your notions with the Advancing Podcasting community . 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? ----- Boostagram Corner! Thanks to Brad Tirpak for becoming my latest Supporting Member and to Seth Goldstein for the virtual coffee. Links in the next section. ----- Links: • FREE 3-week trial of My Podcast Reviews - https://mypodcastreviews.com/pp • Ad spending report via Magellan.ai - https://www.magellan.ai/blog-categories/top-15 • Historical average CPM rates via AdvertiseCast - https://www.advertisecast.com/podcast-advertising-rates • Questionable value of auto-downloads via Sounds Profitable- https://soundsprofitable.com/update/auto-downloads-default • IAB - Interactive Advertising Bureau - https://www.iab.com • Evo’s email - evo@simpler.media • Advancing Podcasting community - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • More new podcast apps - https://podcastindex.org/apps • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/adding-teeth-to-podcastings-promise-of-intimacy. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podc
S4 E30 · Thu, September 02, 2021
Podcasting 996 - Path To Success Or Early Burnout?
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. Which are you? 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) 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, 996 is just getting started. I know podcasters who are at it 8-12-7 or 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. ----- Boostagram Corner! Shout-outs in the episode to Paul Colligan and Andrew Clews for their support. Links in the next section. ----- Links: • FREE 3-week trial of My Podcast Reviews - https://mypodcastreviews.com/pp • Pushback on China’s 996 work culture - https://www.protocol.com/bulletins/996-illegal • Paul Colligan on Twitter - https://twitter.com/colligan • The Podcast Partnership - http://podcastpartnership.com • Podfriend - https://www.podfriend.com • Andrew Clews on Twitter - https://twitter.com/Clew_less • The Motoring Podcast - https://www.motoringpodcast.com • More new podcast apps - https://podcastindex.org/apps • Podcast Pontifications In Your Inbox - https://podcastpontifications.com/#subscribe • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcasting-996-path-to-success-or-early-burnout. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a
S4 E29 · Wed, September 01, 2021
Celebrate Your Podcast's Reviews Like A Boss!
Glowing podcast reviews feel really, really good. Getting any benefits from them beyond a warm, fuzzy feeling is questionable. Unless you have a plan for celebrating reviews for your podcast, that is. If you think getting reviews of your podcast somehow influences podcast ranking algorithms, you’ve been sorely misinformed. However, reviews do have an influence—perhaps an oversized influence—on something more important than ranking algorithms: human behavior. That’s why it’s important for every podcaster to celebrate reviews for their podcasts. Here are three ideas for you if you’re not sure where to start. 1. Celebrate the review in the audio of an episode of your podcast. That can generate a fair amount of FOMO among your listeners who haven’t yet written a review. But be deliberate in the placement. Your listeners are here first and foremost for the content of the episode, not to hear you pat yourself on the back. 2. Celebrate your podcast’s reviews on your podcast’s website. When someone discovers your website is a podcast website, don't make them wonder if your podcast is any good. Repurpose the social proof by posting reviews for your podcast directly on your website. But again, be deliberate how you do that. Putting reviews in your site visitors’ faces too early won’t help and might actually hurt. 3. Celebrate the review and reviewer on your social channels. Share a screenshot of the review and tag the specific social media account for the person who left the great review. That means doing a bit of sleuthing and research to match up the name on the review with various social properties. But it's time well spent! ----- Boostagram Corner! Seth Goldstein used Podcast Addict to leave a nice review for me. Links are in the next section. ----- Links: • FREE 3-week trial of My Podcast Reviews - https://mypodcastreviews.com/pp • How Apple rankings really work - https://podnews.net/article/understanding-podcast-statistics#-how-the-apple-podcast-charts-work • Seth Goldstein on Podchaser - https://www.podchaser.com/creators/seth-goldstein-107Zzr2huM • Podcast Addict - https://podcastaddict.com/ • More new podcast apps - https://podcastindex.org/apps • Leave a review for Podcast Pontifications - https://ratethispodcast.com/podpont • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/celebrate-your-podcasts-reviews-like-a-boss. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. <
S4 E28 · Tue, August 31, 2021
Do Old People Listen To Podcasts? Yes. Yes, We Do.
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. We tend to think of podcasters as young and hip. And yes, that’s true. But according to Edison Research, 24 million Americans over 55 listen to podcasts, up from just 4 million a decade ago. I don’t have access to the complete data set, but I’m confident enough (Dunning-Krueger much?) to make some inferences based on the… oh, let’s go with more mature podcast listening audience. 55+ podcast listeners have more discretionary time. 55+ is a very wide swath, covering 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. Lots of variance among 55+ 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. 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. 55+ podcast listeners 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. ----- Boostagram Corner! Much love to Pat Cheung from PodInbox for the virtual coffees and Kevin Patton from Academic Podcasting for the nice review. Links to both are in the next section. ----- Links: • Advancing Podcasting community - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Edison Research’s The Infinite Dial 2021 - https://www.edisonresearch.com/the-infinite-dial-2021-2 • Ed Asner (IMDB) - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000799 • The Mary Tyler Moore Show (Wikipedia) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mary_Tyler_Moore_Show • Westwood One 2021 Audioscape - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/ear-brain-heart-1968391 • Power Law - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_law • Other shows people who listen to Alan Alda’s podcast listen to - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/clear-vivid-with-alan-alda/id1400082430?id=1400082430#see-all/listeners-also-subscribed • Pat Cheung on Twitter - https://twitter.com/patcheungfrom •
S4 E27 · Mon, August 30, 2021
When Pointless Podcasting Processes Pay Off
Following podcasting best practices is always smart, but it doesn’t leave much room for creativity. Sometimes success is serendipitous, and what seems to be pointless may have an unexpected future upside. Podcasting requires productivity prioritization. There are countless things about and adjacent to podcasting you can waste your time on. And as you have a limited amount of time beyond the actual process of producing your podcast, prioritization is a good survival tactic. But I'm still a fan of doing pointless things. Or rather, things that seem pointless, that don't lead to an immediate, measurable payoff for your podcast. For the last seven months or so, I’ve been producing a second daily podcast that I call Minute of Pod Zen. And very, very few people have ever heard it. The initial plan for MoPZ was to get broad syndication across other podcasts about podcasting. But with three exceptions—thank you Bryan, James, and Mark—that failed to materialize. I also thought it might be a nifty way to experiment with Flash Briefing on Amazon Smart speakers. Two of you thought so as well. Yes. Two. If I were measuring the success of MoPZ by the original goal of wide syndication, then the extra time it takes me to write and produce the truncated version every day—about 30-45 minutes more, I reckon—seems rather pointless. Unless you’re reading this. This text is used not only here in the in-app episode details, but also is how I share the podcast across social media, as a Twitter thread and long-form posts on Linkedin and Facebook. And it’s working really, really well! With one lightbulb moment, MoPZ went from pointless to powerful. So if there’s a crazy idea you always wanted to try with your podcast, do it! You might be surprised how it takes a life of its own. ----- Boostagram Corner! Much love to Kyrin from the podcast Mere Mortals and Josh Liston for the value for value support! ----- Links: • Advancing Podcasting community - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Minute of Pod Zen info - https://podcastpontifications.com/about/syndication-options • MoPZ is syndicated on episodes of Sounds Profitable - https://soundsprofitable.com • … and on Friday episodes of Podnews - https://podnews.net • … and also on select episodes of Ear Brain Heart - https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/ear-brain-heart-1968391 • Example Twitter thread from me - https://twitter.com/evoterra/status/1430938197794693123 • The podcast, Mere Mortals - https://player.whooshkaa.com/shows/mere-mortals • Josh Liston on Twitter - https://twitter.com/joshuacliston • Podfried, a value for value enabled podcast listening app - https://www.podfriend.com/ • More new podcast apps - https://podcas
S4 E26 · Thu, August 26, 2021
In Podcasting, Stories Beat Advice Every Time
It doesn’t matter how long your podcast episodes are, so long as you tell a great story. Great storytellers make all podcasting better, and with some work and dedication, you too can join their ranks. How do you, the working podcaster, get better at storytelling, arguably one of the most important—if not the most important—aspects of podcasting? I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that, all things remaining equal, the podcaster who is better at the craft of storytelling will out-podcast someone who is not. I’m not a teacher of the art of storytelling, so I’m reticent to give “how-to” advice on becoming a great storyteller. But I am a practitioner of the art, so I can at least share with you four things I do that help to continually refine my skills as a storyteller and a podcaster. 1. 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 as much as I can, soaking in the rhythm and of a quality, well-told story. The ability to tell great stories will not spontaneously generate in your brain if you don’t have it. I make it a point to continually surround myself with great stories every day. 2. 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. My publishers required an extremely detailed outline that formed the scaffolding of each section of each chapter of the book. ( It wasn’t quite a 1:1 ratio of outlined bullet point to chapter, but it wasn't too far off from that.) With an outline that detailed, the creative parts of my brain flesh out sections in real-time as I follow along. 3. 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 have a few different stories I can quickly pull out, once I read the room for appropriateness, ranging from getting kicked out of a football game (and not arrested), selling everything and traveling abroad for three years, or a non-joke my wife refuses to let me tell in her presence. 4. I practice my storytelling skills. Four days a week on Podcast Pontifications. With every guest appearance on other podcasts. With every presentation I assemble and deliver. And at local storytelling events. Even when pacing around my living room, orating an idea that’ll be heard by no one other than the cat. Our human brains have been shaped by hundreds of thousands of years of stories, either created or consumed. We need stories. And, in turn, we need to tell stories. 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 o
S4 E25 · Wed, August 25, 2021
The Problems With Podcast Marketing Funnels
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. Here’s why: 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. But “marketing sieve” doesn’t sound nearly as sexy. If you’re using mystery and intrigue on assets you’re making for awareness—stop. You’re not doing yourself or anyone else any favors by hiding exactly who your content is for. 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. Do the links you share or the assets you make discoverable work for people who aren’t familiar with you or your show? Or is that why you’re completion rate or engagement metrics in the toilet? 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 way individuals interact with content. No, I’m not anti-funnel. Just cautions. Keep in mind that what works for a SaaS company may not work for your podcast. Also: ShePodcasts LIVE ? It’s happening in mid-October in Scottsdale, which is a suburb of Phoenix (I said that just to trigger the Snotsdale peeps). Since I live here (Phoenix, not Scottsdale, but close enough), I’ll be attending. You should too. Get $100 off your ticket when you use AZPOD at checkout. ----- Links: • Advancing Podcasting community - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Article on Sounds Profitable Who Wins When IP Addresses Disappear? - https://soundsprofitable.com/update/who-wins-without-ip-addresses • Privacy-enhancing technologies - https://abou
S4 E24 · Tue, August 24, 2021
Can You Podcast Without Reliable Analytics?
If reactions to very real privacy concerns remove our one way to track downloads, it’ll wreck the podcast advertising industry. But what about everyday podcasters who don’t rely on impression-based ad sales? In the not too distant future, we’re probably going to lose our reliance on IP addresses. And while that will have a chilling effect on podcasters and podcast businesses that rely on impression-based advertising revenues… what about the rest of us? You know, the vast majority of podcasters with different goals and objectives? Well, it may not be as bad as you think. Keep in mind that podcast media hosting companies can count requests to your media files. They’ll just no longer be able to group, sort, and filter those requests to give you an approximation of how many people are behind those file requests. Clearly, there will be much sturm und drang when this happens. Indeed, I predict the fallout will devastating for many podcasts. But I’m confident that podcasting will survive. Hobbyist podcasters don't really care how “accurate” their statistics are. They just want to know that someone on the other end is listening. Influencers who podcast will be able to spin an engagement story for the brands they work with, and they’ll figure out a way to do this without downloads. Business podcasters care less about downloads and much more about measurable business outcomes, so expect them to double-down on tracking KPIs that really matter to their business. As such, I’m cautiously optimistic about what comes after the upheaval. More importantly, I believe podcasting will survive and will come out with better measurements and business models on the other side. ----- Links: • Advancing Podcasting community - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Article on Sounds Profitable Who Wins When IP Addresses Disappear? - https://soundsprofitable.com/update/who-wins-without-ip-addresses • Privacy-enhancing technologies - https://about.fb.com/news/2021/08/privacy-enhancing-technologies-and-ads/ • Biggest podcast advertising spenders - https://www.magellan.ai/blog-categories/top-15 • Podfriend - https://www.podfriend.com • Fountain - https://www.fountain.fm • Podverse - https://podverse.fm • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/can-you-podcast-without-reliable-analytics. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your supprt at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. <
S4 E23 · Mon, August 23, 2021
Shortcuts In Podcasting That Aren't Dead Ends
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. Boostagram Corner! Special thanks to Dave Jones from the Podcast Index and James Cridland from Podnews for sending me boostagrams with messages. Both get a shoutout from me in the episode. ----- Links: • Advancing Podcasting community - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Arielle N’s method of social sharing - https://twitter.com/arithisandthat/status/1429549172156518406 • Podcast Index - https://podcastindex.org • James Cridland on Twitter - https://twitter.com/jamescridland?lang=en • Podnews - https://podnews.net/ • Podfriend - https://www.podfriend.com/ • Fountain - https://www.fountain.fm/ • More new podcast apps - https://podcastindex.org/apps • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/shortcuts-in-podcasting-that-arent-dead-ends. Visit https://twitter.com
S4 E22 · Thu, August 19, 2021
A Podcast Listening App You Can Proudly Recommend
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 to do something intentional about it. 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 is a simple form-submit away. But just because your show is in a big app, you don’t have to listen there. And you certainly don’t have to remind people that your show is there. 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 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. Take some time this weekend and play around with a new podcast listening app. Regime change starts at home, and there’s no risk trying out something different. I recognize I have a big blind spot when it comes to podcast listening apps. Time for me to fix that. I hope you’ll take this opportunity to do so as well. ----- Links: • Advancing Podcasting community - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Yes, YouTube - https://www.edisonresearch.com/the-infinite-dial-2021-2/ • Apple Podcast’s ongoing dumpster fire - https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/18/22630517/apple-podcasts-subscriptions-launch-dashboard • Spotify gonna Spotify podcasting - https://twitter.com/ashleyrcarman/status/1427985802349486087?s=20 • Amazon wants a piece of podcasting’s advertising pie - https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-16/amazon-amzn-eyes-podcast-advertising-market-with-wondery-smartless-deals • New Podcast Apps are here - https://podcastindex.org/apps • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/a-podcast-listening-app-you-can-proudly-recommend. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of
S4 E21 · Wed, August 18, 2021
Finding Your Podcasting Style And Leaning Into It
Compare podcasting to modern-day animation, where you’re as likely to see hyper-realistic renderings as you are to see cartoons or computer-driven stop-motion, all rendered on a computer. But if computers are used in all animation today, why doesn’t the animation created on those systems look similar? The answer is simple: style. If you notice a podcast that doesn’t sound as good as another, it’s likely a function of scarcity of time or money. That’s not the case with animation styles that appear less perfect. I highly doubt animators are making the choice to not spend the time to make their animation more realistic. They weren’t stuck with a herky-jerky style of motion because they didn’t have the budget to smooth it out. Nope. It’s 2021, and animation artists are making choices based on a style they are trying to adopt. Which begs the question: Does your podcast have a style? Do you intentionally make design-element choices that make your show unlike most other podcasts, but very much like a few select podcasts that adopt a similar style? Are you communicating & collaborating with the people behind the podcasts with a similar style as yours? Are you sharing tips and techniques while raising the overall profile of the style of podcasting you and others have affected? If you're not, now seems a good time to start. There are listeners out there whose brains are wired to give them a nice shot of endorphins when they consume a particular style of content. Podcasting included. And they want more of it. So start collaborating and feed ‘em more! ----- Links: • Advancing Podcasting community - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Love, Death, & Robots - https://www.netflix.com/title/80174608 • Ray Harryhausen - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Harryhausen • Clips of some of Ray’s creatures over the years - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9kmjW73-v4 • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/finding-your-podcasting-style-and-leaning-into-it. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show. Learn more about Allie at http://alliepress.net. </p
S4 E20 · Mon, August 16, 2021
Time For Podcast Advertising To Put Up Or Shut Up
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 dog food. 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. ----- Your Questions, Answered “[I] would love to know how you will use the survey data to improve the show.” Matt Medeiros - https://twitter.com/mattmedeiros from Castos - https://castos.com/ Just like this, Matt! A brand new segment of the show. Woot! ----- Links: • Take the Podcast Pontifications listener survey - https://podcastpontifications.com/survey • Advancing Podcasting community - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • If you missed the subsequent episodes on “recommendability”, start here - https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/blame-your-podcasts-audience-for-slow-growt • Podcast Pontifications on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCldrmtlLrlNA8G2vz_Rs_OQ • Podcast Pontifications In Your Inbox - https://podcastpontifications.com/#subscribe • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/time-for-podcast-advertising-to-put-up-or-shut-up. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Allie P
S4 E19 · Thu, August 12, 2021
Mastering Your Way To Podcast Growth
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 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 promote a podcast that even the most ardent fans can't be bothered to recommend seems rather unproductive to me. Thanks again to Tom Webster from Edison Research for his inspiring keynote presentation at Podcast Movement 2021 that teed this up nicely for me. You should be reading or listening to Tom’s weekly newsletter and podcast, I Hear Things . Yes, I’m recommending it! ----- Links Mentioned: • Take the Podcast Pontifications listener survey - https://podcastpontifications.com/survey • Advancing Podcasting community - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Tom Webster of Edison Research - https://www.edisonresearch.com/tom-webster-2/ • I Hear Things, Tom’s newsletter and podcast, which I recommend: https://tomwebster.media/ • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/mastering-your-way-to-podcast-growth. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show. Learn more about Allie at http://alliepress.net. Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working
S4 E18 · Wed, August 11, 2021
The Easy Way To Get People To Recommend Your Podcast
Why has your podcast stopped growing? One reason for that might be that it’s not all that easy for them to recommend your podcast. 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! Do you know which social platforms are used by your loyal listeners? A good podcast listener survey will help answer that question. Find out, 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 recommendation to someone else. And if not; don’t send it until it is. There's a lot more to cover on this topic. Custom domains, making sure that your content looks great when it's shared, creating rewards programs for those who do recommend your show… and maybe I’ll cover some of those on future episodes. But for now, take this advice to heart and see how you can improve the recommendability of your podcast by making it easier for people to recommend your podcast. Implement some of these ideas this week if you can. ----- Links Mentioned: • Take the Podcast Pontifications listener survey - https://podcastpontifications.com/survey • Advancing Podcasting community - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • New podcast listening apps - http://newpodcastapps.com • Podchaser on Twitter - http://twitter.com/podchaser • Buzzsprout on Twitter - http://twitter.com/buzzsprout • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-easy-way-to-get-people-to-recommend-your-podcast. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the sho
S4 E17 · Tue, August 10, 2021
The Surprising & Delightful Way To Grow Your Podcast
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. Today, we’re unpacking the first bullet point from a slide from Tom Webster’s 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 deeply understand why people listen. 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. ----- Links Mentioned: • Edison Research’s Podcast Listener Survey Template https://www.edisonresearch.com/listener-survey-template • Advancing Podcasting community - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Ted Lasso - https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/ted-lasso • The Three-Body Problem - https://amzn.to/3CDyz6u • My Dad Wrote A Porno - https://www.mydadwroteaporno.com/ • Tom Webster on Twitter - http://twitter.com/webby2001 • Podcast Movement 2021 - https://2021.podcastmovement.com • The Bangkok Podcast (Season 2) - https://www.bangkokpodcast.com/category/season2 • Writing Awesome Book Blurbs - https://scribl.com/books/P9B41/writing-awesome-book-blurbs-a-modern-indie-authors-guide • Evo Terra on Twitter - https://twitter.com/evoterra • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-surprising-delightful-way-to-grow-your-podcast. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see h
S4 E16 · Mon, August 09, 2021
Blame Your Podcast's Audience For Slow Growth
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 more 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? For the rest of this week, I’ll dig into three tactics, each provided by Tom Webster of Edison Research, to help boost your podcasts recommendability. They are: Know what your listeners expect so you know how to deliver the unexpected. Make your show easy to recommend. Master your craft. ----- Links Mentioned: • Advancing Podcasting - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Spotify Ad Platform - https://ads.spotify.com/en-US/pricing • Tom Webster on Twitter: http://twitter.com/webby2001 • Edison Research - https://www.edisonresearch.com • Podcast Movement 2021 - https://2021.podcastmovement.com • Got a sexy show to recommend? Hit me: evo@simpler.media • Evo Terra on Twitter - https://twitter.com/evoterra • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/blame-your-podcasts-audience-for-slow-growth. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show. Learn more about Allie at http://alliepress.net.<
S4 E15 · Wed, August 04, 2021
Delay Due To Pesky Time Zone Conversions
I’ve been telling you for weeks that I’ve blocked off the entire week to attend Podcast Movement ‘21 , even though I’m not attending in person. I’ll be watching from my living room, probably attending many more sessions than I’ve ever done at a conference in person. I thought, incorrectly, that I’d still have time to do my early morning Podcast Pontifications stuff. When I looked at the times in the app, it showed 9 or later start times. Which would mean I’d have to go fast, but I could get it all done. Heh. Well… no. Because 9:00a Nashville is 7:00a Phoenix time. That’s a time that should be quite familiar to those who watch the live recordings of Podcast Pontifications, as that’s when they happen. Bah. So that means I can’t do both. And as much as I don’t want to disappoint you, I want to stay true to my word and give my full attention to the conference as originally planned. So please excuse my absence today and tomorrow as I attend Podcast Movement ‘21. You may be still able to get a virtual pass if you want to attend alongside me. I shall be back next Monday for yet another Podcast Pontifications. Cheers! Podcast Pontifictions is written and narrated by Evo Terra . He’s on a mission to make podcasting better. Links to everything mentioned in today’s episode are in the notes section of your podcast listening app. A written-to-be-read article based on today’s episode is available at PodcastPontifications.com , where you’ll also find a video version and a corrected transcript, both created by Allie Press . Podcast Pontifications is a production of Simpler Media. Find out more at Simpler.Media . 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
S4 E14 · Tue, August 03, 2021
Making Your Podcast More Than Just An Interview
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. So instead of removing the bad parts, what would happen if you made a commitment to only include the good parts of an interview? 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 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. Here are the six steps I cover in this episode: Research Prepare questions Get an automated transcript Make a paper edit Assemble the meal Make audio magic ----- Links Mentioned: • Advancing Podcasting - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Willie Nelson - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Nelson • Descript- https://www.descript.com/ • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/making-your-podcast-more-than-just-an-interview. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show. Learn more about Allie at http://alliepress.net. Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe today at https://PodcastPontifications.com. Photo by Sam McGhee on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/interview-mic?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" rel="noopener noreferr
S4 E13 · Mon, August 02, 2021
Surviving The Flood Of Celebrity Podcasts
I’m not quite as 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. ----- Links Mentioned: • Advancing Podcasting - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Bryan Barletta - https://twitter.com/highfiverpg • Sounds Profitable - https://soundsprofitable.com • Bridger announcement - https://soundsprofitable.com/update/the-stork-has-come • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/surviving-the-flood-of-celebrity-podcasts. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show. Learn more about Allie at http://alliepress.net. Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe today at https://PodcastPontifications.com . Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on <a href="
S4 E12 · Thu, July 29, 2021
The Mental Healthy Way To Podcasting Opportunities
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 though pf adding one more thing 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. ----- Links Mentioned: • Advancing Podcasting - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Podcast Movement 2021 - https://2021.podcastmovement.com • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-mental-healthy-way-to-podcasting-opportunities. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show. Learn more about Allie at http://alliepress.net. Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe today at https://PodcastPontifications.com. Photo by Alex Alvarez on Unsplash 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 mi
S4 E11 · Wed, July 28, 2021
Fickle Podcasters And The Next Big Thing
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 Podcast Movement keynote that Stitcher would revolutionize how people listen to podcasts. Today, we’ve nothing but breathless enthusiasm for Podcasting 2.0’s namespace changes they’re pushing forward and whatever new magic 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. ----- Links Mentioned: • Advancing Podcasting - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • GTP-3 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GPT-3 • Evo’s 2014 keynote of Podcast Movement (video) - https://youtu.be/lEgEXKLmIsA • Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com • Podcasting 2.0 - https://podcastindex.org • Descript - https://www.descript.com • PodRevDay - https://www.podrevday.com • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/fickle-podcasters-and-the-next-big-thing. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show. Learn more about Allie at http://alliepress.net. Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe today at https://PodcastPontifications.com. Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@andybeales?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" rel="noopener noreferrer"
S4 E10 · Tue, July 27, 2021
Using Music In Your Podcast: Fair Use Or Wise Choice?
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 Patricia Aufderheide and 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 removing 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? Will it ever be easy to use commercial music in a podcast? Maybe. I think the excellent work done by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and other copyleft organizations will, eventually, pay off. Now, whether or not that happens soon enough for you to play commercial music in your podcast without fear of de-platforming or court summonses remains to be seen. We’re not getting any younger! ----- Links Mentioned: • Advancing Podcasting - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Palle Bo on Twitter - http://twitter.com/radiovagabond • The Radio Vagabond podcast - https://www.theradiovagabond.com • Fair use and music for your podcast - https://podnews.net/article/fair-use-for-podcasters • Professor of Law Patricia Aufderheide - https://www.american.edu/soc/faculty/paufder.cfm • Professor of Law Peter Jaszi - https://www.wcl.american.edu/community/faculty/profile/jaszi/bio • Section 230 - https://www.eff.org/issues/cda230 • Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) - https://www.eff.org/issues/dmca • Reclaiming Fair Use (book) - https://amzn.to/3iWOYtO • Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) - https://www.eff.org • Copyleft.org - https://copyleft.org • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/using-music-in-your-podcast-fair-use-or-wise-choice. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media
S4 E9 · Mon, July 26, 2021
You Can't Master Podcasting With A Hack Mindset
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. ----- Links Mentioned: • Advancing Podcasting - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/you-cant-master-podcasting-with-a-hack-mindset. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show. Learn more about Allie at http://alliepress.net. Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe today at https://PodcastPontifications.com. Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash . 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
S4 E8 · Thu, July 22, 2021
Fighting Back At Podcasting's Disinformation Problem
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 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. ----- Links Mentioned: • Advancing Podcasting - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Neil Hedley - https://twitter.com/GetYourSnoozeOn • Copywriting 101: What Was That Number Again? - https://amzn.to/2W9EdwF • The Snooze Button - http://thesnoozebutton.com • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/fighting-back-at-podcastings-disinformation-problem Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show. Learn more about Allie at http://alliepress.net. Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe today at https://PodcastPontifications.com Photo by Michal Matlon on Unsplash 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
S4 E7 · Wed, July 21, 2021
Can You Survive Podcasting's Chaotic Era?
Near-constant change has been pretty standard with podcasting. The fabric that underpins all of podcasting is quite flexible and resilient, allowing the podcasting community to live in a relatively stable period for the last two decades. And generally speaking, the few inflection points ushered in by large organizations over the last 16 years have tended to better podcasting overall. But all of that has changed in recent months. In this new era, the dominant forces in podcasting—yes, I mean Apple and Spotify—seem to be moving away from podcasting, if not being actively hostile toward it. Not just podcasting as we know it today. But the entire ethos of podcasting. It's been four months since Apple broke the fundamental on-ramp to the entire podcasting ecosystem. Spotify vis-à-vis Anchor is laying bare its plans to completely disintermediate every part of podcasting that they Spotify do not own. That's as chilling as it is not surprising. Social audio or drop-in audio platforms are seducing podcasters away from timeless, on-demand content with an easy way to create more ephemeral and much lower-quality audio content. How do you and your podcasting effort survive this time of chaos? I have some ideas: 1. Realize there’s no one coming to save us. We can’t wait around for another big organization to come and lift us out of the chaos. There’s just not enough upside for them right now. 2. Diversify your podcast’s assets and footprint. - Generally speaking, I’m not a fan of boycotts, as slopes tend to be slippery. But I see no value—to you or to podcasting—in continuing to promote the usage of apps and services that are contributing to the problem. 3. Hold on for dear life! Even if the majority of shows get wiped out, absorbed into a megacorp, or fade away to pursue other creative outlets; podcasting will survive. And probably be the richer for it. ----- Links Mentioned: • Advancing Podcasting - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • iTunes 4.9 (not 4.7, my bad) - https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2005/06/28Apple-Takes-Podcasting-Mainstream • Apple broke podcasting - https://sixcolors.com/post/2021/07/apple-podcasts-reliability-problem-is-turning-into-an-image-problem • Apple Podcast downloads are wrong - https://podcasters.apple.com/1418-a-notice-about-download-reports • James Boggs departs Apple - https://twitter.com/themuzak/status/1416060548370808838?s=20 • N’Jeri Eaton departs Apple - https://twitter.com/njerieaton/status/1413307047966220289?s=20 • Spotify/Anchor make RSS optional for podcasters - https://twitter.com/evoterra/status/1404615251165855752?s=20 • There’s no one coming to save us - https://youtu.be/2duqRuW1SCo?t=111 • Over 4mm podcasts in the Podcast Index - https://podcastindex.org <
S4 E6 · Tue, July 20, 2021
Will You Create or Steal Your Next Podcast's Listeners?
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 players who are already there, 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 say often on this show; choose wisely. ----- Links Mentioned: • Advancing Podcasting - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • 80 Million weekly podcast listeners - https://www.edisonresearch.com/the-infinite-dial-2021-2 • Podcast recommendation requests - https://twitter.com/search?q=podcast%20recommendations&src=typeahead_click&f=live • Fiction podcast increased by 300% - https://podnews.net/update/fiction-podcasting-growth • Podcasting For Dummies, 1st Edition (out of print) - https://amzn.to/3kDBy8s • If You Ask Betty - http://ifyouaskbetty.com • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/will-you-create-or-steal-your-next-podcasts-listeners. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show. Learn more about Allie at http://alliepress.net. Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe today at https://PodcastPontifications.com Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make
S4 E5 · Mon, July 19, 2021
The Best Way To Control Your Podcast's Quality
It’s not often that Dave Jackson, Ray Ortega, and myself find ourselves upstaged by a guest, but that’s just what happened on Podcasters' Roundtable when Mike Carruthers of the podcast Something You Should Know said that 20% of the interviews he conducts are never heard by his audience. Why? Because they aren’t good enough for Mike. And paraphrasing what I said during the taping, 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 make sure 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. Every day, listeners are finding amazing podcasting content from podcasters that do not truck with subpar episodes. And those same listeners are finding they have less and less room in their media consumption diet for shows with inconsistent or sub-par quality. Don't let your show be a statistic. The best way to control the quality of your podcast is to actually start controlling the quality of your podcast. ----- Links Mentioned: • Advancing Podcasting - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Mike Carruthers - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcarruthers • Something You Should Know - https://www.somethingyoushouldknow.net • 20% don’t make it (YouTube) - https://youtu.be/uBFGHevGoo8?t=3342 •Podcasters’ Roundtable - https://www.podcastersroundtable.com • Dave Jackson - https://twitter.com/DaveJackson • Ray Ortega - https://twitter.com/PodcastHelper • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-best-way-to-control-your-podcasts-quality. Visit https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show. Learn more about Allie at http://alliepress.net. Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe today at https://PodcastPontifications.com Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@hoxmark?utm_so
S4 E4 · Thu, July 15, 2021
Refreshing Your Podcast For A New Season
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 subtle (hopefully) but a bit more foundational. It’d be hard to miss the new theme music I chose for this new season. And again, you've been listening to my produced podcast episodes for a while; you know I’m wont to do this. In fact, this marks the fifth change to theme music since this podcast started. Caveat: This is an example of what not to do . 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. I’ve built up a modest amount of name recognition in podcasting, so I can get away with being flippant with my rotating music selection. You may not be in that privileged position. You also likely noticed an ad placement at the top of your experience. Blame Bryan Barletta of Sounds Profitable for that. (Full disclosure: Bryan and I have a professional working relationship.) This week’s article on Sounds Profitable is entitled Never Let An Ad Slot Go Empty, and I highly recommend you read it, even if you (like me) don’t really have designs on using your podcast as an advertising vehicle. 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. It’s just the start of the collaboration and partnership efforts I’ll be exploring this season. And yes, I’d love to talk with you about collaborating. Shoot me an email at evo@simpler.media, and we’ll set up a time to talk. ----- Links Mentioned: • Advancing Podcasting - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Bryan Barletta - https://twitter.com/highfiverpg • Sounds Profitable - https://soundsprofitable.com/ • Article: Never Let An Ad Slot Go Empty - https://soundsprofitable.com/update/yield-management • Subscribe—for free—to Podcast Pontifications In Your Inbox - https://podcastpontifications.com/#subscribe • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.bu
S4 E3 · Wed, July 14, 2021
Podcasting. It's What's For Dinner
Where are the “Got Milk?” but for podcasting, billboards ? Where are the “Beef. It's what's for dinner.” print layouts , but for podcasting? Where's the podcasting equivalent of animated dancing California grapes ? I haven't seen any; I bet you haven't seen any either because I'm pretty sure they don't exist. Every consumer knows exactly where the incredible, edible egg s are shelved in their grocery store. For the rare person who has never cooked beef, their grocery store probably presents less than a dozen cuts to choose from. But there are 4 million podcasts and millions more episodes available. Where would a brand new person start? 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. ----- Links Mentioned: • Advancing Podcasting - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Podcast listening stats from Edison - http://www.edisonresearch.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/The-Infinite-Dial-2021.pdf • Single-udder butter - https://www.google.com/search?q=single+udder+butter&oq=single+udder+butter&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i390l2.4047j0j15&sourcei
S4 E2 · Tue, July 13, 2021
How To Add Legs To Your Content With Podcasting
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 releasing full audiobook versions of some of their most popular titles on that feed . They’re the first (at least the first I can think of immediately) big publisher to officially adopt this model and use it with their expansive catalog. What these two examples demonstrate is 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. If you do in-person consultations, consider putting out a few online, self-serve courses. Try your hand at a video series of you walking people through a process you’ve mastered and are well compensated for. Or make an audio-only version that doesn’t require visual elements and release it as a podcast. Record yourself making your podcast and put it live on TikTok or the next new thing. 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 to spread that original content. ----- Links Mentioned: • Advancing Podcasting - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Black Widow’s box office and streaming success - https://variety.com/2021/film/box-office/marvel-black-widow-box-office-opening-weekend-1235016977/ • MacMillan’s Stories from Among the Stars podcast - https://us.macmillan.com/podcasts/podcast/stories-from-among-the-stars/ • The Three-Body Problem on Amazon - https://amzn.to/3AWqnh5 • Podiobooks.com acquired by Scribl - <a hre
S4 E1 · Mon, July 12, 2021
The Future Of Podcasting Needs Your Help
I’ll kick off Season Four of Podcast Pontifications with an incendiary comment: 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 run roughshod over us. It’s had a chilling, homogenizing, and stifling influence on podcasting. And it only took a global pandemic and the re-emergence of Adam Curry —who was instrumental in ushering in podcasting back in 2004—to show us a different path some 17 years later. He calls this new way Podcasting 2.0. And, not surprisingly, we're collectively resisting his 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. But I’ll be honest with you: unless you’re the kind of technogeek who hosts their own podcast media files and generates their own RSS feed, there’s not much you can do with the Podcasting 2.0 namespace tags. Beyond applying pressure, that is. Tell your podcast hosting company that you really, really want to see them adopt and implement as many of these new namespace tags as they can. And if you don’t like the answers they give; switch. It’s amazingly straightforward to switch from one hosting company to another. And yes, there are podcast hosting companies more forward-thinking than others who are aggressively implementing the new namespace tags. Curious who? Go to NewPodcastApps.com and find out. You’ll also see listening apps that support the tags, so you can test-drive a new listening experience too. ----- Links Mentioned: • Advancing Podcasting - http://advancingpodcasting.xyz • Adam Curry, The Podfather - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Curry • Podcasting 2.0 - https://podcastindex.org • 2.0-supporting listening app and hosting companies - <a href="http://newpodcastapps.com/" rel="noopener norefe
Bonus · Tue, July 06, 2021
3 Lessons Podcasters Can Learn From Audio Drama Producers
Guest host: York Campbell of the podcasts Poetic Earthlings . Evo’s note: Good news! In a few days, Season Four of Podcast Pontifications will begin. July 12th, 2021 to be precise. But as I’ve done with prior breaks, I’m letting a listener of Podcast Pontifications borrow this space to share a pontification that matters to them. This time, York has some lessons all working podcasters can learn from audio drama producers. So give York a listen. Hear the three tips he has to say. Audio dramas were available in the early days of podcasting, and even predate podcasting. Even if you do not write or produce audio dramas, there's a lot every podcaster can learn from them. Three specific lessons, in fact: 1. Attention to detail. Audio drama producers don’t have time to waste any time, so they’re often meticulous and exacting when it comes to what makes it in the episode. No rambling. Just the meet. They make every word count. 2. Direction and focus. With the story world out on paper well ahead of recording, audio drama producers always know exactly what an episode will contain. In the audio, you’ll hear a funny, farcical account of how bad that can be… and you’ll never hear that in an audio drama. 3. Unfolding a story. Audio dramas tell a story, peeling layer after layer until you get to the nucleus of the tale. They don't reveal everything up front, but they lay breadcrumbs for you to follow. When you get there, when you get to the end it's always satisfying. ----- Season Four of Podcast Pontifications starts on July 12, 2021. Follow https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe today at https://PodcastPontifications.com Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash View the full transcript at https://share.descript.com/view/VDDZn1gzj6m Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans o
S3 E134 · Thu, May 27, 2021
Successful Podcasting Beyond The Top 100
A lot of attention is directed at the Top 100 (or top 50, 10, 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. Imagine you had the ability to count literally every hour literally everyone spent listening to podcasts. Imagine you could also identify and discern time spent listening to podcasts in the top 100 versus time spent listening to podcasts not in the top 100. If you were to total up the hours spent within each of those categories, the hours spent listening to the not in the top 100 category would greatly exceed the time spent listening to those in the top 100. That’s 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. Some podcasters with shows not in the top 100, like me, are happy to have found an audience that genuinely enjoys the content we produce and seem hungry for more. So from me to you; thank you. Thank you very much for listening to, watching, and/or reading my words and ideas about podcasting each day. I truly appreciate it. Links Mentioned: • The Long Tail - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_tail • The Ostium Podcast Network - https://ostiumpodcast.com/ • GeoPats Podcast Editing - https://www.stephfuccio.com/editing.html • Sign up to PPIYI for free - https://podcastpontifications.com/#subscribe • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/successful-podcasting-beyond-the-top-100 <p
S3 E133 · Wed, May 26, 2021
Give Them An Excuse Not To Podcast
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 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 missed expectations. Links Mentioned: • Proof of nearly 4 million podcasts - https://podcastindex.org • Sign up to PPIYI for free - https://podcastpontifications.com/#subscribe • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/give-them-an-excuse-not-to-podcast https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe today at https://PodcastPontifications.com 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
S3 E132 · Tue, May 25, 2021
Pushing Podcasting The Responsible Way
My friend Andrew asked a question on Twitter, which boils down to this: Do podcast listening apps bear responsibility for the podcasts that they promote to listeners? My comment back to Andrew on Twitter was a qualified MAYBE. If the decision was purely algorithmic and assuming the algorithm isn’t being gamed, then probably not. However, if including the show or episode was an editorial decision, then the human that made that editorial decision bears responsibility, and thereby the app itself. Not surprisingly, I've been thinking a little more broadly about that notion. As podcasters, we have to take responsibility for the guests we have on our show and/or the topics we discuss on our podcast. We also bear responsibility for our own guest appearances or contributions on other podcasts. And I think we bear responsibility for the podcasts we suggest to others. We need to own our own responsibility and let it spread through all the things we do in podcasting. If enough of us take the same approach, we’ll start to make a difference and encourage others to do the same. Links Mentioned: • Andrew’s Tweet that started all of this - https://twitter.com/Clew_less/status/1397091727379505156?s=20 • My comment back - https://twitter.com/evoterra/status/1397153840303001600?s=20 • Sign up to PPIYI for free - https://podcastpontifications.com/#subscribe • Support Evo on Buy Me A Coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/pushing-podcasting-the-responsible-way https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe today at https://PodcastPontifications.com Photo by<a href="https://unsplash.com/@carlheyerdahl?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" rel="noopener noreferrer" ta
S3 E131 · Mon, May 24, 2021
Facing Podcasting's Round Peg Square Hole Problem
Would it surprise you to learn the most popular podcast listening app, as reported by actual listeners, is not Apple Podcasts or Spotify, but actually YouTube? Yes, your podcast’s analytics package reports something quite different. That’s mostly due to differences in accounting between listening platforms and the podcast industry’s obsession with the pointless metric of “download”. But it’s also because podcasters aren’t playing to the strengths of listening/watching services used by living, breathing humans to more than just listen to podcasts. Far too few of us make the type of content that works well on YouTube, preferring instead the low-effort (and low-result) approach of uploading full episodes only. Few, if any, of us are experimenting with alternate cuts and remastered versions of our episodes on Spotify, when that’s been a staple of the music industry since the music industry started. Every year we hear from consumers that they listen to our shows in ways we have trouble wrapping our heads around. And every year, we close our eyes to the reality staring us in the face and resume our efforts of trying to distribute our episodes everywhere with as little effort as possible. What would you change about your podcast publishing if you considered your Apple Podcasts audience different from your Spotify audience, which is distinctly different from your YouTube audience? Because they are all three distinctly different audiences. Perhaps it’s time to treat them as such. Links Mentioned: • Edison Research Podcast Consumer Tracker - https://www.edisonresearch.com/the-podcast-consumer-quarterly-tracking-report/ • Tom Webster’s article - https://tomwebster.media/archive/platform-wars/ • Overcast - https://overcast.fm/ • Podcast Pontifications In Your Inbox - https://podcastpontifications.com/#subscribe • Coffee Membership: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/facing-podcastings-round-peg-square-hole-problem https://twitter.com/e
S3 E130 · Thu, May 20, 2021
Knowing When To Say NO To Podcasting Opportunities
Podcasting is in a period of accelerated growth. As of this morning, Podcast Index is tracking close to 4 million shows. And nearly a quarter of a million of them were published in only the last ten days. 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! But as you, your podcast, and the podcasting space itself continue to mature, 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. Links Mentioned: • Podcast Index - https://podcastindex.org/ • Podcast Pontifications In Your Inbox - https://podcastpontifications.com/#subscribe • Coffee Membership: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/knowing-when-to-say-no-to-podcasting-opportunities https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe today at https://Pod
S3 E129 · Wed, May 19, 2021
Playing Up (Or Down) Your Podcasting Personality
Today’s article is not about mental health, but it is adjacent. Before continuing, realize I am not a psychologist. If you have a personality disorder, are in therapy, or are working in any capacity with a professional mental health provider, do what they say. Not this yokel. There's a lot that we can change about our podcasts 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. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/playing-up-or-down-your-podcasting-personality https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe today at https://PodcastPontifications.com Photo by Elizaveta Dushechkina on<a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/magnifying?utm_source=unsplash&utm_me
S3 E128 · Tue, May 18, 2021
How Can You Give Back To Podcasting?
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 1. Write a niche newsletter 2. Buy something advertised on a smaller podcast 3. Volunteer to help at a podcast event 4. Participate in PodRevDay 5. Share podcasts outside of your podcasting circles 6. Try out new podcasting tools and services and share your experience 7. Become a mentor to a less-experienced podcaster 8. Host a local podcasting meetup in your town 9. Start collaborating with other podcasters Links Mentioned: • PodRevDay: https://www.podchaser.com/articles/community/podrevday • Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/ • What is an IHNI? https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-gateway-drug-to-podcasting-is-you • The Podcast Academy’s Mentorship program: https://www.thepodcastacademy.com/mentorship ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/how-can-you-give-back-to-podcasting https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe today at https://PodcastPontifications.com Photo by Gary Bendig on Unsplash Mentioned in this episode: Suppor
S3 E127 · Mon, May 17, 2021
Podcasting For The Brass Ring
Last night was the Ambies, the annual awards ceremony from The Podcast Academy, of which I am a dues-paying member. If you work in the podcasting industry, you’re probably familiar with the list of winners and nominees. But I’d wager that the average weekly podcast listener wouldn’t be able to say the same. The “screw you, big media!” mentality didn’t seem to hold true among the winners last night, with professional production houses and networks taking home multiple Ambies. Big Podcasting media, which is a lot less fractured and a lot more centralized than indie podcasting, has some pretty great chops. I doubt it was the easy road last night’s winners traveled. And for those who might have recorded parts of their Ambie-winning podcasts in their closets, none of them sounded like they were recorded in a closet . That’s what originally attracted me to The Ambies: a focus on excellence in podcasting that would go beyond podcasting. 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. Links Mentioned: • My Podchaser list of the 2021 Ambie Award winners: https://www.podchaser.com/lists/ambies-2021-winners---the-podcast-academy-107aDrdG49 • The list from The Podcast Academy, which oddly does not link to any of the shows: https://www.podchaser.com/lists/ambies-2021-winners---the-podcast-academy-107aDrdG49 ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcasting-for-the-brass-ring https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And
S3 E126 · Thu, May 13, 2021
The Happy Way To Find Podcasting Success
To me, I equate happiness to contentment . That’s not the same thing as complacency, which is to be avoided. What makes me content about my podcasting journey may not be (and likely will not be) the same thing that makes you content about your podcasting journey. We both have to chart our own paths toward happiness and contentment. Doing More To Achieve Podcasting Happiness Sometimes doing more with your podcast can greatly increase your level of happiness. Like focus more effort in post-production, investing more in marketing or outreach to grow your audience, or spend more time building a bigger and better-connected community Doing Less To Achieve Podcasting Contentment Sometimes unburdening yourself from commitments can go a long way toward getting you to a more happy place as a podcaster. Can you outsource some podcasting tasks that you really don't enjoy? What about cutting back on (or cutting out) a social platform that you don’t find all that enjoyable? Or reduce your episode output frequency to lower your stress and anxiety? Doing Things Differently To Achieve Podcasting Bliss Maybe do different things to cause a positive outcome on your happiness and contentment as a podcaster. You can shift the entire focus of your show if you're not happy with the direction Or you might consider joining a network or a collective. Or maybe something as simple as changing where you podcast will give you a fresh perspective and, with luck, increase your overall happiness as a podcaster. 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 looks like and found it lacking. Podcast in a way that makes you as happy of a podcaster as you can be. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-happy-way-to-find-podcasting-success https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe today at https://PodcastPontifications.com Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individua
S3 E125 · Wed, May 12, 2021
Discovering What Makes Your Podcast Uniquely Yours
Unless you’re a famous celebrity, you need to be able to quickly and clearly communicate the uniqueness of your podcast. But In my experience, a lot of podcast hosts out there don't know what their show is about. They know the mechanics, obviously. They know the pieces and the features that make up their show. But they don’t know what it is that makes their show special. Or at least they’re unable to properly articulate what makes their show special. They themselves fail to understand the why behind their podcast. Understanding your show’s brand identity allows you to have zero doubt the next time you sit down to work on your next episode or season. You’ll know—deeply and simply—what it is that makes your show unique and different from similar podcasts. But only if you understand it. Links Mentioned: • Simpler Media - https://simpler.media • IAB Podcast Upfront - https://www.iab.com/events/podcast-upfront-2021 • Brand identity questions - https://www.lean-labs.com/blog/creating-a-brand-identity-20-questions-to-consider ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/discovering-what-makes-your-podcast-uniquely-yours https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe today at https://PodcastPontifications.com Image credit: Photo by MARC RANGEL on Unsplash Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an i
S3 E124 · Mon, May 10, 2021
Share Your Podcasting Brilliance With A New Podcast
Podcasters put a lot of effort into building portfolios, media kits, websites, social shares, and myriad other ways to say “these are the things I do!”. But each of those highlighting efforts exists, at least in part, outside of podcasting. And when a listen-to-this example of your very fine work is given, it’s rarely in situ and is instead almost always provided outside of the full podcast experience. Let’s let podcasting showcase your podcasting work by making a brand new podcast that highlights your work. To accomplish this, we’ll use a brand new but highly constructed RSS feed where each podcast you want to showcase is self-contained in its own season, and each season consists of a single trailer and a single episode. For example, if you’re a podcast producer and you want to showcase 10 podcasts you’ve worked on, your new show will consist of 10 seasons. Each season will contain a representative episode of just one of the podcasts you want to highlight. And that season will also have a “trailer” episode where you explain and call out the very specific work you did on the episode they’re about to hear. The result: 20 episodes. You’ll likely need to tweak publishing dates to get your episodes to display properly in your RSS feed Luckily, most podcast media hosting companies will display your published episodes in their editing interface the same order they show in the RSS feed. However, I strongly suggest side-loading the RSS feed to a podcast app that will allow it (which means almost everyone except Spotify) and checking your work before you submit the new show anywhere. Treat your new highlights podcast as you would any other aspect of your portfolio. Don’t let it languish, and don’t be afraid to remove content that’s no longer relevant or representative of your work. And add to it! Don’t worry about making regular updates—this isn’t that kind of podcast. Just add new seasons when you have something new to showcase. Links mentioned in this episode: • Bryan Barletta - https://twitter.com/highfiverpg • Sounds Profitable - https://soundsprofitable.com • Up Next - A Podcast Format Up Front - https://upnext.supercast.tech ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/share-your-podcasting-brilliance-with-a-new-podcast https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://S
S3 E123 · Thu, May 06, 2021
The Process of Changing Your Podcast Is...Well, A Process
In which I reflect back on the 123 episodes of Season 3 of Podcast Pontifications I’ve produced thus far, to examine the changes I’ve put in place for myself. Because if I’m not taking my own advice, how much is that advice worth? Here’s a non-exhaustive list: 1. Inside-out episode planning 2. New branding 3. New website design 4. Corrected transcriptions 5. New PPIYI provider 6. I switched to Sanka tea 7. I hired a vocal coach 8. Audio engineering skills up-leveling 9. Re-worked episode details So yes, it does appear that I’m practicing what I'm preaching. For me, that’s fairly easy, as changing things up from time to time is part of who I am. Which is a good thing, because changes in podcasting aren’t going to stop. Ever. Links mentioned: Nik Gill, Graphic designer - https://www.nikpixels.co.uk/ Steve Yong, UX designer - https://www.steveyongcc.com/ Allie Press, production assistant - http://www.alliepress.net/ Ruchi Kapila, vocal coach - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ruchi-kapila-m-s-ccc-slp-she-her-they-them-66518721/ Marcus dePaula, audio engineer - https://www.meonlylouder.com/ Membership fueled by coffee - https://buymeacoffee.com/evoterra ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-process-of-changing-your-podcast-is-well-a-process https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe today at https://PodcastPontifications.com Image credit: Photo by<a href="https://unsplash.com/@rochangraphics?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" rel="noopener noreferrer" tar
S3 E122 · Wed, May 05, 2021
Getting Fickle Podcast Listeners To Listen More
A little digging into your podcast’s stats will show a good number of your listeners are… well, fickle. Before you can convert them to loyal listeners, you have to get them listening to more episodes. Busy People Listen As Busy People Listen Harsh reality time: A good percentage of your listeners don't and will never listen to every single episode you publish. If you’re wondering why your stats are different from episode to episode, this is why. We podcasters have two different tools that we can better employ to ensure that these fickle listeners don't really miss out on an episode of ours that they would have loved to have heard. Those two tools: the title of your episode and something called a cold open. Two Rules For Podcast Titles 1. Make every character count 2. Give them a reason to hit “play” Use A Cold Open To Keep Them Listening If the first seconds of your podcast episode clearly spell out the intent of the episode and set the hook, the fickle listener who is hearing your episode on autoplay will know exactly what they’re missing if they swipe it away. If they just hear your standard opening, even if it’s only 30 seconds, that still 30 seconds of the FOMO part of their brain telling them to swipe away. Links Mentioned In This Episode • Betty Dannewitz https://www.linkedin.com/in/ifyouaskbetty • The podcast If You Ask Betty https://ifyouaskbetty.com ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/getting-fickle-podcast-listeners-to-listen-more https://twitter.com/evoterra for more podcasting insights from Evo Terra as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at https://BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit https://Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Subscribe today at https://PodcastPontifications.com 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 cons
S3 E121 · Tue, May 04, 2021
Getting Your Podcast To Go Viral: A Healthy Move?
Will Facebook become the home of social audio for podcasters? We’re told Facebook will soon end its prohibition of audio stance, finally allowing podcasters—and anybody else, really—to share full episodes of podcasts as audio files in social posts. As a working podcaster, you should be thinking about what happens to our world when your podcast episodes can finally “go viral”. And if social media can actually start driving meaningful, socially boosted attention to a show in a way that the show actually sees real growth and not just vanity metrics… it’ll change how podcasters think about success. And when podcasters start thinking about success differently, that will, in turn, change how podcasters optimize our podcast episodes to get more of that success. If you notice your retention/completion rate is slipping, you may blame it on the length of your content or the frequency of your episodes. Reducing one or both may boost your completion rates, but it may also cause your paying members to see less value in your content, so they stop paying. But maybe those who appreciate the shorter/less frequent episodes decide to become a paying member, making up for the shortfall. If you’ve optimized your episodes to get the most shares by saying dumb things just to get attention, you may alienate your most loyal listeners, causing your retention rate to plummet and your paying members to flee. But what if getting tons of shares makes your download counts skyrocket to the point where you can sell advertising against your inventory, exceeding your prior revenue milestones? All of this is wild speculation on my part. We don’t know what's going to happen when podcast episodes are granted the power to be shared on social. We don’t know if any of them will “go viral”. But it's going to be a fun time as we once again see a redefinition of what it means to publish a podcast. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/getting-your-podcast-to-go-viral-a-healthy-move Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objecti
S3 E120 · Mon, May 03, 2021
Pondering Podcasting's Partiality Problem
Seasoned podcasters have learned to expect a delay between time-of-publish and when the latest episode will publicly appear in various directories. But we’ve assumed that subscribers/followers bypass the public directory update so our episodes arrive on the devices of those listeners within minutes of publishing. We’re wrong about that. James Cridland of Podnews has an excellent breakdown of the infrastructure change Apple has put in place that exacerbates this problem for podcasting . Specifically, Apple is determining which shows are worthy of lighting-fast updates, and which podcasts are not worthy. Surprising absolutely no one, podcasts with much larger audiences that publish content on a very frequent basis are deemed by Apple as more worthy of more rapid updates than the rest of us plebes. If you are as troubled by this as I was troubled by this when I learned of it, you’ll be more troubled—as I was—to learn this is how just about every podcast directory works. It’s not just Apple. Podcast directory developers write algorithms to evaluate the worthiness of each show in their catalog based on a variety of factors to determine the optimal update frequency for that show on their platform. If your podcast isn’t deemed as worthy, your episodes will take longer to get onto the devices of your listeners who use that directory. In hindsight, I think we all knew something like this was happening in podcasting. Many of us didn’t give it too much thought because we wrongly assumed we could bypass the slow lane by getting our listeners to subscribe to/follow our shows. But we can no longer safely assume that. The reason we can't trust podcast directories to deliver our content in a timely fashion is because it’s not a one-to-one relationship. We think it is, but it’s not. The directory sits in the middle, and they control the terms of the relationship. Not us. Not our listeners. But email is a one-to-one relationship. Yeah, I know you don’t want to listen to a podcast in Outlook. Neither do I, so I’m not suggesting you stop publishing an RSS feed or anything resembling that behavior. Instead, I’m—once again—suggesting you start establishing a one-to-one email-based relationship with as many of your listeners as you can. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/pondering-podcastings-partiality-problem Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. <a href="https://buymeacoffee.com/
S3 E119 · Thu, April 29, 2021
Tapping Into The Power Of Podfaded Podcasts
Can you breathe life back into one of your podfaded or inactive shows? Better yet; can you use your podfaded or inactive show as a power source for a different podcast? In my experience, I’ve found that a significant number of people don’t bother to unfollow or unsubscribe from a podcast that stops publishing new episodes. Before you ask how can you tap into that power, you first have to figure out if it’s worth the effort. The answer to the question lies in one of the most elusive metrics in all of podcasting: how many people are following/subscribe-to this feed? But there’s a simple way to find out: drop an episode. Count the downloads over the first day or two and you’ll know how many devices automatically download episodes or how many of your followers will play the episode when it shows up in their listening app. If the number of downloads to that dropped episode looks attractive to you—whether it's dozens, or hundreds, or thousands—consider redirect those subscribers to a different podcast, instantly increasing the size of the listening audience. That’s power! Putting a 301 redirect in place is extremely simple in most podcast hosting companies. It’s oftentimes simply a field on a form to fill out, and they take care of the rest. And once that redirect is in place, 99.999% of the subscribers to that faded, inactive show will be subscribed to the new show. Instant additive audience! ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/tapping-into-the-power-of-podfaded-podcasts Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Photo by Thomas Kelley on Unsplash Me
S3 E118 · Wed, April 28, 2021
The Proud Way Of Finding Success In Podcasting
If you’ll indulge me, I’d like to refactor some Ted Lasso wisdom towards podcasting with this proclamation, which I hope doesn’t offend David : Success isn’t about building a big podcast. It’s about being proud of the work you do as a podcaster. Are you proud of the work you’re doing in podcasting right now? The concept of pride is a tricky thing. Are we supposed to be proud of the state or country we were born in simply because we were born there? None of us had any control over where we entered the world, but many of us are fortunate enough to have control—agency—of how we conduct ourselves as podcasters, and what work we put into the world. We can’t control podcasting’s macroeconomics. We can’t control human behavior. All most of us can control is the effort that goes into the shows we make. We can change the efforts we put into our shows and episodes. And those changes will, if we’re doing it right, change who we are as people, even when we’re not sitting behind the microphone, the DAW, the text editor, or whatever interface we use to proudly practice our craft as podcasters. Thanks for that reminder, Ted. I know I needed it. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-proud-way-of-finding-success-in-podcasting Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Photo by Blake Weyland on Unsplash Mentioned in this episode: Support
S3 E117 · Tue, April 27, 2021
The Art Of Selling And Keeping Your Podcast
Yesterday, Roman Mars announced the sale of 99% Invisible to SiriusXM and Jay Acunzo sold his podcast about podcasting, 3 Clips, to Castos . I’ve dutifully added those moves to the Who Owns Who In Podcasting? Airtable that Anne Baird created to keep track of…well, who owns who in podcasting, as it’s becoming quite the tangled skein! If someone were to come knocking on your door with an offer to buy your podcast, should you sell it? My answer is an enthusiastic but qualified YES! Anytime this question comes up, I’m reminded of the wise words of my friend and podcaster Dave Slusher of The Evil Genius Chronicles : There's no such thing as selling out. Only the possibility of selling too cheaply. Both Jay and Roman will continue to be very much in charge of their podcasts, using their voices and creative vision. This is the kind of deal I think most podcasters would be foolish not to at least consider, and I can sum up why in three points: Cash! - Anyone selling their podcast needs cash. Roman’s deal was healthy enough to allow him to donate $1 million dollars to PRX over the next four years . So he’s probably not worried about paying his mortgage for at least that time. Focus! - But because of the cash, you can afford to let other people do the tasks necessary to keep your show running that you’d really rather not focus on so you can double-down on the aspects of making the show that you love. Future! - It’s common for the seller to agree to continue performing duties for a set number of months or years. Knowing that your departure is already baked in can help you better understand your accomplishments thus far and allow you to start having serious thoughts about your next project. But it’s not all roses. Remember, when you sell your show, however you sell your show, you’re no longer the sole decision-maker. When you sell your show and stay in the hosting seat, you get a boss or partner in return, and they’d like to be clued in on things. And have more than a little input, if only to protect their investment. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full
S3 E116 · Mon, April 26, 2021
Updating Your Podcast Listener Experience Assumptions
In an odd twist of irony, I'm about to have a chat with Mark Asquith from Rebel Base Media entitled “Creating Experiences that Inspire Loyal Communities”. It’s one of the first sessions happening at PHX Startup Week , and it's going to be very hard for me not to use Apple Podcasts botched Apple Podcast Subscription rollout as a negative example. If you’re still basing your assumptions on podcasting experiences before 2018, your assumptions are terribly antiquated. And not in a good way. When I talk about the experiences of podcast consumers, please understand I'm not just talking about their experiences with the audio they listen to. Yes, that’s highly important to get right, and it’s critical to provide a good in-ear listener experience. But you also have to pay attention to the full podcast consumption experience! Podcasting is going through another inflection point right now, and that means all of us in podcasting—podcasters and service providers—have an awesome responsibility not to cock it up. Again. Though it’s still too damned hard, everything about listening to podcasts is a lot easier than it was at the beginning. Which means that switching costs are super low. At the risk of offending your life coach; it is unlikely that your podcast is irreplaceable, regardless of how hot your take. Seriously. Search on your topic in PodcastIndex.org and see how many other shows look and feel similar to yours. And probably sound similar too. Undifferentiated, perhaps, in the listeners’ minds. How To Relentless Focus On Podcast Listening Experiences Start with the in-ear listener experience but don’t stop there! The in-app listener experience matters. Their experience with your website is important You’re responsible for the experience of your socially shared content, even if you’re not sharing it socially! Focus on the listener experience of your online community, your emails… and in-person events (when we can again go). Consider collaborating with a podcasting peers to do some reciprocal auditing of one another. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/updating-your-podcast-listener-experience-assumptions </p
S3 E115 · Thu, April 22, 2021
What's Apple's Motive For Apple Podcasts Subscriptions?
With the new Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, Apple sees a significant revenue opportunity for them, so podcasting is finally getting the attention it deserves. Seamless Podcast Listening Worth Paying For At its most basic, Apple Podcasts Subscriptions allow for a frictionless way to let listeners pay for podcasts without having to manage multiple shows, feeds, etc. But I don’t think Apple is directly going after the premium/private podcast market. Thinking Like A Podcast Developer But developers think a little differently than podcast publishers, if only because Apple makes money—a lot of money—from the efforts of developers. An Apple-incentivized ecosystem for podcasts has many benefits, from solving that “discoverability” problem too many podcasters gripe about to new revenue models that go beyond paid subscriptions. And remember that Apple made $15.8 billion on services in the first quarter of this year. It's projected that Apple will see $89 billion of annual revenue from services by 2025 . That’s less than four years from now. It’s not a stretch to see Apple maximizing their revenue by promoting podcasts—heavily—to exploit a brand new revenue stream Apple Brings The Power Of Apple No, none of the prior attempts to paywall podcast content have been breakout successes. But Apple hasn’t been behind any of them. Imagine the full force of Apple’s marketing machine working hard to re-introduce that little purple square to every iPhone user. Are You Ready To Make Money With Apple Podcasts? I highly recommend you set aside an hour or so to pore over the info pages Apple has already created that detail all the current options available with Apple Podcasts Subscriptions . If you read those pages carefully and try to think more like an app developer, you’ll discover plenty of intriguing items. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/whats-apples-motive-for-apple-podcasts-subscriptions Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. <a href="https://buymeacoffee.com/evoterra" rel="noopener noreferrer" target
S3 E114 · Tue, April 20, 2021
The Easy Way To Make A Great Podcast
I spend a great deal of time talking about the need to make podcasting better, not just easier. But candidly, I'm more than a little concerned that the message received is “don’t do easy things” So let me be clear: the majority of the work you do as a podcaster should be easy. Imagine a piece of paper divided into four quadrants. Let the line that goes across the page represent difficulty increasing to the right. Let the line that goes from the top to the bottom of the page represent quality, with higher quality on top Now think through and add the various tasks you have to do during the course of your job as a podcaster. You’ll see tasks fall into one of four quadrants, which we’ll name as: Staples (upper-left) - Always easy to do and always with at least good quality Solo (upper-right) - Always somewhat difficult to do with at least good quality Aspirational (lower-right) - Always difficult and always below-average quality Inexcusable (lower-left) - Always easy and always less-than-acceptable quality It may seem counterintuitive, but the goal isn’t to move as many tasks as possible into the Solo quadrant, where we find the highest quality, most difficult tasks. I agree with The Toyes that hard work good and hard work fine , but too much hard work can be difficult to stick with. For both sides of the equation. The quadrant you should (eventually) have most tasks in is the Staples quadrant. Better-than-average to great quality work that doesn’t take a huge amount of effort. Not from you to make. And not from your audience to enjoy. You should never be afraid of doing easy things when the quality is high. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-easy-way-to-make-a-great-podcast Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every work
S3 E113 · Mon, April 19, 2021
Reducing Your Anxiety Around Big Podcasting Changes
There’s way too much stress in podcasting. Stress brought on by speculation of coming changes that podcasters have little control over. Take the reports from Apple Podcasts beta testers that there’s a new “frequency” badge coming . What does that mean for your show, and what can you do about it? You don’t know, and nothing. In that order. The same goes for whatever else Apple might announce regarding podcasting tomorrow. I assure you that you will not need to take immediate action. Just like you had no control over Apple Podcasts’ “Hosts & Guests” section . Just like you had no control over how Spotify mangled your carefully crafted episode details displayed in the app. Just like you won’t have any control over Facebook’s new discovery and distribution service in conjunction with Spotify rumored to be announced today. There’s nothing for you to do ahead of that announcement! So don’t work yourself into a lather just yet. As proof that there’s no need to panic or do much of anything, I remind you that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of valid podcasts in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and every other directory that haven’t been touched in over a decade. No one has logged in to their hosting companies to take advantage of any new tags. No one has logged into the shows’ dashboards on any app or directory to do any futzing at all. Yet all those shows still play fine. Each of them is easily discovered by searching for their name. They work. Your show will continue to work too, even if you choose to completely ignore these pending announcements and do nothing—if there’s anything to do at all. Whatever Facebook announces today and whatever Apple announces tomorrow, don't sweat it. Whatever Amazon Music announces after that and whatever the next big service announces after that; don't sweat it. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/reducing-your-anxiety-around-big-podcasting-changes Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coff
S3 E112 · Thu, April 15, 2021
Is A Top Placement In Spotify's Podcast Charts Worth The Price?
Spotify has made their podcast ranking charts available via a public webpage . Spotify tells us that a show’s follower count and user play activity are used in determining which podcasts and episodes appear on their refreshed-every-24-hours charts. Which makes sense. Shows with big audiences that get a lot of recent plays are exactly who should be there. Spotify is hoping ( strongly suggesting might be more apt) you’ll spend considerable effort convincing as many people as you can to follow and listen to your show on Spotify. I predict three quick actions to come on the heels of Spotify’s announcement. Show ALL the charts! - I expect more (most? all?) apps, services, and directories to publicly display their own top rankings of podcasts built from usage stats from their platforms. Because why not? Chart-monitoring dashboards - Possibly before the day is out, someone will have found a way to scrape Spotify’s public page and add the data to the rank-monitoring dashboards for their clients. “I get you ranked on Spotify’s Top Podcast Charts” spam - Scammers who already have stacks of mobile phones with cheap data plans gaming Apple Podcasts’ charts will do the same for Spotify, gaming these quite-easily-gamed algorithms just to stroke the egos of podcasters who weren’t hugged enough as a child. With absolutely no disrespect to the amazing shows that make the kind of content that attracts huge audiences necessary to legitimately gain a top ranking on these charts; these charts don’t mean much to the rest of us. But if you’ve a marketing plan with several tens of thousands of dollars or more dedicated to promoting your podcast, then you should absolutely get in touch with Spotify and share that plan with them. They’d love to help you with very specific actions on how you should spend your several tens of thousands of dollars to promote your show with some Spotify co-branding. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/is-a-top-placement-in-spotifys-podcast-charts-worth-the-price Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And i
S3 E111 · Wed, April 14, 2021
Have Evergreen Podcasts Gone Out Of Season?
Recently I’ve been thinking about what’s happening in my listeners’ lives when they aren’t listening to my podcast, and how much they are impacted by the seasonality of the world around them. Should I consider that seasonal/cyclical nature when I’m planning episodes? More to the point: should you? But before you make the assumption “Nah, bro. I’m evergreen and I’m good,” take a moment to read through these possible examples and see if your opinion changes. If your podcast is about a topic—sport, TV show, etc—that is highly seasonal in nature, why not plan your show around the season, going so far as to change your episode format and release frequency to match the changing appetite of consumers of that topic? If your podcast is about a particular location, why not bring those actual seasons into your episodes? The way you experience your location is seasonal, so why not give your listeners a glimpse of what it’s like to do your thing in January vs July? There’s a very good chance that even your show that you work hard to keep evergreen might be more impacted by seasonality than you think. You could take advantage of your hosting provider’s dynamic content insertion capabilities, which more and more are adding all the time to drop in seasonal bits while the season is active, and then later take them out when that season is over. All without impacting your main content. Or maybe you should produce a full episode (or series of episodes) dedicated to that particular season, but designed to be short-lived. You could pull them from your feed after the season is over, relegating the content to a “bonus” section on your site or available on request. This keeps your feed evergreen. No speedbumps after the season is over! ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/have-evergreen-podcasts-gone-out-of-season Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Photo by <a href="https://unspl
S3 E110 · Tue, April 13, 2021
Choosing The Difficult Path To Making Podcasting Easier
It's too easy to gloss over the difficult parts of podcasting that, when done right, help make a show truly outstanding and remarkable. If you think about the process you go through when making an episode of your podcast, you’ll find some of them are less easy than others, possibly even difficult for you. Being a podcaster requires a variety of skills. It’s the rare superhuman (whom I’ve never met) who’s skilled in all aspects required to make a great podcast. Everyone struggles to complete at least one aspect of the podcasting process. Probably a lot more than one. Perhaps there’s an area where your skills are lacking and you need more training. Or maybe, thanks to the realities of time, you have to take shortcuts. Perhaps you’re just going through the motions or one task because a self-purported expert said you should. Or maybe there’s a speedbump in your process that you absolutely loathe. You do it, begrudgingly, but you hate it. Now choose one of those difficult things and give yourself 30 days to make that difficult task less difficult for you. Yes, a month. That’s probably enough time to address this single difficult concern and make you significantly more competent in that aspect of podcasting. Remember: that one difficult thing we’re doing poorly probably has an outsized impact on the listener experience. While your biggest fans will always forgive you for some muddled-through steps, not everyone is in that camp. And if you want your show to grow, you should always be thinking about those who have yet to listen. If there’s a difficult step your doing poorly, that might be getting in their way. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/choosing-the-difficult-path-to-making-podcasting-easier Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@mparzuchowski?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText"
S3 E109 · Mon, April 12, 2021
Making Bigger & Better Podcasts By Sharing The Wealth
When the pandemic just getting started almost a year ago, an existing client introduced me to an associate of hers who was looking for a production partner on a new podcasting idea she had. While the company already had some internal competency in podcasting, two things were clear: The standard business podcast format wouldn’t be sufficient I’d need some help! So I reached out to Sam Walker , veteran podcaster with BBC chops who moved to Phoenix literally on a whim two years ago. We presented an idea that didn’t perfectly fit the “branded content” mold either. We knew the branding would be incredibly light, but we knew the success of the show would ultimately be graded on its ability to drive business outcomes. We also had a strong mandate and an opportunity to make a show that would be appealing well beyond the target demographic. So we crafted a unique approach that would bring compelling stories to the episodes and a narrative arc to the six-episode first season in such a way that the secondary and tertiary demographics—people who are customers of and have experiences with companies, so that’s kind of everyone!—would be intrigued and might sample. We also knew we needed to approach perfection in the quality of that audio, a lofty goal made more complicated by the pandemic and a guest list that demanded the most out of in-home recordings. So I turned to exceptional sound engineer Marcus dePaula , who I’d been wanting to work with on a project for more than a year now, for the incredibly important yet often overlooked task worthy of a podcasting project of this scale: mastering. Marcus took the commissioned theme music and added it to the mix, using isolated riffs and secretions from the trucks and building loops to create give character, texture, and emphasis to the spoken words, drawing the ear’s attention back to the main points made by the guests and host. And he worked hard—like, incredibly hard—to clean up some 20 different less-than-perfectly-recorded conversations with people (not podcasters) all around the world so that the natural differences in those recordings weren’t so noticeable to put casual listeners off the show. And wow, did that work pay off! Without further ado (because that was a lot of ado), I present to you season one of ExPEERience , hosted by Paula Hanson , Chief Revenue Officer for SAP Customer Experience . I hope you’ll give it a listen. I think you're really going to appreciate what we accomplish
S3 E108 · Thu, April 08, 2021
Podcasting Like A Pro When You Don't Sound Like A Pro
The phrase “authentic voice” is very overused. But when it comes to the voice listeners want to hear on your podcast, your “authentic voice” is absolutely the right terminology. But a quick caveat and a recognition that not everyone's authentic voice is a match for their authentic self . If the voice that comes out of your face does not match the voice of the person you are in your head, then please understand that I am in no way suggesting you get over it and deal with what you were given. But if that’s not you and you’re instead just minorly annoyed with certain aspects of your voice, I have some very good news: perfect voices are not required in podcasting If your accent is a part of your authentic self, then I assure you people will be perfectly happy to listen to you on your podcast sounding the way you sound. And for those who are turned off by your particular accent… well, they probably aren’t the right listener for your show anyhow. Your speech pattern is yours. The aforementioned caveats aside; don’t try to hide it. When it comes to catchphrases or odd mannerisms that are uniquely you, I say leave ‘em in. There is no ideal rate-of-speech delivery in podcasting. And every podcast listener has speed controls at their fingertips. So speak the rate at which you speak. Let the listeners decide if they want your words faster or slower. Keep The You, Reject The Noise While I am encouraging you to keep and embrace the natural “flaws” in your voice that make you uniquely you, I am exceedingly intolerant of fixable flaws in your recording environment. Those hardwood floors that cause all sorts of unwanted sound reflections to come back into the microphone and annoy my ears? Your idea of placing an omnidirectional microphone in the middle of a big room and having all your buddies shout towards it? The noise from your overworked refrigerator, the roar from the heating/cooling system you’ve decided to sit directly under, or the whirring of air purifiers you could turn off for the 30 minutes you’re recording your VO parts… Those noises are not the authenticity listeners want. They’re getting in the way of your authentic voice. If you’re serious about your podcast, I recommend investing in iZotope RX , either as a plugin or a standalone app. And then you need to learn how to use it, either by educating yourself or taking a class offered by Marcus dePaula . He’s a wizard who will blow your mind with the garbage you can remove from your tracks with just a few clicks. Your listeners will appreciate you for getting rid of all of those fixable bits so they can really enjoy your true and authentic voice. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full
S3 E107 · Wed, April 07, 2021
Unlocking Podcast Listener Data Without Being Creepy
With the fresh news that Amazon Music/Audible has quietly launched a podcasters portal , I expect they’ll soon join the ranks of Apple, Spotify, and Google Podcasts, probably disappointing podcasters when it comes to our data needs. It blows my mind every day that in the 16+ years podcasting has existed, we still can’t answer the most basic question every podcaster wants to know: How big is my audience? Spotify’s Podcaster Dashboard has a metric they call “Listeners”, even though it’s not listeners. It’s the number of unique users on their platform who started an episode. Apple Podcasts Connect provides “Devices”, which is a much better name, IMHO. Google Podcasts Manager , won’t tell you the total number of unique Google Podcasts users who’ve played an episode of your podcast. I don’t know what data Amazon Music/Audible will make available on their podcaster’s portal, but it could be better. And for some of the smaller apps, making their own portal for podcasters and giving us better data could be something that sets them apart. Because we have questions. And they have answers. Questions like: Which in-app discovery channels are bringing listeners to my podcast? How many listeners come back for more of my podcast? How many of my followers swipe left and dismiss some of my episodes? How is my show ranking/charting? What’s the listener flow like for my podcast? What’s the demographic makeup of my podcast’s audience? Podcasting apps aren’t markedly different from one another. But I do think the podcast listening app that gives podcasters the most useful data could get a big boost as we’d all happily promote the heck out of a listening app that gave us more insight into actual listening data. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/unlocking-podcast-listener-data-without-being-creepy Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit<a href="https://podcastlaunch.pro/" rel="noopener n
S3 E106 · Tue, April 06, 2021
Four Dumb Things About Podcasting We Still Haven't Fixed
There’s no doubt that we have, indeed, build a real economy out of podcasting. And I’m thankful for that, as podcasting is my only job! 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. I lay a lot of the blame at the non-existent feet of voice-powered AI in its current state. Most of us are used to using our voice as the primary way we interface with other humans. But all of that comes crashing down when we’re just trying to tell our AI to shut off the lights in the master bedroom and have forgotten the highly specific incantation to achieve that bit of magic. Podcasting data is still untrustworthy and obfuscated. When one podcast hosting company claims more people use Spotify to download their content than any other app , a claim that flies in the face of every other podcast hosting company including yours, then it’s no wonder all download numbers are treated with suspicion. RSS feeds still suck. Why can't we yet name a season, include credits much as we see at the end of TVshows and movies, or reference other episodes to encourage threaded listening, rather than forcing listeners to follow a linear path? Podcasting is still terribly under-monetized . A billion dollars is still tiny when compared to other ad-supported mediums. Because Better Health aside , It’s hard to buy at scale. It’s hard to see returns at scale. So the bulk of advertisers still look at podcasting and give it a pass. A a realist, I have to point out that every issue raised above is 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. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/four-dumb-things-about-podcasting-we-still-havent-fixed Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. B
S3 E105 · Mon, April 05, 2021
Five Additions To Move Your Podcast's Episodes From Good To Great
Today we’re going to finally pay attention to that nagging suspicion that we often have when listening to the final mix/master an episode suggesting to us that maybe, just maybe we could make it better. What’s missing that might make your podcast episode better? Maybe one of these five things. Is a segment missing? Are you including a wrap-up section? Do you need a “good news” segment? Should you mention other takes? Does this episode need internal guideposts? Adding in “here’s what’s coming next” content can keep retention rates high and your content engaging. Would sound design help keep the listener engaged? Done well, music can help to underline, emphasize and accent the spoken word just like good typography can do on the page. Do I need to add a new voice? Hiring a professional, semi-professional, or just swapping services with another podcaster can add a bit of variety to your episodes and keep you focused on what you do best. Did I need to say all of that? Sometimes the best way to keep a listener engaged all the way through an episode is to give them less to chew on. Giving your episode a solid edit on paper can have a huge impact on your episodes’ retention rates. Which of those five things—either singularly or in combination—are missing from your episodes that you could add in if you had the time? It’s probably hard to answer that from the inside. But I bet your podcasting peers have advice for you. Share this article with them so they know the five possible missing pieces and then share your most recent episode with them. Ask which of the five they’d like to see you incorporate, and then work on doing that. A second friendly opinion is always a good idea. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/five-additions-to-move-your-podcasts-episodes-from-good-to-great Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a
S3 E104 · Thu, April 01, 2021
Will The Race For Podcasting's Profits Drive Our Dystopia?
You probably saw the announcement yesterday that AdvertiseCast had been acquired by Libsyn . This isn’t about that. It’s about a possible dystopian future when all podcast hosting companies have such an easy-to-use monetization engine that they require podcasters to use it. I think most podcasters would switch. No money out of pocket and a steam of revenue coming in? Heck yes, most podcasters would say yes. But such an action would have other unintended consequences, and I loves me some unintended consequences. The arms race among hosting providers would accelerate, changing how they operate. Several new business models for podcast hosting company would rise out of the rubble, leaving us with this possible (not that I’m predicting) dystopian podcasting future filled with: Free media hosting providers that require ads - Think YouTube, only more distributed and potentially more or less annoying. Cost-prohibitive luxury hosting providers catering to a select few - Think big book publishing or enterprise-class services. A fractured system of paywall providers - Think today’s streaming TV providers today, only more of them. Paywall aggregators - They works with all (or some) of the paywall providers, but take their own pound of flesh. Software as a service-specific media hosting bundled together - Think Adobe Cloud. Scrappy hangers-on who find a way to make the legacy $20 a month hosting model work in a vastly different future. Part of my job as a digital strategist is picturing the bad along with the good. Sorry if you find this potentially frightening. Welcome to my brain. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/will-the-race-for-podcastings-profits-drive-our-dystopia Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces<a href="http
S3 E103 · Wed, March 31, 2021
5 Boring Ways To Keep Your Podcast Fresh
There was a time when all a podcaster had to do was launched, publish, and a podcast would find its own audience. But today there are millions of podcasts and some invest jaw-dropping sums of money to get all the discovery attention. To rise above the din, you need to do the boring things. Here are five: 1. Better In-App Episode Details (Show Notes) - 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. Continuing Your Podcaster Education - Subscribe to podcast newsletters. Take podcasting workshops. Attend conferences, either in-person or online. I have to constantly work at keeping them current, and you probably need to do that as well. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/5-boring-ways-to-keep-your-podcast-fresh Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Image credit: Matthew T Rader on<a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/bored?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=credit
S3 E102 · Tue, March 30, 2021
Growing Your Podcast Like An Architect
Podcast producers who don’t leave things to chance often fall into one of two camps: architects or gardeners. Architects must understand the client’s (or their own) vision for a podcast and give it all the structure and materials necessary to bring it to life. Large amounts of up-front planning, which can go on for weeks and or months. Part of that time is spent detailing the arc the episodes will follow and sketching out the segments that will be used throughout the show. Then comes the scripting of episodes—sometimes a dozen or more—in detail, using the actual, real words said during certain segments when possible. Architects will also build a slate of templates for episode artwork, in-app episode details, on-site episode webpages, newsletters, social sharing cards, video assets, and more. Yes, all of that is done well before a single episode is dropped. Podcast production isn’t all that much different or gardeners. They also start with the very foundations of podcast creation. Maybe not quite as much planning as the architect, but still quite a bit. They too plot out the arc and define each segment of the episodes. But with less rigidity to allow for rearranging of segments or episode order as needed without fear of the whole thing collapsing. Gardeners still rely heavily on templates for artwork, episode details, the website, and more; but with a bit more fluidity built in to easily adapt to changes as they come. And sometimes, if the foundational planning is extremely solid, gardeners can skip the script and rely on a listing of topics and angles to explore for the next few episodes. Both can—and do—make amazing shows. Because most of us podcast producers are a little bit of both. Which are you? ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/growing-your-podcast-like-an-architect Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Image credit: <a href="https://u
S3 E101 · Mon, March 29, 2021
Taking The Creepy Out Of Personalized Podcasts
Marketers ruin everything and it's difficult to have a conversation about personalization in podcasting without drawing some well-deserved side-eye from privacy advocates. (Hi, Andrew !) Stripping away all the negative connotations and possible/probable nefarious behavior, most reasonable people would prefer a more personalized experience for many things they encounter in their daily lives. Think instead about what a more personalized listening experience might be if we abandon the one-size-fits-all approach. Like: A personal feed of my show that only sends down episodes on the topic of Listener Experience (the topic of this episode), Future-Forward Thinking , and maybe Perspective Shifts A custom-assembled episode for a listener who wants more funny and less knowledge-based segments from The Geologic Podcast A QCODE show that won’t send me files of their great serialized podcast fiction until the series is at or near completion so I can mainline the content All of these listening experience-enhancing things are possible in podcasting. And none of them creepy or privacy-invading. Stepping back from podcasts for a moment and looking at trends in the larger world of CX—customer experience: This is the direction in which the world is headed. Once the benefits of personalization are made obvious and demonstrably better to the customer, people will have no trouble sharing more info—but just the right info—necessary to deliver that personalized experience. Not just creepy ads. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/taking-the-creepy-out-of-personalized-podcasts Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit<a href="https://podcastlaunch.pro/" rel="noopener nore
S3 E100 · Thu, March 25, 2021
Finally! A Podcast Website That Doesn't Suck
Yesterday, I unveiled a new website. It showcases the design talents of graphic designer Nik Gill and hired UX designer Steve Yong . But a lot of credit goes to Juergen Berkessel and an idea/template he now calls the Conversion Optimized Podcast Homepage . My first ham-fisted attempt to follow his guidelines is preserved for eternity via Intenet Archive’s Wayback Machine . Not long after, I made another not-very-pretty attempt at building it better, and it worked. Really, really well, as you’ll soon see. Most podcast hosting companies will create an automatically-generated website, using the contents of the RSS feed to create a web presence for the show. And if not, various 3rd-party services will take a bit more info from you and crank out a website using nothing but your RSS feed. None of these auto-generation solutions are good enough, because the information they have to work with—fields inside a podcast’s RSS feed—isn’t detailed enough. Because a podcast’s RSS feed wasn’t made to populate a website. It was made to update podcast directories and apps. That’s it. Strangely, most people who consume my content aren’t listening to my content. Instead, 57% of the Podcast Pontifications content I produced in February 2021 was consumed by people reading the text. Only 41% listened to the audio files. That clearly shows a bias toward reading. I remind you that my show, Podcast Pontifications, is only ever about podcasting. Every word I speak or write is only of interest to podcasters. And podcasters, generally speaking, like to listen to content. Apparently, my audience is made up of podcasters who also like to read. Also, thanks to my website before the prettying-up, I was seeing 72% of my website's traffic coming from organic search. And that’s with less than 3% searches for “podcast pontifications”. Nearly three out of four visitors have no idea who the hell I am or even knew I have things to say about podcasting. That’s net-new audience right there. So yeah, your podcast needs a website. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at <a href="https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/finally-a-podcast-website-that-doesnt-suck"
S3 E99 · Wed, March 24, 2021
The Perilous Life Of A Podcast Producer
Being a podcast producer sounds like a fun job. Hey, it’s my job to produce podcasts on other people’s behalf and I can tell you that yes, absolutely, it is fun. And yes, absolutely, I love it. Most of the time. Other times, it’s just a job. There's a conflict between creators like you and me who want to create amazing things and those who we create for. They’ll tell us they want the same thing we want: to create amazing content. But what they really want is to make money. In most companies, most podcast production will be seen as a cost-center, not a revenue-driver. And cost-centers always face pressure to either lower costs or increase efficiency. If podcasting is not core to the business that’s paying you to make a podcast, then it’s highly likely that your boss (and your boss’ bosses) doesn’t even listen to podcasts . Not even the ones you produce on their behalf. If you’re being paid to produce a podcast for someone else, you need to prepare yourself for the reality that, at some point, that’s going to come to an end. Do and document your best work - Take screenshots, grab source files and save them outside the work environment. Caveat: Don’t violate any contracts you may have signed. I’ve usually found it simple enough to “sanitize” assets so they serve my purposes without crossing any confidentiality lines. Get credit for your work - Ideally, the place for this credit is in the in-app episode details. If you’re worried about pushback, play the best-practices card and give your boss Executive Producer credit while you’re at it! They’ll probably love the idea and will be happy to have you listed there as well. Build your credibility - Start talking about you, the podcast producer, in the podcasting industry. Update your LinkedIn profile by listing each of the podcasts you're working on/have worked on as a project, detailing specifically what your role was/is on the show. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-perilous-life-of-a-podcast-producer Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions ca
S3 E98 · Tue, March 23, 2021
Solving Podcasting's Opportunistic Challenge Today
Remember surfing through TV channels or scanning through radio stations, stopping when a show or conversation sounded interesting? Or skimming the sections of a newspaper or randomly flipping through a magazine? For many, this opportunistic style of content consumption is rather antiquated. Interactive TV guides, podcasts piped through our car radios, and news delivered to our news apps. We’re choosing the content we want to consume, often when we want to consume it. Just like podcasts. Podcasting sucks for the opportunistic listener for all the reasons I listed above. But the rise in drop-in audio apps and live recording sessions streamed to social platforms is changing that. The opportunistic listener uses these services with little or no intention of being social or engaging with the creator. They just want to lean back and listen/watch. And they are. From the creator’s perspective, we may see dozens or more people commenting on our “lives”, boosting our streams with hearts, or raising their hands to get on stage with us. But what we’re not seeing—simply because we’re not looking—are the hoards of silent participants doing none of those things, content to listen to or watch us do our thing. Conventional wisdom tells us to create content specific to the strengths of a platform rather than the lazy method of repurposing content to another medium, shoe-horn style. I may have been complicit in that wisdom. On more than one occasion. But maybe it’s time to rethink that position. Maybe we should look less at making an engaging social-worthy experience on those platforms and just give the opportunistic consumers what they want: a lean-back experience of our content as we’re making it. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/solving-podcastings-opportunistic-challenge-today Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. <a href="https://unsplash.com/@courtneycorlew?ut
S3 E97 · Mon, March 22, 2021
Reality Checking Account For Your Big Podcasting Dreams
The first mass-circulated daily newspaper was launched for about $10K in today’s money. 15 years later, those costs had shot up to $2.5m . Podcasting is a little over 15 years, and our costs haven’t increased 250x. Or have they? For most podcasts, that’s true. But the cost to make a mass-circulated podcast that becomes a household name? That’s different. 15 years ago, podcasting was small potatoes in both show selection and audience size. But soon there will be millions of podcasts listened to by hundreds of millions of Americans. Which means the cost to actually reach them has increased. Big time. The harsh reality is this: There’s competition at the top. A lot of competition. A lot of expensive competition. So while there’s a chance that a pitfall-free, high-quality podcast in 2021 and beyond can still become a breakout success that achieves mass circulation, the odds of that happening are dwindling. Rapidly. Today, and certainly tomorrow, a third step is required: promotion . Marketing, advertising, PR… all those “dirty words”. How big are you thinking about your next show? Are you ready for an extensive promotional plan? How are you going to fund that? How much risk are you willing to take if you really do think your podcast should reach everyone? Are you up for that? ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/reality-checking-account-for-your-big-podcasting-dreams Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Macau Photo Agency on Unsplash Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights <p
S3 E96 · Wed, March 17, 2021
Would You Prefer Accurate Or Actionable Podcast Metrics?
Do you want accurate stats that count every single access made to your audio files? Or do you want actionable data that inform you how your audience is responding to your podcast and your podcasting outreach efforts? You can only choose one, it seems. Overcast, a privacy-focused and quite popular iOS app that even I use on occasion, recently announced and implemented —and then quickly retracted , but the day is young— a change that would have blocked data intelligence services like Chartable and Podsights from seeing any activity from Overcast users. That move effectively shut out the visibility of that download to the intelligence providers employed by the podcast publisher. Yes, most podcast hosts are IAB-certified and provide accurate (?) download statistics. And if that’s all you need, then that’s all you need. But I’ve seen the insights provided by data intelligence providers. My clients have come to depend on having deeper insights around the interplay between episodes, the knowledge of which social media tactics provide the best results, and how their paid media efforts are paying off with real results. Neither I nor they want to go back to the one-trick-pony that is counting downloads. For now, the change has been rolled back. But for how long? And if something like this is again enacted, how long will the trick to skip the hops work when the data intelligence providers change how they handle redirects, potentially causing download requests to completely fail? Do we lobby the analytics providers to work directly with privacy advocates like this to demonstrate their not-creepiness and get back in good graces? I quite like that notion, but also recognize it’s hard to change the minds of fundamentalists of any stripe. Still… one can dream. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/would-you-prefer-accurate-or-actionable-podcast-metrics Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit <a href="https://podcas
S3 E95 · Tue, March 16, 2021
Getting Paid For Your Podcast Without Podcasting More
I'm not so sure that bonus content for podcasters is the best thing. As uncovered in this year’s Infinite Dial 2021 report , the average weekly podcast consumer only listens to eight episodes per week. And only 19% of weekly listeners said their number is 11 or more. Offering additional episodes to consume when their listening cup already runneth over seems like a bad idea. Also, the thought of making an additional episode spikes many podcaster’s anxiety levels. And what about your friendly neighborhood podcaster who already puts out a daily show? More Monetization Options For Podcasters On The Horizon It’s widely anticipated that Apple will soon roll out ways for podcasters to get paid by their audience, directly in the Apple Podcasts app. Twitter is also exploring ways to funnel direct payments to creators. One of them is called Super Follows , a “paid perk” that establishes a more direct connection between payers and the creators they choose to follow. And that got me thinking about ways podcasters could provide something worth paying for that doesn’t require making another episode or locking up their previously-free content behind a firewall. I’m just spitballing here, but I came up with: Priority access / fast lane to you - An easy and accessible way for listeners to bump their questions, comments, or ideas to the top of your queue. Inner circle exclusives - Maybe special events, behind-the-scenes access, or a p controlled-access social feed Less content as a proxy for more - A “cut” version for busy listeners, or those who are willing to pay for certain curated content from you. While I don’t believe there’s a definitive answer to the question of “how can I get paid without making more podcast content?”, I do know you should not ask your fans what they want. If you ask your fans, the ones that respond are likely to all say the same thing: more . And this is about not doing more. At least not more podcast episodes. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/getting-paid-for-your-podcast-without-podcasting-more Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffe
S3 E94 · Mon, March 15, 2021
Unpacking Podcasting's Growth Seen In Edison's Infinite Dial 2021
Today’s episode covers the key podcasty bits from the Infinite Dial 2021 report from Edison Research and Triton Digital. Here are the choice bits: 222 million Americans (78%) are familiar with podcasting 162 million Americans 957%) have listened to a podcast 116 million Americans (41%) listen to podcasts monthly 80 million Americans (28%) listen to podcasts every week For the purpose of the report, Edison creates three buckets based on the age of respondents. Here’s how the estimated size of the listening audience has increased in the last five years: 12-34 year-olds - 65 million today, compared to 28 million in 2016. Nearly 3x growth. 35-54 year-olds - 34 million today, compared to 19 million in 2016. Nearly 2x growth. 55+ - 24 million today, compared to 10 million in 2016. More than 2x growth. Analysis: podcasting is healthy and growing. But it’s more important than ever that we each keep up that pressure. 59% of the US population didn’t listen to a podcast at all in the last month. And 73% don’t have a weekly podcast listening habit. We should all assume that the person listening on the other end is either brand new to podcasting or a casual podcast listener, and we need to hook them in with great content they can’t get from any other medium. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/unpacking-podcastings-growth-seen-in-edisons-infinite-dial-2021 Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. 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 o
S3 E93 · Thu, March 11, 2021
How Much Trust Can You Have In Podcasting?
The impetus for yesterday's episode , as it turns out, was inaccurate. I’m leaving the content up, but I will be posting clarifications/corrections for the part that turned out to be nothing more than a bug in a beta release . Because that’s the trustworthy thing to do. Podcasting has grown too big for any one person or company to have all figured out, no matter what they tell you. That means we podcasters have to trust others along the way. Like: Pundits like me: Do they know that of which they speak? Podcast media hosting companies: Are they forward-thinking? Podcast apps and directories: Do they care about data integrity and how your content displays? Your podcasting team: Do you trust them or micromanage them? Your friends and peers in podcasting: Do they challenge you to be better? Podcasting associations & groups: Are their goals in line with yours? You and your trust in your own abilities as a podcaster. Tomorrow, the Podcast Pontifications Experience returns to Clubhouse, where I’m sure the topic of trust will take center stage. Ostensibly, we’re there to discuss Apple’s big changes to podcasting . I’d love to hear your opinion and voice when we meet tomorrow, Friday, March 12, 2021, at 10:00 AM Los Angeles time / 1:00 PM New York City / 6:00 PM London. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/how-much-trust-can-you-have-in-podcasting Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. <a href="https://unsplash.com/@jannerboy62?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=refe
S3 E92 · Wed, March 10, 2021
Apple Podcasts' Switch To Streaming Will Decimate Downloads [CORRECTED]
If the beta version of Apple Podcasts in iOS 14.5 is to be believed... ----- UPDATE AND CORRECTION: No, the beta version is not to be believed, we now know. It’s reported as a bug in the beta version and Apple claims the default “always download” functionality of Apple Podcasts will not change when the release is made public later this month. However, the implications and speculations on this action are still interesting, so I’m leaving them for you to read — Evo ----- ... Apple Podcasts soon will no longer auto-download podcast episodes, causing a podcast measurement shake-out of a similar magnitude to the IAB-driven reporting drop over the summer of 2018. Briefly: When you subscribe to follow Podcast Pontifications on Apple Podcasts , Apple Podcasts automatically downloads the audio file of the most recent episode. It’ll keep doing that, even if you don’t listen, eventually stopping the auto-downloads after five unlistened files were downloaded, but resuming that behavior after you listen to an episode. Spotify works differently. When you follow Podcast Pontifications using Spotify , no download or stream happens without your express action. That’s why you keep hearing how Spotify is growing bigger than Apple Podcasts , but your download report paints a very different picture. And that picture is about to get reset when Apple follows suit and switches away from auto-downloading later this month. If you’re selling advertising on your show, that means your available inventory will look smaller starting next month. I genuinely feel bad for the rough weeks ahead facing those who earn a living from ad revenue generated by their podcast. It’s going to be very difficult for publishers and ad rep firms to convince advertisers to part with the same amount of money while receiving less. And though they really aren’t getting less, they're perceiving the drop in downloads as less. There’s a group of service providers who could soften the blow: podcast hosting companies. Specifically, podcast media hosting companies need to step up and give podcasters better data about the true size of their audience. They have all the info they need to give us this information right now. By smartly looking at the user-agent, IP address, and referring URL of all file requests, they could answer the questions every podcaster—and, arguably, every advertiser—wants to know: wh
S3 E91 · Tue, March 09, 2021
Follow This: Apple Podcasts Is Killing The Subscribe Button
James Cridland of Podnews broke the news that Apple Podcasts will soon the word “subscribe” and present the option to “follow” a show. Tom Webster from Edison Research has plenty of survey data that show almost half of non-podcast listeners say they don’t listen because podcasts cost money . For the better part of 17 years, we’ve been asking people to subscribe . Yet most people still don’t have the podcast listening habit. Will it be more inviting—and will see a spike in new listeners—if we ask people to follow our podcasts instead? But there’s another problem I think Apple is trying to do something about it: Getting someone to just listen to your podcast is a big ask . If they weren’t likely to hit subscribe before listening, I’m skeptical the word follow will fare any better. So is Apple, apparently, as the new big-button action will be focused on listening . Nothing else. And if they like what they heard, they’ll (hopefully) hit the “+” button at the top to follow the show. But back to the “follow’ change. Does this mean Apple is about to to add social networking components to podcasting, with publicly displaying follower counts, hearts, and even comments? Well... maybe. But let’s reign in that wild speculation with four healthy doses of reality. Bolt-on social media doesn’t work. The last time a behemoth hardware, OS, and app store vendor with zero experience building social networks made their big push into social, we got Google+ . Yeah. Podcast listening is anti-social. With one notable exception, creators cannot post directly to a podcast listening app; and listeners cannot post anything directly to a podcast listening app. That notable exception: Anchor . Yeah. Who owns the podcast account? Were social components added will they be tied to the hosting company, forcing you to social engage not with the app itself, but within your podcast hosting company? Podcast listening is commoditized. Today’s podcast listening apps are more like web browsers. None of us want to maintain accounts on two dozen or more podcast listening apps in the off chance someone leaves us a comment… somewhere. Questions aside, one thing I am certain of; you need to watch your language and get rid of subscribe in favor of follow<
S3 E90 · Mon, March 08, 2021
Thanking A Few Of The Women Who Make Podcasting Better
In celebration of International Women's Day, this cis-gendered white Gen Xer dude has selected a few women in podcasting who you need to know more about. Mur Lafferty was one of the first people I collaborated with in podcasting. She is the editor of Escape Pod, the long-running science fiction podcast magazine , and the also long-running podcast, I Should Be Writing . Susan Schwartz was the first client my frim took on whom I didn’t personally know. She is the host of the drinks-industry podcast, Lush Life , which my firm helps produce. Allie Press makes sure things run smoothly at Simpler Media and Podcast Pontifications. She’s an actor on screen and stage , and you should buy her a coffee today instead of me because she’s amazing and a big reason why this podcast exists. Sam Walker is—and I’m not exaggerating in the slightest—evolving Simpler Media into a world-class production company. She produces a slate of award-winning podcasts, including her own Desert Diaries . Steph Colbourn and I mentor each other for an hour every other week. She’s doing some truly inspiring work and providing loads of opportunities to the queer women and non-binary people at Edit Audio , a global, full-service podcast production company. Mai Ling Chan and I are looking forward to re-starting the PHX Podcast Club , currently on a quasi-hiatus because COVID. She’s a Speech-Language Pathologis
S3 E89 · Thu, March 04, 2021
Ways To Make Real Money In Podcasting Without Selling Your Soul
NFTs or non-fungible tokens have come to podcasting. Like most things cryptocurrency, I’ve but a tenuous grasp. So I’ll leave it to others to give you a primer and simply say it’s a new way for creators to get paid. Including creators or digital content. Brian McCullough , host of Techmeme Ride Home has made an NFT out of his episode, which doesn’t surprise me in the least. But monetization in podcasting is not—and never has been—a one-size-fits-all prospect. Here are some of the ways podcasters, even podcasters with modest audiences, make money with their podcast: Advertising - You won’t make a lot of money selling ads unless you have tens or hundreds of thousands of listeners. But that doesn’t mean you can’t sell ads on your podcast and make some money Listener-support services like Patreon and Buy Me A Coffee are used by plenty of shows with small audiences Premium podcast feed providers like Glow , Supercast , and others make it dead-simple to create and sell access to ad-free or extended content. Substack is a great newsletter service that can also allow for paid memberships. You can sell ads or sponsorships on your existing, for-free newsletter or mailing list you’ve probably been neglecting. Affiliate marketing has been a part of podcasting since the beginning. Conference organizers will be on the hunt for speakers and presenters. And some of them pay good money to get an expert like you on their stage. Your podcast might show what a valuable consultant you may be. You’d be surprised at the number of podcasters who will happily pay you to take pesky tasks off their plate so they can stay focused on the parts of podcasting they love. And then there’s merchandising! So yes, there are ways to make (at least some) real money in podcasting without selling your soul, even if you don’t have hundreds of thousands of listeners. (Though that last par
S3 E88 · Wed, March 03, 2021
The Case For Upgrading Your Podcasting Recipes
Podcasting tasks—the things you and I do to ply our craft—fall into one of two categories: Intrinsic tasks are things that you’ve internalized. They either come with proof or they are a part of Your Way of podcasting. Instructions-required tasks are everything else. Things you were taught about podcasting but still aren’t quite sure of. Assumptions you've made from watching other podcasters. Checklist or guides you acquired in a class or online course. Got it? Now, once you’ve identified all or some of the instructions-required tasks you follow, I want you to abandon them. OK, maybe don’t abandon everything all at once. You still have a podcast episode to produce, after all! But yeah, abandon at least some of the recipes you’re following. Especially the ones you aren’t sure about. Not every recipe is great. Take a critical look at the podcasting recipes you’re following and choose at least one to abandon. Focus on the outcome that recipe was supposed to achieve. Chances are, you might have a better—or at least more creative—way to get to that goal, creating your own recipe in the process. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-case-for-upgrading-your-podcasting-recipes Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Photo by Edgar Castrejon on Unsplash 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
S3 E87 · Tue, March 02, 2021
The Future of Podcasting Conferences Post-Pandemic
Is it weird for me to hope that podcasting conferences never go back to normal? I could do without barely-competent but terribly-enthusiastic presenters doling out bad advice from the stage. But Zoom, Clubhouse, and other virtual events have taught us the value of The Law of Two Feet . I don’t relish enduring finicky house sound systems that make it hard to hear or be sure I am heard, something I rarely worry about when I’m on my own mic or listening on my earbuds. And I never have to suffer through a presenter reading their slides to me, it’ll be too soon. Many of us spent 2020 lamenting what a poor simulacrum virtual events were. But now it’s 2021. We’ve adapted. We’re not living in the new normal . We’re living in the new different. And many of us don’t want to go back. But don’t get me wrong. I miss the physicality of in-person events. I miss the hallway conversations. I miss holding court at a booth in the back of the hotel bar. I miss so much about the in-person experience. But I can’t help but wonder how our lived experiences of the last year or so will change our expectations of future in-person experiences. Will they be the same? No, of course they won’t. Maybe there’s a way to get live feeds running for each and every session that both look and sound great! Maybe that leads to fewer concurrent sessions, where in-person, on-stage, in-real-time talks are done in one or two rooms, with “breakout” sessions occurring (and recorded) only in virtual spaces. Maybe the “drop-in” paradigm is fully embraced, with an entire track determined on-the-fly, with a nod back to the “ unconference ” format that was the darling of the aughts, modernized to meet current expectations. Maybe there’s a way of enabling public live chats for every session. These are the kinds of questions I hope every podcast conference organizer is thinking about. Because it’s not just a brave new world waiting for us out there. It’s a brave new different world, and I do not think we’re going to accept the way things were when we meet up again at a podcast conference. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-future-of-podcasting-conferences-post-pandemic Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual cof
S3 E86 · Mon, March 01, 2021
Podcasting Listens A Lot Less White Than It Looks
Good news! US-based podcast listeners are much more diverse than the overall population. Here are the highlights presented by Nielsen In their Podcasting Today report: Non-white adult podcast listeners: 41%. Non-white adult overall population: 36% In 2010, there were 6.8 million US-based Hispanic podcast listeners. That’s up 6x from 1.1 million in 2010 The growth rate for Asian, Black, and other “not white” listeners grew 5x over that same time frame. White audiences grew only by 4x So what does that mean for podcast producers? This study demonstrates millions of racially and ethnically diverse listeners are already tuning in. It doesn’t take much of a leap to assume some of them would seek out more tailored and niche content. It also means we’re likely going to be exposed to more diverse content, as we encounter podcasts and episodes tailored for niches other than our own. Exposure to content other niches find compelling can only help us in our own creations, if only we’ll let us be influenced outside our bubbles. But let me be clear: this report focused on the podcast listener, not the podcast creator. And we know that 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. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcasting-listens-a-lot-less-white-than-it-looks Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces Podcast Pontifications four times a week to provide ideas and ask questions every working podcaster should be thinking about. Photo by
S3 E85 · Thu, February 25, 2021
The Next One Million Podcasts Will Come From Clubhouse, Not Podcasters
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. Clubhouse , the audio-only, drop-in social platform is currently tracking 10 million active weekly 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? Speaking of Clubhouse, I’ll be hosting a room and joined by others to discuss podcasting’s accessibility problem tomorrow, February 26th at 10:00a Los Angeles / 1:00p New York City, and I’d love for you to join me . That was the topic of yesterday's episode and it seems to have struck a chord. So we'll collectively pick up the conversation and let anyone interested (and on Clubhouse) chime in. And yes, I get the irony of using a less-than-fully-accessible platform to talk about podcasting’s accessibility problems. If you want to be added to the guest list, just shoot me a note at evo@simpler.media and I shall do so. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-next-one-million-podcasts-will-come-from-clubhouse-not-podcasters Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit<a href="https://podcast
S3 E84 · Wed, February 24, 2021
Stop Ignoring Your Podcast's Accessibility Issues
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. Many podcasters operate under the misconception that people who are deaf cannot listen to podcasts, and people who are blind cannot watch videos. Those podcasters are wrong. Very wrong. If that’s you, you don’t have to understand how that’s possible; you just have to accept that it is. And it is. 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. Here’s how you can start plugging many accessibility holes right now. Make transcriptions available starting with your next episode. Fully corrected and readable. Upload subtitles with every video you post. (Hint: the same transcript will help you that too) Use a website accessibility service to scan your existing web pages for glaring accessibility issues and fix them. Use alt-tags when you post images on your social media properties. It’s a handful of extra characters that will soon become second nature. If you run or work for a service—either a hosting company or a website-from-RSS company—you need to ensure the pages you generate are accessible. If you run a podcast production house, change your services—and yes, pricing and service-delivery timing—so that accessibility is baked-in to your offerings, not sold as an add-on. Why? Because it’s the right thing to do. ----- A written-to-be-read article and a full transcript of the audio of this episode can be found at https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/stop-ignoring-your-podcasts-accessibility-issues Follow @EvoTerra on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Evo Terra produces <a href="https://podcastpontifications.com/" r
S3 E83 · Tue, February 23, 2021
If Podcasting Can't Please Everyone, Should We Even Try?
This episode is based on a tweet from Andrew Wilkinson , co-founder of Tiny Capital and an investor in several podcasting businesses like Castro , Supercast , and Ride Home Media , who said (and I’m paraphrasing) that he’s stopped listening to podcasts on his phone because they’re all the same, and he’s picking up audiobooks to take their place. Clearly, Andrew is painting all podcasts with a very broad brush, which is a bit unfair. I could use that same broad brush call TV, radio, newspapers, and even books as all the same. But that doesn’t mean we should discount Andrew’s tweet. It’s helpful evidence that lets us better understand why ~70% of the population have yet to pick up the podcasting habit. Podcasting has a vicious cycle of over-optimization that leads to the “sameness” quality I picked up from Andrew’s tweet. 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. As with audiobooks, turning the metaphorical page to reading “the end” on a serialized podcast is an incredibly satisfying sense of accomplishment. We can’t do that with episodic podcasts. Too bad serialized podcasts arent better packaged. Still, I’d encourage you to explore the serialized style of podcasting and see if it’s right for you. There are some other lessons to be learned so that the podcast you make doesn’t fall into that trap. Fact-check your uniqueness. That means listening to other podcasts. Yes, podcasts that are similar to yours. But also podcasts that are not similar. And if you’re interviewing guests, spend time listening to that guest on other podcasts and ask them something different. Get off the SEO hamster wheel. Chasing keyword rankings or hitting the same trending topic is, for most, a losing game. Spend some time looking at what really is attracting new listeners to your site/show and double-down on developing your own voice. Remember, you cannot please everyone with your podcast. So focus on what pleases the audience you have, the audience you want, and what pleases
S3 E82 · Mon, February 22, 2021
Podcast Categories Have A Bad Apple At The Core
I recently signed Podcasters Declare , an open letter to Apple designed to pressure the tech-giant into adding Climate Change as a top-level category inside of Apple Podcasts. I had reservations about signing the petition. Not because of the topic. Climate change is real. No, my reservations were much more mundane. Was a new top-level category warranted? There are already over 100 categories inside of Apple Podcasts. Can the categorization system handle the pressure of giving every category 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 average bookstore only has a few thousand titles on its shelf at any given time. Yet those bookstores have categorization systems that are incredibly expansive. But in podcasting, we do have millions of titles. Yet only around 100 categories to sort them into. That’s never going to work. If the Podcasters Delcare petition showed me anything, it's that we clearly need more awareness around this issue. Climate change, sure. But also, we need more awareness on the fact that that we’ve ceded control to Apple on how podcasts should be categorized and stored . That’s untenable. I was pleased to learn that the Podcasting 2.0 initiative is considering re-defining podcast categories as part of its third phase . But even that only lists 112 categories currently. The solution isn’t to add more categories. The solution is to ditch categories altogether and do something fundamentally different. Or maybe you and your fellow podcasting compadres have a novel notion worthy of consideration? Discuss this topic the next time you’re on a virtual call together. Or share a link to the article in an online discussion group to seed the conversation. Because what we have right now hasn’t worked for a while, and we need a better way. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcast-categories-have-a-bad-apple-at-the-core Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as
S3 E81 · Thu, February 18, 2021
How iHeart's Buying Spree Will Effect The Future Of Podcasting
Yesterday's big podcasting news was iHeartMedia’s acquisition of Triton Digital for $230 million. Because apparently, that's what podcasting companies do these days: buy up other podcasting companies. I’m not going to speculate on how iHeart plans on integrating their new toys. I don’t work there, and I’m much more interested in what it might mean for all of podcasting. This is 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 content—for podcasts, streaming, and radio—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. Look no further than last week’s announcement of the purchase of Auxbus by Libsyn , one of the longest-running podcast hosting companies, and their new “Creation” product line as part of that. It’s a safe bet to assume that means dynamic content is going to be a part of Libsyn’s offering to creators. That’s exciting! It’s time to stop hating on iHeart. Start by adding the “Listen on iHeart Radio” badge to your website. Yes, run it right alongside the badge for Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and others. I have. You’re not trying to get people to switch from their preferred app. You’re just adding some brand recognition. Let’s keep this conversation going, shall we? Tomorrow at 10:00a Los Angeles, 1:00p New York, I’m hosting an audio-only conversation with other podcasters discussing how acquisitions like this will shape podcasting’s future . I’d love for you to be a part. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/how-ihearts-buying-spree-will-effect-the-future-of-podcasting Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit<a href="h
S3 E80 · Wed, February 17, 2021
Podcasting's Elephant In The Evergreens Conundrum
Will the future be kind to your podcast? A good amount of us are making timeless podcast episodes that are fine to listen to 3 days, 3 weeks, 3 months, or even 3 years in the future. But… will they be in 19 years? 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. But podcasting, at least as practiced today, sends “lossy” files to our listeners. Lossy means what it says: some information is “lost” on the copy that reaches our listeners’ devices. And from there, depending on what or how they listen, additional signal will be lost before it reaches their ears. Will that be “fixed” in the future? Will bandwidth and storage considerations be so vastly different in 19 years that “lossless” audio files can be sent to listeners? Can podcasters prepare for the future? My friend and exceptional audio engineer Marcus dePaula recently said that marginal video is forgivable. But low-quality audio is not . He’s right, and I have to assume that at some point in the future, podcast episodes that are “acceptable” today will be painful to listen to. Obviously, we should all be preserving the source files and masters. We can also lobby our hosting providers to help us stay current. Rather than uploading lossy .mp3 files, we could be uploading lossless files, letting the hosting provider make some on-the-fly decisions about the quality of files to distribute based on a variety of factors. But that won’t help us too much if the promise of binaural or spatial audio becomes dominant. Yes, I assume that, just like letterboxing on our current TVs, the headphones or speakers that are capable of reproducing 3D sound will also handle non-optimized content. It’ll just sound… dated. Beyond that, I’ve nothing much for you other than questions. These are questions worthy of the other people in your podcasting peer group. I’m betting one person—perhaps you—is way more persnickety than others when it comes to sound quality. Share this article with them and see how the conversation shakes out. Even if there are no definitive next-steps, it’s always good to be thinking about the future. Because if we don’t, our evergreen and timeless episodes are all too quickly going to start showing some browning around the edges. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcastings-elep
S3 E79 · Tue, February 16, 2021
What We Talk About When We Talk About Podcasting
In the online podcast support communities, there’s a huge amount of demand for podcast monetization, growth hacks, and podcast launch strategies. That’s not surprising: on those topics, largely thanks to the continued growth podcasting is seeing and will likely keep seeing for years to come. But there’s also a lot of pre-existing supply of content to fulfill that demand. Competing in a market where there’s more than enough supply to meet the demand means that the race isn’t to build the best content—it’s a race to build the most-optimized content. You can choose a different path instead, choosing to talk about more meaningful, important, and long-lasting aspects of podcasting. Podcasters new and old are inspired by others. People posting questions to online groups, rooms, and threads aren’t immune from humankind’s basic need to be inspired. At the risk of someone misinterpreting my words, I honestly think that content that inspires is every bit as important as content that informs. When you’re in a busy group discussion, resist the temptation to chime in when others are already covering how-to-monetize, how-to-launch, and how-to-grow tactics. Few people are going to remember one more voice saying the equivalent of “yeah, I agree!”, so there’s little chance of leaving a lasting impression. A better option might be to start your own conversations in those groups, focuseong on underserved podcasting topics where you can let your personal stories act as an example for others to follow. It’s easy to talk growth, monetization, and launch. And yes, if that's your thing, do your thing. But for podcasters who do not podcast about podcasting, you may need some help selecting topics that avoid the near-insatiable demand for that content. Turn to your peers or a group of dedicated listeners. Forward this article to them so they can better understand the problem with the supply-glut. Once they get it, they’ll probably come back with some aspects about you and your podcasting ability you’ve forgotten about. Share it! ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-podcasting Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. <a hr
S3 E78 · Thu, February 11, 2021
How To Share Your Podcasting Brilliance & Not Be A Jerk About It
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 and the materials you have to present matters. Do We Need Another Book About Podcasting? There’s always room for more books about podcasting. But have you amassed the experience necessary to allow you to fill a book about podcasting? This may come off a bit hypocritical of me, as I had less than a year of podcasting experience under my belt when I started writing Podcasting for Dummies . The same goes for the other early podcasting books like Podcasting: Do-It-Yourself Guide , written by Todd Cochrane of Blubbry and Tricks of The Podcasting Masters , written Rob Walsh from Libsyn . But a lot of time has passed, and podcasting is no longer brand new. So while you can write a book about podcasting today, there’s a lot of ground—and history—to cover. Are you up to that task? Should You Write A How-To Podcast Course? If you feel you really do have a unique take on podcasting that is worthy of a course, then yes, absolutely, you should make that course. But 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. Reputation matters in this space, and there are plenty of people with tarnished reputations in podcasting. We have a long memory. You really don’t want to be That Guy. Should You Become A Podcast Coach? If you do want to coach, drill down on what you do best. If audio engineering is your kick, then maybe you can coach people on getting the most out of a particular DAW or a select group of audio plugins. Perhaps you’re an excellent editor of the written word and could coach people on transforming text written to be read into something written to be narrated and heard. Or maybe you’re a Speech-Language Pathologist and are able to coach podcasters on how to get the most of out their voice as a vocal coach. Is Podcast Mentorship Right For You? If you're a regular listener/reader of my content and you've been podcasting for a while, you’d probabl
S3 E77 · Wed, February 10, 2021
Bringing Back The Magic To Your Boring Podcast
What do you do when you get bored with the podcast you're making right now? Yes, I said when you get bored, not if you get bored. Because people—especially multi-passionate creatives , a term Stephani Fuccio taught me just this morning—tend to eventually get bored for doing one thing for too long. If you’ve listened to or read my words for any length of time, you know I'm a big fan of change. Change is good and healthy for your podcast, so try these on for size: Change the format of your podcast. Change the voice(s) on the show. Change the focus of your podcast. Add a new segment to your show. (BTW… I have content you can syndicate to your podcast if you’d like.) With all the experience you’ve gathered from the time you’ve been podcasting, there are likely offshoots you could explore to keep your head in the game. You could: Start an additional podcast . Become a service provider. Explore not-podcasting mediums. Try producing a live show. If none of that sparks an idea, maybe it’s time to throw in the towel. There’s no shame in retiring from podcasting and sunsetting your show(s). 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’ve quit podcasting twice now. The first in a huff, and the second time by my own design and on my own timeline. And yet here I am again, this time four times a week! ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/bringing-back-the-magic-to-your-boring-podcast Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Podcast Pon
S3 E76 · Tue, February 09, 2021
Tweaking Your Serialized Podcast For More Listener Love
Recently I tweeted my frustrations with serialized podcasters. I’m convinced a good portion of podcasters are unaware of the distinction between serial and episodic. As such, many shows are secretly serialized. If you could make a book intended to be read from cover to cover from your podcast; you’re making a serialized podcast. If you’re narrating a manuscript across multiple episodes; you’re making a serialized podcast. If your podcast was originally written as a screenplay: you're making a serialized podcast. If your episodes build upon each other; you’re making a serialized podcast. If your podcast investigates a particular occurrence over multiple episodes; 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 your podcast episodes start with “Previously on…” or “The story so far…”; you’re making a serialized podcast. If any of those scenarios apply to your show, please go into your podcast hosting platform and set your show as serial . Also, I’m perpetually disappointed by the lack of effort many podcasters put into the post-production written elements of their podcast. Some podcasters are under the misconception that podcast listening apps somehow “mess with” carefully crafted episode details. But that’s a myth. The words you write and associate with your episode when you publish it via your hosting platform will display to your listeners in every meaningful podcast app. Now, how well they display and how well the app preserves the formatting you placed on and around those words is a different matter. But that’s not your problem. It’s a snap for the app developers to fix their stupidity and start displaying your text with the formatting preserved. And even if they don’t, some of your listeners will see that you’re obviously trying to do the right thing and will bail on that crappy app in favor of one that preserves all the work you put into the presentation of your episode details. Don’t neglect the podcast app, podcaster. For all its limitations, it’s often the only connection listeners have with your show. When listeners hear you say something on your episode and want more information, it’s their podcast app they’ll turn to first. If they can’t get to their app as they are listening, it’s likely where they’ll turn to when they do have a minute to look later. Are you giving them what they expected to find? Are you enhancing the listener experience? Or are you frustrating your listeners? Instead, give them the love they deserve. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: <a href
S3 E75 · Mon, February 08, 2021
Make Your Good Podcast Great With Syndicated Content
Podcasters tend to love collaboration, but it’s not easy. Unless we embrace the notion of syndicated content. Then it gets much easier. 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. Perhaps things like... Incorporating today’s health news or a tip for healthy living in your health-focused podcast Keeping listeners of your higher-ed show up to date on the latest grants or relevant legislation news Running the latest scores or headlines on your sports podcast Providing get-it-right-now travel deals on your travel podcast that’s produced weeks ahead of publishing The latest news in your niche, always updated Advice columns you don’t have to write Constantly refreshed inspirational content Short meditation or wellness tips New music that’s properly licensed Promo swaps that don’t suck and help you build your network This isn’t just theory. Today’s episode of the podcast version of Sounds Profitable includes two syndicated segments. The first is from James Cridland of Podnews . No matter when you download the file—today, tomorrow, or 6 months from now—you’ll hear James voicing a 1-minute highlight of that day’s most important podcasting news. At the end of Bryan’s episode, you’ll hear my voice giving you a Minute of Pod Zen . Just like with James’ content, the content I’m voicing will change depending on when you download the overall episode. Neat! If you want to take my syndicated content for Minute of Pod Zen and use it on your podcast, great! It’s free to you and I’ll even help you walk through the tech to make it happen. Details on the above link. Oh, and I’m also syndicating the Minute of Pod Zen to Alexa as a Flash Briefing . Because why not? Bryan has a full write-up on how he’s made syndication tech for podcasts work if you want to see what you’re getting yourself into. But as I said, it’s quite straightforward. I look forward to le
S3 E74 · Wed, February 03, 2021
The Gateway Drug To Podcasting Is You
We podcasters all have a lot of jobs to do. So at the risk of adding one more role to your already-overflowing plate, there’s another job I’m going to ask you to perform: The job of becoming an excellent ambassador for podcasting. Yes, for all of podcasting. An awesome responsibility, for sure. But one you are uniquely qualified to perform. It’s true that a little over half of people surveyed said they have listened to at least one podcast. But many of them— most of them—fail to pick up the habit. Why is that? I think, with all the quirks and challenges to overcome when adopting the podcasting habit, there’s just not enough payoff if the listening experience doesn’t spark joy. So the next time someone who isn’t a regular podcast consumer asks you for a podcast recommendation, don’t squander the opportunity. Don’t try to push your own show. Don’t let them fend for themselves in the popularity-ranked charts. Give them an IHNI instead. “I had no idea!” That’s what IHNI stands for, and that’s what you want to hear as they listen. Well, that’s what you want to imagine running through their head when the very first seconds of an episode playing in their ears. An episode from a podcast you recommended. Not because you love it or because millions of people love it. No. You chose that podcast because you knew it would be unlike anything they’ve ever heard before. Performing this job is a straightforward task that you can execute flawlessly every time. All it requires is that you install a second podcast listening app on your mobile device, and that you add to that app 2-3 shows that give that IHNI moment. Subscribe to those shows in that app so they are always kept fresh. You choose the app. You choose the shows. The best ambassadors among us will be proactive in their efforts to spread IHNIs far and wide. For my part, I’m going niche and spreading the best-sounding podcast fiction with the world every Sunday at 9:00a Phoenix-time (4:00p London, 11:00p Bangkok). Podcast fiction is a subset of podcasting I cherish and I am eager to get more people listening, especially those who’ve never listened to podcasts! The tough part is choosing what IHNI shows should go on your list. Perhaps that’s made easier with some close-knit friends who also listen to a lot of podcasts? Send them this episode to explain the need for this action, then start collaborating! They probably have some hidden gems you’ve yet to discover. And I’m sure you have some that will be new to them too! We all need to be great ambassadors to podcasting. Every survey shows that most podcast discovery happens by word of mouth. So if you’ve not yet been asked by a friend to make a podcast recommendation, you soon will be. Have your IHNIs at the ready. ----- Read the full article and shar
S3 E73 · Tue, February 02, 2021
A Podcast's Power To Change People... And The Podcaster
Whether we know it or not, our podcasts and the episodes we produce change our listeners. And if they listen to the episodes of our podcasts long enough, that change can become permanent. Some podcasters lean into that. Like Danny van Leeuwen on his podcast, Health Hats . His tagline is “Learn with people on the journey toward best health”, which clearly sets his intention to effect positive change on the health of his listeners. But podcasters too experience permanent change as we produce our episodes. As we engage in the act of podcasting, some of the change we’re putting out into the world flows back on us. Neil Hedley uses his podcast, The Snooze Button , to actively seek out solutions to his ongoing struggles against insomnia. He brings on guests, both expert and experienced, so that he and his audience can learn together. But for the majority of podcasters, change is just something that happens to them as they progress through the podcasting process. It’s possible that the changes are too subtle for them to notice on an episode-by-episode scale. But if you zoom out, and really examine your thoughts and ideas a year ago or five years ago, you’ll likely realize that you too have been changed by your podcasting efforts. Your journey, as my nomadic friends have told me for years, changes who you are. Please don’t ascribe deeper meanings like “be the change you want to be in your own life” to my words. I’ve no interest in being saddled with the “guru” mantle. I’m a firm believer that people really are pretty much the people they really are deep down inside. I don’t think people change who they are at their core. Instead, changes visible to the outside world are evidence of us revealing our true selves. Some of us really are the scorpion trying our best to present a more frog-like nature to the world. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/a-podcasts-power-to-change-people-and-the-podcaster Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to
S3 E72 · Mon, February 01, 2021
Making Your Podcast Better With Dynamic Content
It's 2021, my dudes, and there exists a way to keep content completely relevant to the audience regardless of when or where they access our content. As proof, I suggest you listen to the first episode of the podcast for Sounds Profitable . Even if you don’t care (or don’t think you care) about podcast advertising, you need to listen to Bryan’s podcast . At least the first episode. It’s less than 30 minutes long. But allow me to explain why you’ll be blown away within the first few minutes and then have to keep listening. We as podcasters have to stop thinking of our episodes as complete when we export them from our DAW. We also have to stop thinking of dynamic insertion as content that “breaks” or “interrupts” the listening experience of our audience. That’s outdated thinking that misses the point—and the befits—of dynamically inserted content. If we instead think of our show’s “fixed” content and “dynamic” content working in concert with one another, we can assemble an episode that makes for a much better podcast listening experience. Which, I’d wager, is something all podcasters would really like to do. With Bryan’s episode, we’re: keeping his podcast’s episodes timeless with dynamic content personally thanking his supporters one by one on every episode, but not every episode you hear pever asking Spotify listeners to rate and review his podcast on Apple Podcasts making his podcast listeners feel at home with localized messaging giving a different listening experience for podcast subscribers vs episode streamers And that’s just the start! I’m really proud of what Bryan is doing with dynamic content in his new podcast. I love how he’s exploiting adtech not just to flood his episodes with ads, but as a way to increase both the relevance and personability of the episodes for his listeners. My hosting provider— Captivate.fm , where I sit on the Advisory Board—is soon rolling out dynamic content capabilities. I plan on pushing hard against the edges of AMIE , Captivate’s dynamic tool, as soon as I can. One thing I know I’ll do first is find a way to give my supporters a voice on the show. So if you want in on that, go to BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra and become a member. I'll be reaching out to members individually and letting them know how I’ll incorporate them into the show. Yes, you want in on that! ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: <a href="https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/making-your-podcast-
S3 E71 · Thu, January 28, 2021
Can Video Be The Future Of Podcasting If We're Sick Of It?
We live in a world where many of us are getting sick of video-based communications and content. For a year now video has been forced upon us. We’re doing work on video. We’re going to school on video. We use video calls to have happy hours with friends and even celebrate holidays with family via video cameras. We’re trying to stay in shape by using video workouts. And depressingly, we’re even attending funerals via video. A growing trend I’m noticing is lots of blank screens when a participant chooses to not activate their video camera. It’s not that they can’t activate their camera. It’s a choice made by many people who are already sick of video. I’m finding myself using audio-only as an escape. It helps to remember the role the original escapist media—books—played (and plays) in the larger media landscape. Books predate and have yet to be replaced by movies or television. Nor will they be replaced. At least not anytime soon. Video, be it movies, television, or streaming, didn't kill books. Just like video—any of those forms—is not going to go podcasting. I need to acknowledge the power of how-to video content. Chances are, whatever you want to do; someone has done it on camera and loaded it to YouTube for you to watch. But a lot of people turn to how-to information when they are stuck in the middle of a process. Getting the video to play just the part where help is needed isn’t yet a reality. And video creators are notorious for not bothering to write up accompanying text. Why should they? It’s all in the video. Text would really help. A fully written article based on that video is skimmable. And indexable. And extremely helpful to someone who’s stuck in the middle process. I don’t think podcasting will naturally evolve into video anytime soon Of course, I reserve the right to change my opinion on that as new disruptive forces put pressure on audio and video in the coming years. Until that time, you keep on making amazing podcasts. And yes, your episodes probably could also do with a little more writing to accompany them. But that's on you. Tomorrow I’m again hosting Podcast Pontifications on Clubhouse. No, I’m not recording an episode of the show on Clubhouse. I’m hosting a conversation with Podcast Pontifications listeners like yourself. We’ll be talking about how podcasters who have been in the game for a while can keep up with the rapid changes in podcasting. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/ Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support. And if you need a profes
S3 E70 · Wed, January 27, 2021
The Battle Against Irrelevancy In Podcasting
I'm afraid of becoming irrelevant to the world of podcasting. Not outdated. And not even unimportant. Simply irrelevant. My assumption is that the longer one is in the podcasting game, the more changes to the game have been witnessed, and that feeling of irrelevance or obsolescence starts to build. Perhaps my own self-evaluation and coming to terms with it might help when those feelings hit you. Or if they’ve hit you already. Upping my game certainly helps. I’ve brought a slew of people-better-than-me into my life in recent years. But the smartest move I’ve made thus far is working closely with Sam Walker of ex-BBC and current Desert Diaries fame. Trying out innovative and disruptive forces that impact podcasting helps. Hence my current focus on tools like Descript and Clubhouse . Establishing and keeping strong ties with the generation(s) of working podcasters that came after my wave is key. So thank you, Steph from Edit Audio and Brian from Sounds Profitable ! Sitting on advisory boards of some podcasting-related companies certainly helps. A big shout out to both Captivate.fm and Maps.fm for formally asking me to sit on their advisory boards. But even with all of that... I'm still afraid of becoming irrelevant. I’ve never been one to talk much about my feelings, but here we. If you can, join me on Clubhouse to talk this out on Friday, Jan 29th at 11:00a Phoenix time for an actual conversation about how we keep ourselves fresh and current so we keep those feelings of irrelevancy at bay. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-battle-against-irrelevancy-in-podcasting Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights
S3 E69 · Tue, January 26, 2021
Is Today's Controversy Tomorrow's Podcast Episode?
When controversy breaks, should you consider throwing your proverbial hat into the ring? If you don’t normally cover current events and have niched-down your focus, the decision to wade into controversy should be a considered one. 1. Is the topic worth it? - If you’re going to interrupt your normally not-controversial production efforts to present your opinions of an argument, the controversy at hand probably needs to be a pretty big one. Minor annoyances and trivial matters (recognizing you have to define those terms for yourself) likely aren’t worth the risks, as you’re about to see. 2. Is your podcast the right platform? - If your podcast is all about brass polishing, but you’re really passionate about the plight of bald eagles, is your podcast the right venue to raise the issue? If your opinion runs counter to conventional wisdom—and I’m all about opinions that run counter to conventional wisdom—are you the right messenger? 3. Does your audience want you to be controversial? Some of your listeners appreciate the safe harbor your show offers them and may be taken aback by the shift in your tone as you veer out of your lane to cover a controversial topic. But on the other side of that are those listeners who appreciate your engagement in an important topic who will appreciate knowing you’re an ally. Assuming you’re offering the opinion they want to hear, that is. If you answered all three of those questions in the affirmative, you next need to decide how deeply to dive into the topic. You may choose to go all in, dedicating an entire series of episodes to give maximum exposure to the controversy at hand, bringing in experts and flexing your latent journalistic skill set. More likely, you may decide to devote an entire episode to the topic. You could opt for a simpler solution and dedicate a portion or segment of an episode to the controversy. Your best move may be to make your opinion a bonus episode. One that lives outside the flow of your normal episodes and is properly titled and tagged so that listeners can choose to listen or not. Whichever option you choose, you need to check back in. Because publishing a podcast has consequences. Set up a monitoring program for your name and the name of your podcast. Don’t assume that detractors or supporters will properly tag you. You have to seek it out. Personally, I'm not afraid of controversy, and I rarely shy away from it. But only you can decide whether or not to make today's controversy your next episode. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/is-todays-controversy-tomorrows-podcast-episode <a href="https://twitter.com/evoterra" rel="noopener noreferrer"
S3 E68 · Mon, January 25, 2021
The Joy Of Successfully Creative Podcasting
It may be an over-reach on my part, but it seems that every book, every course, and every workshop is about creating a successful podcast. A successful podcast that will reach hundreds, thousands, or maybe even millions of people. But… is having a huge and monetizable show the only measurement of success? People take creative writing classes, participate in writing groups, and pay for seminars to get better at the craft of writing. Yes, that’s the only reason. Painters spend lots of time—and money—in the art supply store as they strive to become a better painter for the singular purpose of placing onto canvas what they see with their eyes. Photographers invest in crazy amounts of expensive cameras because framing just the right picture makes their experience of the place that much better and enjoyable for them. Singer/songwriters who only ever play at open mic nights or around a campfire with friends still take lessons to improve their voice or their guitar chops. The comedians at your local comedy club or improv troop often take classes to hone their craft just so they put on better performances for the sparse audience in attendance. Even with organizations like Toastmasters, people sign up to become better public speakers with little interest in becoming in-demand keynote speakers on stages the world over. Yes, all of these creative endeavors offer some a commercial path. A way to earn money—for beer, for a living wage, or for wealth-accumulation—that, for a few, will certainly be successful. But Most don’t take the class, attend the workshop, or buy the book so that they can monetize their creativity. They take the class, attend the workshop, and buy the books so that they can become better at their creative expressions. We need to understand that while those of us working in podcasting can—and do—get caught up in how to measure, what to measure, and what to present as an accurate measurement; most podcasters just want to be successfully creative. I’m not advocating for a clear delineation between “serious” podcasters and “hobbyist” podcasters. But I am advocating that we—me included—try to be more cognizant of the purely-creative podcasters. And I’m urging you—and me—to remember that they far outnumber us. Let's make sure we’re doing our part to help others become successful in their own desires to become more creative. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-joy-of-successfully-creative-podcasting Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffe
S3 E67 · Thu, January 21, 2021
Living Up To The Promises You Made With Your Podcast
Every podcast is a promise. Are you and your show still living up to that promise? You’ve probably changed, which is good and natural. But have you changed the promise you’re making to new listeners? In podcast listening apps, you made overt promises made that compel searchers or browsers to become subscribers or followers. When’s the last time you reviewed that text and held those promises up against the episodes you’re making today? How current are the promises made in your media kit? Your stats are probably frequently updated. But what about the rest? If you outsource the writing of your in-app episode details (I refuse to call them “show notes”); when is the last time you reviewed those to make sure the tone and style of that text match the tone and style of your show? How about the bios that live in your social media properties? Or the bios for the social media properties you established for your podcast? Do they still accurately establish promises your podcast can keep? If you’re sending out newsletters or using email marketing, you should check all of your automatic email sends to make sure they’re in line with your show’s new promises too. All of those—and more—establish promises with your listeners. Perhaps before they became a listener. But now they are listening. Are the episodes they are listening to living up to those promises? But maybe, after reexamining those promises you made, you realize that you’ve drifted away from your True North without realizing it. Perhaps that original promise you set is important to you, and you want to get back to it. Well… now you know. And now, a tangent while I give you links to some upcoming Clubhouse things: Tonight, PHX Podcast Club is hosting a virtual happy hour on Clubhouse at 6:00 PM MT. Tomorrow, Friday, Jan 22, 2021 at 11:00 AM MT, I’ll host another Podcast Pontifications on Clubhouse event where we’ll talk together about empathy and podcasting on Clubhouse . This coming Sunday at 9:00 AM PHX time (4:00 PM London, midnight Hong Kong), I'm hosting another Podcast Fiction Sunday on Clubhouse . It’s an open-forum room where listeners of podcast fiction can get together and talk about the shows we can't stop listening to, and maybe find a few new gems. (Yes I know that’s a lot of real estate to devote to a platform that is invite-only and iOS-only. But social audio is here to stay, and it’s of obvious relevanc
S3 E66 · Wed, January 20, 2021
Podcast Your Way Through The Unknown
I have some bad news for you. Having a big-name guest on your podcast—if your episodes feature guests—will not make your podcast popular. Starting a Tiktok, Instagram, or even Clubhouse account for your podcast will not make your podcast popular. Follow the formula laid out by a podcasting superstar will not make your show popular. Using the same gear used by big podcasters will not make your show popular. I have worse news for you. Do you want to know the best way to promote a podcast? There isn't one. Are you looking for the best podcast media hosting company? They don't exist. Looking for the best source for sound effects and music to use in your episodes? Once again, no single source is the best. Sometimes, podcasters need to take risks and just do what feels right. So do what feels right to you. Because the unique combination you bring to the table just may pay off. Please don’t take this as your excuse to do foolish things. I’m a fan of best practices because there are many best practices. It’s not best practice , singular. That’s just silly. Best practices help you navigate trodden ground, showing you exactly where the traps are. They don’t tell you which way to go, but they do clearly say “don’t step here!” There’s still a lot of unknowns out there in the podcasting world. Embrace it! Use best practices to help you easily avoid making dumb mistakes, but leave plenty of room for you to explore the unknown portions of the landscape. The only way to make a remarkable podcast that is uniquely yours is to, at least sometimes, embrace the unknown and find new ways forward. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcast-your-way-through-the-unknown Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is designed to make podcasting better, not just easier. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own de
S3 E65 · Tue, January 19, 2021
Blending Listener Emotions For A Better Podcas
Every one of your episodes elicits some sort of emotional response from every one of your listeners. Intentional or not, every podcast evokes an emotional response. Even if the podcaster had no intention of doing so. It happens. We’re human The most common emotions or feelings elicited by podcast are feeling informed and feeling entertained. But neither of those, in isolation, is enough. If any podcast can make a listener feel either entertained or informed, why would listeners tell others about any particular podcast? Commodities are common, and common things are not remarkable. Luckily, podcasts don’t elicit a single emotional response from most listeners. There’s a fascinating study from 2017 that examines 27 distinct categories of emotion , which is a lot more than the basic emotional responses most people can list. (I highly encourage you to spend some time with the interactive tool associated with that study to see how all of those emotions work together when exposed to content.) Hardcore History , Dan Carlin’s extremely popular and long-running podcast, is both informative and entertaining. You know, unlike your high school history class. Drew Ackerman knows he can’t force you to sleep when you listen to Sleep With Me . But he can keep you entertained as you—hopefully—drift off to his creaky dulcet tones. Horror podcasts won’t work as well if the people scared or creeped out by them weren’t also entertained. And with Podcast Pontifications , I want to leave you with a contemplative feeling as I inform you about the concepts and ideas I bring forth on each episode. It’s not enough for me to dump an idea on you, so I ponder a concept in real-time with you, hopefully so it rubs off. Here's your homework: Think about the two primary emotions you want to elicit with your episodes and write them a sticky note you’ll keep right next to where you do your episode prep. Let them act as a constant reminder of what you are trying to achieve with your episode. Stick with those for a few episodes and see how you feel. Measure your audience’s response if you can. If it’s working—you feel better and your audience isn’t running away—great! But if not, change it up! I’m a big fan of change, as you know. Like anything, it may take a few iterations before you hit on the right blend of emotional responses that sets your show(s) apart from the rest. -----<
S3 E64 · Mon, January 18, 2021
Making More Equity In Podcasting By Stepping Back
In reflection of today, Martin Luther King Day in the United States, I examining my position of privilege within podcasting, and taking what I hope is a meaningful stride forward. I enjoy a lot of time in the spotlight in the podcasting world. You can argue that it’s my credentials in the space, the platform I’ve built, or the fact that I’ve been pushing the edges of what podcasting can be for more than 16 years that earned me those spots. But let’s be honest: the way I look certainly isn’t hindering my chances of being selected. Every time a podcasting conference organizer chooses me to give a solo talk on stage, the conference organizer had to not choose an underrepresented voice for that same time slot. I think most have the best of intentions at making their stages more equitable and diverse. Still, it’s a tough call. So I’m taking action to make it easier on podcast conference organizers to not have to make a tough choice: I’m choosing to not submit to speak at podcast conferences. Don’t worry: As soon as it’s safe to travel and gather, you’ll see me at the podcasting conferences. I still want to be—and plan to be—involved in podcasting conferences. You may see me on stage as part of a panel, or perhaps co-presenting with someone else. And if asked to speak, my default answer will likely be “yes”. However, I’m going to ask some pointed questions about others participating. I’m ill-equipped to be the equity cop, but I do have agency for myself and can do my part to ensure I’m helping lift underrepresented voices instead of taking more of the spotlight for myself. Implied within the Black lives matter message is the reality that Black voices matter. And if I can make the world a richer and more inclusive space by stepping back so that underrepresented voices can step forward, it’s almost literally the least I can do. My decision is something meaningful I can do to help forward the application of equity in podcasting. But it may not be something you can do. However, I’d wager each of us who podcast from a place of privilege can do something meaningful. You can help spark that insight within another working podcaster by sharing this episode of Podcast Pontifications with them. I don’t have a single answer that works for all, but perhaps hearing this episode or reading this article will get them thinking creatively about their own solution. As I hope it is getting you thinking creatively about what you can do if you too podcast from a position of privilege. Reflect on that through the day today. And hopefully tomorrow. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: <a href="https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/making-more-equity-in-podcasting
S3 E63 · Thu, January 14, 2021
Is Clubhouse The Future Of Podcasting?
Not all of 2020’s gifts that keep on giving into ‘21 are bad. Take Clubhouse, a social audio platform that has reached a fever pitch within my podcasting circles. I've been on the platform for almost two weeks now, and I don't hate it. No, I don’t love it, but I am intrigued by the possibilities of social audio. And since the future and present of podcasting is the raison d’etre of Podcast Pontifications —and also because many have been asking for my hot take—I'm going to dive in and answer the five the most-pressing (or at least most-asked) questions I have encountered from other podcasters who are curious how Clubhouse will disrupt podcasting. Before I get to the questions, I need to thank my friend and fellow podcasting consultant Jonathan Baillie Strong for inviting me to the platform. He’s so enamored with the idea of social audio that he’s starting a newsletter to cover the space. The first episode hasn’t yet gone live as of this recording, so sign up at SocialAudioInsider.com to stay current on this fast-moving space. Because it’s much, much bigger than just Clubhouse. 1. Is Clubhouse the future of podcasting? In a word, no. In nine words, Clubhouse—or something like it—is in podcasting's future. I don’t think social audio is podcasting’s eventual, pre-determined evolutionary form (and that’s not how evolution works anyhow), I do think that social audio is going to exist along with podcasting, and both will evolve over time. 2. Is Clubhouse a distribution channel for my podcast? While it’s technically possible to push your episodes out on Clubhouse, it’s a bad fit. There’s nothing inherently social about publishing the audio file of a podcast. And brute-forcing your latest episode into a room on Clubhouse isn’t going to make it so. 3. Will Clubhouse kill podcasting? Did video actually kill the radio star? Did podcasting kill radio? Did Twitter kill long-form journalism? No. And neither Clubhouse nor the next social audio platform will kill podcasting. 4. As a podcaster, should I invest my valuable time building my brand on Clubhouse? Like any social platform, Clubhouse can be a huge time-suck if you want to get anything substantial from the platform. But I remain confident that social audio is going to be with us for a while, and the current dominant player is Clubhouse. 5. How can podcasters use Clubhouse? Let’s find out! Tomorrow, Friday, January 15, 2021 at 10:00a MT, I’m extending the Podcast Pontifications brand to C
S3 E62 · Wed, January 13, 2021
7 Intentional Ways To Boost Your Podcasting
One sweaty time at a distanced Barre class was all it took for the advice of fellow podcaster George Hrab to suddenly made sense to me. So from my sweaty realization with my leg hiked behind me and hip flexors complaining to your awaiting ears and eyes, I give you seven ways you can break out of your habit (and my habit) of going through the motions and really focus on what it is you’re doing when you’re doing podcast-y things. Select Your Podcast’s Guests With Intent - If the entire reason you brought on a high-profile guest with a huge audience is to boost your numbers… how does that serve your audience? Also, that doesn't sound like a good basis to build an interesting conversation upon. Publish Your Podcast’s Episodes With Intent - Half-assed efforts at polishing the audio or writing the episode copy will certainly save you (and have saved me) a lot of time. But if the intent was “save time”, there’s not much benefit to your audience. Repurpose Your Podcast’s Episodes With Intent - There are so many different places to repurpose your episode, it’s easy to get lazy. Hey, I get lazy on this and often copy and paste the same text and same image in lots of different places. My friend Mark from Captivate.fm has a great case study that covering his team’s efforts on YouTube , and why they’ve eventually decided to stop trying to repurpose podcast content there. Guest On Other Podcasts With Intent - One proven way to get more attention to your podcast is to be a guest on other people’s podcasts. When you’re on, can you present yourself to their audience in such a way to better the chance the audience may want to seek out more from you? While still being a great guest, obviously. Displaying Your Intent Outside Of Podcasting - Beyond your friends and familym di the other people you interact with on a regular basis know you're podcasting? Does your social media presence clearly indicate you're a podcaster? Does that presence talk to your unique approach to podcasting? Take a look at the key places you communicate with the non-podcasting world, and apply some intent. Listen To Other Podcasts With Intent - Do your own listening habits help you grow as a podcaster, nourish your psyche, or replenish your soul? If so, keep on listening to those! But if the preponderance of podcasts entering your ears are from the Top 10 or you just trying to keep up with the popular shows… Is that really helping you grow as a podcaster? Prepare Your Show And Episodes With Intent - The amount of intent you bring to “show prep” matters. And the amount of before-mic-time is often many multiples of on-mic time. But if you are inten
S3 E61 · Tue, January 12, 2021
A Brief Lesson Podcasters Can Learn From Politicians
Podcasters have a reputation for being more than a little rambly. They often dive into various tangents and talk at length on trivial matters when listeners just wish they would get to the point. Some equate the bad behavior of podcasters to that of politicians. But I don't think that's a fair comparison. I’m used to hearing from senators in soundbites, usually clipped from their brief appearances on political talk shows, other interviews given, or stump speeches. Last week was the first time I really paid attention to them in situ , as it were. And almost to a person, they were fantastic communicators. Heck, even the bad ones (and there are plenty of bad ones) were actually quite good at getting their point across in short, less-than-five-minute speeches. No, I'm not suggesting that you constrain all of your episodes to five minutes. (Although, if you can boil your message down and effectively communicate it to your audience in only five minutes, then why are you going than that?) The lesson here is finding a way to incorporate a chunk of “conciseness” into each of your episodes. For longer-form interview-based shows, look to the pre- or post-interview sections of your episodes. That's a great place to drop in a concise chunk that summarizes the angle you and the guest covered. For monologue shows, start each episode super-tight. No fluff. No banter. No sharing what you had for breakfast. Clearly outline what you’re about to talk about. Or write out an entire script if you can pull it off. Just make sure the episode starts on-point. If you're doing an educational or “how-to” podcast, blend those two ideas. Produce the main content of the episode, then come back with a super-tight intro that hooks the listener. This can work for podcast fiction, true crime, or journalistic deep dives too. It just takes a bit more planning, as you’re following (or should be following) an arc across multiple episodes. One idea is to rely on the “Story So Far” approach, where you summarize what’s taken place in the prior episodes and foreshadow what’s to come in this episode. The message here is simple: Embrace, re-embrace, or build your skills as an orator. Because it's easy for a podcaster to sit behind a microphone and talk. It’s another thing to prepare and polish enough to talk on-point for a short amount of time. That's tricky. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/a-brief-lesson-podcasters-can-learn-from-politicians Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee
S3 E60 · Mon, January 11, 2021
Are Helpful Podcasters Averaging Out Podcasting?
I have a complicated relationship with community-driven podcasting groups and events. On one hand, I've started plenty of successful community-driven, podcasting groups and events. Also, I've been plenty involved in the podcasting groups and events shared by others, either as a presenter or active participant. But I also deeply question their value, especially to established working podcasters. Because it doesn't take credentials to get your opinion heard in the podcasting world. It just takes longevity. When a few weeks of experience is the only thing separating someone asking a question from someone providing an answer, the result will be mediocre. And mediocre advice leads to mediocre shows, which leads to the mediocritization of podcasting overall. That’s not good. Groups and organizers do their best to bring in true professionals because they want to increase the quality of advice given to their members. But that’s really hard to do, especially when members or attendees have a huge range of abilities and understanding of the medium. If Serena Williams , the tennis pro, held an open group lesson where literally anyone who could hold a tennis racket could attend, would lower-level-but-still-pro tennis players or collegiate-level athletes get value when the vast majority of the attendees probably couldn’t return a single one of her serves? No, they wouldn’t. Instead, Serena would wind up lowering the level of her advice to appeal to the majority in attendance, resulting in a very mediocre lesson from someone at the top of their game. Solutions to this reality aren't easy, something I know first-hand. When I was asked to write Expert Podcasting Practices for Dummies back in 2007, I was excited! And not only because it was my 2nd book, so I knew I could command a higher advance! But my excitement quickly turned to dismay as I struggled with the problem made self-evident in the title: What the hell is an expert dummy ? There’s a reason why Podcasting for Dummies is on its 4th edition yet you’ve never even heard of Expert Podcasting Practices for Dummies. Here are a couple of ideas for you if you don't want your podcast to get caught up in the mediocritization. 1. Find—or create—a peer group of podcasters who have close, but not necessarily matching, skill levels. Having a smaller group of “podcasting friends” to turn to, some a level or two above you, and some a level or two below you, tends to lift all participants up to the higher level. 2. If you truly enjoy helping new
S3 E59 · Thu, January 07, 2021
Cat-Herding Podcasters Was Always Doomed To Fail
Evo’s note: There was an attempted coup to overthrow the government of the United States of America last night. So you're checking this out years later... well, now you know why this episode seems a bit off. All indications are that The Podcast Academy is having an existential crisis. And while it’s not dead yet, there’s a very good chance that TPA will fizzle out after a year. And that’s a shame, I think. But it’s also not surprising. It used to be that saying “I’m a podcaster” meant you had lots of things in common with another person using the same moniker. But the natural drift of such an open medium occurred, and how we’re different. For years now, the only thing podcasters most assuredly had in common was distributing audio files via RSS feeds. But today, even that’s in question. Every working podcaster knows that if you try to make a show for everyone, you end up targeting no one. Associations and interest groups for podcasters are no different. That’s why I applaud the efforts to organize—unionize—those who work in podcasting. Both the Writers Guild of America and the Communication Workers of America are making early inroads, using the power of collective bargaining to better those with actual jobs working in podcasting. But there other groups forming, working, and even making progress. Like the Open Podcast Analytic Working Group —OPAWG—dedicated to coming up with standards for podcast analytics that are better and more approachable than provided by the IAB. The Podcast Taxonomy Consortium is trying to wrangle all the disparate titles and positions within podcasting, defining the differences between a producer and editor, for example. There's the Podcast Index and their drive to create better namespaces that extend the usefulness of RSS feeds beyond the way they’ve been since 2004. Those organizations are the kinds of organizations that will benefit podcasting—all of podcasting, without focusing on serving all the needs of all podcasters. I encourage you to check out some of the associations I’ve listed above and try them out. And if you’re thinking of starting your own association or organization to support podcasters, niche it down. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episod
S3 E58 · Wed, January 06, 2021
Podcasting's Advertising Problem Is Your Problem, Podcaster
Buying ads on podcasts are a PITA, regardless if you’re a buyer, a supplier, or someone in the middle. It sucks. It sucks for a few reasons: The staple of podcast advertising, the host-read baked-in ad, cannot be scaled. Podcast advertisers are lazy and spend money where it’s easiest. To make it easy for advertisers to spend money on your podcast and spread the wealth, you have to utilize DAI—dynamic ad insertion— to turn your episodes into “addressable inventory”. In the past, I’ve told you to ignore advertising unless you’re getting 50,000 downloads per month. I’m revisiting that advice in light of the maturation of our industry. Even if your episodes only see a few thousand or a few hundred downloads in the course of 30 days, I still think you should open your episodes to DAI placement. As Bryan Barletta said in this week’s edition of the weekly adtech newsletter Sounds Profitable : If your media hosting provider doesn't at least have a plan to roll out DAI in the next few months, migrate away from that podcast hosting company. Now, that's going to be a challenge. It’s a snap to seamlessly switch to a new host without impacting your show’s current subscribers/followers. The real headache is updating all of the embedded media players on your website, perhaps going back hundreds of episodes. Oh, and the non-trivial effort required to mark each episode for dynamic placement. But it's a necessary and overcomeable obstacle if you’re going to help solve podcasting’s advertising problem. The good news is this is totally an outsourceable issue. If you turn it over to someone who’s careful and knows what they are doing, it can all happen behind the scenes with minimal involvement from you and zero impact to your listeners. Get in touch with me if you want to discuss that in more detail. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcastings-advertising-problem-is-your-problem-podcaster Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. <a href="
S3 E57 · Tue, January 05, 2021
Scratching Your Creative Podcasting Itch
Are you making the podcast you were born to make? Or do you have other creative podcasting itches that need to be scratched? Because podcasters are creative people, and while it’s great to have a popular and successful show, we often need to explore different aspects of our creativity, lest we grow bored. Bands and musicians can only release so many albums per year and can only do so much touring to support their most recent album. So if they want to explore a solo project, they often find it hard to keep their current fans happy. Or keep the money flowing in. When a podcaster decides to explore their creative itch, doing something different to break out of the routine that they are in with their show, they (often) have much more flexibility. The risk is, obviously, alienating some of our listeners. If we keep our current show(s) going, we mitigate that risk. But still, word of mouth could cause a listener unfamiliar with our popular work to discover our side project first. If they don’t like it, they may wonder what all the fuss is about and give us a pass. Oftentimes, a drastic change from a musician or band is driven by a producer or record label chasing the latest trend so they can sell more copies. We have trends in podcasting too. Should you chase them? Relevancy is a part of that. While there will always be hardcore fans who just want a rinse-and-repeat of the last thing produced by a creative, they are, by definition, a finite group. And sometimes, creatives people just feel the need to change. To scratch that creative itch. That doesn’t have to mean huge, drastic changes. We can, in the spirit of Springsteen and Cake, make subtle tweaks that might make us more interesting to the new crowd without risking our aging fanbase. I'm a big fan of exploring creative itches. But there's nothing wrong with ringing the same bell over and over again if that’s what makes you happy. But at the same time, I love change. I change things up all the time. So if you’re like me, make sure you find a way to scratch that creative itch, podcaster. We’re fortunate to be in an industry that lends itself to lots of ways to change. So if you’re feeling the need, go explore! ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/scratching-your-creative-podcasting-itch Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpl
S3 E56 · Mon, January 04, 2021
The Death Of Podcasting Dominance, Brought To You By Amazon & Wondery
Wondery will soon be part of the Amazon machine . The acquisition—rumored to be worth some $300 million—garnered a lot of attention from the media, proclaiming this as Amazon’s play to become the dominant player in podcasting. My take, surprisingly enough, looks at this deal through a different lens. Large companies are buying their way into podcasting for different reasons. Spotify cares most about driving subscription revenue to Spotify Premium and reducing the share of revenue paid to music labels and rights holders. And they care about growing revenue they make from in-app advertising. With Amazon, it’s all about Amazon Studios. Today, Amazon Studio execs have to decide if a given bit of IP is best-suited for development into a feature-length movie or as a television series. But tomorrow, they’ll have a third option for show development. One that costs a fraction of the other two yet is still capable of reaching millions of people. I think the process we’re seeing play out right now will mean that, at some point in our very near future, there will be no single dominant player In podcasting. As podcast consumption continues to fracture across apps, working podcasters like us face two major implications: 1. Achieving 100% distribution is 100% on you. No longer can you rely on a single platform to distribute your show to other podcast apps and directories. You do not want to be caught unawares with allegiances shift. 2. “Podcasting’s Discovery Problem” becomes a real problem. Tomorrow, it'll no longer be enough to make sure your show and episodes look good on the purple platform. You won’t be able to rely on optimization tricks that only work on a single directory. And efforts to game any single system will be less relevant. Also, your website can’t suck anymore. How you present your episodes can’t be half-assed anymore. And no, you can no longer do the lazy thing of just sharing an Apple Podcasts link to your latest episode on your social channels and call it a day. Remember; two-thirds of the population still have yet to develop the podcast listening habit. As the Amazons of the world continue to expose more people to podcast content on their apps and platforms, more people will discover the wider world of podcasting. That’s what we want. Your job, my job, all of our jobs as working podcasters, is to make sure that our shows are well set up for the fractured world we live in without a dominant player. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-death-of-podcasting-dominan
Bonus · Wed, December 23, 2020
More Podcast Pontifications Soon Stuffed In Your Stockings!
The end of Evo’s Long Winter's Nap is upon us, and brand new episodes of Podcast Pontifications return on January 4th, 2021! I know you’re excited. Even though I’ve been on break since the end of October, regular listeners to the program still heard new episodes—albeit not with as much frequency—courtesy of some other working podcasters who lent their voices while I was away. If you’re not subscribed, remedy that situation, because you missed great content from: Patrick Oliver Jones from the podcast, Why I’ll Never Make It , with three innovative ways borrowed from his time in the theater to help you get “unstuck” when you’re running out of podcasting ideas. Steph Fuccio from The Geopats Podcasts explained why every podcast has a local aspect—even if you think you have a global audience—and offered advice on how you can help those listeners who aren’t right next door. Kevin Patton of the podcasts The A&P Professor and The Academic Podcaster , and honest-to-goodness lion tamer, demonstrated a simple way for you to be a nicer critic when listening to other shows. Mark Steadman of the podcast hosting, distribution, and analytics company Podiant shared his thoughts on the long-lasting impact the pandemic will have on podcasting. Bryan Barletta of the adtech newsletter, Sounds Profitable wants you to stress less when contemplating adding advertising to your podcast. And Tim Desmond of the podcast RevolutionFI provided some support to the seasoned podcaster with a brand new show starting from zero. Did you notice the brand new logo for Podcast Pontifications. More than that, it’s actually a professi
Bonus · Wed, December 16, 2020
The Trick To Maintaining Motivation For Your Brand New Podcast
Guest host: Tim Desmond of the podcast RevolutionFI . Have you ever felt like you're shouting into the wind? Every podcaster knows the excitement around starting a new podcast. And every podcaster also knows the depressive feeling that comes from looking at barren stats of a just-launched podcast. So how do you stay motivated? How do you keep up the effort when you don’t have thousands of fans out of the gate? Even if you’ve been podcasting for years, every new show starts you off again at zero listeners, especially if you’re podcasting in a different industry and niche than your previous work. You've probably read that new podcasts don't make it past seven episodes. You know it's a slow build to have your show find its audience. But still, it’s hard to keep motivated. Tim’s advice? Think of your dismally small audience - maybe 50 downloads of that first episode - as if they were real people. If 50 people showed up in a library or a coffee shop to hear you speak, that’d be enough to give many people stage fright! Even better: If you do your job with your new podcast, those 50 people will come back to hear you talk every day or every week. And if they really love your content, they’re going to bring more people with them next time. So instead of focusing on that stark, tiny number in your podcast hosting company’s dashboard, think about the real people who are downloading and listening to your episodes. And if you want to eliminate debt and earn money for retirement, check out Tim’s podcast at RevolutionFI.com . ----- Share with a friend: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/442e593a-7f15-4ae5-aba3-c76dcf0787a3 Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting. Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra and will return to its normal four times a week schedule in January of 2021, with loads of special content before that! Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual
Bonus · Wed, December 09, 2020
The Low-Stress Approach To AdTech For New Podcasters
Guest host: Bryan Barletta of the adtech newsletter, Sounds Profitable . It may sound odd to hear Bryan saying this, but he has a message for those of you stressing out about the adtech solutions you’re thinking of using for your not-yet-launched podcast: You don’t need one. No, you really don’t need to plan out your adtech solution before you start your launch your show. In fact, you might not even need to worry about it for a year. Or more. Not that he’s suggesting you avoid monetizing your show with ads. If you manage to land a sponsor for your podcast from the get-go or early into your first year, then you should absolutely bake those ads right into your podcast’s episodes. What he’s suggesting is that, at least early in your podcast’s life, you probably don’t have the data necessary to make an informed decision on such a weighty topic as adtech. Should you use analytics services like Chartable or Podtrac ? Sure, that’s fine. Should you immediately start working with platforms that offer new podcasts some ad revenue right out the gate? If you want to, OK. Bryan’s not sweating your decision because he knows how easy it is to switch from whatever you start with to other services in the future when you need them. His advice: Keep your focus from the start on what’s familiar to you rather than paying for an adtech platform that may not pay off for you for a while. The technology and offerings within podcast adtech are changing constantly, so there’s really no rush. Of course, not designing an ad strategy from the start means that yes, you’ll likely have to go back through your previously published episodes and insert dynamic ad calls. But that’s a necessary pain, as without analytics, you’re really just guessing where you should put ads. A much better play is to let the data guide you, which takes time to gather. Here’s the reality: Post-roll ads are bullshit. Pre-rolls can scare your audience away. And midrolls are so fluid that they can go anywhere within the body of the content. Eventually, your show will find its flow and analytics will help you figure out where best to put each ad placement. Ads are great. They’re literally why Bryan has a career. But they’re not for every podcast, so don’t try and fit a square peg in a round hole. If you enjoyed Bryan’s pontificating, I highly encourage you to check out his <a href="https://soundsprofitable.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target=
Bonus · Wed, December 02, 2020
Pondering The Pandemic’s Indelible Mark On Podcasting
Guest host: Mark Steadman of the podcast hosting, distribution, and analytics company Podiant . The pandemic is once again top of mind for Mark Steadman , as at the time of this recording, his home country was about to go on lockdown—for the second time. That’s given him lots of time to think about… well, time. Specifically, the way we podcasters think about and use time differently now in the pandemic than we did before. Perhaps you were like Mark, staying well ahead so you didn’t find yourself scrambling for content each time you went to publish. But then came the pandemic, and the only thing you could think about was the pandemic, and you found your bank of episodes dwindle to nothing. Or maybe you found yourself questioning why a guest would even bother to come on our show and talk about not-all-that-important of things, so you decide to launch a brand new show that felt more right. Perhaps you found that the quest for cash—donations, merchandise, or advertising—felt weird. Or maybe wrong. Did you change any of those aspects? Moving forward in time, what’s your outlook for the next 18 months or so? How will you incorporate the realities of living in and perhaps (if we’re lucky) transitioning out of the pandemic into your podcasting? Will we start to see familiar patterns emerge in a year or so? And what will all of this we’ve been through and will soon go through mean to us and our podcasting over the next 5-10 years? Will what we think of as “podcasting” change drastically? And how much of that change can be attributed to the pandemic? Will we change how we book or work with guests remotely, or will we hunger for in-person connections, so that remote interviews are the exception rather than the rule? And then way out in the future, like 10-20 years from now, how will the podcasts and episodes we made be a reflection on past times? Will it be a record of what we went through, or an escape from it? Will we have created a piece of pandemic-time art that carries relevance to that time period? Or will we have made something that continues to live in its own right, separate from, and barely acknowledging the pandemic? ----- Share with a friend: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/a344a779-6734-4858-bfe3-7763290580b0 Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit<a href="https://podca
Bonus · Wed, November 25, 2020
Temper Your Harsh Critic By Looking For A Podcast's Best Trick
Guest host: Kevin Patton of the podcasts The A&P Professor and The Academic Podcaster . We all do that, right? We podcasters often listen to podcasts with an overly critical ear. That's natural. Everybody does that. Carpenters naturally check out the quality of construction when they visit your newly built home. Engineers sometimes can't help but analyze the arches and beams and cables as they go over a bridge when they take a road trip. But I think that sometimes all of us—podcasters, engineers, all of us—develop a habit of going right to those things that we don't like. Right to those mistakes or to those things that could be much better. That is, being critical only in the negative sense. And possibly never really getting around to what's working well. I recently listened to a podcaster talking about having those critical, negative, responses when listening to other podcasts and pretty much giving up on trying to listen to them. And a thought occurred to me. A thought that brought me back to my youth as an apprentice wild animal trainer. My mentor made sure that I saw as many wild animal acts as possible. We were working in animal shows at a major zoo at the time. But we'd watch circus acts as they came through town, or the next town, or the town just past that one. After each of these animal performances, we'd talk about it. He'd always ask me—in his best Socratic style—“Kevin, what was the best trick in that act?” And I’d have to think hard about that, because I knew that he’d be questioning any answer I gave. And I knew he'd not reveal his pick until the very end of the conversation. And as I answered him, he’d ask why I picked that trick and not this other one, which was a pretty good one, after all. Not that ranking the best of what I saw was all that important itself. What was important was analyzing each one deeply enough that I could rank them. That is, getting past my first impressions and casual judgments and have really analyzed each trick I saw performed. And you know what? It worked. I learned to look at performing animal acts and how trainers presented themselves and interacted with their animals much more deeply. My immediate goal back then was to better form an idea of what I wanted to do when I got to be a grown-up lion tamer and developed my own show. And I also learned that the first step in enjoying a wild animal act is to look for the best things about it—not the worst things about it. Even if it was a pretty lousy act, there was always something done well. Or kinda well. Even if it was a very simple trick for a person to teach an animal, but it
Bonus · Wed, November 18, 2020
3 Easy Steps To Increase The Global Appeal Of Your Local Podcast
Guest host: Steph Fuccio from The Geopats Podcasts . News flash: Your podcast is on the internet. That means it’s available to anyone anywhere in the world. So yes, even if you’re doing a local podcast about New York City, Kansas City, or Bangkok, you probably have a wider global reach than you think. I’ve spent the majority of the past 16 years living abroad. During that time I've been active in podcasting groups and listening groups filled with local people wherever I happen to live. And just about everyone in those groups, at one time or another, has been slightly frustrated by the inaccessibility of the podcasts they choose to listen to that are not local to them. Yes, we’re talking local accessibility today on the show. Here are three very quick things you can do on your podcast that would help invite more global listeners to your podcast. 1. Be A Good Tour Guide For Your Out Of Town Listeners Those obvious things to you and the others who live in your town, state, or country are probably not that obvious to a global audience. Think about that when you’re recording, and make a conscious effort to clarify for the listeners who might be anywhere in the world things that you think are obvious. You can also do this in post-production, hopping in with a clarifying statement and then getting back to the interview or monologue. It’s not disruptive at all. Not even to your local listeners. 2. Spread The Link Love For More Context Add links - lots of links! - inside of your episode details. They’re a handy guide right at the fingertips for your not-local listeners. With a quick click, they’re digging into the extra info you’ve linked to while they’re listening to your words. That’s helpful! 3. Eschew US-based Time Zones Sure, you and I can convert Eastern Time to Pacific Time in our heads. But there rest of the world? Not so much. Switching to just providing all times in GMT probably won’t be good for your US-based listeners. So here’s a clever way to do a better job when mentioning a times: Use the “World Clock” feature on your mobile phone and lock-in three or four cities around the world. Maybe New York, London, and Sydney, for example. When you’re mentioning a time on your show (or on your social channels for your show), give the times with those cities named. Even if your global listeners aren’t in those cities, they probably know roughly how far off they are from one of those, so they can get at least a close approximation in their head. Sure, these three things take a little more work. But they really will make the gl
Bonus · Wed, November 11, 2020
Getting Your Podcast Unstuck With The Three I’s
Guest host: Patrick Oliver Jones from Why I’ll Never Make It . When producing a daily podcast or a monthly podcast, it all comes down generating ideas ideas. Follows is the “Three I’s” that Patrick has learned in his three years of podcasting that keep him from getting stuck, or at least not stuck for long. 1. Input - If you’re the proud single parent of your precious baby podcast, it feels often like everything is on your shoulders. The recording, the interviewing, the editing, the writing, the marketing... and, oh yeah, coming up with the ideas for episodes as well. That’s a lot! Reality check: It’s really hard to reach new levels of experience or success from a solitary effort. You need input from others in the form of feedback and critique and perspective else risk burn out. Or maybe just some pretty bad ideas. 2. Inspiration - Much more passive than actively asking for input, inspiration is passive. And often not planned. Something that we read in a book or hear in another podcast or see on a TV show can spark an idea or topic to explore. And it’s important that those sources come from a multitude of genres. Inspiration comes from learning about subjects outside of my own expertise and experience. In addition to changing up the media you consume, inspiration can also come from changing up your surroundings and your routines. This pandemic has kept many of us inside and isolated more than usual. Just taking a walk, reaching out to someone you haven’t spoken to in a while, or even starting a new workout routine can be helpful. 3. Inward - As we continue to search ourselves and uncover our own strengths and weaknesses, our passions as well as apathies, we will start to discover what’s important to us. And it is this awareness that will ultimately lead to ideas and content that we can put into our podcasts. The content you create comes from you, from your life, your interests, and that unique way you see the world. That’s also what is going to also interest your listeners. When you go inward and wade through any successes or failures you’ve experienced, others will find those same situations similar or perhaps fully in common to others. So focus on the “Three I’s” all over again where you are now giving input and inspiration to others. And isn’t that the whole reason we podcast in the first place? ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://player.captivate.fm/episode/8a584d50-5baa-4ce5-95c2-a1c403dd1ffe Follow Evo on Twitter for mo
S3 E55 · Thu, October 29, 2020
Podcasting At Its Best Is Give & Take
Podcasting is very much a two-way street between podcasters and listeners. It’s just that the bidirectional flow of give-and-take isn’t communication-based. The give I offer you on Podcast Pontifications consists of future-positive, forward-thinking episodes/articles focused on philosophical questions about podcasting and ways we podcasters can work together to make podcasting better. You take that information, consider it, and sometimes put that insight into action on your show to make your podcast better, thereby increasing the overall “betterness” for all of podcasting. But you also give me your attention, your time, your comments, and more. I take all of that from you and add it to my Reasons To Keep Doing This pile. And that’s a very important take. But it’s also important for me to take a break. Going on break for the next couple of months is good for my mental health. That means it's going to be good for you when I come back in January 2021. And yes, I’m coming back in January. There isn’t a direct correlation between me publishing an episode and me receiving tangible, direct monetary compensation for my efforts. You may not be in that situation. If podcasting is your lifeblood and you can directly correlate consistent, regular episode publishing to life-changing or life-enabling income, you may not get to make such an easy choice. To many podcasting pundits, taking a break from producing episodes is anathema to show success and will result in a loss of listeners. I don’t buy most of their arguments because I know my core listeners will stay. And just as soon as I resume producing regular content, downloads and reach will start climbing back to the levels they were before. Even though I’m taking a break from the daily production of Podcast Pontifications, you’ll still see plenty of content from me. I have some bonus content ideas that will only be shared with those who’ve signed up for a membership at BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra. If you feel that promise is worth $5, sign up. You'll still get plenty of tweets from me that are relevant to the future of podcasting or when cool new news breaks about podcasting. I’m @EvoTerra on Twitter . And you’ll still here pontifications on the future of podcasting right here in the feed. They’ll just be voiced by other working podcasters. Finally, because I don’t say it enough: Thank you for listening to Podcast Pontifications. More episodes and articles from me will resume in January 2021. Here’s to your own mental health as we all try to put 2020 in our review, yeah? Yeah. Enjoy the fresh voices in the podcast, check out all the alternate places I’ll be sharing content listed above, and I’ll back
S3 E54 · Wed, October 28, 2020
Why PINOs - Podcasters In Name Only - Own The Future
This US election cycle has been a giant shitshow, but it has caused two terms - RINO and DINO - to become a part of our cultural lexicon. Both are pejorative terms that are summed up nicely (?) by their actual meanings: Republican In Name Only and Democrat In Name Only. Podcasting has this problem as well, where “elites” or “OG” podcasters look at the flood of new apps that make podcasting more accessible than ever before and, instead of being excited by the flood of new interested people, turn up our noses or insist these noobs aren’t doing podcasting “The Right Way”. Choosing the PINO path is not a negative thing. Letting someone else (or something else) worry about the technical underpinnings of podcasting is, for my clients, super smart! Let me make a really bold statement that will upset “full-stack” podcasters but come as welcome news for those who’ve taken the PINO path: In the next five years, podcasting will see more advancements than seen in the previous 16 years since podcasting began. And almost all of those amazing technological advancements will benefit PINOS, not full-stack podcasters. Rather than disparaging these podcasters in name only, we should be learning from them to make the podcasts we create much, much better. 1. Better Storytelling - While full-stack podcasters go into tactical mode contemplating the right DAW, hosting platform, release schedules, feed management and more, the PINOs are focused on telling a great story. They aren’t thinking about waveforms and noise profiles. They’re thinking about the words they’ll use to tell their story over a series of episodes, and how sections of words can be re-arranged to tell that story better. 2. Better Soundscaping/Scoring - Different skills are required to effectively use a DAW - digital audio workstation - to build an immersive aural experience than to edit out filler words from an interview. Yes, the tool is the same, but it’s wielded in vastly different ways. “I know what sounds good” is a perfectly acceptable perspective, if you can pull it off. And they’re pulling it off without being able to teach a Master’s class in audio engineering. 3. Better Resilience - Many PINOs are used to services closing, getting acquired and shut down, or pivoting with little warning. It’s us full-stack podcasters with all of our acquired knowledge and rigid processes that are thrown into a tailspin when we upgrade our OS only to discover that our plugins don’t work. 4. Better Creativity - Unburdened with the linear thinking that plagues those with near-encyclopedic knowledge, the brains of PINOs are free to think creatively. They don’t have an immediate answer at the ready, which frees them on a creative path as they explore various ways to make amazing content. They experiment or try weird things that many of us would never consider. And sometimes, they s
S3 E53 · Tue, October 27, 2020
A Podcaster's Work Is Never Done... Until They're Done
Some Podcasters Finish Thousands Of Episodes I have a few friends who have been podcasting since the beginning, and they’re rapidly approaching the 2,000 episode mark. Some might have passed that right on by counting bonus content. Chances are, you’ll probably produce hundreds of episodes of the show you’re doing right now. Some Podcasters Will Finish A Dozen Or More Podcasts A great many of us podcasters build and dismantle several podcasts before deciding on the formula we’re using now. Making the decision to end a podcast isn’t always our decision. But with the exception of tragic circumstances, nothing is stopping us from creating another podcast. Even if we no longer do the show we’ve been doing for years, we can start a brand new podcast anytime we like. Every Podcaster Will (Eventually) Finish Podcasting All Together During your tenure as a podcaster, you’ll probably finish producing hundreds of episodes. It won’t be uncommon if you finish your involvement with a dozen or more shows. But you only get one shot at being a podcaster. At some point, all of us might like to retire from podcasting. We might look back at the body of work we’ve created over the last 16 years and find it a fine time to make a graceful exit. Or will we? Considering how podcasting technology is progressing, maybe the ability to create great sounding podcasts will grow so simple that the robots can just take the words we speak aloud and make them into a perfectly sounding podcast episode. Remember: there's always the chance of something better than podcasting coming along. Better for you, that is. If a better way for you to express your creativity, thoughts, and ideas comes along, you’d be doing a disservice to yourself if you didn’t explore it. Yes, even if that means leaving podcasting behind for good. Your work as a podcaster is really never done... until you're done being a podcaster. One way or another. Now, as I mentioned, Evo’s Long Winters Nap starts next week! That means you will not hear my voice on Podcast Pontifications until January of 2021. However, that doesn’t mean you won’t hear new episodes of Podcast Pontifications. Several working podcasters have committed to producing episodes during my absence, sharing their ideas on the future of podcasting and how we make podcasting better with all of you. If you want in on that, just send me an email evo@simpler.media and we’ll talk. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/a-podcasters-work-is-never-done-until-theyre-done <a href="https://twitter.com/evoterra" rel="noopener noreferrer" target=
S3 E52 · Mon, October 26, 2020
Podcasting In Hi-Fi: 3 Trends To Watch
Gamers are largely responsible for the crisp, deep, and rich visual experiences we have come to expect when watching any sort of video on the myriad devices we own. So it stands to reason that perhaps podcasters can lead the charge in making devices capable of high-quality audio reproduction in or on our ears every bit as common. Here are three trends I’m seeing that could indicate a coming shift in how all of us experience sound in our everyday lives. Not just podcasting! The Rise Of The Smart Listening Device I don't only mean smart speakers. Today’s headphones are getting smarter. Apple’s AirPods Pro, for example, have chipsets installed in each earbud dedicated to processing audio. Imagine how much more room Apple’s engineers have to work with on their new over-the-ear-model rumored to come out in a few weeks. Once earbuds and headphones with APUs become commonplace, you can bet savvy content creators and developers will find ways to make content that shows off the upper limits of that tech. Superior Streaming Audio Big streaming audio platforms - Amazon, Spotify, Pandora, Apple, & others - are busy developing new compression algorithms that can work in conjunction with the chipsets in smart listening devices to push out higher quality files without impacting bandwidth. I haven’t done a full audio test of this, but I feel like the audio quality of some songs played on Spotify’s new “shows with music” actually sounded better than the track from the album also streamed on Spotify. (Or I’m just projecting what I want to be true.) Binaural and Spatial Audio Many wireless earbuds are already giving listeners a chance to hear what innovative creators are creating. And shows presented in binaural or spatial audio tend to be backward compatible. So even if a listener still uses the wired earbuds their phone came with back in 2007, they can still hear the content, just not in its full glory. But they can hear it! As these trends increase, listeners will demand more and better sound. Content creators will create content that meets that demand, which in turn will spur engineers and developers to come up with new ways to not only capture better sound, but to better reproduce it for the listeners. And not just extreme audiophiles. Like anything, the tech will come down in price to the point where it’s almost harder to exclude a chipset than include it, making smart listening devices that can make amazing streaming audio - and podcast - listening experiences a commodity. There are three things you can do (or start doing) right now to ensure that when this hi-fi world comes to pass in podcasting your content is a near-perfect fit: 1. Save your build/project files. If you have the uncompressed audio files saved in your DAWs structure, it’s a low-effort job to re-export all of your previous episodes’ .mp3 files in a
S3 E51 · Thu, October 22, 2020
Podcasting On Smart Speakers Isn't Dumb; It's The Future
I think we can all agree that the podcast listening experience on smart speakers is pretty terrible. And by “we” I mean podcasters. We know the best podcast experience is listening via our earbuds with our preferred listening app in our hands. We have the habit of listening via that experience, and it’s lightyears better than the voice-only, limited-choice, and rather unintelligent podcast discovery and listening experience provided by smart speakers today. And we must not be alone in that assessment, as every data point I’ve seen shows that less than 1% of people listen to podcasts with their smart speaker. So we’re vindicated But Amazon/Apple/Google have each bet heavily on voice assistants to fill a variety of their customers’ needs for information, entertainment, and more. Sure sounds like a perfect fit for podcasting. Which is why it’ll get better. Imagine how much better of an assistant your smart speaker would be if it could parse something like “play the podcast called confetti” request with other things it already knows about you I know you don’t want anyone looking at your browser history or search history, but Google is the entity that keeps that data! It could also check through your YouTube videos, your physical location history, or your inbox in an effort to find just the right result for you. Again, this is data that this tech giant already keeps about you. Imagine how much better your Amazon-powered smart speaker would be at returning relevant podcast results if it looked at your purchase history to see what types of books you order. And which books you abandon mid-read Imagine if your Apple-powered smart speaker could cross-reference podcasts you currently listen to and other device-level data from your iPhone. Using this data - data the device is already connected to - you 3 possible results instead of 36. Much more manageable. But we can go beyond that, giving us relevant context about the shows rather than the context-poor show titles only. And imagine a future where these helpful devices become even more helpful, helping you decide which season to listen to, or which episode you might find most useful. Amazon/Apple/Google could do all of this and more tomorrow , fundamentally changing the experience of podcast listening on smart speakers. It’s not a question of if, but when Is your show ready? Start by cleaning up your show-level data, like title and host(s) name. Make sure your subtitle and show description are well-written, actually descriptive of your show, and are clearly and uniquely yours and yours alone. Then begin the clean-up process of your episode-level data. Make sure you’re using episode numbers properly and consistently. Categorize each of your episodes so the assistants can see how your episodes are connected. Correct your hastily-entered “show notes” to transform them into useful episode details the assistants can use. <
S3 E50 · Wed, October 21, 2020
Accepting Podcast Listeners' Interest vs Desire Conflict
Growing your podcast’s audience isn’t as easy as you want it to be. Even if you do all the marketing and promotional things right, you’ll likely find that your podcast will only attract a tiny fraction of people who are interested in the topic of your show. It’s desire mixed with medium preferences that determine whether someone listens to your podcast or not. I love cooking and have been (and enjoyed being the cook in my family for 31 years. Yet I’ve never listened to a cooking podcast. I use email but I don’t subscribe to any cooking newsletters. I’m quite active on social media, but I don’t follow any cooking-related content providers. I have a TV and subscribe to more than one OTT streaming service. But I don't watch cooking shows on any channel. Not even YouTube videos. Content providers on those mediums reach me all the time. But I don’t engage with that reach. I’m not going to take the action they want me to take. I’m not going to subscribe. I’m not going to watch. I’m not going to listen. I’m not going to click through. I simply do not have the desire to do so. This is what we’re up against in podcasting. Even if we reached thousands or millions of people with highly targeted and customized messages that extol the benefits of listening to our podcast, we’d only ever going to convert a small fraction to become listeners of our podcast. Time is a big factor. Someone might have a high interest in the topics you cover on your show, but do they have the time to listen? Need is another. It doesn’t matter how much your podcast scratches a particular itch if the would-be-listener is already getting that itch scratched by another podcast. Or five other podcasts. Or it could be an issue of taste. The content you create on your podcast or the way you cover your topic may not fit the desired flavor profile of someone else interested in that very same topic. Most likely, assuming you’re making a top-notch show that is worthy of growth, is the harsh reality that the person with high interest in the topic may have no desire to consume content about that topic in podcast form. Accepting the fact that interest in a topic does not equate desire to listen to a podcast on that topic is key. Repurposing content can help. Those same people into the thing may have a desire to consume content about the thing in a different medium.And maybe you’ll find that the growth you were looking for expressed in one of those other mediums. Wouldn’t that be interesting? In the meantime, you need to continue to activate your existing listeners . Your existing listeners already have the desire to listen to your show. That's why every episode of this podcast includes a short plea to my own listeners - and my readers - that they take a moment to share it with a friend. Because the only way <a hr
S3 E49 · Tue, October 20, 2020
Who's In Charge Here? You Or Your Podcast?
Being a podcaster changes you. It’s certainly changed me. The changes podcasting has on you come in many forms, but the important ones can be categorized into the following: 1. Resource Allocation: It takes two types of resources to make a podcast: time and money. And both of those are in balance with one another. Both money and time are scarce resources. You’re limited to the funds available to you, so every dollar or dime spent on your show is a dollar or dime you don’t spend on or save for some other aspect of your life. You’re limited to the same 24 hours as the rest of us, so every hour or minute you spend on your podcast is an hour or a minute you don’t spend with friends, family, or doing literally anything else. Not that any of that is a bad thing. It’s just a thing. And the things you choose to spend your time and your money on changes you. 2. Personally and Personality: Generally speaking we podcasters are speaking our true and authentic selves when we podcast. But still... just the process of having a podcast and knowing your voice will be heard by other people will affect your personality. Sometimes that new personality or persona you adopt when you get behind the microphone starts to leak out into the real world. Does that work for you? Do you like the changes you notice when you’re not behind the microphone? Do the other people in your life like the person you’ve become now that you’re a podcaster? Introvert or extrovert, high-energy or low-energy… these changes aren’t easily classified into Good vs Bad. But these changes will happen. And are happening. To you. The first step toward wrestling back the control your podcast exerts on you is recognizing that it’s happening. The second step is making sure you’re OK with those changes. Start by spending some serious contemplative time with yourself analyzing the “you” you’ve become since establishing yourself behind the microphone. Think about who you are now and compare it to who you were before. You may need to get opinions from the people closest to you who aren’t involved with your podcast. Your friends, family, and others in your life who probably don’t listen to your podcast but know you have one. You might be surprised by their answers. They might say that since you started podcasting they now see you in a more positive light. Or they might gently (?) point out some shortfalls or problems they’ve noticed, now that you’ve mentioned it. Good changes or bad, the time to take control and become in charge of your podcast is now. Before your podcast takes control over you. We’re less than two weeks before I take Evo’s Long Winter's Nap. That’s the cute (?) name I’ve given my two-month hiatus from producing new episodes of Podcast Pontifications for the rest of the year. But as I did in 2019, I’m opening the platform to other working podcasters who’d like to use this platform to pontificate on th
S3 E48 · Thu, October 15, 2020
Why Spotify's Shows With Music Is A Big Deal Beyond Podcasting
Recently, Spotify removed a seemingly unmovable object that some say has plagued podcasting since the beginning of podcasting: music licensing. From the start, podcasters have wanted to play licensed commercial music - the songs you hear on the radio or have in your personal music library - on their shows. But that has been verboten thanks to the complexity of music licensing rights and hefty fines for copyright violation. Spotify made all of those troubles go away. Leaving aside the fact that Spotify somehow managed to find a term that’s less sexy than podcasting, some new “shows with music” are available in Spotify’s app right now. I listened to all of the currently available shows with music last night and I quite enjoyed the experience! Some appealed to me more than others, but all of them were great. More importantly (to Spotify and the conceit of this article): All of those shows with music were examples of excellent content. Content that I cannot get anywhere else. This is the first spinoff from podcasting that I can think of that’s demonstrably something different. Sure, we’ve seen lots of efforts tangentially related to podcasting, but none of them have really gained any traction with either creators or listeners on a big scale. I’m taking a risk betting on the success of a public announcement that’s less than 24-hours old and has a whopping seven shows showcased, but I think we’re in Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok territory here. I think more people want to be DJs than want to be talk show hosts. And people listen to WAY more music than they do spoken word, and Spotify is betting that many of them will want to curate their favorite music content on a regular basis, sharing their tastes with the world. And I’m confident Spotify is right in this assumption. Spotify’s shows with music will be an influencer magnet. Spotify’s shows with music will allow for a much easier path to monetization, fame, and everything else influencers crave. As influencers flock - and yes, I truly believe they will flock - to this new offering, the appeal of “hey, I should start my own podcast” will switch to “hey, I should start my own show with music”. Anchor will push new users in this direction, as it’s beneficial for everyone involved - from show creator to music rights holder to Spotify - when Anchor makes it easy to become a real influencer on their platform and within Spotify. And as the real influencers go, so do the would-be influencers, hopefully abandoning (and removing from podcasting directories) their half-baked efforts at podcasting in the process. I desperately want my good friend and beautiful human being, Donna Mugavero to make a show with music much like she does when she occasionally hosts a mid-day radio program filled with her eclectic music choices on her local NPR-affiliate,
S3 E47 · Wed, October 14, 2020
Normalize The Making Of Abnormal Podcasts... Again
Abnormality is not a bad thing. It’s just not normal. Until you normalize it. Here are four different ideas here that might help you embrace a little more abnormality to your podcast. 1. Keep the standards, toss the conventions. Standards and best practices are there for a reason. Conventions, on the other hand, you can play fast and loose with. Or toss out altogether. You don’t always have to record from your perfectly sound-conditioned studio with your fancy-pants microphone. You don’t have to follow someone else’s playbook to determing how many questions to ask of your guests or how many points you should cover in an episode. 2. Make a meaningful distinction between you and everybody else. Have you really checked every other podcast in your niche? That’s still doable today. And make sure your differentiation is a meaningful differentiation. Things like episode length or guest lists aren’t meaningful distinctions. 3. Forgive your relapses and try harder. You're going to fall back onto old habits as you try to be different. Forgive yourself when that happens. Just go back and try and do better next time. 4. Check yourself and check-in with yourself. The process of making abnormal content should feel unfamiliar to you, but it shouldn’t come with a lot of personal discomfort. But it’s the opposite for your listeners. They should feel a bit uncomfortable with the changes you’re making. But those new episodes shouldn't feel unfamiliar to them. I know it feels weird to go against the grain. Then again, you should be quite familiar with my offering up of oddball advice like that. If you’re feeling a little uncomfortable about it, I’ve done my job. Your job, now, is to normalize the making of abnormal podcasts… again. Looking at the calendar, I see that Evo’s long winters nap is coming up. That's what I call the months of November and December when I take a break from the daily release schedule. As a treat, I open up the show to other working podcasts just like you who have their own topics and angles they wish to pontificate about. If you’ve a burning topic and unique take on something related to the future of podcasting or ways to make podcasting better, please send an email to evo@simpler.media and we’ll talk about your idea. And I really am looking for your own ideas and opinions. Even if they run counter to my own. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/normalize-the-making-of-abnormal-podcasts-again Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insi
S3 E46 · Tue, October 13, 2020
The Minor Role Podcasters Play In Podcasting's Power Dynamics
As podcasters, our control ends as soon as we’ve mastered our .mp3 files. After that, we cede control to other entities. Entities with their own goals, incentives, positions, and perspectives on what podcasting should be. We rely on podcast hosting companies to generate our RSS feed, embeddable players, send automated social media posts, and update some of the bigger listener platforms via direct or API connections. We podcasters have almost no control or visibility of the technical aspects of this process. That means we’re ceding decisions to the company we’ve chosen as our podcast hosting companies. Not just some decisions. Most of them. Decisions that might impact our listeners. Decisions that might limit our ability to work with partners. Decisions that we don’t get a say in. With a few notable exceptions, most podcast listening happens via listening apps. And it’s the listening apps and the companies who make them who really own the relationship with the listener. Not us podcasters. Not our hosting providers. The makers of the listening apps have much direct information about and control over what our listeners see than we podcasters do. If you think that experience is shitty, you have little control over getting your listeners to switch to a listening app you think does a better job of properly displaying your content the way you want your content displayed. Conflicts in podcasting’s power dynamics - past, present, and likely future - break down into a few common areas. P rivacy and security of listener data is a big and important topic right now. And you, as a podcaster, have almost no control over how your podcast impacts someone’s privacy and security. Metrics and analytics are rather important to our success, but we’re stuck just receiving what the hosting companies and apps provide us. Sometimes, when we try to use third party sources to help us better understand, we’re shut down by entities with more control than we have. Standards and conventions can influence or inhibit both of the prior points and have a big impact on the listener’s experience. But we’ve no power beyond adding something to a suggestion box. As podcasters, I think we have to choose a position to take. Specifically, we need to choose what kind of minor role we’re going to play, And then play it as loudly as we can. Here are five I came up with, though I’m sure there are more: Activist Podcaster Podcasting Apologist Podcasting Insider Podcasting Outsider Uninterested Podcaster I’m not trying to push you towards one role/position I’ve laid out. Honestly, I think it's a spectrum. I know I ride most of these roles from time to time, and I think you probably do as well. I think it’s a good start to understand where our power limits are, but also what roles podcasters can play to affect
S3 E45 · Thu, October 08, 2020
Learning To Trust The Podcaster You Are Right Now
There are a lot of unknowns when it comes to podcasting. Without getting too metaphorical, we swim in a sea of uncertainty as we navigate these podcasting waters. I battle the uncertainty that surrounds every decision by having a bias towards action. Having a bias toward action means I trust myself as a podcaster, as a business person, as a human being, to make the best decisions I can at the moment. There's a phrase I think sums this up nicely: Trust in the you of now . Let me break those italicized words down for you and show you how they build on one another as you navigate uncertainty in your daily life as a podcaster. Trust is a small word that’s has lots of connotations. But let’s strip all that away and get to what’s important: having a firm belief that something (or someone, in this case) has the ability to do a thing. For the purpose of this exercise, who can you trust? Well.. you. As a podcaster, you already put a lot of trust in other people. You trust the people that write the newsletters about podcasting you subscribe to. You trust your podcast hosting provider to give you the education you need when changes impact your podcast. Why then do so many podcasters have a hard time trusting themselves? Uncertainty. The imposter syndrome. Years of being micromanaged and untrusted. Getting past all of that isn’t easy, but you have to do it. And the good news? You can do it. Heck, you do it every day, even though you might forget that from time to time. You, right now, are a different person than you were in the past. You, right now, are a different person than you will be in the future. But you can’t talk to the podcaster you were five days ago, let alone five years ago. It’s even worse with you plus five days (or years) in the future. That’s what I mean by trust in the you of now. Learning how to do that allows you to trust that you, the person you are right, are the best person to make decisions about your podcast. When you learn to trust in the you of now, you’re less likely to suffer from analysis paralysis. Yes, uncertainties are still there. But that’s always going to be the case. But what if the you of right now is not as well equipped to make that decision as the person you will become tomorrow might be? Trust that you’ll take the necessary steps so that your future self can make the decision. Trusting yourself today doesn't mean you're not going to fail. You’re not immune to bad decisions. They will happen. Even if you have all the trust in the world. It takes effort to put trust in yourself to make decisions. But once you've learned to trust the podcast or who you are today, a lot of the uncertainty that made it hard to trust yourself in the first place falls away, letting you get back to making amazing content for your podcast. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: <a href="https://podcastpont
S3 E44 · Wed, October 07, 2020
Simply Making The Podcast You Want & Your Audience Needs
Complexity creep happens. Especially in creative endeavors like podcasting where we have at best a set of guidelines and maybe a roadmap, but not a clear, step-by-step set of instructions to follow. When things in our lives get too complicated, it stresses us out. It's not good at all for our self-worth (“How did I let this happen?”), and ultimately we may decide to up and quit the show as a way to escape the complexity we put upon ourselves. Maybe you need a little help un-complicating your show. Not necessarily stripping it down to the basics, but stripping out the needlessly complex pieces that aren’t good for you or your audience. The challenge you’ll face is one of making your show less complex without impacting your livelihood or your audience's enjoyment of the show. Start with an examination of wants and needs. Specifically, I mean your wants as a podcaster and your audience’s needs as the consumers of your content. Do this by asking two questions: What Do You Want Out Of Your Podcast, Podcaster? - You’re the most important listener of your show. And if the show isn’t fulfilling to you, you’re not going to keep doing it for long. What Do Your Listeners Need From Your Podcast? - Try to put yourself in the shoes of your audience as you dig into their needs and how your show fulfills those needs currently. Not what needs of theirs your show could fulfill, but what it's actually fulfilling for them right now. Now you’re much better equipped to take a critical look at all of the elements of your show as you seek out needless complexity through all the elements and aspects of your show. Things that should be simple, like your intros and outros. Or maybe the actual contents of your episodes and your involvement with those sections. Look at your production process and all the things that have to be done to make the show, from pre-production all the way to post-production. And again with collaborations with other podcasts and the entire publishing process. Do you want to do all of them? Does your audience need you to do all of them? Staring at all these discovered complexities, it’s normal to want them all to go away. Now, please. And while the goal is to get rid of all needless complexities for your podcast, you should take it slow and incremental. Take away one needlessly complex element at a time, and let it soak for an episode or two. Then another. Then another. Also, don’t make a big deal out of this with your audience. In fact, I posit to you that your audience need not know that you’re making these changes. This is about what you want, and what you want isn’t really really something you want to crowd-source to your listeners anyhow. This is about simplifying the process of podcasting, allowing you to make the podcast you want and the podcast your audience needs. ----- Read the full a
S3 E43 · Tue, October 06, 2020
Milking Your Podcast's Popularity For All It’s Worth
People - listeners - are attracted to popular podcasts. Other people - podcasters like us - do very little to promote the popularity of the podcast we produce. Broadly speaking and en masse , people like to do the things that lots of other people are doing. Lay the blame on evolutionary biology if you like, but humans tend to follow the crowd. It’s safer. Content may be king, but only if the king is popular. You may not want to admit it, but you’re much more likely to watch a video with a million views than a video with zero. These showcased metrics are meant to show popularity. Or, in the case of the Podcast Pontifications Videos channel on YouTube , a lack thereof. 😢 Every social media site does the same, with indicators showing how many followers an account has, how often their content is re-shared, how many people have left a comment, and how many people liked the content. You may think you ignore these little numbers and focus on the content itself, but you’re either fooling yourself or you’re an outlier. We’re not immune to this, podcasters. Before investing, would-be listeners want to know one thing we’re not telling them: is this podcast popular? What about ratings and reviews collected inside a handful of podcast listening apps? I remain skeptical of the efficacy of in-app ratings and reviews. Judging by the way apps treat the display and collection of ratings and review, I think the podcast app makers are skeptical of the value of these data as well. But we can take matters into our own hands, podcasters. We can take those public-facing ratings and reviews to spread the valuable social proof they offer. To that end, I’m going to modify a long-held position of mine and suggest a two-step course of action that I’m calling R&R Blitz and Harvest. This strategy starts with some common advice that I’ve never felt quite right about: get a bunch of ratings and reviews for your podcast. Step two, and why I’m feeling better about this, is to harvest those reviews repurposing where they will do additional good for your show beyond the siloed app where the review was left. Where? Your website is an obvious place to repurpose screenshots of your reviews. Your social channels are another obvious place. Share the screenshot and, if you’re able to make the connection, tag or mention the person who left the review for you. And include a link back to your show that everyone can use! Resist the temptation to push meaningless metrics like “all-time downloads” on your audience. But frequently showcasing “active listener” numbers is super smart. Captivate.fm provides this info to every podcaster on their platform . (Disclosure: I’m on their advisory board.) Don’t forget the rol
S3 E42 · Thu, October 01, 2020
A Simple Trick To Power Through More Podcasts In Less Time
You need exposure to inspiring podcast content if you want to make an inspiring podcast of your own. But none of us have an abundance of time, so how do we do that? I have a technique that lets me be an active consumer of over 100 podcasts. 114, to be exact. This technique doesn’t require you to listen at 2x speed, doesn’t require you to change your preferred podcast listening app, a is “non-destructive”. so if it doesn’t work for you, you can go back to the way things were in a matter of seconds. You will not lose a single episode or subscription, I promise. Start by thinking about your current podcast subscriptions from a high level, mentally sorting shows into one of two groups. The first group is made up of all the podcasts you listen to that require sequential consumption. Shows that tell a story or present content that builds on the episode that came before. Podcast fiction, educational shows, and journalistic deep-dives. Anything that takes several episodes to get the message across. The second group is… well, everything else. And I literally mean every other podcast you listen to where sequential listening is not required. For now, we’re going to touch your must-be-consumed-sequentially podcast subscriptions. No matter how important they are. Leave them as they were. Instead, we’re going to separate out everything else by creating a brand new station/playlist/channel/filter or whatever word your app uses. (Apple Podcasts calls these lists Stations, so that’s what I’m going to call them from here on out, so adjust accordingly to whatever your podcast listening app calls them.) Give that new station a clever name and add every subscription of yours to it other than the sequential-required content. But with two caveats: Only Include Most The Recent Episodes - Remember: this station is just a filter or logical grouping of your content. It’s a specialized view into some of the episodes from some of the shows you are subscribed to. You’re not losing anything. Go into the settings of the station and tweak it so that this station only includes the most recent episode of the podcasts you’ve added to it. Sort The List From Newest To Oldest - You have neither the time nor the bandwidth to assign “importance” individually to each episode that drops on your phone. You need to trust the system to do this, and the best system is to always have newer episodes push down the episodes you haven’t listened to yet. Or didn’t finish listening to. I know that sounds really strange, but I promise it will work if you’ll let it. This new station is going to be your go-to spot when you’re ready to listen, either first thing in the morning (like I do) or when you’re doing a “found time” activity, snatching listening time when you can. The power of this Main station is in the automatic prioritization, with a deference
S3 E41 · Wed, September 30, 2020
Tracking Podcast Downloads Is Worthless To Everyone
I’m aware that most podcast advertising inventory today is priced and purchased based on the number of downloads an episode is projected to receive. And it is with that full awareness that I assure you no advertiser wants to buy podcast advertising inventory that way . Instead, advertisers want to pay when their ads are listened to by the right audience in the right geography at the right time. Downloads, by themselves , illuminate none of that. Downloads are nothing more than an internal count of computers talking to computers. Spotify is changing the game, working with select advertisers to optimize campaign performance around true listening activity . And they’re not alone. I encourage you to read the great dialog between Amplifi Media and Sounds Profitable , where Steven Goldstein and Bryan Barletta walk through the sweeping changes we’re already seeing in podcast advertising . Then there’s the fact that downloads of podcast media files can be faked in a way that podcast media hosting companies following IAB 2.0 guidelines cannot detect. Anthony Gourraud details exactly how he faked downloads that were tracked and measured by IAB compliant hosts and tracking services . As advertisers gain a better picture of the disparity between actual listener behavior provided by Spotify and file download activity provided by their media host, the inferiority of downloads will become more obvious, eroding the trust placed in that metric. Evnatually, high-trust data (measuring listens) will be sold at a premium. Low-trust data (measuring downloads) will be sold on the cheap, forcing publishers to apply pressure directly on other apps to provide similar data to reclaim the value of their mutli-platform ad inventory. Tom Webster of Edison Research published an article that illustrates what I'm calling “The Serial Problem” . Popularity rankers aren’t smart enough (though they could be) to separate automatic downloads from promotional content by legacy subscribers fro
S3 E40 · Tue, September 29, 2020
Boost Your Podcast Monetization With A Business Manager
We don’t often hear stories from the business managers of podcasts, because they don’t have the sexiest of jobs. But it’s not an exaggeration to say they have some of the most important jobs. For example: ensuring the podcast business itself grows. That means monetization, which likely has its fingers in lots of other pies that make the podcast go. The first thing a business manager needs to understand is the profit stream of the podcast: income and expenses . Profit (or loss) is the difference between income and expenses. And profits are what businesses often use to facilitate growth. But it’s more complicated than simple addition. To really understand income and expenses, your podcast’s business manager will need to do two things you probably don’t want to do: categorize and forecast. Planning for growth requires some insight into how much money the podcast will make from advertising and how much the podcast will spend on freelancers over the next three months , by way of example. Armed with solid financial projections, a good business manager for a podcast will seek out opportunities. Income opportunities, obviously. Podcast advertising income, licensing, merchandising, paid gigs, direct listener support, sponsorship… the full gamut. Whatever your podcast’s income streams are, the business manager’s job is to point out ways teach stream ca be optimized or grown. But the business manager will also seek out additional opportunities for income. A good business manager is always looking for new income streams based on activities the company is already doing. You’ve probably heard the old adage “You gotta spend money to make money”, right? To truly take advantage of some of those uncovered opportunities, your podcast studio might need an upgrade. That costs money. To get more opportunities, you might need to spend money on a marketing campaign to raise the awareness of your podcast or your services. That also costs money. Maybe your website needs a complete and total overhaul. Maybe there's an opportunity for you to travel (when we can travel once again) to events. All of those things cost money, and the business manager of your podcast can tell you not only if you can afford to do it, but help you project the income that needs to come out of the other end to make it worth the expense. If you’re serious about treating your podcast as a business, you need to get someone on board who is a serious business manager. A job for which they will require compensation. If your podcasting is doing well enough that it covers all expenses and allows you to pay yourself a handsome wage, then your best course of action might be simply hiring a business manager. Make it a paid position, complete with a salary. But if you're like most podcasters who aren’t rolling in stacks of sweet, sweet cash, you can’t afford to pay a business manager. In that case, your best course of action is bringi
S3 E39 · Mon, September 28, 2020
Podcasting A Hot Take Without Coming Off Like A Jerk
Given the state of our current divisions, podcasters don’t have to look too hard to find controversial topics to cover on an episode. And given what podcasters know about presenting topics to their audiences from behind the mic, firing off a hot take on a new controversy seems like obvious content for your next episode. But maybe you have misgivings about this course of action. It takes a certain amount of self-awareness and restraint to tamp down our anger or desire to set the record straight. But if we’re to be responsible podcasters, we owe it to our audiences to do just that. These three questions can serve as a quick sanity check before you hit record on that hot take, podcaster. 1. Is this the truth? - It’s not enough that sounds truthful. You need to know that it is true. It doesn’t matter how much you want it to be true. It doesn’t matter how well it fits into your worldview. It doesn’t matter how badly you want to spread the message. None of that matters. What matters is verifiable, objective truth. And the way you make that determination is by verifying the source. Don’t hide behind the “I’m not a journalist” position. You and I carry with us a device connected to nearly every bit of data that ever existed. In two minutes and a few finger taps, you can check the veracity of just about anything. Yes, even breaking news. 2. Is this necessary? - Not every topic is right for every show, and that gets more true the more a podcaster has niched-down their content. There’s an easy test for this question, though it’s in the form ofanother question: Does my silence on this topic make me complicit? I’m not advocating silence. There are terrible and egregious atrocities that we might have a chance of addressing if there were more awareness. So If I feel that if I don't say something it makes me complicit, then I will absolutely say something. But for the vast majority of trending topics, my choosing not to give voice to my hot take doesn’t directly make me complicit. And if it doesn’t, then my hot take isn’t necessary. 3. Am I the right messenger? - Do all the life experiences, demographics, genetics, and everything else that makes me me make me the right person to express this hot take? I’m free to have an opinion on anything. And I’m free to express my opinion about anything. But I don’t have to do that . Empathy is a different matter, and we shouldn’t lose sight of that. I don’t have to occupy the same socio/economic/demographic/genetics to bring forth an opinion that is i n support of the plight others face. But the reverse is not true. Cliche though it may be, I can’t be critical of someone else’s problems until I’ve walked a mile in their shoes. And I really don’t want to come off like a clueless old
S3 E38 · Wed, September 23, 2020
The Benefits To Podcasting When You're Less Critical More Often
I am a harsh critic. And I have no poker face, so you can clearly tell, either by sight or by sound, when I'm being critical. At least I used to be that way. I’m trying to be better. Specifically, I'm trying to be less critical more often. I’m trying to internalize that phrase and make it my default behavior, which is quite a challenge for me. I’m very good at triage, and that’s oftentimes a problem. With practically unlimited choices of content to consume, being able to quickly discern Things Worth My Time from Things Not Worth My Time is a handy skill. But it makes me kind of a nitpicking jerk. I'm envious of people who can just listen to a new podcast for the first time with a smile and an open mind. Me? I hit play for the first time with a wince on my face, only relaxing if I’m pleasantly surprised. As I embrace the new concept of being less critical more often, I’m changing how I listen to podcasts. In short, I'm only listening to podcasts that I enjoy. Surprisingly, that’s left me with ample time to discover new podcasts, not less. Go figure! I cut my teeth in both the podcasting world and the publishing world at the same time, so I’m as braced for disappointment with books as I am with podcasts. In an effort to being less critical more often about the materials I choose to read, I’m making better choices. As with podcasting, there are just too many books to read, so I’m staying close to some known-quantities. Podcasting areas where I excel and have been able to productize have made me quite rigid. And while that dedication to a proven process is usually seen as helpful to clients, it’s not for everyone. That's not great for business. But worse than that, it's not great for fostering creativity. Creativity for the client as well as creativity for myself. I need to grow too. Recognizing that, I’ve done several things. One is working with a new partner (hi, Sam !) and am backing off of my hardline approach to my own processes and procedure. If we’ve a difference of opinion, I still voice that opinion. But unless their decision is objectively wrong, I leave the final decision to them. No one is going to bleed out over this stuff. Whatever I get, either from clients or a new podcast recommendation, I treat as a gift. Some gifts, like those given by clients, I have to find a way to work with. There’s creativity in that. Other gifts, perhaps those given by strangers who don’t know my tastes and preferences, I don’t have to love. Or even keep. I just don’t have to be an asshole about it. Most reasonable people are their own worst critics. I’m thankful I’ve spent the last 31 years with Sheila Dee , who often intervenes when I’m beating myself up way too much over something way too trivial. I ignored
S3 E37 · Tue, September 22, 2020
The Healthy Way To Deal With Doubts About Your Podcast
Doubts and suspicions about the content we make for public consumption are normal. We all have them. Even the most successful podcasters in the world have doubts about some aspects of the podcast episodes they're producing. While the totality of doubts one might harbor about their podcast are far too many to list, here are a few common ones you might have heard that little voice inside your head harping about: Episode length - It’s quite natural for you to have a sneaking suspicion that your podcast episodes are too long, and that you're losing people because of the time commitment you require of them. Or maybe the nagging suspicion is that your podcast episodes are too short, and that you’ve somehow edited out all of the humanity from your show. Quality - Perhaps you doubt your ability to make episodes of a high enough quality to compete with other shows in your niche? You might have a nagging suspicion about your equipment. Or that you're not spending enough time making each episode nice and polished. Boring bits - It’s pretty common to have a nagging suspicion that your podcast’s episodes are boring, and you worry that might be a turnoff for some of your audience (or your potential audience). Running out of content - Podcasters new and old face all face the harsh reality of running out of things to talk about, people to talk to, or just having the energy to continue. Frequency - Is that little voice telling you that monthly episode releases are way too far apart? Or perhaps you’ve a nagging suspicion that putting out daily episodes is too much content for your audience - who are also busy - to consume? The healthy way to deal with these doubts is not to squash them or ignore them, but to give them voice . To whom should to voice these doubts? I’ve a few ideas. Talk to your audience -After all, your doubts might directly impact your audience. But I would exercise caution with this course of action. Anytime you ask your audience for feedback, it’s almost always only the hardcore fans who will reply. And hardcore fans always and only want one thing from a podcast: more . Talk to your peer group - The benefits of having a good peer group where you (and they) can voice your concerns, tell them what’s keeping you up at night, and get reactions from cannot be overstressed. Start building one today. Talk to an online group - Online communities can be good places to give voice to your doubts and suspicions. But I’m again going to exercise caution for you. How valuable is advice from random, unvetted strangers who also happen to have a podcast? Talk to the people who support you in real life - They may not be much help when discussing optimal frequency or the more technical aspects of maki
S3 E36 · Mon, September 21, 2020
We The People Are Changing Podcasting For The Better
It should come as a surprise to no one that the media we consume is polluted by misinformation and disinformation. Podcasting is part of that media mix, which means that podcasting has a similar level of misinformation and disinformation propagating through the podosphere. Though I’m reticent to assign blame and am quite aware that correlation does not equal causation, there’s an argument to be made that the perceived increase in falsifiable claims in podcasting and all forms of media is due, at least in part, to a privileged class feeling threatened. There may not be (and there isn’t) a smoky dark room where monied old white men decide what podcasts get the most attention. But there are organizations with a vested interest (and power, and money, and influence) in keeping the status quo the status quo, if only to profit from others who also want the world to remain static. Or roll backward. And once again, podcasting is not immune. When those threatened have a podcast, they shout louder. They become more reactionary. And willingly or unwillingly, they perpetuate the misinformation and disinformation. It’s in their immediate financial interest to do so. There's an old saying attributed to Theodore Parker that I, like many before me, am going to bastardize for my own purposes. Here it is: “The arc of the moral universe is often crooked, but it bends towards justice.” That means that bad things happen. There are setbacks. New atrocities will be dreamed up and inflicted upon groups of people. Yes, those things are true. But when examined in totality and on a long enough timescale, things tend to get better. Not all at once. And not for all people. Sometimes it takes years, decades, or centuries. But the trend towards justice does seem to exist. And so while podcasting currently has (and always has had) a fair amount of misinformation and disinformation in it, and a fair amount of privileged class members feeling threatened by changes they are just now picking up on that have been rolling through society for some time; it is (or will be) trending towards justice. There’s a growing movement inside the podcasting landscape working to curtail the misinformation and disinformation that permeates our medium. They certainly won’t make any friends with the privileged class, but they aren’t trying to make friends. They’re taking a stand against the misinformation and disinformation often disguised by the privileged class as “opinions” or “just asking questions”. They're stepping up saying, “No, we won’t be a part of this”. They're banding together and taking their grievances up the ladder, trying to convince shareholders and stakeholders why misinformation and disinformation is damaging to the platform and organizational brand. <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CFSYnUFA8
S3 E35 · Thu, September 17, 2020
Are Podcasters To Blame For Podcasting’s Slow Growth?
Have you heard that Amazon Music now includes podcasts? Not knowing that means you somehow missed not only the news but also the email Amazon Music sent directly to you and every other podcast manager of the ~1,400,000 RSS feeds that make up the podcast ecosystem. Yesterday was when they launched. By all reports, the updated Amazon Music service boasted 70,000 podcasts available at launch . Seventy thousand sounds like a big number, but it’s less than 5% of the total podcast ecosystem. Missing 95% of the podcasts not hidden behind paywalls and completely accessible with public APIs is appalling. What happened? Podcasters just didn’t care enough to submit their shows to Amazon Music. That’s it. That’s the reason. 55 million people use Amazon music, and a good portion of them are committed to that app. It’s a safe bet that a lot of them listen exclusively to audio content through Amazon Music. If a podcaster isn’t willing to do that minimal level of effort of getting listed on a brand new platform with a sizable listener base, they have no business bitching about stagnating growth. It’s their own fault. So why didn’t the podcast hosting companies automatically submit all of their clients’ shows to Amazon? I recognize that’s a contentious statement. I’m also fully aware of the historical complications and political ramifications of submitting shows to various directories without the express consent of the owner of the podcast. And I know that traditionally podcast hosting companies have taken a “we just host, you do the rest” approach. But for Amazon Music there is no additional usage information provided by the service or app. The only wanted the RSS feed and perhaps a few other pieces of information that’s already contained in the account settings at the podcast host. So let me be clear: There would have been no reasonable negative ramifications had a podcast hosting company automatically submitted all of their client’s shows to Amazon Music. But unreasonable ramifications? Plenty. Not that it’s easy to do what I suggest. There are implications I’ve not thought about. So if you work for a hosting company are just waiting to fire off an angry “you don’t know what the flip you’re talking about, dude” email, relax. Consider this a thought exercise for next time. Recently, Westwood One released the results of a survey of podcast listeners that highlighted the differences of reported podcast consumption habits based on how long the respondent has been listening to podcasts. It’s a long report, but quite eye-opening. It shows some indicators that long-time and heavy-use podcast listeners will
S3 E34 · Wed, September 16, 2020
Uncovering The Tension Between Fast & Slow Podcasting Processes
Abe Lincoln said that if he had six hours to chop down a tree, he'd spend the first four sharpening his ax. The quote’s apocryphal nature isn’t important. The sentiment is. The idea that you should spend a significant amount of upfront time preparing to do a task is just good advice. In fact, it’s the ideal way to operate. Put another way: slow and deliberate preparation will allow you to execute elements of your podcast faster. But rarely do we live in an ideal world. Here’s a list of four approaches to planning and execution, with examples of how I’ve found my own podcasting efforts in each. Fast Preparation / Slow Execution - Think of this as the “festering” quadrant. Activities that fall here will take a long time to complete (if they ever completed) because of (mostly) insufficient up-front planning. I recently found myself in this quadrant when I decide to (finally) create a YouTube channel just for the edited videos of Podcast Pontifications . A couple of Friday’s ago (or was it last Friday?), I took the plunge and started the task. I still have some ~300 videos to re-upload, so it's taking me a very long time to execute. And that’s OK, but only because I don’t have a time machine. This isn’t fun, but it is a reality. Fast Preparation / Fast Execution - I call this the “today” quadrant because it’s where I live with this very podcast and this very episode you’re consuming. I chose the topic for today’s episode yesterday but didn’t do any real planning until this morning. I can get away with that because of the tight processes I’ve developed over time to get episodes of this podcast out on a consistent basis. The fact that it’s a short-form show with episodes on a single topic that require very little audio editing certainly works in my favor. I do not recommend living in this quadrant if you value your sanity! But it is called the “today” quadrant for a reason, so you might. Slow Preparation / Slow Execution - If you take forever to implement a plan you took a long time conceiving of, you’re in the “limbo” quadrant. And that’s where good ideas go to die. In my case, I’ve yet to select an effective and efficient way to communicate with all of my clients en masse . For example, I need to let all of my clients know that Amazon Music now lists podcasts and that my team has already made sure their show is listed. Because I’ve been slow to select a solution, I’m forced to send out individual notes to all clients. Because I rarely encounter a situation like this, it’s no
S3 E33 · Tue, September 15, 2020
Podcasting Through Rose-Colored Glasses & Bunny Ears
I’ve applied lots of filters to this audio. But if you’re able to detect the filters I applied to the audio, it means I did a bad job of applying those filters. Done right, most people should never know a talented(?) audio engineer was tinkering under the hood. But most often, when we apply filters on our Instagram photos, Tiktok videos, and even Twitch streams, we want them to be seen . I’m not talking color correction, exposure adjustments, or subtle enhancements. I’m talking puking rainbows and giant eyeballs that a nocturnal lemur would be jealous of. Where are the fun filters in podcasting? Sure, we can pitch the voices on the episode up or down or make equalization changes. But that’s not fun. Worse, too many adjustments tend to mask or muffle the information being conveyed, making it difficult to hear what’s being said. Have you ever tried to recreate a filter from TikTok or Instagram by using an image editing tool like Photoshop? It’s possible, But doable for the 37 photos you want to post on the way to the parking lot? Not so much. The same holds true for the digital audio workstations (DAWs) we used to make podcast episodes. We could apply literal bells and whistles to our audio files, but it just takes too long. Also; podcast episodes don’t last a few seconds. They last minutes. Sometimes hours. If your favorite podcaster found a way to add in a fun filter, would you still find it fun after 15 minutes? Two hours? I'm skeptical anyone would find listening to an hour-long episode voiced by a convincing Roger Rabbit all that compelling Looking at the mediums where fun filters have been a success, they share one thing in common: incredibly short formats. Perhaps that’s what is needed here: an offshoot format of podcasting designed around short-form, heavily-filtered content. I know of quite a few apps floating under the radar that are exploring this nascent niche. Some are laser-focused of building “TikTok for audio”. Others are experimenting with making better use of the microphone on the mobile phone that's with us every moment of the day. Would the addition of fun filters be the piece that’s been missing from new short-format audio apps? Would content made and shared with one-touch fun audio filtering create community and (oh gods) virality seen in the image and video sharing space? I’m not sure. But I tend to not bet against creative people. I think there might be an opportunity to do something like that with podcasting. But I know I’m not the guy to come up with it. Predicting the future is hard. So is figuring out what will click with the next generation of listeners. So I’m not counting this out. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcasting-through-ro
S3 E32 · Thu, September 10, 2020
That's Not A Podcasting Mistake - It's A Feature!
Not all mistakes made in the process of making a podcast are bad things. Sometimes, these inadvertent errors can be a gift. To help illustrate that, I’ve chosen 10 completely random examples of probable mistakes that might happen to you as you podcast, along with ways to embrace them as a hidden intention. Publishing Your Podcast Episode On The Wrong Day Or Wrong Time Of Day - There’s no reliable mechanism to unpublish an episode of a podcast and publish the exact same file again later. So instead of freaking out and beating yourself up over your error, use it an opportunity to learn how a change in time impacts your metrics. Skipping A Plugin In The Mastering Chain - Maybe you forgot to add in noise reduction or some other filter or plugin you always use. Well… did it sound better to you? Did it sound better to your audience ? Their opinion just might change yours. Adding/Removing Too Much Space Between Segments - Sometimes you’re in a hurry or you accidentally click and drag a segment out of place, changing now long bed music plays before the VO part announces the next segment. The episode probably sounds weird, with that one bit sounding quite different than the rest of the program. But does it sound good? Is the change of feeling, now that you’ve heard it, something worth exploring? Promoting With A Full-Length Audiogram Instead Of A Clip - It’s easy to accidentally make an audiogram out of your entire episode instead of the short clip you had highlighted. And if the social destination you’re publishing on will allow it, your audience might see a 30-minute long audiogram from your show in their timeline. Did you stumble across a new publishing platform that at least some of your audience prefer? Or do you have new content you can upload to longer-form video platforms that helps your show stand apart? Your Podcast Guest Isn’t A Good Fit For Your Show - You may very well find yourself with a guest that just doesn’t fit. Maybe they weren’t vetted properly. Maybe they’re just “off” that day. But are they saying interesting things? Can you find a way to use the content they are giving you for a different episode, perhaps one you haven’t even conceived of? See if you can make something out of it later, maybe as a bonus episode. Recording Without Your Favorite Microphone - Every one us has a microphone we carry with us everywhere. While no one is going to confuse the depth of sound captured by an SM7B with the built-in microphone on any cell phone, they work in a pinch. What can you capture on your phone in the field that you can use to build a great episode when you get back in your studio? Losing Access To Your Sound Library - You may find yourself without access to your trusted library of music, effects, and loops. Now what? Maybe this is an opportunity to try one of the newe
S3 E31 · Wed, September 09, 2020
The Importance Of The Unimportant Parts Of Podcasting
You want your podcast to be successful, don’t you? You want it to grow, don’t you? You want your episodes to reach as many people as they can, don’t you? Of course you want those things. All podcasters want those things. Almost by definition, working on critical things puts us working podcasters in crisis mode. We’ve no time for fluff, context, theory, and nuances. We want the meat, plug-and-play solutions or a checklist that tells us exactly which five boxes we need to tick to make a successful podcast. Now, please. Sound familiar? The solution to the inevitable burnout that comes from operating in full-time crisis mode? Take a break and get some downtime. That can be a simple as shutting off the studio computer when you’re done with the day or when you need to finally sleep. Or it might be less a frequent but longer break, like a vacation away from your podcast for a week. But what if I told you the scenario I just outlined is a false dichotomy? What if the difference between “working” and “not working” on your podcast wasn’t a binary choice? Generally speaking, we’re happier podcasters when we occupy the middle ground between overwhelming business and complete relaxation. The trick is finding that healthy middle ground for us. That’s a tall order for those of us who were raised in a culture that rewards the “up and to the right!” business mentality. Finding the middle ground is hard when you're getting slammed on all sides with ideas on increasing the productivity of your podcasting efforts, ways to grow your podcast even bigger, and dozens of articles on ways to podcast better that you simply don’t have the time to read past the title. And the other side isn’t quiet, either. Seminars, apps, newsletters, and more constantly come across the transom, imploring us to walk away for a bit, take a nap, make room for a passion project, or spend a couple of weeks alone in a cabin in the woods. That sounds nice, doesn’t it? But remember, this isn’t an either/or situation. I could come off like some low-rent self-help guru and tell you it’s about finding balance. Instead, I’m going to tell you about the lamp on my desk. I hate this lamp. It's ugly. It doesn't put out the right amount of light. It doesn't fit with the vibe of the rest of the studio. It's hard to turn it on without sorta flipping my hand over at a weird angle. Oh, and my wife hates it too. So occasionally, I go lamp shopping. I've hated this lamp for a couple of years now. Yet in all that time, I haven't bought a new one. That's because replacing the lamp is not what’s important to me. What is important to me is that, occasionally, I go lamp shopping. Yes, I know this sounds incredibly dumb. In fact, you may think it sounds like I’m using lamp-shopping as a way to take a break from podcasting. You’d be wrong. This lamp, hate it though I might, is a part of my podcast and
S3 E30 · Tue, September 08, 2020
Coping Strategies For Podcasters Who Don't Like Change
Remember the flood of new ideas and innovation that came just after the 2008 recession? Well, podcasters; get ready for 2021. I fully expect a massive influx of podcast innovation to hit in a few months. In fact, the first waves are already with us. With zero intention of trying to turn you into a change-hungry weirdo like me, might I offer a straightforward, three-step process of reacting to change when you encounter something brand new in podcasting? Especially something brand new that might fundamentally change how podcasting itself works or at least how you navigate your day-to-day life as a working podcaster. Step One: Assume The Best Intentions - When you see something new, recognize it as such and stop your brain from immediately looking for (or examining obvious) flaws in the idea. Instead, assume the new thing will be a good thing. You may not have much info to go off of to make a call either way, but make your default approach to be one of acceptance. With very few exceptions, everybody envisioning something new for podcasting does so because they think their idea is going to make podcasting - or at least an aspect of podcasting - better. Step Two: Be Pragmatic - The acceptance in Step One only orients yourself to be receptive to change. That doesn’t mean you should shut off your critical thinking skills. Closely examine the premises or core concepts behind the new offering and apply it to your world as a working podcaster. If the instigators of the idea are making bold claims to “fix” problem areas in podcasting, do you agree that what they’ve called out as a “problem area” actually exists and is, in fact, a problem for you? And if it’s not a problem for you, does it seem plausible that other working podcasters are experiencing the problem and are in need of a solution? Go ahead and get personal in this critical-thinking stage. Do you buy into their philosophy? Do their ideas ring true for you? What do your fellow working podcasters think about the idea? Is this a model you see them and others embracing fully? Be pragmatic. Don't get fooled by the glitz and glamour of cool-looking things that turn out to just be flim-flam. Step Three: Let Them Try Again - Remember that whatever these new startups are offering right now might - and probably will - fail miserably. But they might try again, taking what they learned and coming back to the market with another offering. Your job is to not pre-judge the new idea through the lens of the prior failure. Almost by definition, everybody's first offer is not fully baked by experience. A failed project doesn’t make the architects losers. It makes them learners. Be willing to let them bring a new idea to your life again, but start your evaluation of their next new thing from Step One. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: <a href="https://po
Bonus · Mon, August 31, 2020
Having The Stones To Take A Temporary Break From My Podcast
Hello and welcome to a bonus episode of Podcast Pontifications with me, Evo Terra. “Uh oh. A bonus episode means bad news, right?” Well… yes. But only temporary bad news. And here it is: I'm taking a temporary medical leave from Podcast Pontifications. At least through the end of this week, but hopefully not much longer than that. Relax, there’s nothing life-threatening wrong with me. Now, the issue I’m dealing with is definitely quality of life -endangering, if only from the nausea-inducing pain and the nausea-inducing opioids the doctor has me on to try and control said pain until he can make a permanent fix to my issue. I see him tomorrow for a consult, and I’m confident we’ll be able to quickly schedule a minor outpatient procedure to take care of the not-so-little nine-millimeter stone that’s taken up residence in my left kidney. Since last Thursday, I’ve only been able to sit up for maybe 15-20 minutes at a time, then it’s back to the prone position as I try to live through its wrath. And with all the other work I have to get done to keep my podcast consultancy going through this, something has to give. That and I really want to make sure I deliver to you a good, quality show every day. But the way my head is swimming right now because of the opioids and residual pain they can’t control, I don’t think I can reliably do that. So until the good doctor can go in there and pound them into sand, blast them into oblivion, or whatever they might do while I’m knocked out, I’m taking a medical leave from this podcast. Sitting up for the 3.5 hours per day necessary to properly make and distribute the show doesn’t sound like something I want to do while fighting through the pain. While I don’t anticipate financial ruin when I get the bill for this soon-to-be-scheduled procedure, I still invite you to go to BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra and toss a few coins in the bucket, if only because you are very happy that I'm taking care of myself. If you’re new, don’t worry. I’ve something like 360 episodes you can churn through while I’m away. They’re all on PodcastPontifications.com . And if you need to know how I’m feeling, I’ll probably overshare on my Twitter account, as I am wont to do. Twitter.com/evoterra is me. Once we get this little brick out of my system, I’ll be back with you. I’ve a full book of topics to cover with you, once I have the fortitude back. And then, I'll be back for yet another Podcast Pontifications . Cheers! Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights </p
S3 E29 · Thu, August 27, 2020
The Case For Non-Hippie Meditating Over Your Podcast
It's not great to constantly obsess about your podcast. Nor is it great to have it completely out of your mind until the very last second. Those who occupy the middle of the spectrum probably have a more healthy relationship with their own podcast. As you read this, a thousand articles are being published by gurus, spiritual leaders, and self-actualization experts that all extol the virtues of meditating to fix all of your problems. That’s not what I’m advocating for. I promise you won’t come out of this with beads woven into a lock of your hair, or suggest you ingest mind-altering substances. But I do mean meditation . Not getting into the zone and planning out your next episode. The meditation angle I want you to explore when you find your quiet space and carve out a half an hour - or five minutes - of reflection is this: What’s the relationship between you and your podcast, now and in the future. Thinking about where you and your show might be in five years is a fine thing to think about while meditating. However, using the time to plan out a week-by-week action plan to get you there isn’t. You may also think about large groups of people who don’t yet know about your show who you might try to reach. Stop yourself if you start plotting growth hacking techniques or marketing plans to reach them, however. By all means, let your mind unpack your current processes, or the overall sound of your show. But if you start making a list of equipment to buy, you’re slipping back into tactics. Examining problems in depth from lots of angles will often lead you to novel solutions. Don’t force it. If you find your brain offering up potential guests (if your show has guests), think through their decision process. Will they listen to an episode? Will they visit your website? Your social profiles? And if they do, do those properties and experiences make it easy for the guest to say “yes”? For me, the best part of meditating this way is the unexpected connections that spontaneously happen when I don’t try to force it. Stay strategic, and see where your mind takes you. Classic meditation never really worked for me. Neither did guided meditation. Heck, I find it hard to stay in a yoga pose for more than 10 seconds. I meditate from the prone position, either on the couch or in bed, as I’m pretending to take a nap or because my brain wakes me between 4:00 or 4:30 in the morning every day. I find both of these scenarios perfect for contemplating big picture thoughts where podcasting is often a part. Again, this is what works for me. It very well may not work for you. But it’s probably worth a shot, right? ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-case-for-non-hippie-meditat
S3 E28 · Wed, August 26, 2020
Does Your Podcast Need A Tune-Up Or A Tone-Up?
Yes, both content and context are important aspects of your podcast. But it’s the tone of your show that acts as the delivery-device that translates the sounds (and sights) to thoughts, ideas, and feelings inside your listeners’ brains. It’s arguable that the theme music you’ve chosen for your show has the biggest role in setting the overall tone. Hard-hitting, over-driven guitars wheedling away in the background at the start of the episode sets a particular tone. A mellow piano sets the opposite tone. And a quirky, plucky ukulele means something else entirely. The same goes for transition music used inside your episodes. That little bit of music, even if it only plays for a couple of seconds, is part of the tone of your show. Does it fit? The words used in the “canned” bits of your episodes impact the tone. As does the length of those bits. How those words are voiced is huge. The cadence of the words spoken also sets the tone in a similar way. A pro-announcer will lend a certain amount of… well, professionalism to your show. But only if that’s what you’re going for. Each choice you make impacts the tone of your show. Savvy podcasters will spend a significant amount of time adjusting EQ settings of all the voices and elements that go into a show. It’s a fair amount of work, but it has huge implications on the overall tone of an episode. There's more to a podcast than the sounds the listeners hear. All of the not-audio parts of your show also set the overall tone of your show. Yes, I mean the show-level artwork and the episode-level artwork, title, and summary. But I also mean the artwork for your website, newsletter, or social shares. Discordance isn’t always a bad thing, though it usually is. Think about an orchestra or even a three-piece band playing with one player out of tune. The notes played might be technically correct, but it’s going to sound unpleasant. And you’re going to stop listening. Your listeners might have that same disconnect when your punchy theme music plays under a soft-spoken episode intro. Or they’ll see the garish colors of your attention-grabbing audiogram and then be taken aback when they a heartfelt testimonial of a survivor of abuse. That’s bad too. My fear is that you might read this and assume I want everything in your podcast to be clean, pristine, and polished. I assure you I do not. Some shows are purposely designed to be almost toneless. Others are intentionally crafted with changing tones from episode to episode. And if that's the intention you put into your podcast, fine. Lean into that. It's all about intent and intentionality. Maybe you don't need a tune-up of your show. Maybe it just needs a tone-up? ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: <a href="https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/does-your-podcast-need-a-tune-up-or-a-tone-up" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_
S3 E27 · Tue, August 25, 2020
Your Podcast Doesn't Suck, It Just Needs Un-Stuck
All podcasters get stuck. If you've not experienced being stuck; You must be new. Because on a long enough timescale, all podcasters get stuck. Creatives from many disciplines have learned that sometimes the trick to getting unstuck is by doing the opposite . When I say “the opposite”, I don’t mean different. The advice of “try something different” leaves you with too many choices. “Try doing the opposite” is almost singular. Identify where you are stuck, and then the exact opposite (or as close as you can get to the opposite) of what you’d normally do. Or what you were doing when you got stuck. Here are some common situations many podcasters face where this opposite trick can be deployed. Play The Opposite Role - If you’re the person who normally engineers the show but leaves the setup and planning to someone else, take on their role and give them yours for an episode. I guarantee you that the process of teaching someone how to do your job will teach you about your job . And crack open your own creativity. Reverse Your Process - If you are the kind of podcaster who plans out their episode on paper first, then records and produces the audio of the episode, and then writes the article at the end; try mixing that up by writing the article first and producing the audio last. If that’s too big, just mix up the planning part by writing out some detailed notes without a specific angle or title for the episode in mind. (I did that for this episode!) Un-automate Your Podcast Marketing - Podcasters rely on the automated social posting service provided by our media hosting company or social management tools like Buffer to schedule an entire week’s worth of promotional posts about our latest episode. So do the opposite and handle all of your social posts manually for the week and see if that doesn’t reinvigorate your brain. Ditch The DAW - I've talked previously about no-waveform audio editing tools that are quite the opposite of editing within a true DAW. The entire paradigm is foreign! Carving out some time to experiment and try it for a segment of your show. Just like teaching a new concept, learning a brand new way of doing things is often enough to unlock your trapped creativity. Take A Joke, Leave A Joke - If your podcast is a comedy podcast, the funny doesn’t have to come from you, does it? Are there other ways the funny can be delivered that don’t require you to bring it? Or if your show is super-serious find ways to use humor without being flippant. It can be done. Tight Show, Loose Se
S3 E26 · Mon, August 24, 2020
Sir, This Is Not A Wendy's Podcast... And That's OK
Fast-food giant Wendy's has a podcast, and it’s not particularly good. At least not as we’ve defined what companies are supposed to do with podcasting. But what if that’s on purpose? Wendy’s isn’t trying to make a branded podcast. Nor are they trying to make a yet another interview podcast. They aren’t trying to amass a million listeners to they can generate ad revenue additional revenue stream. And the only “merch” they want to sell is burgers and fries at their restaurants. Instead, I think Wendy’s is setting a flagpole with this podcast. This tactic was employed by (and is still employed by) many brands and businesses entering a new digital space. Consider single-page websites ( I’m a fan ) or when businesses grab their Twitter handle but rarely - if ever - publish new content. This podcast also lets Wendy’s lean into a popular meme thrust upon them and define the brand’s own “official” take. No, the podcast isn’t as funny as the meme and will likely never unseat the meme. But I don’t think that’s the point. Remember, the content you hear today on the show is not the end goal. This is just what the brand is doing right now because the climate - for them - is right for it. Today, it’s hard to find a brand that doesn’t have a presence on social media. Is it really a stretch to think of a tomorrow where it’s hard to find a brand that doesn’t have a podcast? Maybe not what we think of today as a branded podcast. Maybe one that doesn’t feature interviews. Maybe those podcasts will look something like what Wendy’s is doing today. People like me who make podcasts on behalf of companies should love this show if only for obvious reasons: it’s one more example of a brand investing in the podcasting space. But I think all working podcasters should dig what Wendy’s is doing. Not because it’s amazing, compelling content (it’s not). But because it’s an exploration of what else can be done in podcasting. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/sir-this-is-not-a-wendys-podcast-and-thats-ok Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media</
S3 E25 · Wed, August 19, 2020
Do You Have The Time To Monetize Your Podcast?
According to conventional wisdom, 5,000 downloads the minimum threshold that ad rep firms want to see before they’ll consider adding a podcast. I tested that theory and found it to be true. But even so, it still may not be worth it. Here’s what happened: Over the last few months, an ad rep form has been trying to book ads on one of my client’s podcast. The firm has sent me around 35 offers. I have to vet each one, ensuring it’s a good fit for my client and the advertiser. One of those potential advertisers converted into a real offer. One. If one-in-thirty odds sounds bad to you, welcome to advertising. I’ve been in this world for the better part of two decades, so I’m not surprised at all. With an actual offer, I contacted my client to work out the plan for getting the product shipped, giving them enough time to try out the product, and target a publishing date for when the ad would run. Yes, THE episode. It’s not uncommon for advertisers to run a single ad on a single episode as a test. I take all of that back to the ad rep firm who then generated an insertion order, a document that spells out the particulars of the deal, like length of the ad read, must-have elements to be included in the ad, in which position the ad would run, and, the money offered in exchange for the ad. Once I sign off, they advertiser shipped the product, my client gave it a test run, and dropped the ad the proscribed episode. It didn’t go well. Twice. So the ad ran three times before it was finally accepted. Details, yo. Now I’m waiting on payment which I should get in the next 30 days. Does that sound like a lot of time? It was. I’m estimating around 12 hours of my time and about four hours of my client’s time. Much of that was fixing the screwups. But even without those unfortunate mishaps, it stil would have taken each of us about half that time. So what did we get for those collective 16 hours of work? $250. Some quick math done at the initial offer stage showed the advertiser was offering a $35 CPM on the ~7,000 downloads projected for this single ad placement, which is quite good! Only, we didn’t even get the full $250. That was the “gross” offer that we accepted, before the ad rep firm takes their 30%. They’re keeping $75 and sending me $175. And then I’m keeping 20% of that, so I’ll send the client $140 and line my pockets with $35. Of course, we do this in the hopes that the advertiser likes the performance on their end and sticks around for a while, running ads with us for months at a time that require very little additional work. This is where scale comes into play, though it takes time to work through the rough parts before the benefits of scale start showing up. I’ll leave it to you to decide what your time is worth. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: <a href="https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/do-you-have-the-time-to-monetize-your-podcast" r
S3 E24 · Tue, August 18, 2020
Re-Humanize Your Podcast Before It's Too Late
Reading a Wikipedia entry is oftentimes incredibly boring. And that’s by design. As a repository of knowledge, it’s important to Wikipedia that they maintain a neutral point of view. But few people read Wikipedia for entertainment purposes. Humanity has a huge impact on the podcast listening experience. Though it’s a bit of an oversimplification, shows that convey their humanity to their audience tend to be better. The converse is also true: remove the humanity from a show, and the listener experience is worsened. Yes, even short-form, fact-based news programs need humanity. Podnews is an excellent illustration. Somehow, James finds a way to inject his own humanity in the narration, rather than just regurgitating headlines. It sounds human, just not long-winded. Thankfully, we don’t hear as many reporters talking about themselves in the 3rd person any longer (“This reporter was on the scene to…” 🤮). Journalists who podcast find their podcast listeners want to hear how the reporter was affected by covering the story they’re conveying on their podcast. Narrative-driven stories are better when they show the humanity of the person/people behind them. Evidence of an architect should be subtle, yet obvious. Yeah, that’s a bit of an oxymoron. We're already seeing new apps and services that encroach on our podcasting territory, finding ways to use the technical architecture of podcasting - audio files delivered to a player - with very little human interaction. And tons of scale. If these apps can make a podcast episode with a more than passible human voice out of any text found on the web, is there a need to wait for a human to do the same thing, albeit slower and with a smaller consideration set? As a podcaster, do you need to actually narrate your scripted show? Or should you leave that to software so you can get back to digging up new content for your audience and scale, scale, scale? As a human who often doomscrolls through social feeds, will you instead “doom listen” while doing the dishes if the option is available? This new “aural web” (which cannot be what we call it, please?) where the information we want is comfortably consumed via audio is going to see loads of innovation and disruption in the coming months. And it’s going to make things very difficult for podcasters who have sucked all the humanity out of their shows. I’m bullish on tech’s ability to make a passable human voice, making it quite nice to listen to just about anything. But I’m bearish on that tech’s ability to out-humanize human creativity, passion, and sincerity. Human podcasters should embrace their humanity. Yes, even the messy parts. We need not be afraid of being vulnerable on our shows. We need to be willing to express our opinion. And we need to be willing to see our opinion proven wrong. Your audience wants you to be h
S3 E23 · Mon, August 17, 2020
Podcasting With A Voice That Could Peel Paint
I really hate the catchphrase, “ I have a face for radio! ” I'm clearly a fan of self-deprecation, but there’s so much assumption wrapped up in that statement that it really irritates me. Think about the last movie or TV episode you watched. The vast majority of actors you see on the screen have non-standard appearances. Contrary to popular belief, movies and television shows are not the exclusive domain of beautiful people. In fact, beautiful people are the exception rather than the rule. Steve Buscemi is one of my favorite actors. He has a non-standard appearance and gets leading roles, not bit parts. The same goes for Bill Murray , John C. Riley , and almost every other actor. Would the shows they appear in be better if they instead had classic good looks? No, not at all. These professional working actors all share one thing in common, and it has nothing to do with their faces. It’s that they are professionals who have worked very hard to get very good at what they do. It’s the same for us, podcasters. We should each work hard at making our voice is as good as it can be. Not “as pleasant” or as “approachable”. As good as it can be. And you get to decide what “good” means. But don’t work at changing your voice. Your voice is your voice. You can’t “change” your voice any more than Bill Murray can “change” his face. With actors, it’s about learning how to use their faces. And for podcasters like us, it’s about learning how to use our voices effectively. The most important thing about a podcaster is not the tone or timbre of their voice: It’s the way they deliver words to the audience. My friend and fellow podcaster George Hrab has a song that, I feel, perfectly captures this reality. It’s called Blue Genes and is worth a listen. Yes, right now. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcasting-with-a-voice-that-could-peel-paint Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support. And i
S3 E22 · Thu, August 13, 2020
A Little Thinking On Big Podcast Stats
One of the things I lament most about podcasting is our lack of a common language around stats and performance. For the better part of 15 years now, Apple Podcasts (was: iTunes) has been the biggest app used to download podcast episodes across the board. In aggregate, they remain the leader. Thanks to aggressive moves by other big-money and big-user-base apps, the gap between Apple and it’s rivals is shrinking. But they still lead. That’s true for my show too. Since the start of Season Three, I’ve seen 33.3% of all downloads to my episodes attributed to Apple Podcasts. That’s a little small compared to the “average” podcast, but my show over-indexes with podcast power users who are less likely to use consumer-grade listening apps. (Though Apple Podcasts remains my personal listening app of choice.) Examining the same time-frame, I see that 21% of downloads were attributed to Overcast , an iOS-only app that is held up as the gold standard for power listeners of podcasts. Again, because the nature of my content and the target audience, I’m not at all surprised that I have 3x the percentage of Overcast users than an “average” podcast. At 10.3%, downloads attributed to Spotify are - pardon the pun - spot-on with the aggregate marketshare usually attributed to Spotify. The remaining 35% of downloads reflect the intentionally-diverse distribution methodology I’ve established, covering smaller podcast listening apps and browser-based requests. All normal stuff. But things get weird when I start looking at individual episode downloads. Not just random weird either. Consistently weird in the same way. Started with yesterday’s episode and ignoring any downloads to other episodes than that one, I was surprised to Apple at only 23%. Overcast accounted for almost double the downloads of that episode at nearly 40%. The weirdness didn’t stop there.The prior day’s episode also had Overcast on top and Apple trailing. The day before that also showed Overcast in the lead, again followed by Apple, albeit with a slightly narrowing gap between them. And the day before that. And the day before that. Rinse and repeat, and it was the same story with each episode. I had to go back a full 10 episodes - nearly three weeks - before Apple Podcasts finally pulled alongside Overcast for downloads of a single episode. What about Spotify, who was at 10.3% of all downloads? I don’t see see any appreciable Spotify download activity on the 10 most recent episodes of my show. Weird, right? I worry the inherent behavior of apps is so vastly different that it’s impossible to evaluate them on an even playing field. I worry the IA
S3 E21 · Wed, August 12, 2020
Do Androids Dream Of Being On Your Podcast?
Yesterday, Brian McCullough used Overdub to generate the last half of the Techmeme Ride Home episode for that day. It was an excellent side-by-side (or first-then-second) comparison of Brian’s actual voice and the Overdub recreated voice. It was eerily good. But it wasn’t perfect . For advancements in this area, perfection is approached on an asymptotic curve, and the uncanny valley is quite deep. But it’s good enough for podcasters to make use of today without taking us humans out of the equation. Here’s how: A New Podcast Ad Format - Beyond host-read, pre-produced, and producer-read ads, any podcast could effectively have a custom voice-over “person” ready to kick out ads at any time. Customized Canned Content - Having “canned” intros and outros save time during the production process. But there’s a tradeoff for the convenience: they can’t be customized. Uness your voice talent is made of silicon, that is. Tweak the text a bit, feed it to the system, and you have episode-by-episode customizations to your intro, your outro, and any relevant parts in between. Best of all; they sound human. Localizing Podcast Episodes - How many more people could your podcast reach if it was available in a different language? So far, it’s taken a lot of money and time to localize podcast content. But if your voice-talent pool is silicon-based, you can spend all of your time getting the localized script perfect in that language, and leave it to the system to generate the audio. Non-Critical Narrative Bits - Sometimes, a solo-effort narrative episode would be made better if there were other voices were adding color to portions of the episode that otherwise sound “flat”. Can you give those bits to the AI to have a convincingly-human voice on those instead of yours? Giving Voice To NPCs In Podcast Fiction - At the risk of being accused of taking money out of the mouths of hard-working voice actors, some of small, single-line parts in a podcast fiction story could be synthesized on smaller productions that lack the budget to pay for a narrator on every single part. I have no plans of turning Podcast Pontifications over to an android anytime soon. I’d lose a big part of my daily therapy if I did that! Nor do I think you should worry (or dream) about this tech getting so good that your own voice is no longer required. But if you decide to use an AI as your co-host, I totally want to listen. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: <a href="https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/do-androids-dream-of-being-on-your-podcast" rel="
S3 E20 · Tue, August 11, 2020
Saying No To Podcasting Jobs & Yes To Podcaster Relationships
You’ve developed some valuable podcasting skills that others - individuals or companies - might be willing to pay for. And they might as well pay you , right? But that’s not the only way to work. You can, if you choose, invest in an opportunity to work with someone on their podcast. Without fail, I triage every inbound business contact through this binary lens. Contrary to what self-described life coaches or business gurus will tell you, this isn’t a pass/fail decision flow. I’m quite happy to take purely business transactions and provide quality podcasting services to my happy clients in exchange for their money. I’m equally as happy to provide similar (if not the same) services as an investment toward an opportunity that might develop in the future. With the gift of hindsight, I can confidently say that out of all the clients I’ve lost or fired, none have been a surprise. I knew at the very beginning of the relationship that I probably shouldn't take the job. Sometimes you take jobs you can do but don’t really want to do. There’s no shame in that. So don’t beat your self up when the money starts looking less attractive. Fire them (when you can) and move on. For every “well that worked out nice!” story I have, there are two or three that never panned out. That’s why the biggest rule in investment (or gambling) is to never gamble (or invest) more money than you can afford to lose. I don’t lament the hours lost. Sunk costs are just that. Focus on what you learned from the deal that didn’t pan out and move on. On occasion, truly uncertain opportunities present themselves. Maybe the client is way too big for you, but they still want to talk. Maybe you can’t figure out the podcasting angle, but they’re terribly excited about an audience you’ve never considered and know nothing about. Or maybe you’re invited to a lunch meeting (if we ever have lunch meetings again) because someone you respect wants you to meet with someone else they respect sight-unseen. I’m quite good at sizing up opportunities. But I know the world beyond my bubble of influence is filled with opportunities I can’t see. When a window beyond my immediate world opens, I have to look through it. Don’t you? I might specialize in podcasting, but I’m a generalist, with a broad set of skills that enable me to plug into almost any podcasting project at any stage. However, there are certain aspects of the podcasting process I can do, but really don’t want to do. For example, I can confidently state that social media management for podcasts, while something I can do, is something I don’t ever want to do. In contrast, there are lots of podcasting services I’m offering to clients that I don’t want to do forever , like post-production work. Yes, my firm obviously provides post-production work as part of our services, we no longer offer post-production as an ala
S3 E19 · Mon, August 10, 2020
Surviving The Balkanization Of Podcasting
You’ve likely heard the news the administration of these United States is putting the squeeze on Tencent, a company from China that runs or has an interest in the social apps TikTok and WeChat. I don’t know what ownership stakes Tencent has in podcasting. And at least for the purposes of this article, I’m not fretting Americans’ loss of access to TikTok or Wechat. But it does allow for a great framing to talk about what balkanization could do to podcasting as we’ve known it for the last 16 years. Countries get to decide what will and will not happen inside their borders. They also control what travels through their borders. Take, for instance, India’s stance against content flagged as “Explicit” in Apple Podcasts. According to my friend Rob Walch from Libsyn (and I’ve zero reasons to doubt the veracity of his claim), if you flag even a single episode of your podcast as explicit, the entire show will not be displayed to users of Apple Podcasts in India. The current administration’s beef with TikTok and China’s retaliation could just be the opening salvos in an ill-fated battle of wills that could both escalate and spread to other countries. It’s the ramifications of the retaliations that concerns me. There are a few podcasting apps that have Chinese connections. Will they get caught up in the purge? And will China in turn block podcasting apps owned by American companies? Or will either country (or both countries) place onerous demands on tech companies, making it too arduous to operate, resulting in self-imposed geo-banning? When the citizens or subjects of a country are no longer able to use a popular podcast app to listen and/or find new content, they won’t stop listening to podcasts. They’ll find another app that does work in their country. Are your podcasts listed in that new app? My go-to-source for relevant podcast directories and apps is maintained by James Cridland of Podnews.net . Check out his aptly titled page “ How to add your podcast to every directory ” and make sure your shows are listed on all of those places. And if not, fix it! My globalist leanings are on full display, but I think it’s important that your podcast be available everywhere and to everyone, regardless of how their government feels about your government. Furthermore, I think it’s important that podcasters continue to grow their audiences outside of the base where their current advertisers want impressions. To think otherwise is anathema to me, and rather short-sighted. --
S3 E18 · Thu, August 06, 2020
Podcasting Conversations Worth Fighting Over
I had three difficult conversations yesterday. With each, I knew what I was getting into, so I had a little time to prepare. Before the fight gets too heated, or as quickly as possible can once the heat is on, I orient myself on understanding the worst that can happen. But not doom-and-gloom outcomes that aren’t probable. One way to avoid catastrophic thinking is to reframe it: What is the least acceptable outcome - to you - that can come from this? Looked at from this perspective, the range of possible outcomes quickly narrows. Most often, the least acceptable outcome is a severing of the relationship. For me, losing a client - and the revenues they bring in - is the least acceptable outcome. But it is still acceptable . Sometimes the difficult conversation isn’t with a client, but with the people we work with on the podcast. Maybe our cohost. Maybe a producer. Or maybe someone else who works behind the scenes. Once again, you need to know the least acceptable outcome before you do anything. As before, it might mean a severing of the relationship. And maybe that means you’re the one who leaves. That’s OK, as long as you have it as your least acceptable outcome. Clearly, if you own (or think you own) the show or a portion of it, then it’s a lot tougher for you to see leaving as the least acceptable, but still acceptable, outcome. But it’s not always easy to walk away or show someone the door. One of the biggest challenges is entanglement. Before you unleash your least acceptable outcome, you need to think about the pain and suffering you’ll go through just getting them out of your system and processes. If you’ve done some really dumb things like tied all clients together in a single hosting account, getting an ex-client’s show out of there is going to take effort and probably continued conversations with someone you don’t like working with! Similarly, if you need to fire someone from the team, how much havoc can they do until you get them unplugged? Do you have a plan for rescinding access - all access - in a moment’s notice? If not, you should. For either situation, what sorts of written agreements exist, and what do they say about terminating the relationship? Is there a time-dependency that requires 30-days notice, for example? What about payments - future or past - owed or un-invoiced? And who owns what? Gaming this out now will save you a lot of headaches in the future. Not everyone has the luxury of kicking out a pain-in-the-ass client. When a client is responsible for 50% or 90% or 100% of your revenues, it may seem impossible to show them the door. Fortunately for me, my client roster is broad enough that I can survive the loss of a problem client. I’ve worked hard to eliminate every scrap of unnecessary entanglement precisely because of this reality. That allows me to quickly cut ties. Not every working podcaster is in a similar position of privilege, I understan
S3 E17 · Tue, August 04, 2020
Getting The Podcasting Band Back Together Again
Podcasting and co-working is on my mind once again. Yes, in the middle of a pandemic where getting together in close proximity is a terrible idea. Noted. But there’s a huge supply of commercial real estate driving down rents, and we’re finding ways to manage life with the virus. I’m in no way saying things will go back to the way things were anytime soon (if ever), but we will emerge from isolation sooner or later, probably with a reimagined set of social norms. Perhaps with that comes a reimagining of shared spaces that work well for podcasters? Now might be a great time to start that planning, as it’ll take a while. I've been thinking about a few different ways to build a shared podcasting space. The easiest and most obvious the standard co-working space. But for podcasters! Other than good sound conditioning and dedicated sound booths, our needs aren’t all that different from others who use traditional co-working spaces. Maybe your re-imagined podcasting space is designed to run a collective podcasting business? Like-minded podcasters could pool their resources and skills together, providing complimentary services to one another or to third parties. It could be good for getting a group edit (very different than editing audio) on a clip or episode. Or the other members of the collective could help push and promote content from other members. Or there’s the classic startup incubator model podcasters could follow, testing the “legs” of a podcast idea, as well as its sustainability. A podcast incubator would need to provide time and expertise to those being incubated, which means the incubator needs seasoned podcasters from multiple disciplines to make it run. Oh, and money. Running a podcast accelerator would mean a cohort of podcasts go through a set curriculum or program to help them grow really big. In exchange for valuable services that precipitate that growth, the “owner” of the accelerator takes an ownership stake in those podcasts. Everyone’s skin is in the game. As enamored as I am by the idea of running some sort of podcasting co-working space, I also know reality is oftentimes a lot less glamorous. Lofty ideals aside, it comes down to the ability to create a place that offers things that podcasters either can't get or would pay too much to get on their own. Co-working spaces that only exist to get stir crazy people out of the houses don’t stay around long. To be successful, a co-podcasting space will have to be both cheaper and more convenient. Not either/or. It must be both less expensive and more convenient than going at it alone. So that minor (kidding) hurdle aside, I do like the idea of getting the podcasting band back together. Maybe next year? ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: <a href="https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/getting-the-podcasting-band-back-together-again" rel="noopener noreferrer" ta
S3 E16 · Mon, August 03, 2020
Correcting Your Authentic Podcasting Voice
Human’s climb up the evolutionary lateral ladder may have given us the twinkling lights of the heavens, but we still don't want people to see us until we are ready for us to be seen. Our true and authentic face, hair, or body has probably only been witnessed by a select number of people with which we have an intimate relationship. For everyone else; we wear pants. Almost everyone in every culture around the world contributes at least some portion of their income to industries with the express purpose of repressing our authentic self to the world. Grooming and clothing are basic necessities of life. Almost everyone on the planet is willing to spend money to make sure that we look better than our authentic selves for almost every interaction with the outside world. So why don’t we make the same decisions when it comes to our voice? While we can’t change our physiology to make drastic changes to our voice, we certainly can enhance our voice to make it more publicly pleasing. Just like we have the option to comb our hair instead of living with bed-head, we can do the equivalent with our voice and exercise some control of how it is presented to the world. The voice I hear in my headphones as I record Podcast Pontifications is different than the voice you hear from your earbuds when you listen to my episodes. Specifically, my voice has gone through six filters -- the same six filters, using the exact same settings -- before you hear it. I use presets in my own audio recording the same way I use presets in my grooming routine. I mostly brush my hair the same way every day. My eyebrows get bushy in the same spot (yeah, I pluck my eyebrows), and the same spots on my face need the same application of foundation to make me less splotchy. Oh, and I almost always wear pants. And I always wear pants the exact same way. But thanks to this global pandemic, our in-person interactions are starting to resemble broadcast radio/TV a lot more. Our meetings -- for business or for pleasure -- are on Zoom. And while we spend plenty of resources making sure we and our environment look great on camera, we’re leaving our voice to fend for itself. I wouldn’t show up on camera without running a comb (or at least my fingers) through my hair, putting on a shirt (hey, it’s hot in AZ), turning on my ring light, and tuning my webcam settings, I probably shouldn’t be sending out a “clean” signal of my voice. My prediction: We’ll see a shift toward pre-processing of our authentic voices as we try to better control how our authentic voices sound when leaving our environment. If I want to make sure my authentic voice is the authentic voice I want to be out in the world, I’m going to have to make a hardware investment. And that’ll probably change how I produce podcasts from now on. Because I want to be the one who controls my authentic voice before it’s released to the wild. Do you? ----- Read th
S3 E15 · Thu, July 30, 2020
Confronting Your Podcast's Avatar From The Inside
Think about the two audiences your podcast serves: Your avatar (a stand-in for your larger audience) and you, the creator. Troubles arise when we see those two audiences as distinctly different from each other, each with different wants and needs. But when we overlap those two like a Venn diagram, we find power in the overlap. The more those two circles overlap, the more power we have. The things you say (or allow to be said) on your program are clearly important elements. But there’s more to audience/host alignment than just agreeing on content. Things like... Show Format -The format of your podcast, from cold-open to fading outro music and all the parts between, has a lot to do with its success, failure, or stagnation. Chances are, the current format of your show is something you wanted. Something you then imposed on your audience. Remember, the number of hours a month your audience spends listening to you is a but a fraction of the number of hours they spend listening to other podcasts. So you have be in the audience. Yes, that means listening to your own episodes every time they come out just like a listener does. But it also means listening to other shows to see if there are new or better formats your audience is aware of... but you are not . Cadence - Are you publishing new episodes on a cadence that works for you, for your audience, or for both? Yes, weekly is a common standard. But how true to that are you really? Thoughts like “What if I released an episode every five days?” or “ Maybe I should drop a just-for-fun episode the same day I’m releasing my last episode of the month?” violate your established cadence, and require careful consideration before implementation. If you’re finding it difficult to see a chaotic release cadence might negatively impact your audience, then your perspective is still from the outside looking in. Non-audio elements of your podcast - Encouraging, or at least enabling, your audience to consume your podcast without listening to the audio files seems anathema. But not everyone can listen, yet they still want the content you make. Thinking from inside your audience with that perspective, you absolutely should accommodate. Live video, edited video, fully-written article, carefully crafted email newsletter… those are just some of the formats you can adapt to your audience’s advantage.o me. Personally speaking, I want to give my audience every chance to digest the things I have to say, however they want. To me, that’s part of being a creator. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/confronting-your-podcasts-avatar-from-the-inside <a href="https://podcastpontifications.com/" rel
S3 E14 · Wed, July 29, 2020
How Do Podcasters Recapture The Ones That Got Away?
A note of caution before we begin: This was not the topic I had planned to cover on today’s episode. But my brain went on a tangent 15 minutes before showtime, and it’s kind of in control of what I do. So here we are, pontificating on the fly! One of the cool features Captivate.fm offers (I promise this is not a commercial for Captivate.fm, though I am on their Advisory board) is some insight into the number of unique individuals who have ever downloaded an episode of your podcast. It’s not a secret that some people will listen once to an episode of a podcast and never listen again. Better said, a lot of people will download an episode of a podcast once, never to download another episode or that podcast again. Harsher reality: They might never even listen to the file they downloaded. I’m going to share with you the numbers of unique downloaders for my show. Actual, real numbers. Not indexes. No rounding up. The real numbers from today. But I need you to understand that “unique downloaders” is not the same as the number of unique downloads. Advertisers care about unique downloads of episodes where their ads appear. Podcast owners, showrunners, producers, or others who work on the program should care more about the total number of unique people the show reaches. And it’s the latter I care most about and find most puzzling. Today’s unique downloaders: 22 - Unique downloaders today doesn't mean a lot to me. I suppose it might give me some insight into how many die-hard fans await new episodes with bated breath each day. But it’s probably too narrow of a window to make much of a difference to me. Yesterday’s unique downloaders: 148 - This timeslice is a little more interesting. It’s helping me understand the scale of my “subscribers” or the dedicated people who grab an episode -- either automatically or intentionally -- the day it’s published. But even though I produce a daily show, this is probably a too narrow timeslice for me to focus on. Last 7-Days unique downloaders: 399 - This is the first viable candidate for a metric that answers the question: Is my show growing? For me, it directionally lines up pretty well with my average 7-day downloads my episodes see, which is about half of that. I just wish I had a historical chart to examine so I could track change over time. Something for the suggestion box! Last 28-Days unique downloaders: 755 - On the surface, this seems to be a better candidate than 7-Days for the proxy metric for audience size. It’s a big enough timeslice to get all the stragglers in there as well as a few opportunistic listeners. But it’s also starting to point out the problem implied in today’s topic: 755 different people downloaded at least one of my episodes in the last 28 days. Roughly speaking, one half of them didn’t keep downloading.
S3 E13 · Tue, July 28, 2020
Are Video Podcasts Back From The Dead?
Podcasting and video were never a perfect fit. Video podcasting been tried and mostly failed for years. Some audio producers who pre-date podcasting -- radio personalities -- have had accompanying video programs for some time. That fact wasn’t lost on the first wave of OG podcasters (Hi, Todd !) who’ve built video recording into their podcast production processes. And while I know that some of the video shows of podcasters are rather successful, video podcasting never really became a widespread thing. Unless we’re purposely creating video content designed to be consumed in video places, ala YouTube. When we do tailor our video efforts specifically for video channels, it can work fairly well. There’s also outside pressure form live video services and platforms. Not just Twitch, but also live video on LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and just about every other social platform. But all the while, those podcasters that dabble in video are treating these new platforms as something different than their podcast episodes. With a few notable exceptions, successful video efforts from podcasters took something more than just turning the camera on while they recorded an episode. Then the pandemic hit, normality went out the window, and many of us found ourselves suddenly on or watching video quite a lot. Some live video platforms, either serendipitously or opportunistically, quickly rolled out features like virtual backgrounds that might have seemed frivolous in normal times. Now, instead of your cluttered kitchen in the background, you could make it look like you were dialing into your conference call from anywhere. The proverbial pump had been primed if you will. A few weeks days ago (time is dilated), big- spender Spotify continued their efforts to upset podcasting’s Apple cart when they announced a select group of their original Spotify-exclusive podcasts would be available in video. I hesitate to call the a “video versions” of the podcast episodes… because that's not really what they are. The video and the audio are two sides of the same coin. They aren’t versions , per se. They’re kind of the same thing. Whether you watch the episode or you listen to the episode, you get the same experience from the episode. More interesting is the seamless switching between watching and listening. If you start watching at home and then get in your car (like you have anywhere to drive to in the middle of a pandemic), the episode seamlessly switches to Spotify’s in-car app, but only with the audio, exactly where you left off. And when you arrive at your destination and want to resume watching the episode, it just works. I’m not qualified to speak on how complex the tech puzzle really is. But I am qualified to tell you that it’s really, really hard to make content that works well both audio and video form for those
S3 E12 · Mon, July 27, 2020
Solving Podcasting's Linear Listening Problem
Thanks to an episode of Desert Oracle I discovered an Arizona-based band called Giant Sand . After making a list of all the people I wanted to yell out for not introducing me to this band when I first arrived in Arizona back in 1997, I was struck by the difference in how music is presented to new listeners in 2020 versus how podcast episodes are presented to the uninitiated. Rather than presenting me with the most recent track released by the band or making me wade through a list of the ~30lbums they’ve released, the app made it very easy to listen to the very best -- most popular -- tracks from that band. And I loved that. On the home screen of most podcast apps, they do present podcasts based on popularity. But that’s the entire podcast. Which episode should a person brand new to that podcast start with? And which episode after that? Imagine a podcast app working more like the music streaming apps. Someone tells you of a new show and you search for that show by name on your listening app. This imaginary helpful app then presents to you the very best episodes of that show for you to listen to first, allowing you to quickly confirm the recommendation given was right for you. That’s a very different world than we live in today, podcasters. No, this is not going to work for all types of podcasts. Time-sensitive episodes that cover “the news” or current events like The Daily or Geek News Central have shelf lives that expire in single-digit days. Serial podcasts like Serial or Valence must be presented in order from the first episode. But this concept is perfect for timeless, evergreen podcast content, Shows like Sleep With Me or The Snooze Button each have favorite or stand-out episodes. For those shows and the vast swath of the podosphere that is also timeless content the forced adherence to linear episode consumption in apps runs counter to what music app developers have figured out. As I've said previously on this show, <stro
S3 E11 · Wed, July 22, 2020
Fighting Against The Hateful Side Of Podcasting
Call me being too woke, P.C., a social justice warrior, a part of cancel culture, or whatever you like. But I think it’s high time we podcasters started taking some responsibility for the hate speech that’s littered around our podcasting playground. And make the decision to be a part of the cleanup process. But when it comes to hate speech, I’m not really interested in the “how do we identify what is truly hate speech” discussions. Anyone entering that argument with a dictionary in hand is just a [beep] trying to hide behind words. This isn’t a free speech issue. I’m a big fan of free speech. In the United States of America and many, many other countries, we have the right to free speech. But that right extends only to governmental restrictions on our free speech. Uncle Sam can’t stop someone from saying hateful shit. But individuals and corporations can show that same asshole the door . I have an idea on how we can start to make a dent in the problem unique to podcasting. The concept isn’t difficult to grasp. And, frankly, not all that controversial to anyone without “Esq.” on their business card. Here it is: Podcast hosting companies need to state -- loudly and succinctly -- that they will not stand for hate speech on their platforms. That’s it. Because the question of “Do we want to support hate speech on our platform?” really has only one reasonable answer. Purveyors of hate speech know what they’re peddling and are always on the lookout for places that seem welcoming to their hate. Podcast media hosting companies that make a clear and concise statement will see those purveyors of hate to move on, hopefully occupying smaller and smaller portions of the internet. For our part, we can -- and should -- report hate content to the hosting companies when we find it. It’s not hard to figure out which hosting company serves the media file. And if the hosting company fails to respond to our complaint or hides behind a legal shield, refusing to take action, we can show that hosting company the door ourselves. It’s really, really easy to move podcast hosting platforms. I assure you I’m not taking vague aim at any one hosting platform. This is a systemic problem that every podcasting hosting company needs to address. Chances are, every single podcast hosting company is unknowingly hosting hate speech on their platform. So every podcast hosting company needs to take action. Let’s ignore the slippery slope for now. Because right now, we need to crawl up to the top of the slope and strongly encourage our podcast media hosting companies to take a stand against hate. And that’s not a stance any reasonable, rational person should be afraid of taking. (Except, maybe, for lawyers. But that’s their problem. And job, as a matter of fact.) ----- Read the full article and share with a friend
S3 E10 · Tue, July 21, 2020
Podcasting For Goodness' Sake
How do you justify working with a charity who needs your valuable podcasting skills… but can’t pay you the rate that you deserve? I firmly believe that we working podcasters should be compensated for our efforts. We’ve invested in ourselves to develop skillsets, and we should not devalue that or ourselves by giving away our services for free. Nor should we undercharge. But there are worthy organizations out there that could use your professional podcasting help. It’s just unlikely that those worthy organizations can afford to pay you the same rate as you’re able to charge commercial entities. Let’s examine a few ways around that challenge, shall we? You could “tithe” your time. 10% of a 40-hour week is four hours. Can you carve out a morning or an afternoon once a week? My preference is to invoice the charitable organization at the same rate I invoice my other clients. But I add a discount line item (much, much more than 10%) to bring the final invoice amount down to a number that fits within the charity’s modest operating budget. This shows the true value of what they’re getting, and makes the conversation easier when one of the founders or funders askes for a podcasting proposal for their business. Bonus: There might be positive tax ramifications when working with charities. So definitely check with your tax pro and/or your bookkeeper about the possible tax implications of providing your valuable professional services either at a significant discount or for free. Maybe you need some help to do this? If this idea of doing some podcasting for good appeals to you, you might need to build out a small (or large) team of other working podcasters who complement your skillset. It’s important to find people you like working with as much as it is important to find organizations you can all get behind. Imagine what good you could do if you could talk 10 other skilled podcasters to tithe 10% of their time for a worthy cause you can all work on. You could also buy me a virtual coffee at BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra . It’s an inexpensive way to donate to the cause of making podcasting better. No, your donation isn’t tax-deductible. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcasting-for-goodness-sake Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is designed to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner
S3 E9 · Mon, July 20, 2020
The End of Podcasting's Direct-Relationship Model Is In Sight
Spotify and Pandora are coming to podcasting with more than just bags of money. They're coming with teams of data scientists and fiduciary responsibility to make money. That's going to upset the Apple cart. For 16 years, we’ve had only the most tenuous of grasps on the actions and desires of our audience. Advertisers know our understanding is incomplete, so they make us use special coupon code unique to our show. But at least we owned those direct relationships, right? That model may be on its last legs, thanks to Spotify and Pandora. Until now, the “keep people listening” incentive hasn’t been a big factor in any of the podcast listening apps/services/directories. But with Spotify and Pandora, “keep people listening” is directly tied to their bottom line. They are financially incentivized to suggest different content to you depending on location, time of day, interests, even your current mood. You could argue that we podcasters have been trying to keep people listening to our shows all along. And I’d argue that we’ve largely failed at those attempts. Barring the occasional binge-listen (which I’ve certainly done), we just don’t get much support from the current app offerings. Yes, we can (and do) create compelling content our listeners want to keep consuming. But ultimately, it’s up to the listener to decide if we’ve succeeded in our efforts. Every aspect of that power dynamic will be impacted once the data scientists from Spotify and Pandora dig into actual, real consumption of podcast content. Because they’ll own the entire stack from hosting, to directory, to listening app; their data scientists will have unique insight into the behavior of listeners -- actual listeners -- across a myriad of podcasts and episodes. The power of that extensive graph should not be underestimated. It’s an inevitability that a significant portion of podcast consumption on Spotify and Pandora will not require a conscious choice from the listener. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if choice-less listening is how most listening happens on those platforms. Isn’t that a scary thought? There are lot of ways this could go bad, as I’m sure many people will soon tell me about on Twitter . But what they see as bad might actually be seen as good by the choice-less listener. But painting an inevitable future as good or bad isn’t helpful. It’s still coming. And it will be different than what we have today. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-end-of-podcastings-direct-relationship-model-is-in-sight Podcas
S3 E8 · Thu, July 16, 2020
The Inevitable Dismantling Of Podcast Directories
A trend towards disintermediation in podcasting has been quietly developing for years. It leaves me wondering when, not if, the big apps, namely Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, and Google Podcasts, will disintermediate a mainstay of podcasting; podcast media hosting companies. Just today, Apple released a new exclusive podcast called Apple News Today . That this new show isn’t being published to other apps/directories isn’t surprising. What is surprising is that Apple isn’t using a podcast media hosting company to host this podcast. (Thanks for tracking that down, Dan !) Which means that, at least in part, Apple had to build their own podcast media hosting service to make this happen. And if they dedicated precious developer resources to do this, they must have designs on hosting more podcast audio content directly. Hosting content directly gives apps/directories a lot more flexibility than relying on media files hosted elsewhere. We already see that here: Apple News Today is pushed out to the Apple News app. And it might make sense to be made available in other Apple-owned destinations -- apps, operating systems, etc. -- in the future. Spotify is marching quickly down the exclusive path. And as with Apple, Spotify isn’t going to spend the development resources to build a podcast media hosting service unless they plan on doing more. The cost of hosting and serving podcast media files and is, at least for these power players, pretty low. And having exclusive shows on their respective platforms is nice, but it’s just the start of what they can do when they host and serve podcasts directly. Imagine for a moment, a different world without podcast hosting companies. In this alternate universe, podcasters would log into Apple Podcasts Connect and upload the media file directly to Apple, filling out a form and supplying additional content Apple could use to publish the episode across Apple’s ecosystem. Then the podcaster would do the same for Spotify, Pandora, Amazon and whoever else shows up, probably filling out a similar form and supplying different additional content to each, because they each do things slightly differently. But before you say, “No one would do that!” I suggest you look at ebook publishing. Because what I just described is exactly what independent publishers have to deal with. That rigamarole hasn’t slowed down ebook publishing. Right now, all the apps and directories are forced to accept the standard RSS feed. Sure, they can (and have) extended RSS feeds to accommodate special needs, like the and tags that Apple Podcasts convinced podcast hosting companies to in
S3 E7 · Wed, July 15, 2020
The Future of Closed Captions May Look Like Podcast Karaoke
Jones v Gimlet could be a landmark case and possibly a turning point for the disability community’s long-standing struggles for acceptance in podcasting. In short, the class action lawsuit claims that Gimlet Media is violating provisions of the American’s With Disability Act by not providing closed captioning services for content the podcasting company produces. Te future triggered if this class action suit prevails is of interest to everyone who listens to podcasts. Not just the 10 - 13% of the population with hearing loss . But let's talk about the elephant in the room: Podcasting is audio, not video. So exactly where would these closed captions for podcasts appear? In a podcast listening app, of course. Perhaps not Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, or Google Podcasts. Although they might quickly follow, I think it takes someone creating a podcast listening app that is designed for people with hearing loss -- even those who are completely deaf. Before you get too twisted up in tech hurdles, I remind you that captions already appear on our TV screens for live sporting events, local news programs, or a national broadcast from the Rose Garden. It should be a straightforward process to replicate those same processes and technologies to work in a dedicated podcast app on your phone. Spoiler: Descript has already implemented the technology to do this. When you hit “play” in a Descript transcript, the words highlight along with the audio, as you can see in this video: https://www.loom.com/share/efd2b1428b2f49eaad347aa6df59a992 With captions that dramatic pause you put in for effect in your audio delivery is effective in text. And it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to figure out how text treatment, like bold , italics. or emoji 💩 could be used to better communicate emphasis, subtly, or tone. Not all podcasts require “on the fly” captioning. Some of the most popular podcasts have a months-long development cycle per episode. For those, it’s not terribly arduous to imagine the development of an “official” subtitle track as part of the post-production process. For those shows, they can layer in the text treatments I mentioned to make sure they nail the tone they were looking for. But why stop there? Since someone is already designing a visual interface layered on top o
S3 E6 · Tue, July 14, 2020
Improving Your Podcast's Acquired Taste
“There is no such thing as selling out; only the chance of selling out top cheaply.” That's a quote I first heard from Dave Slusher, one of the original OG podcasters with the Evil Genius Chronicles . Acquisitions and mergers have been a part of podcasting since nearly the beginning. In recent years, with an ever-increasing portion of ad spend allocated to podcasts and the continued increase in podcasting listenership, the pace has accelerated. It’s not out of the question that you might be approached with a money-bag-holder in the near future. Historically, podcast networks have been the entity responsible for most acquisitions, and it’s generally considered a Good Thing to at least be approached by a network. And if they’re offering to pay; even better! I think we’ll see more ad rep firms start their own networks as they start commissioning and acquiring shows that make their business model work better by appeasing the needs of their customers -- the advertisers with money to spend. If they can build an owned-network of 10 different podcasts that get 1000 downloads a month, that's 10,000 downloads. Run multiple ad placements and that’s starting to approach viability. Brands might also be interested in acquiring existing podcasts, especially if there’s a hyper-focused podcast that’s a perfect match to the niche the brand occupies. While the price tag to make a big-budget branded podcast is out of the cards for most small brands, they might find benefit owning a stake of an existing, popular podcast rather than trying to build something completely original on their own from scratch. Even a show that’s been “dead” for years might be attractive. I once joined and rebooted a show that hadn’t released an episode in six years but was still seeing 2,000 - 3,000 downloads of old episodes each month. Clearly, there was an audience hungry for the content! Luckily the owner continued to pay his hosting bill each month, else we’d have missed the opportunity. There are now well over 1 million podcasts, and even though podcasting titles aren’t like domain names (there can be more than one), having a unique title is key to discovery. Would you consider a name-change to your show, knowing that your existing subscribers wouldn’t be impacted at all, if you were paid to give up your prior name? Talent is another scarcity, and one that doesn’t scale. What do you do if someone wants to acquire you? What do you do if the offer is extended to a valued member of your team? .And then there’s the nuclear option, where someone wants to buy your show… and not you. What sort of price tag would it take for you to hand over everything about your podcast to someone else and never look back? While some may actively seek out acquisition, others will be hit with a request out of the blue. Regardless, both of these paths sta
S3 E5 · Mon, July 13, 2020
Is Pandora Stitchering A Sirius Podcasting Strategy?
MarketWatch tells us SiriusXM (which means Pandora) is going to spend $265 million in cash to buy E. W. Scripps (which means Stitcher). Pandora will kick in up to $60 million of additional payments if Stitcher can achieve certain financial goals in 2020 and 2021. The Verge tells us the deal is for all the podcasting bits of the company: Stitcher, the podcast listening app and directory; Stitcher, the podcast network, which has some exclusive content and some windowed shows, which is content that comes out first exclusively on Stitcher and then days and or weeks later everywhere else; and Earwolf, the production arm of the network that makes some rather big and popular podcasts; and Midroll, the podcast advertising service. On the surface, this seems like a pretty obvious play to maintain parity with their bitter rival Spotify. But to me, it seems a bit disjointed. Finances are problematic. E. W. Scripps’ (parent company to Stitcher) share price is struggling this year, according to MarketWatch, with a drop of 43% this year. SiriusXM’s market performance isn’t much better, with a stock value down 20% thus far in 2020. And there’s a lot of overlap. Pandora already has their own advertising company and ad tech in AdsWhizz. And Stitcher’s Midroll all but lost their identity in 2018 under a Stitcher-first branding redux in 2018 . Earwolf is Stitcher’s production company making high-quality content. But Pandora also has original podcasts and exclusive deals, much as t hey announced in partnership with Marvel in 2019 . Leaving those unknowns aside, this acquisition is good news for all of us. Even with the uncertainty of the economy right now, it still shows podcasting is worthy of large investments and acquisitions. Even better: If SiriusXM takes a similar approach taken by iHeartRadio and starts using their remnant advertising inventory to drive listeners to and awareness of podcasts in their app, all podcasters win. Assuming your shows are listed on Pandora, obviously. Hopefully, this new acquisition will mean the approval process of six weeks or more shrinks to a realistic number. But we’ll see. ----- Read the full article and share with a
S3 E4 · Thu, July 09, 2020
It's Time To Address Podcasting's Facebook Problem
We podcasters have come to rely quite heavily on Facebook. From podcaster-ran support groups to the ability to quickly build a Facebook community for the listeners of your podcast to the comment sections on our websites are powered by a plugin that uses Facebook, we podcasters relegate a lot of what we do to Facebook. So what happens when Facebook goes away? I know that sounds very alarmist. But hen's the last time you updated your MySpace profile? On a long enough time scale, everything disappears or changes into something unrecognizable from its origins. July 2020 is only nine days old as of this writing, and Facebook is taking a very public beating. It failed its own civil rights audit , a two-year endeavor where Facebook-selected independent auditors struggled to find good evidence that Facebook actually wants to fix the rot happening from within. Representatives from the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, ad Color of Change met via conference call with Mark Zuckerberg, Sheryl Sandberg, and other top Facebook officials this week. Those reps left the call angrier than they were at the start , citing little in the way of substantive change and an abundance of oft-repeated platitudes from Facebook rather than actually responding to the group’s demands. Along with those PR nightmares, Facebook’s taking a financial hit this month from the #StopHateForProfit campaign as several big-ticket advertisers have stopped their ad spend on Facebook for the month. Facebook’s brand is being tarnished. And that tarnishment will spill over to people - and podcasts -- who actively use Facebook. It’s only a matter of when. I’m mostly concerned with the spill-over that tarnishes the reputations of the companies and organizations that continue to rely on and actively promote the use of Facebook. A lot of podcasts and podcasters fit that bill. The steps podcasters can take to protect themselves from the coming blowback are a little unclear to me, to be really honest with you. One option is to diversify. That's always a good idea. Never put your eggs in one basket. It’s why we podcasters distribute our shows to every single listening app, directory, or platform. So yes, you should diversify your social media presence as a podcaster and for your podcast(s). Some podcasts are trying to own the relationship with their listeners directly, reducing their reliance on social media platforms as the center of their community. This is problematic because it’s important for all podcasts and podcasters to meet people
S3 E3 · Wed, July 08, 2020
Restructuring Your Podcast To Be Advertising-Friendly
My thinking on advertising in the podcasting space is shifting. In the last few days, I’ve landed two ad deals for two clients, and one other client somehow found six different advertisers. Which means we need a strategy do deal with this windfall. So do you, probably. Your relationship with your advertisers or sponsors is fleeting. Your relationship with your audience is not. And remember: it’s your audience the advertisers want to reach. Jeopardize the relationship with your audience at your own peril. One natural place to run ads is during the natural breaks within your episode. Most shows are constructed in segments, and each segment, even on short programs like this one, could accommodate an ad. But only if it were planned. Without planning, ad drops can sound clunky and weird. And we don’t want our episodes to sound clunky or weird, do we? To avoid that, we probably need to change how we structure the various segments of our show so that our listeners aren’t wondering what the hell just happened. To make the least clunky and weird episode as possible, you need to plan it out before you plop down behind the mic or crack open your DAW. Get a whiteboard, a collaborative online document, or a piece of paper out and figure out where ads not only make sense, but where they can fit nicely. No, you don’t have to script out your entire show if you don’t want to. But you should script out the entire structure of an episode if you want to be strategic. Also: make sure your episode doesn’t sound clunky and weird when no ad or sponsor message runs. Don’t bake in “We’ll be right back after a word from our sponsors.” into your episode content to mark where you plan ads to run. Likewise, don’t bake in “And we’re back!” when you resume regular episode content. That’s an old broadcast ripoff that we really don't need in podcasting. If you're having difficulty conceptualizing how you would do this for the episodes of your podcast, I understand. So move it from concept to practice, and start “running ads” for some cause or organization that you feel is worthy of mentioning on your program. I'm recording this in late 2020, and there are a great number of worthy causes struggling to get their message out. Pick one with the values, ideals, and ambitions you can get behind… and get behind it! Not only is it a Good Thing, it’s good practice for you for when advertisers come knocking at your door. ----- Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/restructuring-your-podcast-to-be-advertising-friendly Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is designed to make podcasting better, not just easier.<
S3 E2 · Tue, July 07, 2020
Is Podcast Listening Too Big Of An Ask?
Humans tend to seek out digital content in one (or more) of three ways: 1. They trust a trusted source: People are happy to let others do the sorting for them, so long as those doing the sorting are trustworthy. The audience trusts that every day, week, month, or whatever the frequency, quality content will be delivered. This trust gives the provider a lot of latitude. A trusting audience is often a forgiving audience. Many podcasts (like mine) clearly are trying to be seen as a trusted source. We generate content not because someone specifically asked for it. Our listeners (and readers) trust us to generate the content they need to hear. 2. They seek out timely data: Even though we’re subscribed to our trusted sources, we often have immediate needs. Luckily, we all have search engines at our fingertips. But even with Google trying to insert podcast episodes in search results, this space is problematic for podcasts, especially if the nugget of information someone is looking for is buried deep inside a 45-minute episode. 3. They look for infotainment: Some knowledge requires more than a glancing exposure, and a lot of it needs a full-on deep-dive. And most of all, we humans love a good story. Properly presented, informative deep-dives can be quite entertaining. This is where podcasting can (and often does) shine, especially when it’s presented as a series of well-crafted episodes. If we make the story compelling, we can hook people into listening to a dozen episodes. But where does your podcast fit? Developing trust is easy if you already have a big following elsewhere, or are well-respected in another medium, or happen to be a celebrity. But for the rest of us without a big name or a big organization behind us, asking people to listen to or subscribe to our podcast is a very big ask.\ Producing timely data requires a great deal of effort for podcasters trying to stay in-step with the news cycle. And if you force someone to slog through your non-sequiturs or meanders before you deliver the goods 45 minutes later, then listening to your podcast is too big of an ask for someone who's looking for something very specific. Figuring out a multi-episode, seasonal arc that digs deep, with compelling storytelling at every turn until the story is fully told is really, really hard. Can you find a worthy story and make it interesting enough to keep someone listening to a dozen episodes? Because if the story isn’t that compelling, or if you cannot pull off great storytelling with every episode, then it's too big of an ask to get people to sit through all of it. Think about the kind of content you produce. Or the content you want to produce. Or the content you think you’re producing. Now think about which of the three scenarios above you’re trying to work toward with your content with one question in mind: How big is your ask? <p
S3 E1 · Mon, July 06, 2020
How You Can Exploit Podcasting's No-Code Future
There’s more to podcasting -- much more -- than editing an audio waveform. Yet the ability to manipulate an audio file remains one of the biggest stumbling blocks -- and is sometimes a non-starter -- for many podcasters and would-be podcasters. While we’ll certainly never go “no-audio” (that rather defeats the point), we might go to “no-audio-waveform-manipulation”, which arguably isn’t nearly as sexy or succinct as “no-code”, I concur. There are plenty of tools that allow you to record quickly on your mobile phone and load your ramblings to a podcast hosting company. Some of those services even allow you to mix in audio, take guests, and all the other trappings of podcasting. Those tools are not the equivalent of no-code in podcasting. Those tools, at least in their current state, are the equivalent of WYSIWIG editors from two decades ago. And I do not endorse them. “No-code” for podcasting allows us to un-relegate waveform manipulation from a chore we give to an audio engineer and make it an integral part of the episode construction process. Not that anybody can do it, mind you. Nor does it mean that the audio is automagically made perfect. Someone with a vision and a design still needs to be in charge. Listeners don’t interact with the waveform, they listen to the audio. Beyond those looking at the bouncy, squiggly line in an embeddable player or an audiogram, the visual representation of the audio -- the waveform -- is completely unnecessary to enjoy listening to the sound. Oscilloscopes were never designed as a household tool, yet here we are waving our waveform flags proudly. The audio -- not the waveform -- is the interface in podcasting. Yes, I know we have apps in the mix, but those interfaces are mostly for discovery and navigation. The real engagement happens at the listening level. Who says we need to manipulate a waveform to really design really great audio? What happens to your entire process of podcasting when you remove audio waveform manipulation as a requirement? What happens when you can go from a great idea in your head to a ready-to-publish episode without ever cracking open a DAW? The no-waveform-manipulation world is already here, and it may be right for you. ----- Read more and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/how-you-can-exploit-podcastings-no-code-future Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra and designed is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please
Trailer · Sun, July 05, 2020
Season Three Starts Now!
What can you expect from Season Three of Podcast Pontifications with me, Evo Terra? The format is strikingly familiar to Seasons One and Two. Each episode is a short-form, deep-dive into a single topic of importance to every working podcaster. These are future-forward topics that help make podcasting better. But for this season, I get a little more philosophical and high-minded. A bit more intellectual, without being pretentious. At least I hope. Where other PAPS, that’s podcasts about podcasting tell you want to do, Podcast Pontifications are good things for you to think about. Subscribe today so you don’t miss the daily episode I provide every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. 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
Bonus · Wed, June 03, 2020
It's The Institutionalized Racism, Stupid.
As a white man pushing 52 years, I have a statement to make: I am the beneficiary of institutionalized, systemic racism in this country, and I have benefited greatly from white supremacy. It’s time for me to own that. And if you look and sound like me, it’s probably time for you to own that too. There are a lot of things I can do and will do with that ownership. To start, and with the permission of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University , I’m including the first episode of Seeing White, a 14-part podcast that was the second season of Scene on Radio to the end this audio. So bear through a few minutes of my taking ownership of my role - given though it may have been - and then you’ll get the good, eye-opening content. And I hope you decide, either before or after, to listen to all 12 episodes. Yes, it’s that important. Especially if you look and sound like me. - Evo ----- Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/its-the-institutionalized-racism-stupid 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.C
S2 E310 · Tue, May 12, 2020
What To Do During Your Podcast's Season Break
I am a huge fan of breaking your podcasting efforts into seasons. And to be clear, I’m also a fan of taking long breaks between seasons. Not all of my fellow podcasting pundits agree. Many adopt the position that podcasting is akin to blogging and that new episodes should keep coming out on schedule. To them, I say: Hey, you do you. Me? I like breaks. if you’re like me and are looking for a little guidance to direct some of your chill-time activities, I have just the thing. Or ten things, rather. These are in no particular order. And if they seem a little Evo-centric, there’s a reason for that. You’ll see at the end. And to save space, I’m just putting the titles of the activities in this list. Check out the full article for more details at: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/what-to-do-during-your-podcasts-season-break Cleanup your podcast feed. Put the final touches on your website. Spend some quality time with Google Search Console. Hire a professional to help with the branding of your show. Replenish the content well. Put out bonus episodes. Lock-in guest appearances for yourself. Upgrade your equipment. Upgrade your software. Gain some perspective and relax. How practical is this list? Uber practical. So much, in fact, that I’m calling an end to Season 2 of Podcast Pontifications. Effective right now, I’m on break. Woot! Season 3 of Podcast Pontifications will begin sometime after my birthday, which is in June. I had planned on taking a break the entire month of June, but decided to advance those plans. The ideas I listed out seemed too compelling not to start right away. So keep your eyes on PodcastPontifications.com . Lots of back-episodes and articles if this is your first introduction to my show. I have 310 episodes to keep you full of ideas. Lots of changes coming to the site in the next few weeks that I’m excited to get started. In the meantime, be safe, stay well, and I shall be back soon with season three of Podcast Pontifications. ----- Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/what-to-do-during-your-podcasts-season-break Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podc
S2 E309 · Mon, May 11, 2020
Eye Can't Hear You: A Podcasting Paradigm Shift
Desktop consumption of podcast episodes is growing for the first time in… forever? Thanks to COVID-19 and the forced lockdown we’re are all having to deal with, we’re seeing people shift to consuming podcasts right on the device that’s busy blurring work-life boundaries for everyone. Some enterprising companies see this as an opportunity. That opportunity, at the risk of your eyes rolling all the way out of your skull, is a re-imagining of what was once known as “enhanced” podcasts. A new wave of technologists and interface designers are turning their sights on browser-based listening. Interactive elements like polls and surveys. Short-form video or animation. Links to more content. And yes, ad units. We’re still in the very early stages of this, but I’m intrigued by those seeking to capitalize on “more than audio” in a way that enhanced podcasting failed to do. In-car audio and display systems are nothing new, but they’re getting incrementally better. Just last week, Nielsen started talking up their initiative to help build a better navigating experience through podcast episodes when we're driving in our cars. If we ever drive in our cars again. Smart speakers with display screens are rapidly evolving as people flock to them. Interfaces and apps are getting better as designers are finding interesting ways to blend visual and audio together to create a compelling “mixed media” experience. As they have done since we transitioned away from text-only interfaces a lifetime ago. But some are designing away the visual interface completely. Smart earbuds are a wearable device that not only has no screen, but you can’t even see the device when it’s in operation. Earbuds lost their cord and gained ndividual computer chips and other electronics built right in, making them much more than simply a speaker. They are, quite literally, two computers that you stick in your ears, with plenty of sensors and input areas to bring a unique screen-less experience to listeners. These easily-misplaced gadgets are voice-aware and tightly coupled to AI-based voice assistants that continue to get smarter. It doesn’t take much imagination to see a future where we’re searching for new shows or episodes, changing the order of episode delivery, or getting recommendations on future content right from the wearable device, never having to look at or even use a screen. Which of these paradigms is going to win? Luckily, we don’t have to choose. I think we’ll see major advancements in both of these fronts, serving the very disparate needs for different types of listeners in different environments. I know my fellow long-time podcasters are likely skeptical. And I get that. But I posit to them that the environment today is vastly different than what it was a decade
S2 E308 · Thu, May 07, 2020
Feeling Conflicted About Podcasting Conferences
Many podcasters woke to an email this morning from a large podcasting conference stating that this year’s event had been pushed back by a couple of months. A few days ago, another large podcasting conference sent out an odd “pandemic or no pandemic, we’re having a physical conference, dammit!” notice. I’m supposed to attend both of those events. But... I’m conflicted. And concerned. Based on what I know right now, I don't think I'm going to go to any physical conferences or events for the rest of 2020. Barring extraordinary developments, like me having a positive antibody test, the availability and reliability of therapeutics, or a vaccine; I don't think attending a podcasting gathering of any size is worth the risk. But I’m not optimistic about replicating the physical experience virtually. pecifically, I’m not confident that trying to copy/paste the physical format into a virtual format is a good idea. Not that it can’t work. Clearly it can. But to make it keep working, we have to move beyond “replacing” and into “making a better experience”. We’re already seeing it. Some of the aspects of forced virtuality of experiences that used be physical are, indeed, better. How do you happy hour when friends are a thousand miles apart? No one shushes me when I type snarky comments to my friends in chat room while the musician is the middle of their performance on the other side of the country. Attempts to make something new with a virtual experience do excite me. Can a virtual experience lead to better educational outcomes? Can virtual events come with better biz dev opportunities? Can virtual experiences redefine what makes a successful conference? For now, count me out of all in-person events for 2020. Call me overzealous if you like, but it's where my brain is at right now. I'm curious what your plans are. Are you still going to attend? What are your restrictions or requirements for that to make sense to you? Also, this is a great time for you to educate me on what cool, new virtual experiences you’re having that are better than in-person gatherings. I’m far from well versed in this area, so let me know what I’m missing. Apologies for the ill-prepared episode. While this episode likely isn’t one you should send to a new listener, I’d still appreciate it if you would mention the show to just one person today. Thanks in advance. Not that I have you much reason to so do on this episode, but you can go to BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra and lend me a little support. Add your thoughts on my thoughts here as a comment. Or you can email me at evo@podcastlaunch.pro . ----- Share this with a friend: <a href="https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/feeling-conflicted-about-podcasting-conferences" re
S2 E307 · Wed, May 06, 2020
Putting The Simple Back In Podcast RSS Feeds
It’s not an overstatement to say podcasting would not exist without RSS feeds. But their magic and power is mostly seen by listeners for current and future episodes. As I discussed on Monday’s episode , trying to listen to extensive back catalog episodes inside of a podcast listening app is a horrid experience. But we can make it better if we think about RSS feeds from a slightly different perspective. Imagine if your local library organized books on shelves not by subject matter or author, but by the date they were acquired by the library branch. Now consider that the menu of your local restaurant isn’t a complete listing of everything in the chef’s repertoire. And think of how insane it would be to shop for clothes if you had to go through the full warehouse instead of the limited selections you see in a showroom. Generally speaking, presenting people with overwhelming choices is a bad idea. To help, creators (sellers, providers, etc) segregate content into two buckets: What We Want People To See Right Now Other Options We’ve Moved Out Of The Way As To Not Overload People With Too Many Choices So why don’t we do the same? The List Of Episodes We Want To Display To New And Current Listeners Well-organized Archived Or Back-catalog Content For Listeners Who Want To Dig We can do this with current RSS feeds. And we can do it in a way that’s not confusing to listeners. This requires some strategic thinking on the part of podcasters. How “full” should your main RSS feed be? How do you decide where to break content? Do you need more than one archive feed? Here’s one way I could do it for this show: Podcast Pontifications: Season 3 Podcast Pontifications: Season 2 (July 2019 - May 2020) Podcast Pontifications: Season 1 (July 2017 - June 2019) If you don’t do seasons, then what about years? Here’s mine again as an example, breaking out feeds by years would look like this in directories or apps: Podcast Pontifications Podcast Pontifications Archive: 2019 Podcast Pontifications Archive: 2018 Podcast Pontifications Archive: 2017 That looks nice! But it also might lead you to make a bad decision. Never make a new RSS feed for your next season or the next year. If you make a new feed for new content, people will have to subscribe to that new feed. You do not want to ask people to subscribe to a new feed. Because most -- the vast majority -- will not. That’s the opposite of “frictionless”. Instead, you’re just renaming your main feed and removing content from it to fill up the “new” archived feeds which you’ll submit to the appropriate directories. You may also try adding a season-ending trailer to yo
S2 E306 · Tue, May 05, 2020
Busting The Myth Of Podcast Exceptionalism
It’s getting easier every day to make a podcast. Yet the act is shrouded in a sea of exceptionalism. Not from the general public or a pool of would-be-listeners. No, the shroud of exceptionalism I’m speaking of comes from within the podcasting community. Podcasting has always had a strong sense of community among creators. For every podcaster who views other podcasters as competition, I can find a dozen who view other podcasters as comrades in arms. Or pick a less-militaristic metaphor if you like. The point is, we tend to be a supportive bunch. So we’re clear: I'm not suggesting that it be made harder to create a podcast. I’m not suggesting that we institute gatekeepers who determine who can and who cannot have a podcast. I'm just saying (and I hate sentences that start with that phrase) that the act of having a podcast is not exceptional. Podcasting isn’t the only creative art where that harsh statement applies. I'm a published author with five books to my credit. I know that it’s often hard, scary, and frustrating to write a book. But writing the book -- the first draft, especially -- wasn't anything exceptional. The same goes for photographers, artists, and every other creative person out there. None of those creative pursuits require exceptionalism. Having a community to turn to sure is helpful when you’re just getting started and doubting yourself. A lot. Luckily for those who need it, there are podcast-specific support communities and community-minded people all over the internet. But there’s a dark underbelly in all that collective high-fiving. It’s easy to assume that since all these nice people in this community are gushing with praise that every new person who listens to your podcast will also be amazed at your exceptional output. They won’t. Because, chances are, your podcast is not exceptional. This big kumbaya hug we’ve developed in the podcasting community -- of which I've been a part of and encouraged -- is vexing. I’m concerned that we’re confusing worthy-of-effort with worthy-of-praise. And I think that even the most community-forward podcaster feels the same way and reacts with dismay when, after getting lavish praise for an early effort, the newbie podcaster wants to move immediately to promotion and monetization. Sturgeon's law applies in all things, and no one likes to discover that their baby is ugly. But who’s to say what constitutes a beautiful baby? Again, you decide. If you find podcasting hard, rewarding, and fun for you; keep podcasting. There’s plenty of room. Just remember that making a podcast is nothing special. Hundreds of thousands of people have done it. I know this article was a little harsh. But sometimes harsh things need to be said. No, I don’t think you should send this episode to a brand new podcaster just because you didn’t like their first episode. That’s just mean. But I do hope that you’ll share Podcast Pontification
S2 E305 · Mon, May 04, 2020
Podcast Episode Management For Tomorrow [Episode 305]
Today, podcast subscribers only have two options when it comes to consuming available episodes: start from the most recent episode and work backward, or start from the very first episode and work forward. Neither of those is very attractive for a show with 3,700 episodes. At that scale, the limitations of podcasting’s inherited sort-by-date and distributed architecture become glaring. Even if podcast owners use a mix of web analytics, media hosting company downloads, and consumption data to make a rudimentary recommendation engine, those efforts are moot once someone becomes a subscriber. There the experience is controlled by the app developer, and we’re back to date-sorting. It’s messy, even if you don’t have a thousand episodes. There are over 300 episodes of this show. Sorry, new subscriber. Your only in-app option is to work your way from the start or from the most recent and go backward. Neither of those seems attractive. Date-sorting works for some podcasts, sure. And the good news is that we’ll probably never see that go away. “By date” is useful enough on every show. But it’s not the most useful way to present listening choices. If I went over to your house and I looked at the books on your bookshelf, I would not find your books organized by publication date, right? I imagine a future where smart earbuds change the game. Thanks to the growing adoption of smart speakers, we’re becoming more accustomed to using voice assistants during our day. These voice assistants listen to us. Perhaps they can listen to the episodes we’re enjoying, stepping in when one has ended and making a recommendation of what we should listen to next? While I can barely remember what my episodes were about last week, AI-powered tech should be able to store contextual information on a much larger scale. That’s the direction we think Google is taking with its integration with Google Search. And Google’s voice search continues to improve. So it doesn’t take a crystal ball or corporate espionage to see where that’s headed. Curmudgeons may disagree and privacy wonks will sound the klaxons, but a future where deciding on what episode to listen to next is truly a hands-off experience guided by a smart device is rather interesting. And a bit obvious. Speaking of interesting futures, I’m visualizing you, right now, going to BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra and, you know, buying me a coffee. I’m also envisioning you making a phone call or sending an email to one podcaster you know and telling them about Podcast Pontifications. Word-of-mouth efforts are really what spreads an ultra-niche show like this, so thank you in advance. ----- Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifica
S2 E304 · Thu, April 30, 2020
Should You Join Or Form A Podcast Network?
I’m diving into this topic at the suggestion of a Podcast Pontifications listener, Arnie Chapman . He's the host of The Football History Dude podcast. He responded to my call for lockdown stories (Yes, I want your story too. More info at the end of this article.) from podcasters thusly: Oddly enough, the lockdown and stay-at-home orders have been a positive experience for me and my podcast. Because am I one of the many people who are working from home, I'm able to be much more flexible when it comes to scheduling guests. Rather than asking guests to adapt to a limited window of available interview times, I’m able to record whenever they have time. It’s much easier for me to plan my work around their schedule since I’m working from home. I’m also using the additional time working from home gives me to pursue a dream of creating a sports history podcast network. I'm going to collect all sorts of different sports history podcasts under the same domain. In the email that accompanied the media file, Arnie asked me to pontificate on podcast networks. So that’s what I'm going to do. In general, I’m a fan of podcast networks and I love the concept. Anytime creators with similar ideas, opinions, content, and target audiences can collaborate, something good always tends to come out of the other end. On rare occasions, just being associated with the network is enough. But for the vast majority of situations, you need to get something out of this deal. And almost always, you’ll be asked to give a little too. What sort of promotional boost will your podcast get when you join the network? What are your obligations to promote other shows in the network on your program? What about media file hosting? Will you need to move from your existing podcast hosting company over to their hosting company? Who pays for that? What about the migration process? Will making the move cause your listeners to have a thousand new downloads of episodes they’ve already listened to? Will the network help you write episode details or articles? Do they have an audio engineer that can do the final polish? Will you be assigned a producer or maybe a production assistant to help with concepts or bookings? How will your current monetization efforts be impacted? Can you keep your paid supporters? Can you keep your current advertisers without sharing a portion of that income? And how much of the action will the network take for all of this? There's a lot to think about before joining a network or starting one. At the end of it all, you need to decide if your show is better as a part of a network or as a solo effort. A well-crafted network, whether you're joining one or forming one -- should provide obvious benefits. At e
S2 E303 · Wed, April 29, 2020
Today's Podcasting Innovations Will Impact Your Show Tomorrow
The recent entrants into the pod-tech space are just a harbinger of what’s to come. The world is on lockdown. The economy is in the toilet. Lots of things suck. But things sucked when the housing market collapse of 2008 led to a recession. Yet all sorts of new ideas, products, and services came out of the other end. It’s starting to look at lot like that world all over again. I’m not going out on a limb when I predict a huge wave of new pod-tech soon to be coming at us fast and furious. Life under lockdown is horrendous for many. But not everyone. People unencumbered by pandemic-induced harsh realities are tinkering with new concepts and putting together new technologies specifically the podcasting space. That's why I say the wave we’re seeing now is just the start. As podcasters reliant on technology to ply our craft, our first reaction should be one of curiosity, not scorn, when we are introduced to new tech. But new tech threatens to upset the status quo or the equilibrium we’ve made between getting our next episode out on time and the utter chaos of our lives. That’s why I don't want to dismiss or even laud any one particular new tool or service just yet. Instead, I’m trying to look beyond the current version of the service and the technology. If some new podcast tech looks interesting -- even if it’s not a perfect fit -- it's probably worth my time and yours time to sign up for their newsletter and maybe even keep the software updated. Again, our job is not to pick winners and losers. Our job is to find the promises offered by interesting innovations of today that might impact our podcasts tomorrow. Some of you are actually playing around with a few of these early-release new tools and services. I would like to hear what you think about them. Love them, hate them… Tell me what you’ve picked up recently that you see promise in. Record a quick minute or two of audio, put the .wav file on Dropbox, and then send the link to evo@podcastlaunch.pro . If you’d like to show some support for this show, there two ways. The best way is to tell one other podcast or about this program. Pick up the phone or end then an email
S2 E302 · Tue, April 28, 2020
It’s Curious More Podcasters Aren't More Curious
More people than ever before are deciding to launch their own podcasts. That takes a certain amount of curiosity to get started. What is it about podcasting that takes that curiosity away? With newness comes a healthy amount of uncertainty, which often leads to fear. The layperson curious enough to investigate what it takes to make a podcast can be quickly overwhelmed by equipment choices, service providers, time constraints, and more. Most people aren’t blessed with an abundance of time. In fact, if it were not for a lack of available time on my clients’ part, I wouldn’t have a podcasting business. Clients pay my firm to inject that curiosity into their podcast. Layered in with good processes and procedures, obviously. It may seem odd, but a lot of podcasters just don’t care enough to become curious. It’s as if someone is forcing them to podcast. Which, in some cases, might be true. Some people cohost a show because it's part of their job. Some don't want to offend or disappoint the other host of the program. Which sucks for them and sucks for listeners, because their lack of caring bleeds through the mic. The hyper-connected, always-available hivemind is a powerful force that can short-circuit our curious nature. Some are much more likely to turn to a Facebook group of 17,000 podcasters or a Reddit sub with 57,000 podcasters with their question rather than doing their own research. But what if the people who reply also aren’t all that curious and are just repeating un-researched advice they were given when they asked the same question a few weeks ago? We need a twist on an old saying: A lack of curiosity killed the podcast. Luckily, we can fix most of those problems at the source so you’re no longer stopped from being more curious. If it’s uncertainty and fear that stops you in your tracks , I’ll help by reminding you that you probably won’t screw things up if you experiment a little. If something you try doesn’t work, no one but you will know. Unless you decide to release it. But your listeners will forgive you. If you’re lacking time, <span style="background-color: transparent; color:
S2 E301 · Mon, April 27, 2020
Podcast Success Metrics For Tomorrow
You want your show to be successful. I want my podcast to be successful. And of course, I want all of my clients’ podcasts to be successful. But how we define success metrics for podcasts is a big and sticky question. It's fine to use the same metrics as every other podcaster… as long as you’re podcasting for the same reasons as every other podcaster. So long as the business goals and objectives of your podcast line up with the same business objectives and goals of every other podcast, you can track shared goals. But your goals and objectives are not the same as every other podcaster. Tracking things like the average number of downloads per episode is tracking outputs, not outcomes. How you define a successful outcome for your own podcast is complicated enough. Crowdsourcing (or worse, outsourcing) that decision to various Facebook groups, Reddit forums, or Discord servers increases that complexity infinitely. There’s a deeper problem with using generally accepted podcast success metrics tracking. They all point to the same assumed growth trajectory. Put more simply: Most podcast success metrics assume you want to make a really big podcast. What matters is something much more simple, and I posit to you that it's a success metric worthy of considering for your own podcast. It’s the success metric that almost all intentionally-small businesses rely on: “Can I stay in business?” It’s a simple, easy business metric disguised as a simple binary question with a simple yes or no answer. However, it does assume that you actually want to be in business in the first place. For a lot of podcasters, they really don’t want to be in the business of podcasting. And that’s OK. the vast majority of podcasts today are made by hobbyists because it’s fun. But that doesn’t invalidate my simple metric. It just requires a slight modification: “Can I keep having fun?” So whether your podcast is business-based or just for fun, this success metric doesn’t have to change. Can you afford -- either financially or emotionally
S2 E300 · Thu, April 23, 2020
European Podcasters Adapt To Life Under Lockdown
My body has clearly had enough of this locked-down reality. It’s behaving very strangely and I’ll share that with you in just a moment. But first I want to share a couple of stories from European podcasters (well, podcasters in Europe, at least) caught up in the pandemic like the rest of us. French podcaster Laetitia Perraut of One Thing In A French Day talks about the extra work required with having three kids at home. She also decided to increase her frequency to daily, which as caused a 30% boost in her audience! And she’s trying out new music, deeper editing techniques, and even sharing non-podcast content with her listeners. Professional expat Stephanie Fuccio of the Geopats Podcast moved from China to Germany when the virus was just getting going. As an ex-expat myself, I found myself wincing in sympathy for the realities she’s facing. What’s a digital nomad to do when all the not-at-home places to work are closed down, and the at-home environment is only temporary and not very comfortable? Back to me for a moment: Is anyone else having trouble eating? I’ve only eaten one meal a day for the last week. Perhaps it’s my body rebelling for the massive amount of food I consumed during the first few weeks of lockdown. Balance, you know? And it just so happens that it’s the 300th episode of Podcast Pontifications. So… woot! But I know not everyone is having a good time with this. So I once again extend my offer to help. If you need any advice, direction, guidance, or just to bounce an idea off of someone, I’m here to help. Email me at evo@podcastlaunch.pro . No strings attached. I genuinely want to help. I’ll end with this: Please tell one person -- just one person -- about Podcast Pontifications. Like actually send them a personalized email and suggest that they listen to this program. It makes a huge difference when you reach out to someone personally. I love the retweets. I love you sharing episodes on social properties. But sending one person a single message works r
S2 E299 · Wed, April 22, 2020
Lean Into Your Love-Hate Relationship With Your Podcast
What part of your podcast do you love the most? What part of your podcast do you like the least? Once you have the answers, it’s natural to assume the easy position of eliminating or reducing the thing you don’t like as bout your podcast and doubling-down on the thing you love about your show. But that’s not what you should do. What you should to is quite the opposite. Your show needs tension. Often, it's the tension between the things you like and the things that you don't like as the host, creator, producer, or showrunner of a podcast that give the podcast life. Maybe not all of the life, but certainly some flavoring and seasoning. And no one wants to listen to a lifeless, flavorless podcast. So you never want to get rid of all tension. It's in that margin -- the gap between what you love and what you hate -- where you find the true life of your show. It’s also where you may find new opportunities to take your show. Because growth often happens in this “conflict” zone. It’s where your innate problem-solving attentions keep returning to time and time again. So… lean into that tension! There’s another trap that’s easy to fall into when thinking through the love-hate question. That’s the trap of conflating things that you just simply don't like to do with an aspect of the process of making a podcast that you don’t like. Sorry, but you can’t decide not to do the staples of making a podcast. You have to either get over that hatred or hire somebody else to do it for you. There's the old saying of “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change and change the things I cannot accept”, but I don't know that it’s all that useful in this setting. Sometimes the things you could change would make a vastly different and perhaps inferior product. Maybe instead of looking for things to change about your show and your process, perhaps you should spend attention on the tension-parts of your show? Yes, I know that sounds really, really weird. And honestly, I'm not even sure I'm properly communicating the point I’m trying to make. But that's okay. That's one of the things that I love and hate about this show is that sometimes I don't know exactly where I want the conversation to go. But it tends to get there in the end. <span style="background-color
S2 E298 · Tue, April 21, 2020
3 Things To Master Before Promoting Your Podcast
Every time someone requests a proposal from my firm to help promote and or market their podcast, I always politely decline. I turn down those jobs because I know the only predictable way to make a podcast successful is to nail the basics first. I know that spending money on promotion before the basics are in place is a waste of money. And I don’t like wasting anyone’s money. Before you spend any marketing/advertising/promotional dollars on your show, you have to get these three things nailed down. Thing One: Foundational Fundamentals There are actually four parts of Thing One, and they are equally important. No corner-cutting: 1. A web presence for your podcast. I mean a real and functioning website for your podcast. I do not mean an automatically generated website that is powered by your podcast’s RSS feed. Your RSS feed is designed to distribute episodes of your podcast to directories and apps. It is not designed to propagate a website. 2. Complete distribution of your podcast. The right way to use your podcast’s RSS feed is to send out your episode to various apps and directories. Yes, that means Apple Podcasts. It also means Spotify and Google Podcasts. But it also means a dozen or so other directories and apps that maintain their own list of podcasts. You don’t get to control where people find your show. 3. Don’t forget listenability! Before you throw money at getting people to sample your audio, make sure the sound quality doesn’t drive them away. No, “good enough” probably isn’t. Not when you’re talking about investing ad dollars. Listenable audio files are table stakes, and I’m a little ticked that I have to keep saying that. 4. Rinse & repeat & repeat
S2 E297 · Mon, April 20, 2020
Podcasting: Genre-Defining Or Mired In Medium? [Episode 297]
Is comedy a genre? Is podcasting a genre? I get that comedy is the underlying thread that ties standup comedians to comedic actors in movies. It’s the common thread that ties together the writing room of a sitcom as well as those who’ve made a career writing not just funny songs, but only funny songs. So yes, I think comedy is a genre. But I’m less sure about podcasting. I mostly view podcasting through a medium-shaped lens. All arguments about “what makes a podcast a podcast” eventually come down to the mechanics of media files distributed via RSS feeds. That definition clearly says that podcasting is a medium, since none of the words used speak to the content. When I got into podcasting back in 2004, it was as a creator. But I very quickly transitioned to becoming more of a facilitator. Even today, I’m still clearly a creator of content, but most of my contributions to podcasting remain on the facilitation side, which skews my perspective. To really hold onto the notion that podcasting is its own genera, two things need to be true. First, there needs to be enough differentiation between content provided via podcast and other similar mediums. Second, there needs to be enough similarity between content provided within podcasting itself. That second part is tricky. There's not a lot of overlap between the content put out by full-cast audio drama producers and a series of business-focused interviews. Yes, there’s some technology overlap, but I’m not convinced there’s a lot of commonality in the content. I realize most podcasters probably don’t struggle with this question. Which means you likely have an opinion of where podcasting fits, either as a genre or a medium. Sometimes I wish I had that level of clarity and conviction. Rather than try to put all of podcasting into a single box, maybe it’s better to just choose your perspective. And t
S2 E296 · Thu, April 16, 2020
Podcasters Report A Mixed Pandemic Performance
Today you’ll hear from three podcasters on the front line of the pandemic: Robert Crandall, from the Short Storiess podcast recently received a glowing review from a listener who credits finding his show as a way they’re getting buy during the lockdown. Brazillian podcaster Rodilson Silva , host of GuiaKast and RSS News , shares how he’s spending his newly discovered time at home to let him focus more on his show. Mark Goldman from Where Accountants Go explains how recent changes to the format of his episodes have been received by his listeners. Life here at ShEvo Studios , the home base of Simpler Media Productions , continues to be fine. Unexpectedly, I’ve managed to get some actual, in-person human contact in a safe and responsible matter this week with other podcasters. It just so happens that Carrie from The Vocal Fries podcast lives not far from me here in central Phoenix. As my wife Sheila and I were walking the neighborhood with our very stylish face masks from our time spent living in Bangkok, we saw Carrie and her husband Chris walking on the street in the opposite direction. It was good to catch up, From a good 10-15 fe
S2 E295 · Wed, April 15, 2020
Don't Panic And Pivot Your Podcast To Video During The Pandemic
The perennial topic and the existential crisis of making the pivot away from audio podcasting to favor video is back! Under these extenuating circumstances, there seems to be a perfect storm brewing, and much of is pointing straight to online video. The data on podcast consumption during the crisis is mixed, highlighting some uncertainty around download numbers. Then there’s the impossibility of going through a day without catching a reference to Zoom or another video conferencing service/app. Add in the launch of Quibi, a much-lauded and finally launched short-form video-based entertainment app. Top all of that off with a huge uptick in YouTube consumption. It's 2020, and it’s still a lot easier to watch YouTube on your TV than it is to listen to a podcast on your smart speakers. So yes, this looks like a perfect storm. These reasons and more seem to indicate it might be time for podcasters to make the switch to video. But looks can be deceiving. Most podcast episodes make for terrible video content that most people don’t want to watch. This isn’t idle speculation on my part. It’s a measurable phenomenon you can test yourself, and I call it the 90/10 Rule Of Video: 90% of viewers are gone before they've watched 10% of the video. I’ve yet to find a consistent exception to this rule. I’ve worked with several podcasters who post video versions of their podcasts’ episodes to YouTube. In every case, they discover a tiny, tiny retention rate when they dig a little deeper into their “view counts”. Successful video producers know the importance of making visually-compelling content. With very few (if any) exceptions, an un-moving video shot of one or two people talking is not visually-compelling. Our brains, which are attached to our eyes, need near-constant changes to stay stimulated. Our brains aren't good at watching talking head videos. If you're thinking of making the pivot to video, pleas
S2 E294 · Tue, April 14, 2020
Stay Out Of Our Podcasting Lanes, Broadcasters!
Perhaps you’ve noticed the trend of broadcasters who no longer have access to their professional broadcast studios are producing less-than-professional results for all of us to see. Funny. Back in the day, it was podcasters who were leaning into the reduced spit-and-polish, embracing a “rough around the edges” approach that set us apart from the broadcasters. So now we have not only big media trying to force authenticity into their podcasts, but big broadcasters on crappy webcams and built-in microphones trying to stitch together their programs with tools we gave up years ago. Podcasters who also notice these trends typically have one of two things to say about it. “Our Podcast Sound Great From Home, Why Can’t Their Broadcasts?” “Why haven’t these forced-to-stay-home broadcasters figured out how to make great cont from home? We do it all the time.” “Are Our Podcast Episodes Too Polished?” “Maybe we've been making episodes that are too produced? Maybe we need to expose a bit more of the process to our audience? Maybe it’s having those rough edges present what makes a podcast special?” I'm going to dismantle both of those arguments. I promise you, no rational person listens to your show ONLY for the imperfections . More often than not, they're listening in spite of those foibles. No, I don't think that you should make a less professional show. No one ever stopped listening to a podcast because the episodes sounded too good . These broadcast pros aren’t doing a crappy job because they don't know any better. They’re doing it on purpose. <strong style="background-color: trans
S2 E293 · Mon, April 13, 2020
Podcasting's Present Problems
There are some best practices in podcasting that haven’t changed a very long time. Many of them exist for very good reasons, ensuring that podcasts can be enjoyed by as many people as possible. The world doesn’t yet have a consistent internet experience, so there are some technical trade-offs we’re forced to make. But not all of these trade-offs still make sense. Perhaps some never did. It can’t be lost on you that there have been many technological advancements in the 16 years podcasting has existed. Much of those advancements can now support higher quality audio files. And most people still have the use of both of their ears. We do not live in a mono world. Mono files aren’t any smaller than stereo files. Mono files inhibit clarity for some people with hearing loss. And all of the richness and warmth is taken out of far too many podcast episodes when they are bounced down to mono. Don’t do it. Our stereo world keeps getting richer. New advancements from Dolby are here that will make podcasted audio more true to how we hear the world around us, regardless of where or how we listen. But only if we can get over this misguided notion that podcasting was perfect in 2006. It wasn’t. It’s not. And it’s going to keep advancing. So should our thinking on boring technical aspects of podcasting. Sorry, but we have to. Failing to do so puts us behind the technology adoption curve rather than at the front. While we can’t predict the future, it’s a safe bet that technology will continue to move in the direction of more bandwidth, cheaper storage, and higher quality sound reproduction that makes what we listen to much more rich and immersive. Why fight against that? This episode is a bit ranty, but that’s what you get sometimes. Perhaps you know of a podcaster who would respond to this provocative statement? If so (or if not), please tell one podcaster you know to listen to Podcast Pontifications. Feel free to throw me under the bus with them if you like. I shall be back tomorrow with yet another (hopefully less ranty) <a href="https://podcastpontifications.com" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style=
S2 E292 · Thu, April 09, 2020
Coping With COVID19 In Podcast Land
If I come off a little weird and flippant, please forgive me. If you’ll recall from prior episodes or my various social postings, you’ll note that my wife and I have been experiencing intermittent, low-grade fevers for a couple of weeks now. No other symptoms beyond that. In fact, had we not been hyper-aware of health concerns, I doubt I’d have even bothered to check my temp. But the latent scientist in me is puzzled by an intermittent fever that presents no other symptoms and lasts for weeks. That’s not normal. And when good scientists get odd results, one of the first things they do is test their instruments. I think the thermometer we’ve been using cannot be trusted. So we have a new thermometer on order. Until it arrives, we won’t change any of our behavior just in case. That, and this is the world we live in now. As has been my wont on Thursday episodes, I’m once again bringing you short clips from podcasters around the world who are dealing with the realities of the pandemic. Because while we’re all in this together, it’s impacting each of us unevenly. Listening to stories of other podcasters gives me a sense of perspective. I hope it does the same for you. First up, Susan Schwartz of Lush Life , tells us how the Coronavirus lockdown has impacted the bartending and drinks world, which has had a direct impact on her podcast. She’s had to change how she records since the bars have been shuttered and her globe-hopping curtailed. She also shares a little about how bartenders are keeping themselves sane and their patrons entertained. Then Matthew Cicorea from Behavioral Observations tells us about <a href="https://www.facebook.com/behavioralobservations/posts/2804159992995342?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARC0ZuGhzhXM4XWEUbR1pJXgq7GaDYJIg4Mdnp5r89P0qC7XAMqWWNwmG8Qfidtvnkc6NK266WJCkJb_OV6gC7hxa0COhDD650BcGYC3fLKTLKIvfC9tgtkLMjaksgBnYpCFS6XDSRtAq_XKqXudoXmN4puHqaDfZ9j9ll6nj2aC1EBHMXx96nlfMgSuH_oObcJJ9rbTICB6ZbOE7hxPAANLNiYQOq_TL-zo0i9L-oRx54azTGVy07ZiBu7PWm5l0MY56t1vtsyU0yCcQjdEmTTGHU1Ers0mbpeU4iIK7QFUpVg9CFNhpDqGnKm2nvRj7mVX0gVRgoB_j0AuPvJ_3g&__tn
S2 E291 · Wed, April 08, 2020
Podcast SEO is Hard. Is It Worth The Effort?
In the eyes of search engines, podcast content is just web content. And there are no special rules for podcast search engine optimization. Google (and other search engines) evaluate the web pages we podcasters make for our episodes the same way they see every other page. Unfortunately, following solid SEO best practices for posting podcast episodes might require a very different approach to podcast production and content creation than what you’re doing for your podcast today. In order to give your content -- your on-site content -- the greatest chance of earning a meaningful ranking in search engines like Google, you need to take a completely different approach to your content creation process. And you’re probably not going to like it. But here we are. 1. Topics Drool, Keywords Rule - Once you have a topic in mind, you refine that topic by doing research on the words and phrases used by people on search engines, plus analyze the current “competing” results that are already ranking for those phrases. Yes, that means using specialized tools that cost money. 2. Agonize Over Your Episode Title - You have to try lots and lots of titles -- using the info gleaned from your keyword research -- and craft a compelling -- that means click-worthy -- title. Again, this means using software to help you analyze each of the titles you come up with. 3. Lock-In Your Angle For The Episode - With the keyword and the title of the episode now crystal clear, you probably have a good idea of how you’ll approach the topic on the episode. 4. Now You Can Record and Produce - This is the part you know how to do. Now you’re just doing it with a good roadmap that’s materializing from the first three steps. 5. Write 2,000 Words - If you want your episode page to have a chance at ranking for the keyword that started this whole process, you have to write a lot of words. No, 500 probably isn’t enough. 6. Opt
S2 E290 · Tue, April 07, 2020
Podcast Episode Planning For Hip-Shooters
For every successful show that uses the “no-planning” approach, there are hundreds of others that only entertain or provide value to those talking into the microphone. The reality is that most podcast episodes can be made better with some planning. Naysayers will tell you that the danger is having things so rigid that the episode sounds like it was scripted. Bt some podcasts are scripted -- leaving no room for ad-libbing -- and quite successful. And then there’s a middle ground, where some of the episode is scripted and some is more off-the-cuff. Yes, you can mix flexibility in with structure. Where some podcasters run off the rail is when they try to mix in ad-libbing as they are following a script. That’s bad, as it’s often glaringly obvious to the audience when these asides occur. Or it frustrates your audio engineer who’s using the script to try and score the episode. But you’re probably ready to reply with this pearl of wisdom from the great thinker Mike Tyson: Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face . But, with few exceptions, the risk of being punched in the face when you’re recording is pretty slim. Even if your show is like my show (meaning it’s very extemporaneous), there's still room for planning. In fact, it’s almost a guarantee that you're doing planning right now. Excluding live-streamers who repurpose the audio of their streams as a podcast, every reasonable podcaster knows the topic they wish to talk about. That’s what drove them to the microphone in the first place. having a topic means you’re already doing some planning. So why not take it further by adding in three more easy pieces to your new-found love of episode planning? Find your angle - The topic is what you’ll talk about. The angle is how you’ll talk about it and is the unique point of view that only you can bring. Strong beginn
S2 E289 · Mon, April 06, 2020
Busting The Myths of COPE and CORE For Podcasting
Lots of people struggle to grasp the difficulty of making all of the content necessary when we want out podcasts to be as great as they possibly can be. No, it’s not all that hard to talk into a microphone. But what all the work after the recording phase, like post-production cleanup, audio sweetening, assembly and more? Why not record your face talking into the mic at the same time so you can release a video? Because just like your audio has to be processed, described, and stored online, so does your video before you post it. Live video won’t help you because you have to chop out the best aspects of live video -- the communal, back-and-forth conversation -- so that it works in an audio-only mode. You know you have to create some text that describes your audio episode before you publish it. But if you just slam out a few sentences during the upload process, you’re not helping any listeners, current or potential, enjoy or find the content. And even if you do spend some quality time with that text, very little of it works well on your website. Yet most (if not all) podcast hosting companies encourage you to just use the content designed to go in-app as on-page website content. And it sucks for that. Imagery is important. That means episode-level artwork is required, as is understanding that episode-level artwork is useful for things other than podcast players. Smart podcasters know to leverage existing social media channels to spread the word when new episodes drop. But letting some automated system grab your headline and a link to your audio file isn’t sufficient. You’d be surprised how many of your current audience like to have things delivered to their email client. But you can’t simply repurpose other content, because most email clients don’t like embedded media players. And no one likes clicking “continue reading this email on the web”, right? Though I'm not convinced audiograms actually have much value, a lot of podcasters use them. Creating them takes time, energy, and effort and shouldn’t be left to automation. I just ran through nine things -- NINE! -- that are (or can be) part of the creation p
S2 E288 · Thu, April 02, 2020
Podcasters Powering Through The Pandemic
One of the things I'd like to do with my show is to do the occasional check-in with you, the working podcaster, trying your best to survive under conditions forced upon us by a stupid virus. And vice versa. I’ll start, and then I’ll share a couple of clips sent to me. Today, they come from Sam Walker from Sam Walker’s Desert Diaries as well as Thom Rigsby from 7 Minutes In The Morning . My turn first: Obviously, we're on lockdown. And by “we” I mean me, who always works the studio I’ve built in our home, as well as and my lovely wife, Sheila Dee, who’s been on Work From Home orders for a couple of weeks now. We’re both doing great, getting along just fine in close-quarters. The less-than-great news is that we’re both presenting slightly elevated fevers. But that’s it. And yes, we have called into our local COVID19 hotline and described our symptoms, travel history, and possible exposure vectors with medical professionals. They’ve advised us to do what we're doing: quarantine at home. So we are. We're reading to the grandkids a couple of nights a week, but via video. Much in the same way we’re staying in touch with friends and family, as well as how I stay connected with clients. Which is always the way I’ve interacted with clients, as clients of my firm are scattered around the world. Sam Waker reports lots of changes and challenges, from helping her clients struggle to grasp remote recordings, retooling shows for more frequent releases, to dealing with tiny “co-workers” who aren’t very good at respecting their boss’s need (read: their mother’s need) to get some work done. Thom Rigsby has also increased the frequency of his show, reworked the format of his program, and is helping his listeners -- mostly business owners -- not only get through the immediate pandemic, but also prepare for the bounce-back in the economy. Most encouragingly, he’s seeing an increase in downloads. Woot! I wish both Sam and Tom the best and express my thanks or sharing their thoughts. And ye
S2 E287 · Wed, April 01, 2020
Ethical Dilemmas Of Working Podcasters
We working podcasters have a responsibility to the people who listen to our shows. We have responsibilities when we choose to lend our voices beyond our podcast. And for those of us who help produce podcast content for others, we have responsibilities for the content we helped bring to the world. Ethics come into play for podcasters who interview guests. Yes, it can be oddly fun and entertaining when guests with kooky ideas come on your show. But where do you draw the line between kooky and offensive or harmful? What if you've agreed to appear on someone else’s show only to find out during the interview that the host of that show is a racist, crazy person? If you knew before, would you go on? Even if they had a really, really big audience? For consultants, would you work for a client -- a paying client -- who was putting out wrong information that could result in serious harm? Are you complicit in that misinformation spread? Maybe you’re only responsible for audio engineering episodes and you encounter something factually incorrect or unverified that could cause harm. Do you cut it out? What if you’re presented with an opportunity to use some grey-hat marketing tactics that border on the darker side. If these slimy-but-effective tactics get results, do the ends justify the means? Are you working against the cause of “making podcasts better” by letting content out to the world that, if not bad, then certainly is not good ? What about the ethical decisions around advertising dollars? Big companies have their fingers in lots of different pies. How far down the slippery slope are you willing to go when you vet advertisers? As a listener, do you have an ethical responsibility to reach out to the hosts of the shows you listen to, telling them that you like what they have to say, but I just wish they said it better? Does that become easier if it’s less a quality issue and more a question of spreading misinformation? Does your silence make you complicit? I didn’t give you an answer to any of these on purpose. This show is designed to make you thin
S2 E286 · Tue, March 31, 2020
April Is Podcast Experiment Month
In an effort to “lemonade” our current global situation, I’m declaring April 2020 as Podcast Experimentation Month . No, there’s no “official” proclamation from anyone other than me. But someone has to be first, right? Because if we’re gonna be locked inside, we might as well try some different things! Location-based podcast experiments I saw a great post on Reddit that showed someone’s podcasting set-up their garden . You could also change up where you podcast from by changing to a different room or section of your house. Each area will have a different tonal quality on your voice. Or try recording from inside the car you haven't driven in two weeks. Assuming you’re not under a shelter-in-place order, go take a walk and take your recording gear with you. Just be sure to stay six feet away from people as you’re out in your neighborhood. Experiment with different podcasting equipment Got too many mics you haven’t used in years? I do. So why not try them out? You could also use this time to get to know aspects of your equipment you might not be completely familiar with. Those settings and switches all do different things to the sound they record. Crack open the manual and learn how to use the equipment the way it was designed! Experiment with voices other than your own Kids at home make it hard to replicate your old kid-free sound? Bring ‘em on the show! Incorporating their voices on purpose could be fun for them, for you, and for your listeners. If you produce a monologue show like mine, maybe you could try adding some additional voices, either as guests or co-hosts. Experiment with better podcasting software If you’re using Audacity, GarageBand, or some other free service, now is a great time to download the fully-functional trial versions of </
S2 E285 · Mon, March 30, 2020
Podcasting From A Place Of Abundance
Today, I want to get into the topic of an abundance mindest vs a scarcity mindset. It's partly a scarcity mindset that got us into this trouble. For the purposes of this article, we’ll let abundance mean a situation where there's more than you can yourself could possibly consume. The only factor in podcasting that is truly constrained by scarcity is time. We each get 24 hours every day regardless of where we live. Yes, you could argue that money also is constrained by scarcity. But just like an unlimited budget won’t make a crappy show any better, there are plenty of low-budget shows (and no-budget shows) that sound amazing. I want us to approach podcasting like we approach breathing or drinking water. With notable (and genuinely catastrophic) exceptions, you probably don’t consider those two resources as scarce. We can approach podcasting with a similar mindset of abundance. Not a lackadaisical attitude, you understand. It’s important that we take the craft of podcasting seriously. But we don’t need to hoard the knowledge, and we don’t have to ask “what’s in it for me?” before taking action. And that’s the crux of my argument. When you shift away from a scarcity mindset to abundance thinking, you’ll force at least a couple of changes in your attitude. Generosity over selfishness Activism over ignorance I’m not so naive as to assume that every podcaster will make the shift away from scarcity to abundance. But I can try to convince you to do so. I want you to be generous with your thoughts, your ideas, and your opinions. I want you to be more active in and aware of the overall health of the podcasting ecosystem we’re all inside of. Not that we all have to agree on any of those points. You don’t have to agree with the thoughts, ideas, and opinions of other podcasters. And they don’t have to agree with yours. We don't all have to agree on wha
S2 E284 · Thu, March 26, 2020
Pandemic Parley For Podcasters
The novel coronavirus pandemic either has or will hit all podcasters. And the impact will be unevenly distributed, affecting some more than others. I want to hear your stories of how it’s impacting you and your podcasting efforts. I also want to help you any way that I can. I’ll start. We here at ShEvo Studios are fine. Neither we nor our immediate families have contracted COVID19, at least not that I’ve heard. Simpler Media , the podcast consultancy I run, is also doing fine. The small distributed team members that make the sausage for our clients are all virus-free, so the machinery we’ve put in place is working. We’re even onboarding new clients this week. But I know that's not the case for everyone. I know that a lot of people -- podcast hosts or podcast service providers -- are already struggling with the changed world. I want to hear and to share those stories. Stories of negative, positive, or neutral impact. Whatever is happening -- or isn’t happening -- to your life as a podcaster, I’m asking you to tell me . Grab your microphone, kick out a quick stream-of-conscious update, and send it to me . And because we’re buddies, I have an offer for you. I want to help you, the working podcaster. I want to give you -- yes, give you -- very specific advice, suggestions, and assistance that will help you get over your own stumbling blocks and hurdles. For free. Sure, you can jump into several podcaster-populated online communities and ask for help. You'll get a bunch of answers, some of which are great, some of which are not. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);
S2 E283 · Wed, March 25, 2020
Reaching Beyond The Pod For Human Connection
Yesterday I went outside on my tiny little patio and smoked a pipe with 20 other people. Earlier in the week, my friend Rachel wrote dozens of people tiny poems using a tiny typewriter. And last night, my friend Addy led a brainstorming session with lots of people attending. None of us were defying CDC/WHO directives. We did all of those things virtually using Instagram’s live video feature. For me, it was a chance to have a conversation with people that’s different than the conversations I have 4x a week on my podcast. It was similar for Rachel and Addy, both of whom found creative ways to engage with their audience -- including friends and family -- at a distance. Many podcasters are feeling a loss of connection “in the real world”. Not because we’re podcasters. But because we’re humans. Yesterday I suggested some ways you might want to modify your podcast to address the reality we face today . Because everybody is impacted by this pandemic. However, there are other ways you can acknowledge and accept COVID19 without changing the format of your podcast. This new content doesn’t have to be live video. It’s a very popular format, but it's not everybody's cup of tea. If writing is your thing, services like TinyLetter (not a sponsor) make it super-simple to get get a newsletter up and running. Or you could start a Twitter or other social media account you wanted to explore. And yes, I suppose you could start a brand new podcast if you wanted to. What's going to enable you to feel better as you connect with other people in a new way? And what is it that people want to get from you that they aren’t getting from your podcasting efforts currently? <span style="background-color: transparent;
S2 E282 · Tue, March 24, 2020
Everything Has Changed. Why Hasn't Your Podcast?
According to studies by Voxnest and Podtrac , podcast consumption does not seem to be decreasing . Hooray! But don’t get too comfy. Combined with yesterday’s news , it means that listeners are shifting away from many shows, even though they continue to consume podcasted content at the same or an accelerated rate. Which makes many podcasters wonder what the heck they are going to do on their programs. You too, perhaps. It's time to renegotiate the social contract between you and your listening audience. Thanks, Coronavirus. This isn't something that will go away next week or the week after next. If you agree with my bleak-yet-rational position, then you need to make some changes to your podcasts. Specifically, you really have to choose between one of three options. 1. Ignore it. I don’t recommend taking this approach. It makes you seem rather out of touch or that you just don’t care. While there are certain instances where not addressing the pandemic might make sense, it should not be your default choice. 2. Acknowledge and embrace it. Assuming doing so doesn’t completely wreck your show and your audience’s expectations, I highly recommend you acknowledge and embrace the world we live in. I promise you that a good number of your listeners want to know how yo
S2 E281 · Mon, March 23, 2020
Why Podcast Listening Won't Ever Return To Normal
Listenership is down across the board in podcasting . Your listener's routines have been disrupted. In a big way. Some much worse than others, obviously. But rest assured that just about every listener you have is having their routine and habits impacted in some way. And it’s that disruption in habits that is the root cause of decreased listening that your show is likely experiencing. People aren't going to the gym nearly as often as they used to, which means they aren’t listening on a treadmill, StairMaster, whatever else people do at a gym. People aren't commuting as often as they used to. Less windshield time means less time spent listening to podcasts and all other forms of audio. But with all these people now staying home, why hasn’t podcast listenership increased? Because even at-home habits have changed. Worse news: this isn’t just temporary. No, everything will not go back to normal as soon as this pandemic is over. I hate the phrase “this is the new normal”. What we’re all living through right now is new and certainly is becoming normal. But normal is fleeting. What’s normal today won’t be normal next week. So “this is the new” is much better. That needs a hashtag: #thisisthenew Yes, the restrictions currently in place will (eventually) cease. And when that happens, of course people will return to the gym, commute to and fro, and put their kids back in school. But not exactly in the same fashion as they did before. Your listeners are forming new habits. Your listeners are learning new routines. And here’s the kicker: Businesses are learning too. They might learn that WFH - work from home - is a huge cost-cutter, and some of your listeners might never again have a daily commute. New habits. New
S2 E280 · Thu, March 19, 2020
Dealing With Decimated Downloads
What do you do in a situation where you notice that your podcast downloads have dropped by 10%? (That's what decimated really means, by the way. 1 in 10.) If you notice that has happened to your show… what do you do? How do you deal with it? Is there an “other side” to the slump? On today’s episode, I have three more questions for you to ask yourself before you jump into “find a solution” mode. 1. Does it really matter? If you’re not paid by the download, or you can’t tie the size of your audience directly back to income or opportunities, then your answer to that question should be “no”. If your answer to that question is a resounding “yes’, then keep going. Many podcasters are able to directly correlate downloads to dollars, and a negative trend in downloads probably means a negative financial impact. That’s not good. 2. Was it because of something you did? Sure, that sounds a little weird and a lot rude. But quite often the reason download numbers drop is because of something you did. Likely unintentionally, but still attributable to something you did. There are plenty of things to check here, so be methodical. If you find a problem, fix it. And then don’t do that again. But if not, then we move on to the really hard question. 3. Is there anything you can do about it? Chances are, there isn’t an easy yes/no answer here. This requires an examination of the external and internal influences on your download numbers. Seeing a drop in downloads is scary to any podcaster. Before you go making drastic changes, try your best to understand why the downturn happened. If it's a temporary dip, then hopefully you can ride it out. Lots of podcasters are playing the “wait and see” game right now, so welcome to the club. One way you can help: become one of the many canaries in this coal mine we call podcastin
S2 E279 · Wed, March 18, 2020
Disassembling Your Podcast Media Stack
Podcasters often fail to understand the fundamental difference between using media for distribution or promotional purposes versus using media for content creation purposes. How strategic are you with non-podcast-related content you produce on a regular basis? I’m far from perfect when it comes to my approach to my media stack. But it might help you better understand yours if I give you a rundown of what I’m doing, warts and all. This that you’re consuming didn’t start out this way. Nor did it start with me typing words on a keyboard. Nor did it start as a transcription of an audio file. It started life as a live video on LinkedIn. From there, I stripped out the good bits from my extemporaneous talk and wrote an article that was published on my website, on my Medium profile, and as an article on LinkedIn. And by “wrote”, I mean it. Those pieces are not accurate transcripts of what I said, though I do include one of those on the page of my website where this article will live. Those articles are 100% re-written so that 100% of the value can be received just by reading. Let me state that again: It’s OK with me that people who find this article never listen to my podcast. That’s because I get other tangible value from the effort it takes to make those posts. I also spend time (and money) editing the live video down to a stand-alone video that’s loaded to the Facebook Page for my company, Simpler Media , as up to a playlist on my YouTube channel . I get effectively zero views on these videos because they
S2 E278 · Tue, March 17, 2020
Make The Most Of Podcast Bonus Episodes
Today’s focus will a broader conversation that features some creative ways podcasters can make better use of bonus episodes. This is a tough thing for a lot of podcasters to wrap their head around. They're thinking -- rightly so -- that their episodes drop on Tuesdays at midnight, come hell or high water. But sometimes there’s a need to work around that publishing schedule. And that's what you do with bonus episodes. Here are nine ideas for bonus content that you should examine for your podcast. Announcing a break from publishing new episodes Generate easier content in-between full episodes Go behind the scenes Feature a special co-host Release a music-only episode Turn the mic around and give a reverse interview Interview your supporting crew Podcast non-podcast appearances When news breaks And that’s just a start. There are all sorts of ways smart podcasters can use bonus episodes. But before you start, there are three major considerations you need to staple to your wall so you don’t forget to think about them before you drop a bonus episode. 1. Should this bonus episode live only in the feed or should it also be on the website? 2. How will you promote these bonus episodes? 3. What will new listeners think about your overall show? Get together with your podcasting family and have a conversation about how each of you are (or are not) using bonus content. Tell them you heard about me talking about making bonus episodes and put forth the idea of collaborating together. That might be fun. You know what else will be
S2 E277 · Mon, March 16, 2020
Should You Produce An Episode About COVID19 (Or The Next Crisis)?
Many podcasters are struggling with that same decision: Should you say something to your audience acknowledging the reality of the pandemic? On one hand, listening to podcasts is a great way to practice “social distancing”. And since most (?) podcasters produce their shows alone or with guests or co-hosts in remote locations, the act of making a podcast is also good social distancing put in practice. Still, our audiences might wonder what's going on with the people that make their favorite podcasts. And as human beings who make podcasts for listeners, we often feel a desire to let our audiences know what’s going on with us personally in times of crisis. But if you produce a show that never covers current events, should you say something, putting the “evergreen” nature of your episodes at risk? What if you're in the middle of a six-part series on the history of apples (or anything non-pandemic related)? A “special announcement” at the beginning of your fourth episode would be terribly off-putting and impact the flow, wouldn’t it? Remember: if you do decide it’s a good idea to say something, you don’t have to drop a note at the beginning of your next podcast episode. Nor do you have to put out an entire full episode about the pandemic. A bonus episode might be just what you need. Remember: Your podcast is more than just the audio you put out on your RSS feed. Does your show’s website have a role to play? What about the social media channels where you engage with humans every day? Maybe audio isn’t the best place to share the message. Of course, it might be. Here’s your North star for this: If you feel like you need to say something to your audience, either to let them know how you are coping, to let them know that you're in this together, to let them know changes to your production schedule, or whatever else you feel it might be important to say to them: I think you should say something to them <span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0,
S2 E276 · Thu, March 12, 2020
Yes, Indie Podcasters Can Compete... And Win!
Big media companies have piles of cash to throw at awareness campaigns, grab the best and most recognizable names in the world, and hire gigantic teams of a dozen or more talented people to work on a single episode. And you, the indie podcaster… you probably don’t have any of that. You likely don’t have piles of cash that you can use to hire a team of talented people. You probably don't have a name that is recognizable by the majority of households in this country (or any country). You likely can't spend hundreds of thousands or millions of marketing dollars to give your work exposure to the masses. But big media doesn’t have a monopoly on shows that sound great . And as my friend Tom Kelly stated so eloquently, indie podcast doesn't have to mean shitty podcast . As an indie podcaster, we can compete with big media podcasts on quality. They’re probably going to win when it comes to marketing. They’re probably going to win when it comes to talent acquisition. But there is nothing stopping you, me, or any individual person from making a podcast that always has amazing sound quality. If you’re just one person, there’s no way to scale to the ~125 hours of work required to put out a complex episode. So deal with that reality and do something different that does not require that level of people-hours. Reduce the frequency if you need to. Or better yet, reduce the complexity. Whatever you do, do not reduce the quality . With very few exceptions, there’s nothing stopping you from ensuring your episodes sound amazing every single time. If you’re committed enough, </sp
S2 E275 · Wed, March 11, 2020
Your Podcast Is #1. Now What?
I’ve been fortunate enough to have some of my content (or my clients’ content) ranked number one for a highly desirable term. It’s great to see traffic come flooding in, For a while. For an all-too-short amount of time. A short amount of time that is continues to shrink. Getting to the top of the list is hard. Staying there is even harder. Search algorithms are influenced by lots of factors. But two of the most important factors are freshness of content and authority . Both of those (and more) help you get to the top. But are you ready to produce the kind of content that keeps ringing both of those bells? You're not probably going to rank on the word “podcast” no matter what you do. In fact, you’re probably not going to rank number one for your category of podcast. You might, however, rank high for more specific terms, Podcasts for private clinicians or something along the lines of scuba diving in the Maldives podcast, by way of example. To sustain a number 1 ranking for your podcast, you have to keep producing content about that thing. Whatever actions you took that paid off with the reward of being number one, you have to keep doing that. A lot. You cannot “get it and forget it” or you’ll quickly find your show no longer in that number one spot. That might have serious ramifications for the type of show you want and the content of the episodes you produce. To maintain your number one ranking, you’ll have to forget about true independence. Sure, you can always produce whatever the heck you feel like. If you feel like producing an episode that’s nowhere near the term you ranked number one for. But that’s going to negatively impact your number one ranking. <span style="background-color: transparent
S2 E274 · Tue, March 10, 2020
Growing Your Podcast By Solving Someone's Pain
Every podcaster I know (including this guy ) wants to grow their show. It doesn't matter if they run a gigantic show with hundreds of thousands of listeners; they want to grow their audience. It doesn't matter if they're a teeny-tiny show hyperfocused on one small corner of the world; there are always people the show hasn’t yet reached. At Podfest Multimedia Expo 2020 in Orlando, which I’m freshly back from, I attended a panel discussion where several very successful niche podcasters -- all of them business-related -- were sharing the tips and techniques that made them successful. During the Q&A portion, one of the panelists -- Joe Sanok from Practice of The Practice engaged in a dialog with an audience member who was struggling to grow their firm’s niche podcast. Joe asked a simple question of them: “What pain does your podcast solve?” The exchange between the two of them got me to thinking: what pain does this podcast solve? Which should lead you to think: what pain does your podcast solve? Initially, you might assume that not all podcasts are designed to solve pains. I know I did. But when you look a little bit deeper, maybe that’s incorrect. Because even if you make a sh
S2 E273 · Mon, March 09, 2020
Balancing Skepticism & Support At A Podcast Conference
Yes, I think you, as a working podcaster, should attend a podcast conference if you can find the budget for it. The chance to build connections among, swap ideas with, and learn from other podcasters is reason enough to go. (And if we met while I was there and the sticker I gave you was enough to entice you to check this out, welcome!) Beyond the personal connections, podcast conferences are used by many podcasters as an immersive learning experience. There is a lot of information presented on the various stages. But frankly, there’s a lot of misinformation presented as well . The tough part is identifying what is fact and what is fiction (with or without malicious intent). And that’s an especially difficult task if you’re new or inexperienced with podcasting. I have the utmost respect for the people who organize these conferences. Most of them -- and especially the Podfest organizers -- take their responsibilities seriously, ensuring that underrepresented and marginalized voices have a chance to be on stage. They understand that “tenure” in podcasting is ludicrous and that new ways of doing things are oftentimes more valuable and usually much more relevant than going-stale processes cobbled together a dozen years ago. But that presents a vetting problem. Not vetting for experience. Vetting for facts and truthful information. Regardless of what conference you attend, some people on stage just don't have the proper facts, often regurgitating myths and falsehoods, or making assumptions and generalizations that are demonstrably false. Unfortunately, attendees in the audience who lack the experience to sniff out the bullshit or keenly tuned into those hard-to-kill myths accept what’s being said on the stage. How do you (and I) continue to support for the organization, the conference, the community, the comradery, and all the other great things make podcasting conferences special, yet also maintain a healthy dose of skepticism? How do conference organizers fight this problem, preserving their own integrity which may be in jeopardy when the signal-to-noise ratio gets too small? <span style="background-color: trans
S2 E272 · Wed, March 04, 2020
The Primary Politics of Podcasting
This is not about politics. This is about learning lessons from the current frenzy that dominates the news here in America and abroad. Yes, I’m talking about American politics, but only so we can apply some lessons to the world of podcasting. In order for Presidential wanna-bes to become a viable candidate, they first have to appeal to their base. The same thing holds true for podcasters. Your base is asking themselves this question: Should they help support your (or your show’s) viability? So… is it? If so, you’ve got your base of volunteers and supporters. The people who may contribute to your show early on and maybe leave a rating and review of your show . Once your base is engaged and is supporting your viability, it’s time to take your message to the masses. Politicians have to appeal to their own party hardliners. In podcasting, the group you want to attract is the hard-core podcast listener. And they have their own agenda: Does your show increase the viability of podcasting overall? if you are producing the type of show that they feel exemplifies what podcasting can be, then you’ll get the benefit of their word of mouth. And some of these people, like the journalists who cover podcasting, have very loud voices indeed. After that, the people running for office have to appeal to the people who vote. Likewise, podcasters should appeal to the people who listen to podcasts. And when doing so, they have to understand why a listener would choose to listen to them. As before, it comes down to an evaluation on their part: Does your show validate their worldview? Yes, it really does boil down to this: what's in it for them? Yes, the 30% to 40% of the people who listen to podcasts have an appetite for new content. If it’s good enough, they may be interested in listening to the content you put out. But it has to be more than good. It has to validate their
S2 E271 · Tue, March 03, 2020
Knives Out! Podcast Fiction Vs The World
Podcast fiction is probably my favorite genre. If you're thinking today’s podcast fiction is simply a resurgence of audio drama 1930s radio, you have the wrong assumption. While podcast fiction certainly can replicate that style, today’s podcast fiction scene is much more broad and rich than that. No matter what kind of fiction (books, TV, or movies) you like, there’s probably a podcast fiction production out there for you. I encourage you to go find it and have a listen. But things aren’t perfect in the world of podcast fiction. The genre is oftentimes misunderstood (or underestimated) by other podcasters and those who cover podcasting alike. Journalists often pay half-effort lip service to the genre, perpetuating myths that keep people way. Inside the larger podcasting community, producers of podcast fiction constantly struggle to have their voices heard and gain acceptance. Not out of malice, but usually out of ignorance. There are many issues that plague podcast fiction that contributes to its ongoing ostracization. I’ll tackle a few of them head-on: Some podcast fiction sucks An oft-cited problem with podcast fiction has to do with issues of quality. If you randomly sample a piece of podcast fiction, there’s a non-zero chance that your encounter will be with something that’s decidedly not-great. But why is that surprising to you? Examine any creative endeavor, and you’ll find the same thing. Sturgeon’s Law always applies to everything. Podcast fiction is overlooked by advertisers As ad revenue continues to pour into podcasting, producers of podcast fiction are often locked out. The people who sell advertising on podcasts don't know about podcast fiction. Or if they do, they don't understand the different listening behavior of fans of podcast fiction vs those w
S2 E270 · Mon, March 02, 2020
Podcasting's Hollowed-Out Middle Class
Podcasting has some really good benchmarking statistics. But what we (or at least I) really need to see is a distribution chart that shows clusters of podcasts by audience size. We don't have that distribution chart in podcasting. Or if we do, I haven't seen it. Yet this is something that the podcast hosting companies could make for us. It’s something that third-party tracking services like Chartable could make for us. They're not, but I really wish they would. So without an actual chart, I’m going to speculate that podcasting’s distribution chart would look very hollowed-out. If we grouped shows by the number of listeners/downloads, I speculate that we would see a really big cluster of shows at the bottom of the distribution chart. The further along the x-axis we travel, the size of the clusters of shows would drop off precipitously. How precipitously? We don’t know, because the data hasn’t been presented to us in this way. (Yet?) Continuing on, I’m betting that we’d see (or perhaps we’ll start to see) a new cluster of shows growing at the high end of the scale. And a big gap in the middle. Hence the hollowing out of the middle of podcasting. Here’s why: Factors that push the big-audience podcast cluster Big podcast creation companies are getting more money. Podcast listening apps and directories get better at presenting better content. Non-podcasting big media will continue to get excited about podcasting. Factors that push the small-audience podcast cluster More people listening to podcasts means more people dabbling in podcasting. More services will make easier to podcast. Smaller shows are often happy staying small. <span style="background
S2 E269 · Thu, February 27, 2020
Podcasting Through The COVID-19 Crisis
So today I’m going to think through how COVID-19 could impact podcasting and the lives of podcasters. I’m not a doctor, so we won’t be talking prevention. Not my job. Will people like you and me opt out of attending podcasting events? Will we cancel already-booked travel plans? How will attendance of local events be impacted? How will interview-based podcasts change? Some enjoy doing that in-person, where the host sits face-to-face with the guest. Some prefer to capture the ambient sounds of the venue as part of the show’s flavor. How will they adapt if their guests can’t or won’t meet in person? Then there’s the economics. What happens to your show’s primary income stream if budgetary constraints cause advertisers to pull back? Or supporters? Or people who normally buy your products/services but are out of a job? I worry a little bit about the global supply chain as well. I've got all of my equipment and you probably do as well. It's more disruption in the global services chain that we podcasters rely on to distribute our episodes everywhere that concerns me. If you've not been thinking about how COVID-19 will impact your podcast, you probably should start. Yes, on top of the worrying you’re already doing about how the virus might personally impact you, your family, and people that you care about, I need you to also think about the impact COVID-19 may have on your podcasting efforts . It's hard to prepare when we’re in the early stages and really don't know how big the possible impact might be. But thinking through the things mentioned today can only help you as you continue your podcasting efforts through this health crisis. Pro tip: Reach out to your fellow podcasters and find out what they're thinking or worried about. <span style="b
S2 E268 · Wed, February 26, 2020
Paywalls, Podcasting, and Prejudice
The decision to put content -- popular content -- behind a paywall is always an agonizing choice for any decent person. Podcasters included. It’s not a binary choice. Nor is it a choice that any podcaster gets to make. Successfully implementing a switch to directly charging for access is, for most podcasts, completely dependent on the size of the audience. Here’s an easily busted myth: Every single person who currently subscribes/listens to your free podcast will continue to listen to (and therefore pay for) your content when you put it behind a paywall. That’s categorically false. The question really becomes this; how many will, and how much can I make? On average, you’ll be lucky to see 2% of the people who currently subscribe to your show for free switching over to the paid model. Sure, it can be higher. But it can also be lower. 2% is a good number from which you can do your projections. Nota bene: Subscribing to a behind-the-paywall podcast isn’t any harder than subscribing to any other podcast, with the exception that (for now) these for-fee podcasts don’t show up in podcast apps or directories. Let’s get back to that 2% number. If you have a thousand people listening to your episodes on a regular basis, you can expect 20 make the for-fee switch. If you're charging five bucks a month for access, that's $100. For me, going to a fee-based model doesn’t make sense for my podcast. I have roughly 300 people who listen to me. 2% means I’d have six people paying, so a paltry sum. But if I had 10,000? Or 100,000? I’d have to consider it. If my thoughts have you ready to jump on the paywall bandwagon, I’d advise caution and some math before you take the plunge. There are many, many things to consider. Choose wisely. This is something you shouldn't rush into. My advice? Check with your podcasting friends. See if your fellow podcasters are considering this as well, weighing the size of their audience against potential revenue gains to determine viability. And discussing the potential (real, actually) outcry from current listeners if there were to make the switch. Send your friends this episode and blame
S2 E267 · Tue, February 25, 2020
Dealing With The Skeletons In Your Podcasting Closet
Episodic podcasts don’t require the listener to back up to the beginning to get caught up. The most recent episode is sufficient, and even someone does take an immediate shine to your content, they might go back and pick up two or three of your prior episodes. It's not all that common where people download your entire catalog. Or is it? My bigger concerns when people back and listen to everything ever produced by me are twofold. 1. Dealing with evolved best practices. 2. Dealing with evolved cultural norms. I am deep in the process of fixing some poor decisions I made when I started this show back in 2018. In short, I’m (finally) combining everything into a single property instead of relying on various disparate systems to present the show and episodes. The hard work is the boring part where I copy and paste content from various platforms to the new platforms. As I do it, I'm seeing some things that I'm not sure should be out there anymore. Can I trust a listener will know that any bad advice I gave back then has been updated? I don’t think I can. I don't mention the date during the recording. And podcast listening apps don’t go out of their way to show the date when a show was recorded. And I don’t really want them to, as I’m working hard to make evergreen content that is discovered by search engines, so I don’t want someone turned off by thinking the content is old and outdated. Except sometimes it is outdated! Agh! The angst is real. Should a podcast be held responsible for what they said 10 years ago? Or should the responsibility fall on the listener to examine publishing date so that they take the contents with the context of time? That just sounds weasely as I type it! I don't know the right answer to this question. I want you to think about it. I think everybody has to come up with their own right answer. What are you going to do? What's your plan with all of this? Maybe you should have this conversation with another podcaster to find out what their plan is. I think these kinds of decisions are best made when we discuss th
S2 E266 · Mon, February 24, 2020
Mid-Level Podcasters' Biggest Mistake: Complacency
Hang around with enough podcasters who've been at it for a while and you’ll eventually hear many of them ask the same question: “ I don't know if my podcast is as big as it should be. ” Or perhaps, in rare cases, “ I don't know if the quality of the content I'm putting out is as good as it should be. ” The best way to break the complacency trap is by understanding where you could be. You might have aspirations, but quite often they aren’t written down or codified in any way so that you or your podcast team can measure the effectiveness of your efforts. When you're not really sure what success looks like, you just keep going about the motions. You become complacent. Complacency breeds familiarity. Familiarity becomes habit. And habits develop into ruts. You do the same thing day after day, week after week, or month after month, without any growth or change. Once you’ve identified where you want to go, you're going to have to work harder. You have to dig in deeper, roll up your sleeves, and spend more time making great content. Can you do that? Can you afford that? Is that really what you want? Are you willing to completely overhaul your show? Are you ready to look at the consumption numbers provided by Apple Podcasts and Spotify to see exactly how much (or little) of your content is being consumed by listeners? Are you willing to make drastic changes when you face evidence that what you are doing right now is not resonating with your audience? I know that’s a heavy set of questions to dump on you on a Monday morning, podcaster. But at some point, if you really do want to move closer to viability, you’re going to have to face the reality those questions present. Because complacency is the biggest mistake that mid-level podcasters are making today. Raise this question with the other podcasters you interface with. Ask them if they’re complacent with where their show is today. Ask if they are happy or if there are things
S2 E265 · Thu, February 20, 2020
Hitting The Limits Of Low-Cost Podcast Hosting [Episode 265]
The promise most low-cost podcast media hosting providers make with you is for “unmetered” bandwidth. It doesn't matter how big your show gets, they say. They’ve got the bandwidth taken care of, and your monthly bill won’t increase. Well... what if I told you that wasn't always true? What I’m about to say should not cause the vast majority of podcasters to take drastic action. For the overwhelming majority of podcasts, you’ll always keep paying whatever you're paying right now for podcast hosting. If you’re successful at growing your podcast into a commercially viable enterprise, to the point you’re getting tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of downloads on your episodes, your podcast hosting company will be forced to make a business decision, because you’re costing them thousands of dollars each month. They’d like that back, and even to turn a profit so they can stay in business. Look at the contract you probably didn’t read that spells out the terms of service with your hosting company. Chances are, you’ll find a clause that states something along the lines of, “If your show gets too big, we're going to reach out to you and find ways to help us recoup our real costs.” If you really do have designs on growing your show (and a plan to do so) to the point where it's commercially viable, then you need to prepare for this eventuality. Because it will come up. You need to be eyes wide open that someone will have to pay the bandwidth cost eventually. Because TANSTAAFL. Do you have a friend in podcasting who needs to know about this? Do me a favor and send them this particular episode. Word of mouth works really well to grow a podcast. There are almost 900,000 podcasts available, but I’m nowhere near having 900,000 people listening to my program, so I’m not facing the reality I just laid out. So don’t worry: You can send me as many listeners as you like! And if you have questions for me on this topic or anything related to making podcasting better, reach out to me at evo@podcastlaunch.pro . <span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(
S2 E264 · Wed, February 19, 2020
Is Selling Ads On Your Podcast Worth A Dime?
Last week at Podcast Movement Evolutions 2020 , I paid a lot of attention to the conversations regarding podcast advertising as a business model. Mostly because of the new moves in podcast ad tech (something I’ll dig into in future episodes) that are increasingly interesting to my ex-ad-exec brain. But also to better understand where the threshold is today for having a show with an audience size big enough to be attractive to advertisers. So what’s big enough to be worthy of consideration? For many years, the threshold tossed around the community has been 5,000. No, not 5,000 total downloads over the life of your show. 5,000 downloads of a single episode of your show after it’s been live for 30 days. But according to the people I spoke with and saw on stage last week, that 5,000 download number is woefully out of date. The new threshold floated around was double that. Or quadruple that. Or in the case of one big direct response advertiser who talked about the success his company is having with podcast advertising, it’s 10x that. His team won’t even consider booking ads with shows that have less 50,000 downloads per episode after 30 days. So how much money is that? In the episode, I do a basic formula to show that each download of your show can be worth a dime. So if you have 5,000 downloads, that’s $500. And it’s hard to run a commercially viable business with a revenue stream of $500. $5000 is better… but you still need extra revenue sources to make that a going concern. So here’s a radical thought. Assuming your show is not yet at that level (most aren’t), and further assuming that you aren’t financially ruined if you eschew the $50 or $100 a month of ad revenue you might get from some of the self-service podcast ad providers… What if you focused on growing your show through word of mouth? No appeals to donate. No appeals to rate or review. Only a single call-to-action, repeated in every single episode for a year, that sincerely asks the listener to tell one friend about the show each and every time they listen. So let’s try it. If you got this far, you're either a working podcaster or you know working podcasters. Would you fin
S2 E263 · Tue, February 18, 2020
The Podcast Academy: Podcasting's Usurper or Savior? [Episode 263]
When The Podcast Academy was announced last week, the reactions were split. One side was excited to see a solid and amazing professional awards ceremony that could bring the big dogs out to a red carpet event that could elevate podcasting. The other side was worried about the representation of indie podcasters. Would they be left in the cold? It’s to that second group I want to speak today. If you are worried about the indie voice and wonder why I'm not, it's likely because you and I have a different definition of what “indie podcasting” means. All amateurs or hobbyists are likely independents, but not all indie podcasters are amateurs or hobbyists . Plenty of indie podcasters produce amazing content that sounds great, is well-researched, and is well-produced. Many amateur or hobbyist podcasters will look at the list of 13 peer groups identified by The Podcast Academy and be puzzled. Director, host, and producers as separate roles? Aren’t performers hosts? And why are all those not-podcasting roles on the list? But independent podcasters who make great content won’t be puzzled at all. Because they know the value of all of those roles -- even if they have to assume many/most of those roles on their own. That’s the kind of indie podcaster I’m talking about: Those who recognize there's more to making a podcast than just grabbing a mic and saying whatever's on your mind. Not that there's anything wrong with the record-and-release style of podcasting. Nor does this new organization seek to eliminate that type of podcasting. All they want is to elevate the people who are making amazing podcasting content. There’s a lot of room between being having
S2 E262 · Mon, February 17, 2020
Your New Podcasting Strategy: Viability-First [Episode 262]
If Podcast Movement Evolutions 2020 had a theme, it was this: commercial viability is podcasting’s new brass ring. Commercial viability means that the podcast has to pay for itself. It’s a business term because, for many, podcasting is a real and commercially viable business. Instead of asking “How do I grow an audience for my podcast?”, rephrase the question to “How do I grow a podcast for my audience?” That change in thinking is at the core of what commercial viability in podcasting means. It starts with having an understanding of an audience and then building something that that audience wants. But what if you don't have an audience? What if you just have an idea for what you think might be a really great show? Common advice is “just start!”. But that leaving a lot to chance. No, it’s leaving everything to chance. A better option is to put viability first. Take your idea to the audience before you start the podcast. Once you’ve identified the audience, shop your idea around with that audience. Ask them questions. Do interviews to make sure your idea can be crafted into a podcast that the audience truly wants and is something worthy of adding to their busy lives. And if so, go build that podcast! I’ve more thoughts spurred from talks given and conversations had at Podcast Movement Evolutions 2020, so watch this space over the next few days. In the meantime, go to RateThisPodcast.com/podpont and leave a rating for the show. And one way to make sure that I bring you more ideas to help with your shows’ commercial viability is to visit <a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra" target="_bla
S2 E261 · Tue, February 11, 2020
Podcast Subscriber Tracking Is Pointless
Last week a new service launched (not important enough to name or link) that lets anybody see how many subscribers any podcast has. When the buzz hit, many podcasters who checked their own show reported that the public subscriber counts didn’t match up with the private download data provided by their podcast hosting company, the service responsible for serving the media files. So what's going on here? Nothing of importance, other than a chance to remind you that subscriber counts are pointless. My biggest beef with counting podcast subscribers is that they don't represent anything tangible. Ask any email marketer out there about their open rate. Or do a search for the current average open rate for an email campaign and you’ll be shocked at how few people open emails they have specifically subscribed to. Then reflect on your own inbox. How many un-opened emails from various places do you have? Take a look at the gigantic YouTube channels, some with tens of thousands of subscribers or more. With few exceptions, those channels don’t see tens of thousands or millions of views on their video. It’s often only a single-digit percentage of subscribers who actually watch any of the videos published by those channels. Think of all the apps you have on your phone that send you push-notifications that new content is available. How often do you respond to that notification? How easily do you ignore that ever-incrementing number in the little red bubble? Why would you think it's any different for people who subscribe to a podcast? So yes, list your show everywhere. And yes, encourage people to subscribe. But stop trying to count the subscribers of your podcast. That number just doesn't matter. What does matter is that you go to RateThisPodcast.com/podpont and rate this podcast. Also, if you found the information I provided today (or inside any of my
S2 E260 · Mon, February 10, 2020
Turning SEO for Podcasts On Its Head
Everything you think you know about podcasting and SEO is backward. Once you get it in the right order, you will have a much better approach to SEO and your podcast. Here's what I mean by a backward understanding of SEO. The way most people (podcasters included) approach SEO is by looking at their already-published posts, article, or other pages of their website, and then trying to add some SEO to the work already done. Like it’s table salt or some other seasoning that can improve the flavor. After-the-fact SEO doesn't tend to work very well. It’s great that you're spending time writing really in-depth episode details. That’s important. It’s great that you are spending time writing episode titles that are relevant and score high on the emotional scale. That's important. It’s great that you've done the hard work of building a great website that keeps your content all on one domain so the search engines can give you the authority you deserve. That’s important. But all of those efforts are often for naught if you’re still thinking about SEO at the end of those processes. You need to move your SEO strategy to the front. Before you do anything at all for your next planned episode: you have to do know what people are searching for. So how do you find what searchers are actually searching for? There are lots of tools out there, like UberSuggest , SEMRush , and a whole lot more. I'm not personally endorsing any of them, simply because I don't care which one you use. Once you understand what people -- many or a few -- are searching for, you can make an episode about that one thing, that one topic, or that one keyword if that's how it helps you think about the solution. Make answering that search request the primary function of that particular episode. Give people what they are searching for. And do it first, before you start planning or recording, not afterward. Create content
S2 E259 · Thu, January 30, 2020
Podcasting Your Way Through The Coming Recession
I podcasted my way right through the 2008 financial crisis. But don't think that I'm some sort of financial genius. I'm also the moron who bought a gigantic house I couldn't afford at the height of the mortgage bubble. So while I’m no help on economic issues, I do have some relevant advice for you and your podcasting efforts on surviving the coming recession My four pieces of advice will focus on things other than “go find more money”. Though clearly, if your podcasting efforts right now are funded by other people -- sponsors, advertisers, patrons, big VC dollars -- economic downturns are going to be particularly problematic for you. So let’s get into the four ways you can prepare as a podcaster for the coming financial hiccup. 1 - Diversify The Content You Podcast When the recession comes, it's going to impact shows disproportionately. Yes, podcasting will survive, but a lot of shows won’t. With multiple shows or you having roles to play on multiple shows, you spread out your risk. 2 - Differentiate Your Podcasted Content When the recession hits, a lot of those undifferentiated shows will share the same fate. On the surface, that sounds like a good thing. Instead of 3,152 entrepreneur interview shows available today, that number might shrink drastically. If yours is one of the few that survives, that’s more audience for you, right? Maybe. But that’s being hopeful instead of strategic. 3 - Understand Your Podcasting Stack If you rely on other people to keep your podcast running, remember that the recession will hit those service providers too. Some may go out of business. Some may be forced to give up their side hustles and find a more permanent gig. What happens when one of the cogs in your machine or of the links in your chain (pick your metaphor) is taken out of the picture thanks to that recession? What are you going to do? 4 - Built Your Network Now The 2008 recession hit many people completely unaware. Without access to their work email accounts or their contact database from work, they had to start building a brand new network from scratch. Do whatever you can to start networking. Start making connections. Get out of the podcasting bubble that you have created for yourself and make sure you've got lifelines out to other people. Who knows what might happen and who might be able to help you? Or who you might be able to help. Remember, it's not a question of if the next recession's coming but when. I'm not predicting its arrival. I am saying that to not only survive the next recession but to podcast your way through it, those four tips will help you get there. And doing one or all of these three things will help me help you: BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra is for people who care enough about this content to support the program financially with tiny, tiny donations. <a href="https://rate
S2 E258 · Wed, January 29, 2020
Harder Podcasting Makes Podcasting Better
It's pretty easy to make a podcast. And getting easier by the minute. Not necessarily better, but it’s a lot easier to make a podcast now than it was just a few years ago. With that easiness comes a false sense of expertise. If you’re still podcasting today the way you did when you stumbled into podcasting 10 years ago… there are probably better ways to podcast that you haven’t yet incorporated. So before you offer your services or advice, I want you to take what you’re doing today a step further. Specifically, I want you to work harder before you offer your advice or services to someone else. In order for you to be a coach, consultant, or generally helpful person who also wants to make podcasting better, you first need to understand that there's more to podcasting than just the way that you do it. Even better, you need to understand how to make all sorts of podcasts . So take your easy-interview show and make it more journalistic. Spend time gathering “field recordings” and incorporate them into your episodes. Do radically different things with your content that may take you 15x the amount of time you spend today. Yes, that does sound like hard work, doesn’t it? But doing so will allow you to learn much more about making a podcast. I really believe that trying your hand at harder things is one of the best ways to grow. And it’s the only way to be worthy of having your own training course or developing a voice in the support forums that is worthy of listening to. Food for thought. Speaking of food, or at least a coffee, how about going to BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra to help support the program? You can also go to RateThisPodcast.com/podpont and leave a rating for the content that you have heard here. And if you need some help with the strategy for your business, get in touch with me. evo@podcastlaunch.pro reaches me, or go to SimplerMedia.pro to see a list of services that we offer clients all around the globe. ----- Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/harder-podcasting-makes-podcasting-better Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they com
S2 E257 · Tue, January 28, 2020
Planning For Better Podcasting
There are four levels of podcast planning I want you to think about, and I particularly want you to think of them in sequence so you can see how they build on one another. • Planning For Better Podcast Episodes The first layer of planning you should consider is the planning you do for each of your episodes. You have a plan for your episodes, don't you? A plan for each episode? Even if you’re the kind of podcaster who likes to just get behind the microphone and wing it (I have been that kind of podcaster), you need a plan for each episode. • Planning For Better Podcasts (Shows) You need a solid plan for your entire show. How do the episodes of your show link together? Can you create an arc that allows each episode to be unique, but deliver a payoff for listeners who stick with you episode after episode? Have you worked out a plan for the weeks or months you’ll take a break from podcasting so you don’t overload on stress? • Planning For Your Involvement On Other Podcasts Can you play a role in other people's shows? Spreading your influence beyond just the episodes of your show is a great way to increase your overall visibility and cause opportunities to happen. It'll also make you better at all aspects podcasting when you're doing more than one thing. • Planning For A Bigger Role In The Podcasting Industry Even if you're brand new at podcasting right now, you won’t always be. And that means you need a plan to have a bigger role in our industry. Are you engaging in constructive conversations with other podcasting leaders, either at conferences or in online communities? Are you well known in podcasting as someone with valuable and worthy opinions? If not, what's your plan to establish yourself at that level? I think we could all use some occasional reminding to not be so focused on our singular podcast that we lose sight of the bigger picture. And almost always, having a plan is better than having no plan at all. Now, I didn't plan on asking this, but if you wanted to go to BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra and buy me a coffee, you can set it up so that it buys me a single coffee every single month. If money's a little tight and you just want to show your love and appreciation for what I have to say, go to RateThisPodcast.com/podpont and leave a rating. It’ll customize the choices to just those that work on the device you used to get to that URL. And finally, if you know of someone or you are someone who needs some assistance with a podcast strategy that works with your overall business objectives; that's what my company, Simpler Media Productions , does for our clients. Go to SimplerMedia.pro or just drop me an email and we'll talk: <a h
S2 E256 · Mon, January 27, 2020
Better Podcasting By Living Up To The Hype
Word of mouth not only comes with a recommendation of what you should listen to but why you should listen. It helps to think about other media content to get us out of our head. Imagine that you’ve received a movie recommendation from me that came with all the reasons I loved a movie. But when you sit down in the theater, the following happens: The movie starts and you're fairly certain from the first opening sights and sounds this movie is not what you expected. Perhaps more importantly, you can tell right away that you're probably not going to like it. Yes, you’ll probably stick it out. You just dropped $15 and you’re committed. But what if you were sitting at home watching the movie on a streaming service? Most people I surveyed said they wouldn’t finish. If it were an episodic television program, like news or a comedy sketch show, most said they wouldn’t stick around the full hour. But if it were a serialized show on a streaming service, most said they’d stick around for an episode (maybe two) before giving it the boot. Which brings us back to podcasting. How does this behavior relate to our world? I’d wager it’s exactly like one or more of those experiences above. And it's a failure on the part of the creators to live up to the hype associated with word of mouth that causes people to give up on episodes, podcasts, or network. Whatever your podcast is hyped with, get to that first! If you have a chatter and talky-stuff segment to stay nice and chummy with your long-term listeners, don’t let that get in the way of the hype new listeners cam to experience! If you occasionally drop not-normal episodes, preface that! Let your listeners know -- in the audio of the episode-- that this episode is something out of the ordinary, perhaps going so far as to recommend new listeners not listen to this episode first. If you’re making serialized content, make sure you’ve set the tags in your feed so that the first episode of your series shows up first. And check your feed to make sure bonus content or seasons show up the way you want them to for new listeners. Also, make sure your website -- a likely first-stop for people won’t haven’t yet developed the podcasting habit -- showcases your best episodes, not just your most recent one. The same advice holds true if you run a website for a podcast network or collective. Feature the best rather than the most recent. Take time today to make sure your podcasting is living up to the hype associated with its word of mouth, would you? It’s critical to ensure new listeners immediately get what they expected, and it’s the best way to keep growing your audience. If you love that advice, I would love it if you went to BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra and bought me a coffee. You can even set up a monthly recurring donati
S2 E255 · Thu, January 23, 2020
No Pain No Gain Podcast Workout
The gym or fitness center is a great metaphor for podcasting. The building itself and all of the equipment inside represent the tools and services we working podcasters use to make our podcasts. The people working out -- patrons -- represent working podcasters like yourself. You don't know how serious these patrons are. They could just be in there like me trying to get limber once again (as if I ever was), or they could be training for the next marathon, or they might be professional bodybuilders. Who knows? The same holds true in podcasting. You don’t know how serious they take podcasting when you encounter another podcaster. Some patrons, perhaps most, only use a limited set of equipment for their workout. They check-in, workout for a set period of time, and then they leave. That's the same pattern a lot of podcasters employ: they ply their craft using one or two pieces of equipment to make their podcast episodes, and they’re done. In-and-out. No muss. No fuss. And that’s perfectly fine. People who approach podcasting like that are why we're approaching 900,000 podcasts. The second type of people are at the gym are usually not working out, but are instead assisting the patrons of the gym. Personal trainers, you might call them. These people represent the professional service providers found in the podcasting industry. Audio editors. Copywriters. Podcast strategists. Personal assistants. Anyone really who offer ways to help podcasters with their craft. Where the gym-employed trainer can show you how to work any of the equipment, they probably aren’t much help beyond that. The same goes for podcast consultants. Some, perhaps most, can show you how to podcast the way they podcast, but they probably don’t have much experience beyond that. But beyond the trainers on the payroll of the gym are the “professional” personal trainers who have studied training or physical therapy at university. Maybe they previously worked for a professional sports team or at a sports medicine clinic. These trainers will have a much more complete service offering that goes beyond the confines of the gym they are working in with their clients. So too is it for podcast consultants who do who have been in the trenches for a long time. Truly professional podcast consultants are going to be more qualified to help you make a more well-rounded show or to help you get to the next level with our podcasting. But the problem with working with truly professional personal trainers is that you must follow their routine. If you instead dictate the type of workout you want to do, the type of equipment you want to use, the frequency and the length of the sessions you want to commit to, and then state what outcome you’re looking to achieve… Well, you're probably not going to have a very good time. If anything I’ve written (or said, if you listened) resonated with you, I would appreciate it if you would go to <a href="https://rateth
S2 E254 · Wed, January 22, 2020
It's 2020: Is It Easy To Make A Good Podcast Yet?
t's a lot easier to record a podcast today than it was 10 years ago. It's a lot easier to post a podcast episode today than it was when I started in 2004. It's a lot easier to manage your RSS feeds. More podcasters are aware of best practices and standards. So yes: the process of podcasting has gotten easier. Moreover, it will continue to get easier over time to make a podcast. But it still isn’t any easier to make a good podcast. With few exceptions, all of those products & services that make it easier to podcast are designed to eliminate the rote and repetitive tasks that get in the way of the act of podcasting. While removing those low-level tasks from your brain might leave you with more time to focus on making your podcasts better, that’s not what they were designed to do. Yes, there certainly are some improvements to make your podcast sound better. But if your waiting for a future where you will sit down, talk into a microphone, and everything else will be done perfectly for your good podcast, well… Keep hope alive. It takes time to create good content, and software probably won’t replace your need to focus on making really good content. Technology doesn't stand still, and new tech not only requires someone to know how to use it, but it also allows creators to go deeper and make things better. And more complicated. It goes hand in hand. Here’s the rub: better content means audiences are getting more demanding. As they see how good content can be, they become less forgiving of half-assed attempts. You have to step up your game to make your content attractive to them. In the year since I first raised this topic, I’ve done a lot to make this podcast better. I hope you’ve noticed a difference. If you did, I’d appreciate it if you went to RateThisPodcast.com/podpont . It is easier to leave a nice rating or review for this show via that service. Try it out to see how simple it is. After that, you can go to BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra and well, you know… buy me a coffee to show your support for the show. And if you need help with podcasting for your business or the professional service that you run; my firm is here to help. We do make it easier for our clients to have better podcasts (because we do most of the work!) Evo@podcastlaunch.pro reaches me. You can go to SimplerMedia.pro to see the list of services. ----- Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/its-2020-is-it-easy-to-make-a-good-podcast-yet <a href="https://podcastpontifications.
S2 E253 · Tue, January 21, 2020
Pitching Your Podcast To Passive People
Clients often ask me how they can promote their show to gain more listeners. Not that I’m surprised. That same question is still asked by people who've been podcasting for nearly 16 years. Clearly, some have cracked the nut. When you look at download numbers for the top podcasts -- those that get all of the advertising dollars precisely because they have the majority of the listeners -- you see that overall listenership to those big shows continues to grow. But the average listenership for the rest of us remains relatively unchanged. That means the big shows are getting bigger, and everyone else is stagnating or is seeing tiny growth. So why is that? Why are we seeing big shows grow, but very little growth at the lower levels? There could be (and likely are) many reasons, but the one I want to talk to you about today a reality you might need reminding of: The majority of potential podcast listeners aren't hardcore podcast listeners. Candidly, I don’t think there's much that an individual podcaster can do to increase the overall awareness of podcasting to the masses. However, that doesn't mean you should not try. You’re just one person. I'm just one person. Everybody else is just one person. But if our collective voices get loud enough, we just might be better heard by the masses. Right now, most of your podcast promotion probably leverages other podcasts and podcasters. That’s called “fishing where the fish are”, and it’s a super-smart idea. Yes, you should continue to do that. But you also need to branch out to people who aren't yet listening to podcasts. You must make sure your promotional content is attractive enough to appeal to people who are aware of podcasting but decided it's not really for them. You must make sure that what you promote is attractive to anybody who sees the promotional content. Not only do you have to do it, but your podcasting friends also have to do it. I have to do it. Unrelated but important to me is asking you to go to RateThisPodcast.com/podpont and say something nice about the show. I’d really appreciate it. If you found the information in this episode (or the hundreds of other episodes) valuable, go to BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra . And if you need help making podcasting work well for your company, my company, Simpler Media Productions , can help! Go to SimplerMedia.pro or send me an email at Evo@podcastlaunch.pro . ----- Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode
S2 E252 · Mon, January 20, 2020
Podcasting In The Zone (Without Zoning Out)
I sometimes wish podcasting were as simple as sitting down in front of a microphone and talking (and I certainly try to make it that simple for my clients). But you and I know that there's a lot more to podcasting than just talking into a microphone or editing an audio file. There are a lot of processes to process , and most people find that process happens best when you're inside of the zone. It’s smart to establish a zone like that for your own work. But exercise caution: getting too deeply into the zone can lead to a pathological condition. And if you’re podcasting just one thing, like you really just have a podcast instead of being more broadly focused on podcasting overall, it’s too easy to be locked into your zone. That makes you myopic: so focused on your thing that you lose sight of the larger world around you. Make sure that you find a way to get into the zone so that you are more productive. But also make sure that you can break out of that zone from time to time to observe the wider universe around you. Because podcasting changes all of the time. One change is that you can now rate podcasts very simply. All you have to do is go to RateThisPodcast.com/podpont , for example. It doesn't matter what app you use to listen to podcasts. It doesn't matter what device you use to listen to podcasts., It doesn’t matter whether you're on mobile or your laptop when you go to RateThisPodcast.com/podpont . Try it and see how easy it is to leave a rating for this show. If you thought this information was helpful, you can go to BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra and buy me a coffee. You can pick a monthly recurring donation so that you pass a little bit of money my way every month. I don't charge for the show and I don't run advertising on the show, so your support is nice to have. And if you need assistance with your podcast, please get in touch with me. Reach me at evo@PdcastLaunch.pro or go to SimplerMedia.pro to see all of the services that we offer our clients. ----- Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcasting-in-the-zone-without-zoning-out Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for m
S2 E251 · Thu, January 16, 2020
Unmeasurable Metrics: Tracking Intangibles
The intangible benefits you get from your podcast are likely the most important evidence of your success as a podcaster. I can take this fairly complex topic and make it more simple to understand by talking about two different intangibles that you need to be tracking: reputation and resource. For resource, I'm talking about the content you create. Even more specifically, you need to understand whether or not others perceive your content as resourceful. Is your content referenced by people after you produce it? Do people find your content such a resource that they use it as an example? When I keynote the Outlier Podcast Festival in Salt Lake City at the end of this month, I'm going to reference a lot of podcasts as examples of the things I'm talking about. Will yours be one? Are you making content for your show that other people, whether they are listeners or your peers, view as a resource? For reputation, I’m talking about your reputation. Not the reputation of your shows or your episodes. This is your own reputation . Are you, personally, seen as someone with a good reputation amongst others in your own industry? Do you get invited to speak at events? Do people bring up your name in conversation when discussing your industry? And when it does come up, do others say nice things about you? Are you seen as someone with a good reputation in your peer group? One of the mistakes I see a lot of podcasters make, especially in my peer group, is being so focused on making sure that their content is seen as a good resource that they neglect to build their own reputation. So much so that they, the person providing the content, oftentimes disappear. I can't tell you the number of shows that I listen to where I don't know the name of the host, the producer, or anyone involved. I know the name of the show, and I know the content is a good resource. But that person doesn't get any reputation points from me because I don’t know who they are. They failed to say their name enough for me to lock it into my long-term memory. They fail to brand themselves as a part of the content they produce. As you l
S2 E250 · Wed, January 15, 2020
How To Do More In Podcasting Without Doing More Podcasting
We live in a world of seemingly non-stop podcast conferences. A flurry of thought-provoking articles about podcasting. Online courses and services for podcasters are coming out on a continual basis. So it’s quite natural for you to want to get even more into the podcasting world. It’s exploding, and you want to increase your chances of being swept up by this movement. To put together a quality show can easily take a significant portion of a day, if not the entire day. And then there are the other things you have to do, you know. Like… your job? The simple solution for that starts with this realization: There's more to podcasting than the actual physical stuff, like sitting behind a microphone and talking, editing and engineering, writing up episode notes or designing artwork and graphics. On this episode, I’ll give you these four ways to go deeper into podcasting without starting another podcast: Solicit guest appearances on other shows Write about podcasting for other publications Speak about podcasting at conferences and meetups Become part of another podcast In short: Where can you lend your voice in podcasting that doesn't require you to have a new podcast? And f you liked what I had to say here, you can do a few things for me. Please go to RateThisPodcast.com/podpont and leave me a rating on whatever service you feel like. It’s super easy. if you really thought that this was good value, you are more than welcome to support me by clicking on BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra and pass a couple of bucks my way. And finally, if you are in business and you know that your business needs some help with a podcasting push that’s strategized around your existing business goals and objectives, get in touch. Because that's what we do here at Simpler Media. We make it easy to podcast better for businesses. Go to SimplerMedia.pro for more information. ----- Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/how-to-do-more-in-podcasting-without-doing-more-podcasting Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit <a href="https://podcastl
S2 E249 · Thu, January 09, 2020
Leaning Into Radio's Podcasting Push
It’s no surprise that big radio companies like CBS and iHeart have been spending lots of on-air time telling their listeners over-the-airwaves that they can also listen to their favorite radio programs or voices as podcasts. We podcast pundits don’t talk about those apps much, because they account for very small percentages of overall podcast listening. But that’s a huge mistake on our part. Small percentages don’t necessarily mean small numbers of actual listeners. Small percentages can mean really, really big actual numbers of listeners actually using the app. It’s also possible -- quite likely, actually -- that those who’ve been converted to app-listening by radio networks are not exploring beyond their standard radio fare. So there could be a huge audience out there that we’re just not tracking. Hence my suggestion that you really lean into your podcast’s listing on radio-centric apps by adding a link to your show’s listing in those Big Radio apps to your website. Heretical, I know. But it makes sense to capitalize on all the awareness-building Big Radio has been doing for years. Also, there are people who really do buy into the funny Family Guy cartoon . Seeing a big, recognizable as-radio badge on your site could signal to that person that your content doesn’t suck. Here are your next steps to make that happen. I know I’m not a “how-to” show, but this is important: Make sure your show(s) is/are listed on radio network apps like Radio.com and iHeartRadio . Download that app yourself and make sure you're able to link directly and deeply into your show from that app . Copy that link, find the big, recognizable-as-radio graphic, and add it to your website . That’s my project for the weekend. I’m taking off the first two days of next week due to travel, but I’ll return on Wednesday, January 15, 2020. And while you wait: Use RateThisPodcast.com/podpont and leave a rating for the show. Show me some love at BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra Tell someone who needs help with their business-focused podcast to visit Simpler Media Productions at Simplermedia.pro . ----- Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/leaning-into-radios-podcasting-push <a href="htt
S2 E248 · Wed, January 08, 2020
An End To Podcast App Agnosticism & Apathy
For the better part of 15 years, I’ve had the attitude that I really don't care what app someone uses to listen, because all podcast apps do basically the same stuff. As you listen to podcasts these days, you’ll often hear podcasters end their shows with a call to action of “available wherever you listen to podcasts”. Again, there’s a sameness and uniformity of podcast listening apps. But saying “wherever you listen” is missing a key point: anyone who asks “How can I find your show?” clearly doesn’t know where to find any podcast! Yes. I know you've seen the studies that show that now more than 51% of the population has, at one time, listened to a podcast, but I don't trust that number. It’s not like the survey people said “Prove it!” to any of their respondents. The reality is that many -- perhaps most -- people actually don't know how to listen to a podcast. So if anyone ever asks you, “How can I find your podcast?”, don't tell them, “It's available anywhere you listen to podcasts!” What should you do instead? Previously when someone asked about my show or one of my clients’, I’ve asked what kind of phone they carry, and then direct them to the native app on their phone. Or to Spotify if they have that app pre-installed. That's fine to do, but I don't think that's as helpful as it could be. I think that 2020 might be the year we finally start seeing some differentiation -- differentiation that actually matters -- in the podcast app space. It’s up to you (and to me) to help find an app that truly does differentiate (or at least is one that we think our new listeners will love) and to guide our potential listeners how to use it. I know it sounds crazy, especially if there’s already a perfectly good-but-unused app on their phone! But you’ll make a much deeper connection with that person that way vs saying the equivalent of “It's been on your phone all along and you're dumb because you couldn’t find it.” Speaking of not doing dumb things, you should totally: Use RateThisPodcast.com/podpont and leave a rating for the show. It goes like… Show me some love at BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra Tell someone who needs help with their business-focused podcast to visit Simpler Media Productions at Simplermedia.pro . ----- Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/an-end-to-podcast-app-agnosticism-apathy Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra fou
S2 E247 · Tue, January 07, 2020
Surviving The Podcast Privacy Wars
As working podcasters, we can no longer ignore privacy issues. But as a working podcaster. You're probably not a technologist or a lawyer, so you probably don't need to know all the vagaries. You just want to make sure you don't run afoul of the law. So I’m offering up three common-sense steps to help make sure your podcast is on the right side of these coming podcast privacy wars, which are just getting started. Step 1: Understand Where Your Podcast May Have Possible Privacy Implications Step 2: Disclose Those Players On Your Podcast’s Privacy Page Step 3: Prepare For Change That's how you survive this coming privacy war in podcasting. Not by jumping into the fray, or taking up pitchforks. But simply by making sure that you are doing your part in the process. And that's it. Let other people who have more passion than you fight this out. Unless you're the person that has the passion. If so, go for it! I’ll be making the popcorn. And more podcast episodes. As a reminder: RateThisPodcast.com/podpont is a cool thing I told you about that yesterday. BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra helps keep this show going. If you need some help with managing your business-focused podcast, check out SimplerMedia.pro ----- Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/surviving-the-podcast-privacy-wars Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business! 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 reper
S2 E246 · Mon, January 06, 2020
Did Your Podcast Grow In 2019?
What do we actually track to indicate growth of a podcast? We can't really track subscribers. At least not easily. The new wave of podcast listeners often times aren’t subscribing anyhow. Tracking total downloads for all episodes is bogus. Just make more episodes! One back-catalog consumer skews counts In short, there’s no one-size-fits-all way of measuring growth. Think of the consumption habits of the audience of a long-form daily news show. Now think about the habits of listeners of an in-depth multi-part series. They aren’t the same. The best tool I’ve found is tracking 7-day and 30-day downloads per episode. Here’s a chart of how my show grew in 2019 , thanks to a data re-tumble from the fine people at Chartable . Yes, I think you should use Chartable like this. No, they didn’t pay me to say that. Did your podcast grow in 2019? Tell me about it. And while you’re at it, use RateThisPodcast.com/podpont and BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra . How you use those is pretty self-evident. Gotta love obvious domain names, right? ----- Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/did-your-podcast-grow-in-2019 Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business! 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,
Bonus · Thu, January 02, 2020
The End Of Painful Podcasting On Smart Speakers
At first blush, Smart Speakers seem like the perfect companion to podcasters. I mean, they’re smart , right? Well… not so much in practice. And if you haven’t yet tried to listen to your favorite podcast on that fancy new smart speaker Santa gave you… Well, you’re going to have a bad time. But that may be changing, and I’ve asked my friend James Cridland , Editor of Podnews , to explain to you why podcast listening on smart speakers may become a thing of the future. For some of us, at least. And this marks the final guest-hosted episode. I’ll be back next week with brand new episodes of Podcast Pontifications . Yay! ----- Share this with a friend: https://player.captivate.fm/5f746e4c-2ba4-4e43-beb5-13626df5b5f1 Podcast Pontifications will return in January 2020, published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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. Dont
Bonus · Tue, December 31, 2019
Perfecting your Podcast's PR Pitch
Believe it or not, there are some things I suck at. Taking a vacation isn’t one, but one is writing a press kit. I’m just terrible at it! That’s why I’ve invited Skye Pillsbury , a journalist with PR chops, to tell you what it takes to make a great press kit for your podcast. No, there isn’t a template you can copy. Well… there are. But those suck. As Skye will tell you (repeatedly), it takes a human approach to impact a human. And the journalists who write about (or need to write about) podcasting just happen to be human. Humans, oddly enough, tend to respond better to those they have a relationship with. Crazy talk! She recommends following the guidelines from RadioPublic and Bello Collective to actually create a press kit for your show. And then she gives some practical tips on cultivating a relationship with the journalists you’re pitching. (Because there’s more to it than the mechanics of sending an email.) ----- Share this with a friend: https://player.captivate.fm/0f46c33b-8783-4f5a-bc13-6d07a961c299 Podcast Pontifications will return in January 2020, published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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 hea
Bonus · Mon, December 30, 2019
Simpler Podcasting As A Survival Technique
I’m a big fan of keeping podcasting simple. That word is in the name of my podcast consultancy, after all: Simpler Media Productions . Truth be told, podcasting is (or at least can be) pretty simple. If, that is, you know what you’re doing or have the time to learn all the ins-and-outs and avoid the pitfalls. The clients who hire my firm don’t have the time or inclination to do that. But not so with hobbyist podcasters, artistic podcasters, or even businesses who do want to learn what it takes to make podcasting magic of their own. I applaud their efforts! But I also see them get bogged down in the minutia and tripped up on making things way to complicated. That’s why I asked my buddy Mike Dell on the program. As the customer support manager for podcast hosting company Blubrry , Mike has seen more than his share of noobie podcasters making things way too complicated. Mike’s going to focus on these key areas: Not overthinking your episodes notes Not overthinking your media file encoding settings Not jumping from hosting company to hosting company to get listed on a brand new platform (that everyone will eventually be able to submit their shows to) Keeping your website integration with your episodes simple His thoughts on episode-level artwork (which I disagree with) Why “good enough” really is good enough when it comes to mic selection Not overcomplicating (or force-feeding) social media is bad In the episode, you’ll hear me cut in at a few points to offer my own modifying thoughts (or downright disagreement). But I think it’s important to give room for dissenting opinions. Because The Evo Way, while being a very good way to podcast, isn’t the only way to podcast. As with so many things in life, your mileage may vary. ----- Share this with a friend: https://player.captivate.fm/e11fa6fc-91d4-45eb-b965-1f0b390e8b6b Podcast Pontifications will return in January 2020, published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly suppor
Bonus · Thu, December 19, 2019
Share Your Work To Make A Better Podcast
Almost by definition, podcasters have to be good at sharing. I mean, that's kind of the point. Just like I'm sharing my show with Ma'ayan Plaut . She's RadioPublic ’s podcast librarian (of all crazy job titles) and she thinks you, the working podcaster, can share your podcast better. In a nutshell, or at least in the text of an in-app episode description, she wants you to do three things: commit to sharing your show smartly with the world commit to sharing elements of your process so we can better understand your work commit to sharing the load of your work with others Of course, she goes into much greater detail in the audio. And it’s in that audio where she goes into detail about how to apply SMART goals to your podcast work (not just your show or your episodes the One Shot rule pioneered by Amanda McLoughlin why it’s so important to credit the other people who make your show possible some solid reasons why you need to write more, not just talk more the importance of building your own personal network … and why being more strategic leads to being more efficient Give it a listen. I promise you’ll learn a lot. ----- Share this with a friend: https://player.captivate.fm/a8ef5959-ee5d-4652-bac0-9583e7496a49 Podcast Pontifications will return in January 2020, published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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
Bonus · Mon, December 16, 2019
Keeping Your Show Relevant Is All Relative
Today’s topic is relevancy, and the conversation is led by Mark Asquith. Not only does Mark host his own PAP (podcast about podcasting) called the Podcast Success Academy , but he’s the CEO and co-founder of the UK-based technology company Rebel Base Media . They make a lot of podcast-specific services and products, including PodcastWebsites , Poductivity and Captivate.fm . (Disclaimer: I sit on the advisory board of Captivate.) Why talk about relevancy and what it means to working podcasters of today and tomorrow? How about: The podcast landscape is vastly different than it was just a few years ago, and the pace or rapid change is increasing. Big entertainment brands are entering the space, and that impacts how smaller shows present themselves While consumers are growing more demanding, they’re also finding more ways to engage with their favorite things and passions via podcasting Those consumers don’t care how they get their content, only that they get what they want Why podcasters need to hold their heads high as they beat their drums. And when you hear the last set of bumps, be sure to stick around to the end of the file for a little special something… that Mark probably wished I had edited out. ----- Share this with a friend: https://player.captivate.fm/5b28dc3f-2a5b-4c93-bf6f-4f566bb4b63f Podcast Pontifications will return in January 2020, published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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
Bonus · Wed, December 11, 2019
The Press, Your Podcast, And All Of Podcasting
Today, we’re going to have a conversation about the press and the relationship it has with podcasting. It’s led by guest-host Elena Fernández Collins , a freelance podcast critic and journalist who writes primarily for indie podcast-focused outlets like The Bello Collective and the Podmass column at the AV Club . Some things Ely will cover as she guest-hosts this episode while I continue my winter slumber: The value (and lack thereof) of “listicles”, which we’re about to be flooded with because it’s the end of the year. Why these listicles and other poorly-researched pieces rarely get picked up by big media outlets The benefits of pitching to smaller outlets and individual journalists Some insight into the mind of critics & journalist that will help you better fine-tune (or overhaul) your pitch Why you should ask (nicely) those same critics and journos to cover podcasting overall as it relates to their own special interests, Elena Fernández Collins is a podcast critic, journalist, and an overworked graduate student. You can find them yelling about podcasts on Twitter or at ElenaFernandezCollins.com . And if you’d care to help this freelance journalist continue to eat and pay rent while they work towards writing about podcasts at bigger places, you can support her at Patreon.com/ElenaFernandezCollins . ----- Share this with a friend: http://podcastpontifications.libsyn.com/the-press-your-podcast-and-all-of-podcasting Podcast Pontifications will return in January 2020, published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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
Bonus · Tue, December 03, 2019
There Is No Competition For You To Bury
Guest host: Dave Jackson from the School of Podcasting . For all the similarities podcasting shares with radio, there are just as many ways in which the two mediums are radically different. None bigger, perhaps, than how each views “the competition”. Radio stations and their subsequent shows are in direct competition with every other radio station and show that broadcasts in that time slot. If you’re listening to WXYZ’s Jocko’s Morning Madness at 7:30a on your commute to work, it’s impossible for you to also listen to the antics of Binky & The Whiz over on WZYX also broadcasting at 7:30a. One radio station per radio dial, please. But that’s not the case in podcasting. Navigating a radio station’s website to find this morning’s broadcast of Wombo The Snowchimp is problematic at best. But it’s a snap to listen to another podcast episode once the one you’re currently listening to is over. Hooray for time-shifted distribution and consumption! No, other podcasts/podcasters aren’t your competition. Yes, even if you focus on the exact same topics. Because you each have a unique take. Here’s what Dave and I both know: Getting to know “the competition” in podcasting often, assuming no absolute jerks are involved, leads to friendship. Collaborations. And yes, even a few new business leads. How weird is that? This isn’t a new phenomenon. But it may be a fleeting one, as more money pours into podcasting and thereby changes podcasting. Will a scramble for money and resources pit podcasters of similar topics against each other? I hope not, but time will tell. Your best course of action is to take Dave’s advice and make friends amongst your podcasting peers. If Dave and I don’t think we’re competing with one another, you shouldn’t see your podcasting peers as “the competition” either. ----- Share this with a friend: https://player.captivate.fm/0ccbfe18-389f-47a2-8370-777620c67667 Podcast Pontifications will return in January 2020, published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the r
S2 E245 · Thu, October 31, 2019
Social Scrubbing For A Pristine Podcast
Social media is a powerful tool. We, as podcasters and as listeners, use social media quite a lot. I often find myself turning to social when I want more information about the people who produce or voice the shows I’m interested in. I’m not alone in this. So what I would like for you to do -- today, if you can, and if not, by the weekend, so set yourself a to-do item if necessary -- is to clean it/them up. Recently I went on a big following hunt, adding lots of accounts by people from the podosphere. And I was largely disappointed. Links to show websites often 404’d. If there was a link listed at all. A depressing number of bios still used the word “iTunes”. Most didn’t even have any mention of their involvement in podcasting. I get that social media is 100% a personal choice. Just like with your podcast, you can do whatever you want. But dammit, if you’re going to have a public social presence for yourself and/or your show, you should make it a little easier on the people who might wish to follow you there. I’m eating my own dogfood and, right after this posts, will get on my own. I tend to (or at least I think I tend to) keep mine pretty clean always, but it never hurts to double-check. I hope you will join me and do the same. Now, as you know, this is my final episode of Podcast Pontifications for 2019. I’m taking a long winter's break from the program over November and December. But that doesn't mean episodes of the show will stop. I have a few special guests and other material lined up for people who follow/subscribe to the podcast. I won’t write extensive articles like this for those bonus episodes. They will be podcast-only exclusives until I return in January 2020. But if you’re reading this now, that means you’re already subscribed. You’ll still get them. Yay! While I rest my vocal cords, I hope you’ll also join me an ~100 others in our private Flick group. On your mobile device, go to Flick.group/PodcastPontifications and sign up. It’s free to join and I may have some special goodies from me that go out to only this small community. You can also follow my thoughts and pontifications on Twitter , my social channel of choice. And if you think my diatribes worthy of your support, BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra is for you. I'll be doubling down on client work while I’m off. If you are a business and you would like some strategic guidance on your podcasting efforts, get in touch with me: evo@podcastlaunch.pro or go to PodcastLaunch.pro to see how my team can help ease your burden when it comes to podcasting so you can
S2 E244 · Wed, October 30, 2019
Driving Downloads From Drive-Bys
Today I’m turning my (and hopefully your) attention to your website in an effort to make sure that you’re maximizing your podcast’s exposure to your website visitor with three simple links. Even if you think you're doing these right... you might be doing these wrong. So it’s worth a re-check. Some people will disagree with me on the importance of a website/page for a podcast. They’ll often cite how other mediums, like radio and TV, don’t rely on webpages that magically integrate with your living room television. But webpage-to-TV integrations just aren’t necessary for TV or radio programs. Why? Because everyone knows how to work their TV or radio to tune into the station that broadcasts the show they want to watch/hear. Not true for podcasting. Yes, the technology gap is shrinking every day. But still, a lot of people still don't know how to listen to podcasts. That’s a foreign concept to you, the working podcaster. And that’s having a negative influence on the decisions you make on your website. If you think about your website at all. Because chances are, you probably don’t visit a website of a podcast prior to listening. But you’re not a normal human. You’re a podcaster. You don’t (or you shouldn’t) build your show’s website or webpage for podcasters. You build your show’s website or webpage for normal humans. Your website for your podcast, or the web page on your website for your podcast, needs to feature -- prominently -- three links for those normal humans. Apple Podcasts - Around 60% of podcast consumption happens via Apple Podcasts. So clearly, you need to list it. Google Podcasts - Because of some tech vagaries that aren’t important, it’s hard to get a true grasp on how popular Google Podcasts is. But since the listening app is on every Android phone (and Apple Podcasts is not on any Android phone), you need to list it. Spotify - Spotify is gaining ground, currently enjoying some 14% of overall consumption. In many European countries, it even outperforms Apple Podcasts. That trend will continue. List it. And here’s my special offer just for you, the Podcast Pontifications audience: I’ll do this for you. Seriously. If you don't know to add the links (and the proper graphics) to those destinations on your webpage or website, I’ll do it. If your IT department won't help you, I’ll do it. If you’re stuck in some crazy quagmire and have no idea where to start, I will do this for you. No tricks. No hidden agenda. No trying to get you to sign up for something. Something I probably don’t even offer! This is me helping you. And since I won’t have episodes to put out for the next eight weeks, I should have some free time! This is honestly my give-back to my audience. ByMeACoff
S2 E243 · Tue, October 29, 2019
Sharing Sharable Info In Show Notes For Your Podcast
Today, I'm going to walk you through something very simple that you probably think you're doing right… but it’s highly likely that you might not be. Good news: This is an easy fix! I’m talking about “show notes”, a term that is often abused. Specifically, I’m talking about the “show notes” that appear in the podcast app on the device that your listener is using to listen to your episode. Not a webpage or an article. But the textual content that listeners can view while they're listening to your episode. Right now, as you’re listening to me talk to you, get to the most recent episode of your own show. ( Because you're subscribed to your own show, right?) Once you have it, click through to get more info. Each app has a different UI, so I can’t tell you exactly how to do this. But it should be fairly obvious. Look at the text that displays here. Yes, you (or someone on your team) wrote that text. That’s the in-app episode-level details -- show notes -- I’m speaking of. Done correctly, in-app episode details -- microcopy, as I call it -- can be invaluable engagement conduits for your listeners. If you tell your listeners “more information is available in the app you're listening on right now”, some will check. They don’t have to go to your website for more info. They don’t have to remember your episode number so they can visit your website later to find the info they were looking for. But only if you tell them that you’ve put in-app context-rich content inside their listening app. Yes, I recognize that some listeners are driving. Others are doing activities that don’t allow them to drop everything and click through for in-app details just because you told them to. But what about all the people who aren’t doing other things and actually do have time to take action RIGHT NOW, as you said it? That’s who you’re doing this for. You need to see what you’re doing right now with episode details. Whether you or someone else is responsible for publishing your last episode, go look at the episode details on that episode. Is it contextually rich? Does it contain the names of and links to anything mentioned during that episode? Be
S2 E242 · Thu, October 24, 2019
What Podcasters Can Learn From Tennis Players
It’s all about cozying up to people this week: The big aggregators , the keepers of the data , or the people who might provide you a way to earn serious money for your next show. Today, I want to talk about another class of people who you should cozy up to help your next podcasting project be even better: Other podcasters who are better than you. Tennis players know they can improve their skills by hitting the ball against the wall and drilling on the fundamentals of the game. Buy to really get good at tennis, they have to play people better than themselves. The same self-induced skills-limitation holds true in podcasting. Many of us, if we’re collaborating at all, tend to podcast with friends or peers at or near our same skill level. Many join online groups or attend conferences with the hopes of gaining some insight or tricks from better podcasters. And while that certainly can help, it’s a far cry from actually collaborating with other podcasters who are better than you. I’m doing that. By fate, luck, or just the randomness of the universe, there are two people in Phoenix who fit the bill for me. Wil Williams, long-time podcast critic and podcast fiction force-of-nature , is transitioning out of her day job to focus on freelance podcasting life. And I recently met up with Sam Walker, the award-winning broadcaster and podcaster recently transplanted from Manchester in the UK to Phoenix with, among others, BBC chops. <span styl
S2 E241 · Wed, October 23, 2019
How To Make A Podcast Worth Paying For
This week, I’m talking about cozying up to various places and players to make your next podcast better this week. I’ve already covered why it’s smart to get closer to the big dogs in podcast distribution and how big data will drive podcast creation in the future (like it is already). Today, want to talk about a different group of people who are responsible for the biggest money flow for podcasters. Podcast advertising revenue is somewhere north of half a billion dollars annually. And most of that is funneled through advertising agencies and sales representation firms. These companies work with lots of advertisers who want to spend lots of money on podcast advertising. These advertisers typically don’t have a single show in mind, but instead are looking for a very specific audience to advertise to. But here's the thing: These advertising sales agencies often don’t have enough inventory to meet the demand. Lest there be any confusion: Podcast ad revenue in 2019 isn’t limited by advertisers willing to spend money. It’s limited because there aren’t enough podcast episodes to run ads on. And that's why you should be cozying up to these agencies and sales reps as you’re thinking about starting your next show. It’s in their best interest to tell you exactly what audience you should target so they can bring you revenue. (Because they make money when they do that.) Clearly, this new show you’re making that targets the audience podcast sales reps love probably isn’t going to make money out of the gate. It takes time to build a show’s audience, and in an ad sales rel
S2 E240 · Tue, October 22, 2019
The Future of Podcasting Will Be Driven By Data
This morning, I was reading an article about new “virtual restaurants” that are booming thanks to data. Though calling them “restaurants” is a stretch, as these establishments have no place for people to dine-in or even take payments from customers like a take-out stand. Without foot traffic, how can they survive? Because they’re filled with delivery pickup drivers, thanks to the likes of DoorDash and more. On yesterday’s program , I talked about some smart book publishers and how they’re working closely with Amazon to sell huge numbers of ebooks. But there are other super-smart publishers who pay close attention to what kinds of books Amazon users are buying, then quickly create content to fill that emerging need. The tie-in to podcasting is fairly obvious. Companies that facilitate the transaction between podcast producers and podcast listeners have data. Bucket-loads of data that uncover content holes in the market. And just like food-delivery apps and book-selling beast Amazon, some of them are looking for smart and agile content creators to fill those gaps. Last week, we found out that one of the Gimlet’s shows, Science Vs, is now taking small little snippets of their 20-ish or so minute episodes and boiling them down to or extracting insights out of five-minute clips , which are in turn published as a brand new show designed to fit in the “daily com
S2 E239 · Mon, October 21, 2019
Tilting At Podcasting's Apple-Shaped Windmill
A couple of years ago, I penned an article on Medium called Your Hatred of Apple Podcasts Isn't Helping . Here’s one thing that hasn’t changed since that article was published nearly two years ago: Apple still controls 80% of the podcasting world. Many apps and directories pull from Apple Podcasts’ dataset. Some don’t have a way to manually submit to them, making Apple Podcasts the de facto keeper of (statistically speaking) all podcasts. So as my friend James Cridland says , if your show gets kicked out of Apple Podcasts, you’re effectively kicked out of almost everywhere else that matters. U.S. Presidential candidate Andrew Yang made the argument that sometimes services are the biggest because they're absolutely the best. To directly quote him: “There’s a reason why no one is using Bing today… Sorry, Microsoft. It’s true.” The argument of whether or not tech giants should be broken up or not aside, there’s a reason Google is the tool everyone uses, even though there are a lot of other search engines out there. If you set up your podcast for Apple, you’ve mostly done it right for everywhere else that matters . Mostly. Amazon has some pretty amazing superpowers. For example, Amazon can, with the near-literal push of a button, get an extra 50,000 sales of any ebook in a day. Most books never get close to 5,000 total sales for their entire life. With those thoughts in mind, think on Apple and the incredible power they wield over podcasting. But that doesn’t mean people should stop building competing podcast listening apps, podcast directories, and brand new podcasting services that give us something different (you could say better) than our Apple overlords. As for working podcasters, I can’t tell you what to do or what loyalties you should have. I can only suggest that you not do silly things like try to get your listeners to switch away from Apple Podcasts, or decide to not put a link to your show on Apple Podcasts on your website. That’s just short-sighted. And rather pointless. Speaking of pointless: I can’t think of the last time I used the raw RSS feed to subscribe to a show. And with few exceptions, I’m willing to bet you haven’t either. And we’re way more technically advanced than casual listeners. Of course, I could be wrong about that. Do you use the raw RSS feed to subscribe, or is that purely a hold-over from 2004 thinking, and I need to reset my assumptions? Go to Flick.group/podcastp
S2 E238 · Thu, October 17, 2019
Podcasting: Precursor To Publishing Pizzazz
This week’s miniseries has been about leveraging your podcasting chops to make something that isn’t a podcast. We’ve covered: why you should consider making a fantastic live event why you should consider making an amazing newsletter why an amazing audio-based learning experience is a great idea But that’s just three. Honestly, there are so many more I could cover. So to wrap the week, I’m doing a rollup of a few select other options that should be on your radar. They are: Write A Book - Whether you use your podcast to educate or entertain, there’s probably a path for you to publish a book. You already have a lot of information prepared. You've recorded dozens or maybe hundreds of episodes already. That's a lot of scripts written. That’s a lot of interviews gathered. That’s a lot of articles created. Launch A Video Series - Making a focused and intentional video series on what your expertise is or where your passions lie is a smart idea. Especially if you are willing (and able) to make compelling video-based content that appeals to the algorithms of the given video platform. Create A Valuable Community - Communities are filled with people with shared interests. And whether you’re building one with Discord, Flick, Facebook, or a membership site, you can leverage all of your expertise as a podcaster to create a valuable community. Not just for listeners of your show. But for other people with similar passions and interests. No matter which of those six options you choose (or another) keep this in mind: The success of non-podcasting options for your podcast should have nothing to do with your podcast’s download numb
S2 E237 · Wed, October 16, 2019
When is a podcast not a podcast? When it's an audio-based learning experience. And here's the good news. Your podcasting chops means you're already at the top of the class.
This week, I’m talking about things you can do with your podcast that clearly are not podcasting. So far we've talked about hosting live events and putting out an excellent newsletter . Today, I want to shine a light on audio-based learning opportunities. You might have heard that people in China spend over $7 billion annually on audio-based learning experiences. (That number is often misreported as what people are paying for podcasts. But really, it’s audio-based learning experiences that people in China pay for.) But rather than argue the “is that really a podcast?” discussion (which is pointless and painful), it sets the stage for a more interesting question: Can you do that? Can you make an audio-based learning experience that is worth paying for? What would it take for you, the working podcaster, to make an audio-based learning course? You’re a working podcaster. You have a microphone. You have all of the equipment necessary to make audio-based content. Can you do that again, but this time making audio just for people who want to learn from you? I'm curious about what you’d offer in your class. What skills do you have that might translate really well into an audio-based learning experience? You can tell me in the comments right here. Or you can go to Flick.group/podcastpontifications , a private and free mobile app where you can chat with other listeners of the show. Want to show your support for my program? Great! You can buy me a coffee. I don't mean <em style="background-color: transparent; color:
S2 E236 · Tue, October 15, 2019
How A Newsletter Can Catch Your Podcast's Overflow
Today, I’m making the case why you need a newsletter for your podcast. Email is a fine distribution mechanism for special announcements and promotions. But there’s the utilitarian aspect of emailing, and then there’s having an intentional newsletter for your podcast. Newsletters are having a bit of a resurgence as of late. Substack is making it super easy to create and monetize a brand new newsletter. Stoop is changing both how and where we consume newsletters, getting them out of our already crowded inboxes and into a dedicated reading app. And that’s just two examples. As with any form of media, newsletter content should be crafted with intent . You need to consider your newsletter audience as just that: an audience. An audience, by the way, that may not listen to your podcast episodes. But they are still your audience , and it’s worth your time to create content specifically for that audience. One of the most straightforward ways to do this is by using a newsletter as a way to catch your overspill. If your show’s episodes come out weekly or fortnightly, there’s probably a wealth of content that doesn’t make it on your show. The goal of an intentional newsletter is to be read. And, if you’re lucky, engaged with by the readers. That doesn’t mean you should stop using email as a promotional tool, or a revenue-generator, or whatever else you’re using it for that is getting results. (That final clause is important.) An intentional newsletter from your podcast brand is something different. I’m genuinely curious how you’re currently using (and finding success with) newsletters today. You can leave a comment below, or you can go to Flick.group/podcastponntifications and say it in our private (but free) group about 70 people now. And it’s growing! If you want to support the show, you can go to BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra . I recommend setting it to automatically buy me a coffee every month. You know, just to make it easy on you. Finally, if you're in business and need some guidance and governance of the overall podcasting strategy and how that fits in with your business objectives, I’d love to help. That’s what my firm, Simpler Media Productions, does. Get in touch with me: evo@podcastlaunch.pro or go to PodcastLaunch.pro to see a list of all the services we offer clients all around the world. ----- Share this with a friend: ht
S2 E235 · Mon, October 14, 2019
How Bob Ross Ruined Live Podcasting
I’m convinced that most podcasters are picturing Bob Ross in their head as they plan out their own live podcasting event. But no one wants that. First, you’re not Bob Ross. And second, the final painting isn’t what was interesting about The Joy of Painting . It was the process of painting. If the process of making an episode of your podcast is more fascinating than the actual produced episode… well then. We shouldn’t draw too much from the live taping of TV shows. Why? Because people are watching the taping of a program designed to be consumed live or as if it were live. People who watch at home have almost the exact same experience as someone who's watching live. Sure, the live audience gets to see the set breakdowns and such during the commercial breaks, but beyond that, it’s largely the same experience from the audience perspective. Recently, I attended a live local podcast event put on by Kanu, the host of Real Love Real Stories . And I’ve just returned from SiglerFest 2K19, an event put on by long-time podcaster Scott Sigler . Both events were fantastic. And they were so much more than just a live taping of a podcast episode. Later on this month, BSP: Believer Skeptic Podcast is doing another live event right here in Phoenix , and I'm hopeful they do the exact same thing. In a few months, Helen Zaltzman will be here with a live event for her podcast, The Allusionist . Prior to that, I’m really considering driving over to L.A. to watch the Skeptical Extravaganza by Skeptics Guide To The Universe and George Hrab . It’s critical to understand that these events work because they are something more than just a live taping of a podcast. That's boring. That's really boring, and I apologize for all the times I’ve done that in the past. No wonder so few people (if any) ever showed up. The best way to put on a live event for your podcast is to capitalize on what you’ve built with the podcast and then build out an amazing event around that. So all of this week, I'll be talking about things you can do with your podcast that are not podcasts or just the lazy repurposing of your content or your processes. Instead, these ideas will be of value to your current listeners and might actually bring in new people. Have you put on or attended a great live podcasting event? Tell me about it in the comments here. Or you can go to Flick.group/podcastpontifications and start the conversation over there. If you wish to keep the show going (bec
Bonus · Mon, October 07, 2019
Breaking for SiglerFest2K19
I'm taking this week off, so that means no new episodes all this week. Sorry. If you're looking for someone to blame, you could try Scott Sigler. I'm attending Siglerfest2K19 later this week and I do need to do some prep work. But that's not really the issue. The issue is that I'm really busy, and I made promises to clients that I have to keep. Because if I don't to that, then I'm not going to be able to keep producing episodes of the show. So here's your 40 minutes back (well, more like 38 minutes after this episode) and I'll see you back again on October 14, 2019. 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
S2 E234 · Thu, October 03, 2019
If All The World's A Stage, I Want Better Podcasting
While it's a stretch to lump public speakers in the same miniseries where I talk about TV, radio, and print encroaching on podcasting (and vice versa ), it fits well enough for me. Since the beginning of our species, some bold people have been standing on a rock, on a milk crate, on a stage, or behind a lectern, sharing their words with crowds that number in the single digits to millions. Today, some of those people are choosing to do that virtually, behind the microphone of their podcast. Judging by the growth of podcasting and the non-stop deluge you’ll get when you ask for podcast recommendations on any social channel, listeners want to hear the real voices of the people producing the shows they love. Still, lots of new podcasters struggle to find their podcasting voice. That means a voice that they, the podcaster is comfortable with and they, the audience, will like to hear. I’m not so callous as to say “get over it”. Instead, I’ll say this: get better. Voice “talent” is like any other “talent”: For the vast majority of us, we had to work at developing our voice. We weren’t born with it. It’s not a gift from the gods. Sure, quirks of anatomy might cause one voice to be seen as more-desirable for certain applications, which in turn might give the owner of that voice an advantage. One of the ways you get better with and gain more confidence in your podcasting voice is to do what we did: Get on a stage. Any opportunity to speak in front of a group -- small or large -- is smart. And how you get better. Experience tells me that those who have on-stage or in-front-of-crowds speaking experience have a much easier time finding their podcasting voice. So go find yours. That's my message to you. I'm curious how you, the working podcaster, feel about your own voice. You can tell me in the comments or you can go to Flick.group/podcastpontifications and tell the little group we’re building. How do you feel about this show? Do you feel like buying me a coffee? Because I don't run ads on the show and you’re not paying anything to listen to my crazy ideas four times a week. But you can buy me a coffee at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra to show your support. Finally, if you are in business and need a pro helping on the strategies of podcasting as they relate to your desired business outcomes, my firm can help. Get in touch with me: evo@podcastlaunch.pro or go to PodcastLaunch.pro to see a list of the services we offer clients all around the globe. ----- Share this with a friend: https:/
S2 E233 · Wed, October 02, 2019
Stop The Presses! Print Plies Podcasting Prowess
Of all the old media channels, newspapers make the least sense as the one to find the most success with podcasting. Yet newspapers are winning the podcasting game over the other forms of old media. My evidence: The Daily . There's more to podcasting than sitting down and talking into a microphone. There’s the art of telling a clear and concise story. And print journalists are very, very good at this. Print journalists themselves are driving a lot of print’s forays into podcasting. When they submit their column for printing in the paper, journalists are limited to a certain number of words or columns. A newspaper is a conglomeration of lots of different stories, all forced to share a finite amount of real estate. Not so in podcasting. Journalists can use all of the skills they were taught in “J-School” to put forth the best possible story. Not only with typed-out words on a piece of paper, but now with words that come out of people’s mouths. Words that were captured during interviews for the story that can now be presented as they were spoken, without any loss of tone that comes from print. And with the sounds that also accompanied the gathering of story, making the final story more real and immersive than could ever be possible in print. And that makes us podcasters get better at our craft. We can learn from them. So if you’re worried the pro journalist will eat all of your cake, study up! Start listening to the shows -- good and bad -- produced by print journalists. Study their technique. Learn from them and improve your own show! What newspapers or print journalists do you know of that are making great podcasts I should know about? Let me know in the comments if you like. Or you can go to Flick.group/podcastpontifications where lots of podcasters just like you are having conversations with me and others. If you want to buy me a coffee to show your support for this show (you’ll note I don't run ads unlike newspapers or their podcasts) go to BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra . And if you're in business and need some help navigating the podcasting landscape for your business, please get in touch with me. evo@podcastlaunch.pro or go to PodcastLaunch.pro where you can see the services we provide to clients all over the world. ----- Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/stop-the-presses-print-plies-podcasting-prowess <a href="https://podcastpontifications.com" target="_blank"
S2 E232 · Tue, October 01, 2019
Who Birthed Who? Radio & Podcasting For The Future
Many people have been predicting that podcasting would be the death-blow for radio. Heck, I bet if you dug back in the archives of shows I was on 15 years ago (please do not dig in the archives of what I said 15 years ago), you’d probably find me saying that. Surprise. Radio is still around 15 years later, and probably not going away any time soon. Unless you started out in or have extensively studied radio, you probably think of radio as “commercial radio”. Talk shows, music programming, news, and sports. That’s it. Because that's what's on your radio dial. And then there’s public radio, which in many markets (perhaps not yours), is filled with ground-breaking storytellers we podcasters can learn a lot from. Also, with more radio stations looking at podcasting, the time is ripe for podcasters to approach radio stations. Why not take what you’ve learned and address a local market with something new? That can only help build your skillset and portfolio. Podcasting and radio can live in harmony with one another for the foreseeable future. There are advantages to both. Turn the radio on it plays. Podcasting has more content than fits on a radio dial. So let’s not worry about one killing the other. No claims of birthright matter. Both can and will work side by side. Do you think radio and podcasting will keep working together hand-in-hand, like chocolate and peanut butter? Or do you think I’m missing a key point? Tell me right here in the comments if you like. Or go to Flick.group/podcastpontifications and get the free app where we can communicate. If my works have you so excited that you feel compelled to support my ad-free program, you can go to BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra and well, you know... buy me a coffee. Finally, if you're in business and need some help thinking about your strategy for approaching your audience, your clients, or your prospects with an audio-only medium; get in touch. evo@podcastlaunch.pro or go to PodcastLaunch.pro to see how we can help. ----- Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/who-birthed-whom-radio-podcasting-for-the-future Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights
S2 E231 · Mon, September 30, 2019
Podcasting is Better Than TV. Film At 11.
Spotify is spending money trying to convert TV watchers to podcast listeners. It’s an interesting ploy that’s going to be an uphill battle, but there are implications for working podcasters like you. Directionally speaking, TV watchers are gaining more exposure to podcasting, often through podcasts that could work quite well on TV. If fact, some are being produced by television production companies. And many more are being voiced by television actors. “What TV show are you watching?” is a common conversation centerpiece among friends and co-workers. It’s also happening, albeit on a much smaller scale, with podcasting. But those talked-about shows -- regardless of the medium -- are often shorter, self-contained programs. Sure, talk shows, monologues, and news programming get a lot of viewers. But few parties are made better by an in-depth discussion of NBC Nightly News, for example. How do we create that kind of content that today’s TV watchers are looking for when they discover podcasting? How do we adjust to the fact that everybody watches TV but not everybody listens to podcasts? If we're going to facilitate the switch away from TV and into podcasts as our friends at Spotify have predicted… what do we have to do? Tell me that right here in the comments, or go to Flick.group/podcastpontifications and share with the group. If you'd like to show your support for this ad-free program, go to BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra and buy me a coffee. And if you are in business and in need of someone offering strategic advice as you navigate the podcasting waters, that's what my firm does! Get in touch with me: evo@podcastlaunch.pro or go to PodcastLaunch.pro to see a list of services we offer clients all around the globe. ----- Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcasting-is-better-than-tv-film-at-11 Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights <
S2 E230 · Thu, September 26, 2019
Are Podcast Apps Part Of Podcasting's Problems?
We podcasters are at a disadvantage when it comes to listening apps. We can't control which apps our listeners use to consume our content. Here’s the big and glaring issue that puzzles me. Around two-ish years ago, Apple released some new “specs” for podcast feeds that would allow Apple to better present content to users of the Apple Podcasts app. Using these new tags, Apple presents episodes to new listeners in a vastly superior way than the “one-size-fits-all” approach taken by all of the rest of the podcast app makers. And I can’t understand why. Can you help me figure that out? Better yet, can you help us figure out what we, the working podcasters, should do about this? How do we pressure makers of podcast apps to make their apps better? Or maybe I'm wrong about that, and you feel that the experience -- especially for new podcast listeners -- is vastly better on a different app. Let's have a conversation. Again, you can comment here or you can use Flick.group/podcastpontifications to join the Podcast Pontifications community. ----- Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/are-podcast-apps-part-of-podcastings-problems Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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
S2 E229 · Wed, September 25, 2019
Angling for Titles That Are More Than Just The Topic
Every piece of web content -- and the episodes of your podcast are web content -- needs a title that is descriptive and interesting enough to get someone to want more. Yes, that’s a lot of work for only a handful of words. Hence the need for this episode. If you record your show (perhaps an interview), do all the engineering to make it sound great, and then come up with a title -- your going to have a hard time. Which means you’ll probably just stick with the name of your guest as the title of the episode. If the most interesting thing about any given episode of your show is the guests name... it's probably not a very interesting episode. The better way: Come up with your topic, your title, and most importantly YOUR ANGLE before you ever sit down to record. Episodes with no angle start with the host saying “Please introduce yourself, guest!” or “Tell me where your grew up” and rarely live up to the promise made in the title of the episode. That’s a bad experience that won’t engender new listeners to your program. That's the message for today: rework how you come up with your titles by spending a little (or a lot) more time on your angles before you sit down to record. I'd love to hear how much time you spend on coming up with your angles. You can comment right here or you can go to Flick.group/podcastpontifications to talk to me and a few dozen avid listeners of the program. If you care to show your appreciation for this and the other episodes I share four times a week, go to BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra . And for those of you in business wondering if your episodes were made with an angle in mind, get in touch with me: evo@podcastlaunch.pro or go to PodcastLaunch.pro to see a list of the services we offer clients all around the globe. ----- Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/angling-for-titles-that-are-more-than-just-the-topic Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. Mentioned
S2 E228 · Tue, September 24, 2019
Less Old White Men In Podcasting's Future
For the culmination of my 10-part future predictions of podcasting that were first made in the inaugural print edition of the Podcast Business Journal, I’m taking on… well, me. And all the people that look like me. Because in the future, old white men will become less relevant in podcasting. And hopefully in just about everything else in the world. (Catch up on all the prior episodes 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 <em style="background-color: transparent; c
S2 E227 · Mon, September 23, 2019
Podcasting Spins Off Something Brand New
For episode nine of my 10-part miniseries on the future of podcasting ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , & 8 ) , I ponder the spinoffs that will be a natural offshoot of podcasting. If there's one thing you can count on once a medium gets popular, its that spinoffs happen. Which means that's going to happen to podcasting. But that doesn’t mean spinoffs will kill podcasting. The te
S2 E226 · Thu, September 19, 2019
Betting On Bits For Better Podcasting
How will automation change podcasting in the future? That’s the topic of this, the 8th edition of my 10 part miniseries on the future of podcasting. ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , & 7 ) To be a podcaster, you need to be a blend of creative and technical. Podcasting is, by definition, a creative medium. Podcasters create content. But because podcasting is digital from start to finish, podcasters are required to possess technical skills as well. It’s that second half that’s most susceptible to the wave of automation. Imagine what you could accomplish with your show if you didn't have to worry about all the little technic
S2 E225 · Wed, September 18, 2019
Surviving The Cold War Of Podcast Advertising
We look advertising square in the face on the 7th edition of this 10-part miniseries on the future of podcasting. ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , & 6 ) Digital advertising changed the game of advertising forever. Rather than deal with the largely made-up numbers offered by print, radio, and TV publishers, digital ads came with data. Data not just about who saw/heard/read the ads, but what those people did after that. And then Cambridge Analytica came and ruined the future. Since then, a sort of cold war has developed between consumer advocacy and privacy watchdogs on one side, and innovative ad tech companies still trying to make advertising better and more relevant. This is not a winnable cold war, I’m afraid. Of all the 10 predictions I wrote for the <a href="https://podcastbusinessjournal.
S2 E224 · Tue, September 17, 2019
A Future Reckoning For The Podcast Ad Bubble
The pending popping of the podcast ad bubble is the topic on part six of my 10-part miniseries on the future of podcasting. ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , & 5 ) Somewhere around $500 million was spent last year on podcast advertising. Not surprisingly, that number is projected to go up and up over time. But only if advertisers keep feeling good about the ads The warm, fuzzy feelings advertisers get when they run live, host-read ads on a handful of podcasts quickly diminishes when they try to scale that to hundreds or thousands of shows. Worse, if the challenges facing influencer marketing campaigns spill over to podcasting, we’re in trouble. Yes, even if you don’t run ads on your show, a popped adverting bubble is bad for you and all of podcasting due to stifled creativity. Sure, indie podcasters will still be creative. But if big production houses find more lucrative ways to make money, they take away their big marketing dollars, which means fewer new listeners coming to podcasting, stifling growth. In the future, we will see the podcast advertising landsc
S2 E223 · Mon, September 16, 2019
Solving Future Podcast Discovery Problems
Podcasting’s perceived “discovery problem” is the topic for part 5 of my future-of-podcasting mini-series. ( 1 , 2 , 3 , & 4 ) I say “perceived” because podcasting per se doesn't have a discovery problem. People who claim podcasting has a discovery problem really mean that they are upset their content isn’t ranking number one for an arbitrary, single search phrase they place a lot of importance on. Another and likely bigger problem is that discovery doesn't just mean search discovery. How do you ensure that your content is being discovered on Spotify in ways that have nothing to do with search? How do you optimizing a single show to the individual tastes of millions of users? The problem is not that our content is not being discovered by people. In reality, people aren't discovering your content. So it's not a problem for the listeners. This is a problem for you. Just making really great content that people want in their lives and you’ve made
S2 E222 · Thu, September 12, 2019
Exploring Podcasting's Cost-Free Future
The future of free podcast hosting is part 4 of my future of podcasting miniseries. (Pts 1 , 2 , & 3 ) In the future, free hosting for podcast media files will be a viable option. I base that prediction on one deciding factor: Spotify is going to do it. But I don't think everybody will switch to free. This is not meant to be a doom-and-gloom prediction. This is a coming reality that can be adapted to. YouTube’s free model certainly caused many of the other video hosting companies to shut their doors. But not all of them. Hosting companies will have to adapt their business models to help podcasters make better content. Companies like Auphonic <span style="ba
S2 E221 · Wed, September 11, 2019
Frenzy or Famine: The Future of RSS in Podcasting
The future of RSS feeds is part three of my 10-part miniseries on the future of podcasting. [Part 1 , 2 ] RSS feeds power the backbone of distribution. Barring a few minor namespace additions, they haven’t changed much in 15 years. And that alone makes them vulnerable, because the future favors change. Many (if not most) of people new to podcast listening are consuming content in places RSS feeds don’t reach. For some of these platforms, RSS feeds don’t contain all the information needed. For others, the RSS feed is superfluous. And apparently, if our media hosting companies are to be believed, the RSS feeds they generate on our behalf aren’t all that robust and are often error-filled or invalid. Odd that they don’t actively work to fix that, right? For now -- but probably not forever -- RSS feeds will remain a fundamental part of podcasting. So don’t be lazy with yours. But don’t be Quixotic either. You have to embrace other distribution methods beyond RSS feeds already. Prepare for that to increase in the future. Now, three things before wrap this up: Please tell me I’m wrong. One great place to do that is at Flick.group/podcastpontifications , a dedicate
S2 E220 · Tue, September 10, 2019
Mitigating Future Threats To Hobbyist Podcasting
(This is part two of a 10-part miniseries made up of my predictions of the future of podcasting.) Pt 1: Premium Podcasting Will Soon Dominate The Short Head -- For every short head, there’s a long tail. And podcasting’s long tail shall forever be the breeding ground for hobbyists doing amazing things with their podcasts. But… pressure from the short head of premium podcasts will cause hobbyist podcasters to consider making fundamental changes to their shows. If they want. No one is forcing this change. Except for maybe listeners? While your current listener base may be perfectly happy with the content you’re making now, the new crop is heavily influenced by the short head and have different expectations. Different expectations of what good content is. Different expectations of where good content can be found. And different expectations on what good content is worthy of their time. Yes, I think that future tech will come along to help us with that. But I also think we can’t wait, and that we need to start making changes -- perhaps fundamental changes -- to our shows. Yes, even if we want to stay as a hobbyist podcaster. Tomorrow, I’m getting into the questionable future of RSS feeds. Yes, that’ll ruffle a few feathers! Before you go, consider doing one or all of these three things. Check out Flick.group/podcastpontifications . It’s a totally free and private group in an app for your phone that’s just for listeners of Podcast Pontifications. Talk to me. Talk to your fellow listeners. Or talk to yourself, I guess. Go to BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra and buy me a coffee. I w
S2 E219 · Mon, September 09, 2019
Premium Podcasting Will Soon Dominate The Short Head
This is the first part of a 10-part miniseries where I will share some predictions I have for the future of podcasting. Let’s start with a bang: In the future, the shows that get the majority of attention and therefore downloads and listens will require some form of payment to access. Yes, I’m aware of the history where this has failed to happen at any appreciable level. But I’m also aware of the larger media plays by Spotify Premium, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon’s Prime Video. And I’m betting that will work in podcasting. Yes, I think paid subscriptions will overtake the current ad-supported model that’s akin to commercial radio. And, crazily enough, I think this will be a good thing for all podcasters, even those of us who have no intention of ever making premium content. Three things: I’m excited by the growth and engagement on the Flick.group/podcastpontifications app! It’s free to join and works on Android or iOS devices. Plus there’s even a built-in player if you happened to miss an episode and need to brush up before wading into a conversation. You can show your love for the show when you click BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra . My favorite people have it set to buy me a coffee every single month. If you own or work for a business that could use my help to ensure your podcasting efforts ready for this new bright new future, get in touch with me at evo@podcastlaunch.pro . --- Yes, this episode is something you should share. Thank you. Here’s where you can find a re-written in-depth article based on the audio of the episode that’s perfect for sharing: <a href="https://podcastpontifications.com/epi
S2 E218 · Thu, September 05, 2019
Podcasting Has A Hub-and-Spoke Problem
You already know that you and your episodes need to be in/on the places where these new “rookie” listeners are already consuming podcast content . And you know that “being there” isn’t enough, but that you need to have your content live there , since that’s where the rookie listeners are living. And there’s no reason not to do so, because you can make a version of your podcast episodes that can comfortably live there. Today I want to wrap it all together and point out why the feral hog or herded cats metaphor is right. And to convince you that the hub-and-spoke model is broken for podcasting. Because downloading our shows media files or subscribing to our RSS feed isn’t required for people to enjoy our content. Too many podcasters either don’t know or forget this important fact. Not that this will be easy. Yes, it’s going to mean not all of your listening activity is traceable. Well… big deal. Much of it isn’t already. And to do it right, we’ll need to make each of our media files customized to the destination platform. Until new technology comes along to help us that, we have to do it the hard way. And the tools we have today to help us distribute actively fight against customization. Boo. This again makes my case that the future of podcasting is going to look quite different than the past of podcasting. Podcasters are in for some massive changes as we survive our way through podcasting’s existential crisis. Three quick things: Tell me what you think of this episode wherever you are consuming this episode. If the platform you're using doesn’t allow for commun
S2 E217 · Wed, September 04, 2019
Let Your Podcast Live Where Your Audience Lives
Today I'm continuing the conversation inspired by Tom Webster's excellent article entitled Three Ways to Survive Podcasting’s Existential Crisis . From that, yesterday I told you that you and your podcast’s episodes need to be everywhere these noobies (rookies, in Tom’s lingo) are finding and consuming podcasts. Places you and I, the working podcaster, barely recognize as a valid place to listen to podcasts But it's not just a matter of your podcast being on all these different platforms that you hadn't considered before. The episodes of your podcast need to live on all those different platforms. Here's a quick decision tree to help you evaluate how your content can live on a particular platform. Step 1: Does this platform allow me to natively upload my content? Step 2: Can I make the kind of native content that the platform requires? Step 3: Is the native content I can make appropriate to the platform? If you can answer “yes” all the way through, you definitely should. Because the people on that platform are making the choice to live there and consume podcast episodes there. They live there. And if your episodes can also comfortably live there, they should live there. <
S2 E216 · Tue, September 03, 2019
Be Where Today's Podcast Listeners Expect You To Be
The impetus for this week’s series is an article recently published by Tom Webster, Senior Vice President of Edison Research, entitled Three Ways to Survive Podcasting’s Existential Crisis . And you know what a big fan of existential crises I am! The main premise of the article is that newbie listeners, whom Tom calls ”rookies”, encounter and consume podcasted content much differently than podcasting veterans. And I don’t mean veteran podcasters , but veteran podcast listeners . So what do you do? Well, to start: Be everywhere today’s rookie podcast consumers are. But what rookies call “listening to a podcast” is often unrecognizable as podcast listening to us veterans. So rather than try and correct their behavior and lexicon (like we’ve been trying and failing to do for the better part of 15 years), we need to recognize that for the Quixotic effort it is. And we need to just stop. Yes, that means your podcast needs to be on all of the podcast platforms. Yes, you also need to be on every social platform where you have a presence. Yes, your show and your episodes need to be “search discoverable”. Yes, that also means getting your voice heard on other podcasts. Yes, you need to be hanging out to where listeners are hanging out. So keep listening over (at least) the next two episodes to get the full picture. Two things before I go: Go to <a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra" target="_blank
Bonus · Mon, August 26, 2019
One Week Break - Aug 26, 2019
As much as I don't want to disappoint you, I really need back the three hours each day that this show takes. All is good on my end, but I need to put my head down and focus on my business. Here's a taste of what's going on: I'm onboarding two new clients at the same time, and that's a lot of work and focus from me. And I can't let those slip, as it's paying clients that afford me the ability to bring you Podcast Pontifications four times a week. I'm giving a presentation about podcasting at Disrupt HR Phoenix this week, and I need to spend many, many hours to prepare for it. If you've ever seen me speak, you know I put a lot of effort into making sure the timing is perfect and that I have every aspect of my stage-game down pat. In a couple of weeks, I'm headed to Kazahkstan to talk about podcasting at PATA Travel Mart 2019 . I haven't even started that preso, because I'm incapable of prepping for two different talks. Thanks, brain. Prior to that, I have an original article due for the print-version of Podcast Business Journal , which I also haven't started. (Side note for Ed: How do people subscribe to the print version?) So yeah... I'm busy. So is everyone. I don't think I'm special. But I am exercising my own control of my own show, and being a good doobie by letting you know in advance of my little break. Talk amongst yourselves, and consider buying me a coffee if you like. Also, if you have topic ideas or things you want to talk, Flick.group/podcastpontifications is a nifty way to do that. And if you want to add to my workload, great! Email me at evo@podcastlaunch.pro or go to PodcastLaunch.pro to see a list of the services we offer our clients all around the globe. The show will be back right after Labor Day! 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 privil
S2 E215 · Thu, August 22, 2019
How To Make Accessible Podcast Audio In 5 Easy Steps
In this episode, I (finally) stop espousing theory and give you the exact audio engineering steps you should follow to make amazing sounding and accessible episodes of your podcast. They are: Clean up the noise Control the dynamic range Tweak the EQ Compress to impress Mix well and export at -16 LUFS How do you do each of those steps is dependent on your DAW, but I do mention some plugins and services I use, like: Hindenburg Journalist Pro iZotope’s Voice De-noise Vocal Rider from Waves My Aeropress coffee maker, oddly enough Also, and somewhat uncharacteristic of me, I enlisted the help of some smart and talented audio engineers to vet out my thinking. So thank you, Marcus DePaula , Tom Kelly , Josh Wade and Chris Curran for keeping me honest. Two things before I go one: <a href="https://www.buymeacoffee.com/evoterra"
S2 E214 · Wed, August 21, 2019
Make An Accessible Podcast With The Right Equipment & Environment
Equipment and the environment where those tools are deployed have massive implications on your ability to make that podcast episode accessible. Accessibility improves your podcast’s listen-ability for everyone. And that’s the goal, right? It starts with the right equipment, like microphones and DAWs. But talking about equipment without also understanding the environment where that equipment will be used is a fool’s errand. You’ll waste money. Or you’ll keep using the same free or cheap stuff you have access to. Neither of those bad decisions will help you make more accessible audio content. What I am advising is that you use equipment designed for the task at hand. Equipment specifically designed to produce podcast episodes instead of capturing the sounds of a band in a garage. Choosing Equipment dedicated to and designed for the job at hand is always the best choice. Once you have the right environment and the right equipment for the show you’re making, you have the best chance at making accessible audio that anyone can hear. Two things: BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra is how you can show your appreciation for my advice. It’s free to join the show’s Flick group/app on your mobile device where you can engage with me and other listeners. Tomorrow I’ll get even more specific, now that I’ve laid the groundwork. Yes, I’ll talk about some plugins and processes you can actually put in play to your podcast production right away. Speaking of accessibility, here’s whe
S2 E213 · Tue, August 20, 2019
Captioning Your Podcast With A Transcript For Those With Hearing Loss
If you care nothing about accessibility and take only one thing from this episode, please let it be that shitty transcripts will not help your website’s SEO . Transcripts of podcast episodes are an accessibility feature, not an SEO benefit. Captioning is added to the audio (and video) elements of your digital content so that people can consume those elements with their eyes instead of (or in some cases in addition to) their ears. But do I mean a literal, 100% accurate transcription? Well… that depends. My processes is (or has been since June) to taking this 10-minute audio monologue and turning it into a (in this case) 1,323 word written representation of the topic. Why? Because it reads better than a literal word-for-word transcript, which you can read here . So that’s fine (I think?) for a short show like this. But longer shows? Not so much, so I’m changing the advice I give to all of my clients. While it’s still important to create a well-crafted “landing page” for each episode, complete with charts, graphs, and other visual components to really make a piece of worthy digital content, that’s not enough. That's not sufficient for servicing the needs of the hearing impaired. In most cases, the audio of your episode and the contents of this new landing page, another digital asset, are vastly different. If that’s the case for you, then you need to include a transcript of the actual audio episode . Yes, that means more work for you. Sorry? Tomorrow I’m going to get into some technologies and tools to help you make your audio content more accessible. But before that, two things real quick: BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra is running if you want to show your appreciation for this sh
S2 E212 · Mon, August 19, 2019
Hearing Loss, Accessibility, and Your Podcast
Why am I pumped about making podcasts accessible for those of us with hearing loss ? (Hint: it’s the word “us” in that sentence.) This may come as a shock, but people with hearing loss listen to podcasts. Or rather, we listen to podcast made by conscientious podcast creators who work hard to make sure their content -- all of it -- is accessible to those of us with less-than-perfect hearing. I assume all the dialogue you wrote for your episode is important, right? Too bad I can’t hear some of it, so I’ll never know. You know that noisy world you live in? We do, too. And that noisy world isn’t something you can avoid. Neither can we. So if you’re designing your content for someone sitting down with perfect headphones in an anechoic chamber, you’re limiting your audience. You do want to grow your audience, right? More bad news: making your audio accessible to the hearing impaired isn’t a push-button or after-the-fact solution. Software is advancing fast, but you still need to use proper techniques inside your episodes to make sure people like me can hear all your hard work. Transcripts alone aren’t enough. Nor is making sure to export at -16 LUFS. Yes, you should do both of those things. But you need to do other things too. Other links mentioned in the episode: BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra The new Flick group/app you should join Speaking of accessibility, here’s where you can find a re-written in-depth article based on the audio of the episode: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/hearing-loss-accessibility-and-your-podcast Podcast P
Bonus · Sun, August 18, 2019
Podcasting's Two-and-a-Half-Men Problem
"What? A Friday and a Saturday show, Evo?" Don't worry. I'm not making a habit out of this. It's just that you people keep going to BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra and demanding more. So... thanks! With the sounds of the vendors at Podcast Movement 2019 tearing down around us, I sat down with Alban Brooke, Head of Growth at Buzzsprout, in the fancy Buzzsprout recording booth. They had two lovely-looking SM7Bs (my studio mic is back in my studio), and Alban has shared with me his theory on podcasting's "Two-And-A-Half Men" Problem. (Oh, and 2hile it was great fun to do an interview, I don't plan on changing the format of the show!) I'll be back on Monday with a brand new miniseries! 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
Bonus · Sat, August 17, 2019
Podcast Movement 2019 - Making Friends Will Make Podcasting Better
Podcast Movement 2019 Day Four: Yes, it's a special Friday episode! You can thank the fine folks who went to Buymeacoffee.com/evoterra and... bought me a coffee! They asked for a final recap of the show after the last day, and who am I to refuse those who've bought me a virtual coffee? It's late here in Orlando, so I'm making these episode notes brief: The reason I come year after year to Podcast Movements and other events? It's to see my friends. It's to make acquaintances into friends. And it's to make a whole lot of new friends. Because the friends I make are the kinds of people who'll make podcasting better. I'm putting my money where my mouth is, and I'm registering for Podcast Movement 2020 -- both of them! -- as soon as this episode posts. You should buy yours too before the price goes up. Because yeah... you wanna come meet my friends. And make them your friends too. 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
Bonus · Fri, August 16, 2019
Podcast Movement 2019 - A Little Hoarse & A Lot Of Awesome
Podcast Movement 2019 Day Three: You still have one day to meet me for coffee, lunch, breakfast, or whatever! Hit me on Twitter or send me an email . Let's get together this Podcast Movement! Even though my voice crapped out -- I hope I'm not getting sick, but I probably am -- I'm back with another recap of another fantastic day at Podcast Movement 2019. Here's who I had great conversations with today: Jijo and Aleesha from BuyMeACoffe.com/evoterra. No, they didn't make that just for me. In fact, that's not even how I first met Jijo. But that's what happens when you understand product/market fit, and he's back to a product that does work. And yeah, I'm trying it! I caught up with Andrea and her brother John of Andrea Sager Law . They're helping podcasters protect their IP with trademark protection services, something many podcasters -- big and small -- fail to think about. And I'm guilty of it too! Alban was very gracious with his time, explaining to me Buzzsprout 's approach to the market. I really love that they're making podcasting better by "down-coding" audio files to podcast-appropriate steps, even if their customer accidentally(?) upload uncompressed .wav files! I downloaded the Flick app some time ago, but didn't immediately get the value. Spending a few minutes with Andy changed that, and now I have an app-based chat group for Podcast Pontifications listeners. You can have one too... and it's free! Hindenburg Journalist Pro is the editing tool we use for engineering our client's shows (and this one!). There was one feature that I wondered if I fully understood. After chatting with Nick, it was clear that I hadn't grokked the full usage. But good news: I didn't need to! Stellar support. I rarely conduct interviews, and most of my clients pull their interviewees from their own personal contact list. So I'd never considered much the need for services like Interview Valet . But after talking with Karen for a few minutes, I really saw the value. And did I mention her service is free for podcasters looking for guests? Podbean is another company I thought I knew all about. You'll recognize this tune by now: I was wrong. Jennifer shared with me the great things they are doing to enable internal corporate communications -- a big part of their business! <p
Bonus · Thu, August 15, 2019
Podcast Movement 2019 - As It Turns Out, I Don't Know Everything
Podcast Movement 2019 Day Two: My offer to meet you for coffee, lunch, breakfast, or whatever still stands! Hit me on Twitter or send me an email . Let's get together this Podcast Movement! My approach today was simple: Forget I know anything and ask people what they are doing to make podcasting better. I received some amazing answers. It's amazing what happens when you get your ego (read: Evo) out of the way and let other people talk. I spent a lot of time with Adori Labs , who bill themselves as a "business-in-a-box platform for the modern audio publisher". But that doesn't tell you they're making content for the next generations of consumers. (And hi, Kartik!) I talked with Adswizz and suddenly I'm excited for the future of ads inside of podcasts, because they know how to separate form from function. The smart people at Audimute helped me select the right kind of sound conditioning for my studio, so the show will sound even more amazing in a week or so. I had a lovely sit-down with Amira from Glow . She and I have been talking since before it was called Glow. I'm excited for her lightweight solution to make premium content an option for any podcaster. Even Headliner , a tool I know and have used for a while, had people in the booth who helped me see opportunities I had missed. Peter from the newly spun-off-from- Himalaya content shop HiStudios sat down for a long conversation about where podcasting has been and what excites both of us about the future. Cole from Podchaser showed me all the opportunities I'm missing (and your missing) by not fully utilizing his totally free service. ... and the helpful guys at the Samson booth showed me how to actually hear myself when using the Q2U mic, so this episode should sound better. And I'm missing lots of others, because there's just so much to mention. So much, that I'm at it again tomorrow. Can you tell I'm excited about what I'm learning at Podcast Movement 2019? 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 bes
Bonus · Wed, August 14, 2019
Podcast Movement 2019 - This Changes Everything
Podcast Movement 2019 Day One: Yes, I want to meet you for coffee, lunch, breakfast... whatever! Hit me on Twitter or send me an email . Let's get together this Podcast Movement! Today I walked the vendor exhibition hall. I'm blown away not only by the companies attending -- the usual suspects but also some new big players -- but by what the reps from the companies are saying. They have big plans for podcasting. Today I met a dozen new podcasting friends, many of which were not OG pioneers, but with amazing drive and passion for how podcasting fits into their lives, as well as how they're shaping podcasting to fit their needs and better serve their audiences. And really, the show hasn't even begun. There's something in the air that... I can't put my finger on. Yes, it's hunger and excitement. But those are common at any podcasting event. And as much as I love Podcast Movement, I don't necessarily think it's the event itself that's causing the change. I just think it's here and now. There are two things I'm certain of after the first day of Podcast Movement 2019: The next 15 years of podcasting will bear little resemblance to the next 15 years of podcasting. I look forward to bringing you another live report tomorrow. 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. 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.
S2 E211 · Mon, August 12, 2019
What To Expect From Podcast Movement 2019
In a couple of hours, I fly out to Orlando Florida to attend Podcast Movement 2019. I was a keynote speaker at the first-ever Podcast Movement back in 2014, so I'm excited to see how the event -- the very large event -- has changed over five years. But I'm not speaking at the event, which is weird. I'm just an attendee. And because I want to maximize my time at the event, I'm making some modifications to this week's episodes of Podcast Pontifications. Yes, this will be a miniseries once again, but an abbreviated, audio-only version. No video component (not that many people watch the video) and no 1,500-word accompanying blog post (which many people do like to read), and a little less rigor to the self-imposed time-constraint. Also, the focus and tone will be different. Normally, I draw from my own thoughts and experiences when I create these episodes. But my promise to myself at PM19 is to shut up, get out of smart people's way, and do a lot of listening. My intent is to then take what I've learned -- me, the old dog learning new tricks -- and report back to you on the items I found most compelling. Services, models, and people who also wish to advance podcasting. That's the plan as of right now. But also the plan is to get back to packing. If you are attending PLEASE GET IN TOUCH so we can meet, even if it's only a quick meet-and-greet. See you in Orlando! 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
S2 E210 · Thu, August 08, 2019
Advancing Podcasting At Big Events - On Stage Or In The Audience
For the final episode of the miniseries, I’m turning your focus to podcasting events and enlisting you in the cause of Advancing Podcasting . It's worth revisiting the tenets of Advancing Podcasting to help illustrate why your appearance at conferences can help make podcasting better. We believe that technology should make podcasting better, not just easier. We believe that new models are required to bring the ~75% of non- and infrequent listeners into the fold. We believe in and respect the inherent choices made by podcast listeners, podcast creators, and podcast enablers. I third tenet is something you should always have in mind, so this episode will focus on the first two. Specifically, I want you to: Submit a talk centered on ways to use technology to make podcasting better. Be on the lookout for new approaches to podcasting that will bring in new listeners. If you're going to be a Podcast Movement 2019, I will be there too! And I would love to meet you for coffee, drinks, dinner, or just a quick meet and greet. Get in touch with me wherever you can. I'm @evoterra on Twitter , or you can email me at evo@podcastlaunch.pro . Get in touch with me and we'll book a time to sit down together. Let's not leave it to random chance. Since I’m not presenting, I have plenty of time to meet other people who were interested in Advancing Podcasting. Pass along the good info in this episode via this totally re-written in-depth article based on the audio of the episode: https://po
S2 E209 · Wed, August 07, 2019
Becoming THE Local Podcast Advocate
Today, we're going local with your own influence as you strive to make all of podcasting better. Why not go to the larger online communities? One reason: Going local means you can become the big podcasting fish in the little podcasting pond. Here are three ways you can do that: Join local podcasting meetups Pitch podcasting stories to your local TV news outlets Attend networking events that have nothing to do with podcasting All of these suggestions work better -- much better -- when they are done on a regular, periodic basis. You know… just like podcast episodes. I go into much more details in the episode itself and have also created a totally re-written in-depth article based on the audio of the episode if you’d care to share it with someone: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/becoming-the-local-podcast-advocate Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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
S2 E208 · Tue, August 06, 2019
How To Be A Not-So-Pushy Podcast Pusher
Today the focus in on you as an advocate for podcasting made better, spreading the good news of better podcasts to friends, co-workers, and people you meet in the course of your day. But not in a pushy or self-promotional sort of way. When someone asks you about the podcasts you listen to, they’re really asking you for a recommendation. And if that person isn’t already into podcasting, you really should make a recommendation to hook them for life, rather than trying to just get more listener to your show. Trouble is: it’s hard to remember “noobie friendly” shows. So I’ve a simple recommendation: use a secondary podcast listening app and subscribe to shows that are IHNIs . Now you’ll never be at a loss when it comes to a solid recommendation. I go into much more details in the episode itself and have also created a totally re-written in-depth article based on the audio of the episode if you’d care to share it with someone: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/how-to-be-a-not-so-pushy-podcast-pusher Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the
S2 E207 · Mon, August 05, 2019
Guiding & Mentoring Junior Podcasters With Honesty & Expertise
Today, I want to focus on your relationship with people who have been podcasting for less time than you. I think, as a working podcaster who also wants to help make podcasting better for the rest of the world, helping “younger” podcasters is one thing you can do to make podcasting better for everyone. But there are two pitfalls to watch out for: The act of making a podcast doesn’t make you a podcasting expert. Honest feedback always trumps insincere praise. Because we need more good guides and mentors in podcasting to make podcasting better. Just remember to stick to the things that you actually are an expert on and don't be afraid to say “I don't know”. And when someone asks your opinion on how they can make their podcast better, it is incumbent upon you to be honest to that person. Tomorrow, more on how you can help make podcasting better by becoming an excellent advocate and steward of podcasting to would-be listeners. This week is all about what you can do in this movement of making podcasting better by advancing podcasting . Want to send this along to a friend who needs to hear it? Send them to this totally re-written article that also has an embedded player: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/guiding-mentoring-junior-podcasters-with-honesty-expertise Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0,
S2 E206 · Thu, August 01, 2019
Age & Treachery vs Youth & Skill In Podcasting
Part 4: How long does it take to actually get better at podcasting so you can call yourself an expert? We’ll cover that today. But ICYMI: Part 1: Y our own personal time horizon as a podcaster Part 2: The length of time it takes to make a better podcast Part 3: H ow long a podcast episode should be You've probably heard a phrase popularized by Malcolm Gladwell: It takes 10,000 hours to be an expert at anything. Though scientists and researchers bristle at the lack of, well… science and research to back up the claim, I think it’s fine to use directionally. If you dedicate one hour a day, every day, to practice your skill as a podcast, it’ll take you 27.5 years to hit the mark. That’s a long time. Do it for eight hours a day, every day, and you slice that time down to 3.5 years. Still a long time. But much more in the realm of possibility. The fact that I’ve been podcasting for 15 years isn’t what makes me an expert. That’s just how long I’ve been in the game. And honestly, being in the game too long can actually become a liability. I come off more than a little angst-filled in this episode, so you might want to check out totally re-written article where I became a bit more coherent: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/age-treachery-vs-youth-skill-in-podcasting Podcast Pontifications <span
S2 E205 · Wed, July 31, 2019
The Long & Short Of Better Podcast Episodes
I’ll answer the question “how long should a podcast episode be?”, but only from the perspective of making a better podcast. You should never try to stretch an episode beyond your own ability to be interesting. And if you follow what psychologists have been telling us for decades, you’ll change things up every two minutes or less to keep your audience interested. All of us have expectations for how much time we should allocate for everything we do, every single day. Not just the media we consume, but the tasks and experience we have in the real world, too. Why wouldn’t that be true for podcast listening as well? So how long should your episodes be? as short as you can possibly make them, as long as it's consistent, episode after episode after episode. That's the long and short of how to make a better podcast. If you’d prefer to read about it, here’s a link to a totally re-written article that is based on the audio of this episode: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-long-short-of-better-podcast-episodes Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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 overturn
S2 E204 · Tue, July 30, 2019
How Long Does It Take To Make A Better Podcast?
We’re investigating time in this four-part miniseries. Yesterday was all about your personal time-horizon . Today we're going to tackle the hard question that a lot of podcasters avoid: How much time does it take to make a better podcast? Minimum effort for a better podcast: 8 hours per episode. Par excellence effort for a better podcast: 100+ hours per episode. Sensible effort for a better podcast: 20-50 hours per episode. Do those numbers scare you? Or do you scoff at them? Both are acceptable reactions. But if you really are focused on making your next podcast a better podcast, they are good numbers to use for budgeting. Because many of the new shows coming out are budgeting that way… and those shows are becoming the norm of what better podcasts sound like. Why you make your next podcast is up to you. Is it art? Is it business? Is personal? You get to choose the why and the how . It’s the what I’m interested in, and I hope what you’re interested in making is a better podcast. You’ll hear all about that in the episode, and you can read all about it in a totally re-written article if that helps: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/how-long-does-it-take-to-make-a-better-podcast Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting b
S2 E203 · Mon, July 29, 2019
Expanding Your Podcasting Time-Horizon
If you make better use of time, it will get you on the track of making podcasting better. Today, we’ll focus on where you focus: Your own personal time-horizon. Some podcasters have a super-short time-horizon, perhaps just a few minutes out. Others plot out entire seasons, preferring to leave little to chance. While the right answer is probably somewhere in the middle, the reality is that there is no right answer. And many podcasters will realize they need to have multiple time-horizons. You’ll hear all about that in the episode, and you can read all about it in a totally re-written article if that helps: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/expanding-your-podcasting-time-horizon Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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 compr
S2 E202 · Thu, July 25, 2019
Getting Your Mind Right About Becoming A Podcasting Professional
Getting your mindset right and making a commitment to move from hobbyist podcaster to podcasting professional is key, but only after you: understand that turning you into a pro is different than having a pro podcast level-up the skills and abilities you already have surround yourself with and collaborate with people who can get you closer to your goal of going pro . No, none of these are easy. But the mindset is probably the hardest part. So I’ll wrap this four-part miniseries with two messages: There's a very good chance that you will not succeed. Yes, that’s a Bummer. But it’s reality. No matter how much effort and energy you put into becoming a professional in the world of podcasting… it just may not work. Success might look completely different than what you're thinking about right now. So keep your mind open and increase your luck surface area. There’s never been a better time to make the decision to turn pro. I’m rooting for you! A text-based and totally-re-written-for-reading version of this episode can be found at: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/getting-your-mind-right-about-becoming-a-podcasting-professional Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter <span style="back
S2 E201 · Wed, July 24, 2019
Cultivate The Right Connections To Become A Professional Podcaster
The connections you need to cultivate is part three of my four-part miniseries on switching from amateur/hobbyist/just having fun with podcasting to becoming a podcasting professional. Part one was a reality check and level set. Part two was an honest evaluation of your own abilities and how to improve them. First I drop some harsh truths: Your friends will not help you become a podcasting professional. Your family will not help you become a podcasting professional. Your fans will not help you become a podcasting professional. It’s not all bad news. The right support community can help you turn pro. The right coach can help you turn pro. The right supporting cast can help you turn pro. ----- Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/cultivate-the-right-connections-to-become-a-professional-podcaster Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. <sp
S2 E200 · Tue, July 23, 2019
Upgrading Your Ability To Become A Pro Podcaster
Part two of a four-part miniseries. Did you miss the reality check on what turning pro actually means? Today’s focus is on you, targeting the skills and abilities that got you where you are in podcasting today. Because you need to boost those to get into the pro podcasting level. And recognize that true professionals are always working on their skills to stay at the top of their game. Do you know what you’re good at? Do you know where you need to improve? Asking your fans is kinda like asking your mom, so that’s not helpful. Do you know what professional looks and sounds like? Do you know what true professionals outside of podcasting with those skills do to keep their skills fresh? A text-based and totally-re-written-for-reading version of this episode can be found at: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/upgrading-your-ability-to-become-a-pro-podcaster Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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 Jun
S2 E199 · Mon, July 22, 2019
Turning Pro In Podcasting: A Reality Check
There’s more to being a professional podcaster than you probably think, especially if you think only the cream-of-the-crop are worthy of the title of “pro”. My definition is simple: Pro = makes a paycheck. Just like every other form of media (and everything else), paychecks are available to pros at all levels of the game. Spoiler: There are professionals at every level inside of podcasting. Even if you may not be able to transfer your amateur hobby podcast into a professional podcast, you may be able to leverage the knowledge you have gained running that particular podcast to get a paid gig in professional podcasting. Yes, there’s a possibility you can go pro and get a paycheck with your current efforts on your current show. But it's not the only possibility. A text-based and totally-re-written-for-reading version of this episode can be found at: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/turning-pro-in-podcasting-a-reality-check Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisio
S2 E198 · Thu, July 18, 2019
Understanding Your Podcast's Most Important Growth Metric
If you really want your show to grow, the metric that matters is Conversion Rate. Before I get into it, here’s what you missed that you may want to catch up on: Obsession over downloads of your podcast is depressing and doesn’t help Social media metrics have little to do with podcast success Understanding how far along people get in your episodes before bailing is a good thing … but none of those really help you understand if you’re doing the right things to make your show grow. For that, you need to understand your website’s conversion rate. Bad news: You can’t get this metric from your hosting companies, apps or directories. Good news: It’s a metric you can get for free from Google Analytics Unsurprising news: You probably need to pay someone to set it up properly. But it understanding this number -- and influencing it -- will make your podcast better. A text-based and totally-re-written-for-reading version of this episode can be found at: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/understanding-your-podcasts-most-important-growth-metric Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro <span style="background-color: transparent; color: rg
S2 E197 · Wed, July 17, 2019
Spying On Your Listeners Can Improve Your Podcast
Part 3 of the “metrics that matter for podcasters”, today’s episode is an in-depth look at Apple’s Podcast Analytics and how they can help you improve your podcast. ICYMI, check out Monday’s episode about obsessing over downloads and Tuesday’s on conflating social media metrics with podcast success . Did you know that Apple gives every podcaster access to the actual listener behavior of their own actual episodes? Yes, the actual measured listener behavior related only to the episodes of that show. That’s… powerful! And too many of us don’t look at it. Boo, us. The secret weapon about this chart/line graph is the little player barely visible at the bottom of the chart. You can drag the “play head” of that player to any timestamp on the chart/graph to hear what was said at any point. So why don’t more people pay close attention to this valuable listener information Apple graciously provides to us? Because it looks weird. It’s not a single number, like downloads or number of likes on an Instagram post. Tomorrow, I'll share the most important metric of all that every podcaster should be tracking… yet probably isn’t. A text-based and totally-re-written-for-reading version of this episode can be found at: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/spying-on-your-listeners-can-improve-your-podcast Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting cor
S2 E196 · Tue, July 16, 2019
Can Social Stats Track Your Podcast’s Growth?
Social media sites treat audio content as a second-class citizen. Yet we podcasters are told we must engage with our audience socially. But… what if our social audience doesn’t care all that much about our podcast content? In this short episode, I’m looking for a social media metric that matters to podcasters. A metric that tells us not only if our social efforts are working, but how that metric impacts the growth and health of our podcast. It’s a frustrating search, if I’m honest. A text-based and totally-re-written-for-reading version of this episode can be found at: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/can-social-stats-track-your-podcasts-growth Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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 coll
S2 E195 · Mon, July 15, 2019
Overcoming Download Depression Syndrome
All this talk about “downloads” isn’t helping. Unless you’re paid per download (like some shows are via advertising), you should probably care less about tracking downloads. You’re going to hear two shocking statements in this episode: Significant growth is not the natural state of podcasts. I don’t measure the success of this podcast based on downloads. For reals. ---- A text-based and totally-re-written-for-reading version of this episode can be found at: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/overcoming-download-depression-syndrome Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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 w
S2 E194 · Thu, July 11, 2019
Appeasing The Fickle Podcast Listener
This episode will help make sure your show appeals to the 25% of people who listen to podcasts regularly. You'd think this would be easy, as I just mentioned at the top of the program. And in fact, it is easy. Experience podcast listeners really only need to know two things to listen to your podcast: The knowledge that you, in fact, have a podcast The name of your podcast (and gods help you if you used funny spelling) But there’s one thing you don’t, and in fact can’t know: how an experience podcast listener would prefer to listen to your podcast. The tl;dr version: Submitting your show to Apple Podcast is not enough. This episode will help convince you of that. And after you’ve listened, you can share this page with others who need to get the message: The prior three episodes in this mini-series tackled other audiences. If you missed them, here’s a quick listening guide: Making listening easy on people who discovered your podcast through word of mouth but have no idea what podcasting is. What happens when you drive someone to your show's website and that person knows nothing about podcasting . Ideas on how to get more people “stumbling across” your podcast episodes, and what happens to the 75% of them who are not likely to have any experience with podcasting . ----- Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Ter
S2 E193 · Wed, July 10, 2019
Turning Happy Accidents Into A Podcast Audience
For all of podcasting’s greatness, it’s really hard for podcast content to be “stumbled upon”. But if you’re willing to make the investment, you can buck the trend. Here’s how I do it: I invest in Google-friendly content. I publish where readers are looking for written content. In case you missed my subtleness, I’m not talking about the audio files themselves. In this episode, I make the case where investing in high-quality written content -- content that was entirely based off your audio file -- makes your podcast episodes much more discoverable. By way of example, be sure to read the text-based and totally-re-written-for-reading version of this episode at: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/turning-happy-accidents-into-a-podcast-audience Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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
S2 E192 · Tue, July 09, 2019
Convincing Your Contacts To Listen To Your Podcast
Turning to your contacts and other communication channels are some of the best ways to grow your podcast’s audience. However, it’s not as easy as that. In this episode, you’ll learn these harsh facts: 75% of the people you actively engage with in various communication channels don’t have the podcast habit. Less than 10% of the people in your contact list will bother to check out your podcast. But it’s not all doom-and-gloom. The trick is a two-parter: Make your contacts feel special Don’t pollute their chosen channel If you can do those things -- and yes, I will give you specific examples of what I mean -- you can not only increase your odds of turning a contact into a listener. But you’re actively working to make podcasting better. ---- A text-based and totally-re-written-for-reading version of this episode can be found at: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/convincing-your-contacts-to-listen-to-your-podcast Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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
S2 E191 · Mon, July 08, 2019
Design Your Podcast for the 75% Who Don't Listen To Podcasts
What happens if your avatar is part of the 75% who have not yet picked up the habit of listening to podcasts? This episode gives some practical advice that you should implement right away because: Words like “subscribe” & “follow” have no context They’ve no recognition of podcast app logos They don’t know where to go digging for a player… so don’t hide it! They’re less likely to forgive you for three minutes of chitter-chatter before you get to the point! Keep in mind that three out of every four people who find your website have likely not regular podcast consumers. Three out of four. That’s the majority. Clearly, your site needs to address their needs as well as more seasoned listeners. Do your part to make podcasting better for them… and all of us. ---- A text-based and totally-re-written-for-reading version of this episode can be found at: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/design-your-podcast-for-the-75-who-dont-listen-to-podcasts Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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 res
Trailer · Mon, July 08, 2019
Season Two Starts... Now!
Hello and welcome to the Second Season of Podcast Pontifications with me, Evo Terra. If you missed the 190 episodes of season 1, don’t worry. There won’t be a quiz. And if you did catch them all, I have good news for you. Expect more of the same, only... better. But for the new people: Podcast Pontifications is my four-times a week, short-form podcast where I, and stop me if you’ve heard this before, pontificate about podcasting. What qualifies me to assume this role? Well… I’ve been podcasting since October 14, 2004, and producing online audio for much, much longer, I’m the author of both Podcasting for Dummies and Expert Podcasting Practices For Dummies, I founded a podcast distribution network made up of over 700 shows, I’ve delivered keynote presentations about podcasting on three different continents, ...and I run a strategic podcast consultancy as my full-time (and only) gig. But as proud as I am about my history with podcasting, I’m much more interested in podcasting's future. More to the point, I’ve a driving ambition to “advance” the cause of podcasting, to make podcasting... better. Better for listeners. Better for creators. And better for the podcast hosting companies, app developers, directories, and curators who connect us all together. Season Two of Podcast Pontifications will be focused on just that: ways to make podcasting... better. Better right now, and better in the future. This is not a how-to podcast… podcast. This isn’t really even a podcast about podcasting. It’s a podcast for working podcasters. At least, working podcasters who also have a vested interest in making the next fifteen years of podcasting... better. Because we need to make podcasting better, not just easier. New episodes will drop starting in July of 2019 every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Thanks in advance for listening to Podcast Pontifications, with me, Evo Terra, available now at Podcast Pontifications.com. Cheers! Mentioned in this episode: Support For Abortion Rights While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions a
S1 E190 · Thu, June 20, 2019
Will Time Change Your Podcast?
An old boss once told me (and it’s proven out true) that work expands to fill the time allotted for it. That’s probably why I’m a fan of artificial constraints. It keeps me focused. The same probably goes for your podcast. You probably have a constrained amount of time you spend on each episode. Well… what if you didn’t? In this episode, I challenge you to consider what kind of show you could put out if you had nearly unlimited time. No, not just an incremental bit of extra time you could (and probably should) dedicate to various aspects of your podcast production process. But how would your show change if you could spend 5x the amount of time on it? ---- A text-based and totally-re-written-for-reading version of this episode can be found at: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/will-time-change-your-podcast Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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 abo
S1 E189 · Wed, June 19, 2019
Should You Grow A Big Podcast Or Work To Build A Better One?
Growth at all costs is a big mantra in the startup world. But does it make sense for your podcast? Get a copy of David Hooper’s book, Build A Big Podcast: https://amzn.to/2KV4qr8 This episode questions the wisdom of “growth at all costs” by taking a look at best-case and worst-case scenarios of growing your show into the top 20% of all podcasts. For most of us, it’s not quite as lucrative as you might think. And for a good number of us, it might result in unforeseen business challenges down the road. So what do you do instead of focusing on growth? Build a better podcast, of course! ---- A text-based and totally-re-written-for-reading version of this episode can be found at: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/should-you-grow-a-big-podcast-or-work-to-build-a-better-one Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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 s
S1 E188 · Tue, June 18, 2019
Can Old Podcasting Dogs Learn New Tricks?
Podcasting is 15 years old now. And while you still might drive a 15-year-old car and think nothing of it, consider this: teenagers who were in the first wave of podcasters are now in their 30s. Yeah. Even if you don’t find it all that challenging to keep up with the changes in the technology of podcasting, you might find it more difficult to keep up with the changes in attitudes and expectations. Because the world we’re podcasting into has changed A LOT in those 15 years. That’s a big part of why the Advancing Podcasting Party was started. And why we need your help. You should join us at AdvancingPodcasting.xyz -- A text-based and totally-re-written-for-reading version of this episode can be found at: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/can-old-podcasting-dogs-learn-new-tricks Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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
S1 E187 · Mon, June 17, 2019
Sharing Is Caring (About Your Podcast)
TAKE NOTE : AdvancingPodcast.xyz is now live. Yes, you should sign up if you have an interest in making podcasting better, not just easier. Unless you’re part of a big network or have a big ad budget, your podcast will only grow if people share it. Sadly, far too many podcasters -- even big ones -- fail to include share-friendly links. That makes it hard for me to share your excellent content. No, I’m not sharing a link to the episode inside the app I’m using. I don’t want to force my social followers to change their habits! I want a website to share. That’s a “permalink”, and it’s built into the podcasting spec. And far too many aren’t using it. Hence my appeal for you to fix that. Yes, on all of your old episodes. Because you want your show to grow, right? -- A text-based and totally-re-written-for-reading version of this episode can be found at: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/sharing-is-caring-about-your-podcast Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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
S1 E186 · Thu, June 13, 2019
The Advancing Podcasting Party Wants YOU!
Announcing the official launch of the Advancing Podcasting Party ! No, we’re not running for office. But we are working to make podcasting better. And we need your help! Here’s what we believe: We believe that technology should make podcasting better, not just easier. We believe that new models are required to bring the 78% of non- and infrequent listeners into the fold. We believe in and respect the inherent choices made by podcast listeners, podcast creators, and podcast enablers. But talk is cheap, and it’s time for us to start working toward those goals. We’re going to start with a series of lightweight tools that any working podcaster can use -- with their current setup! -- to make their own podcast better. Want to join us? We’re looking for talented developers, designers, and others who also share a deep love of podcasting. We’re not trying to create a new podcast hosting company. We’re not trying to build a huge unicorn startup that disrupts podcasting as we know it. … and we need your help. Get in touch with me if that sounds interesting, OK? evo@podcastlaunch.pro reaches me. ----- Get more here: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-advancing-podcasting-party-wants-you Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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 independ
S1 E185 · Wed, June 12, 2019
What SpaceX Webcasts Can Teach Podcasters
As I was watching today’s SpaceX launch “webcast”, I found a few lessons that I think are applicable to podcasters. The population of the world breaks into two classes: People who've watched a space X launch and those who have not. If you have, you know they are a lot of fun to watch. But if you haven't, that's okay too! You're not making your podcast content for everyone. You're only making content for the people who are interested in the topic that you have to discuss. Make sure that you talk in normal language and explain what needs to be explained. Go ahead and fly your geek flag when you need to. Done right, it’s infectious! Even if you’re in the “never watched a SpaceX launch” set, I hope you’ll pick up something from this bit of content. And if you need help with your podcast or need someone on your team with big ideas around podcasting, it’s what I do four times a week for you and all other times for my clients. Get in touch. ----- Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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
S1 E184 · Tue, June 11, 2019
Poking Holes In Your Podcasting Plan
I hear from a lot of companies who present this as their business plan: Make great content > Attract a huge audience > See huge profits. As great as that sounds, it doesn’t prove out. Why? Because it’s not a business plan. It’s a description of their podcasting aspirations. But it’s a good start. Making great content takes more than a good idea. It takes time, money, resources, and the ability to execute on great ideas. Attracting a large audience frames the problem incorrectly. While audiences are attracted to great content, great content doesn’t have magnetic properties over distance. Instead, you have to get your content in front of people. And that takes time, money, resources, and the ability to execute a quality marketing/advertising campaign. And the profit window -- at least from advertising -- might be closing. It’s only a matter of time before the honeymoon is over and advertisers demand results. That’s what makes tools like Glow interesting -- a diversified income stream. Making money with podcasting requires a business plan. Do you have one? Perhaps I can help. Get in touch. ----- Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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 pr
S1 E183 · Mon, June 10, 2019
Are You Podcasting On Purpose
If your podcast is more than a year old, you should have two things “dialed-in”: Your comfortable behind the mic (or you fake it well enough) You’ve built an audience (small or large) and have acquired “regular” listeners With those two things in place, you can ask yourself a single question: Why am I doing this? Chances are, the purpose of your podcast has little to do with the cash and time you spend on your show. And you know what? That’s OK. Because it’s your time and your money, and you get to spend it how you want. But I am genuinely curious as to the purpose behind your podcasting efforts. After you’ve listened to this episode, please send me a quick email or a tweet that tells me your purpose, OK? It’s my birthday wish to you. (Yes, it really is my birthday today!) ----- Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier. Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit PodcastLaunch.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business. 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 familie
S1 E182 · Thu, June 06, 2019
What To Do When You're Overwhelmed By Podcasting Changes
It's been a wild-and-crazy week in the podcasting world. No, make that a wild-and-crazy six months. Though an argument could be made that we’ve been in the midst of wild-and-crazy for more like 18 months. For the better part of two years, the podcasting landscape has seen a huge number of changes. You probably find it all quite exhausting. You probably find it very difficult to focus on these crazy changes and do the things you need to do every day to keep your business running smoothly. I get it. I feel your pain. Literally. That's why I said at the beginning of this episode, “do you need a break?” Because I need a break, at least for the day. And since this is Thursday, it’s a good day to take that break. I'll be back on Monday, refreshed and rethinking, ready to pontificate on what the next changes might be, or how recent changes might impact our world in the future. And next Monday is my birthday, so I might come up with something special. Sort of a “happy birthday” from me to you, which is backward, I know. Enjoy the rest of your day. I shall be back on Monday 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. 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 abort
S1 E181 · Wed, June 05, 2019
Solving Podcast Discovery With Lists & Search
You may have missed the news, but search is about to work in podcasting. Apple recently announced a magnificent upgrade to searching inside the Apple Podcasts app (yes, I’ve talked about this before ). If you missed that too, Apple will soon churn through the actual contents of podcast audio files to serve up relevant episodes of a podcast. Google is also “transcribing” the contents of your podcast’s episodes behind the scenes and is serving up playable podcast episodes on search engine results pages. (Nota bene: We’re seeing just the beginnings of these efforts, and I’ll return to the topic of what we podcasters think we want out of search vs the way search engines think about search results vs why people would turn to search engines when looking for podcasted content at another time.) Along with that, brand new developments are surfacing around the curation of content. While it’s true that people have been curating podcasted content for a long time, curated lists are coming to podcast listening apps. Spotify is running a pilot test right now to expose a sampling of users to curated playlists of podcasts, though it’s not clear if those are podcast episodes or entire podcasts. This makes a lot of sense for Spotify. I would argue that curated playlists are something that makes Spotify so popular for music listening. It’s oftentimes easier to grab a curated playlist rather than selecting your own list of individual albums or individual songs throughout the day. Can that same thing apply to podcasts? Will a curated playlist of episodes work better than a playlist of entire podcast contents? Again, I want to reserve that for a deeper dive once we’ve seen these lists in action. Let’s look at this from the perspective of efforts just lik
S1 E180 · Tue, June 04, 2019
What Apple's Big Changes From WWDC19 Mean For Your Podcast
Wow, but are the podcast-aware Twitter people, Facebook groups, Discord channels, Slack workspaces and seemingly everywhere else going wild. The speculation about what Apple might say leading up to the event was rampant. And after yesterday's 2.5-hour long keynote event, a lot of that speculation was confirmed. Today, I want to give you, the working podcaster, some specific advice as to what you should change about your podcast. So skip the speculation and guessing. Because I have the answers you are looking for. If you missed the keynote speech for Apple’s WWDC19 , I’m about to give you the highlights from that speech with very exact steps you need to take to ready your podcast for this brave new world. Are you ready? You might want to take notes because it’s a little complicated. The first thing you need to change about your podcast is… Nothing. [checks notes] Well, yeah. That... That's what I have written down here. Nothing. Not that there weren't big announcements made at the event. Clearly, there were big announcements, and many of those announcements made at WWDC19 will certainly impact podcasting. But probably* don't need to change anything for your show. No, you really don't. This is not the first time you've heard that Apple was making changes, right? We, the podcast pundits, have been talking about this basic fact for some 20 months or longer. Yesterday was just (looked at through a very narrow lens) just validation of our speculation. But there were some very cool things announced at WWDC19. Three, I think, are most germane to podcasters. The break up of iTunes The release of the new operating system for Mac computers, mobile devices, and more signals the end of iTunes. In its place will be t
S1 E179 · Mon, June 03, 2019
Podcasters Are Making It Too Hard For New Listeners Wide
This content was created just before the big WWDC -- World Wide Developers Conference -- from Apple kicked off. All around the world, podcasters just like you (and me) will be watching live to see how the company that controls something like 85% of all podcast episodes downloaded around the world will change podcasting. Again. Over the weekend, The most talked-about assumed change was that iTunes is going away and what sorts of changes podcasters would need to implement on their website -- quickly! -- to preserve their listeners after this dreaded change. Two things on that: Yes, you should change your website, podcaster, especially if you reference iTunes in any way. Get rid of any reference to iTunes everywhere on your website. You know, like Apple and anyone worth their salt in the podcast world has been telling you for the better part of the last two years? Calm down. Apple is not a stupid company. When they do kill off iTunes, they aren’t going to start throwing 404 errors when people click on your legacy links to iTunes. They’ll all redirect to Apple Podcasts. At least for a while. But even if they do work, you should change them. See #1. So yes, make the changes. But before get in there to make the changes, let’s talk about a way to improve the experience for the brand new listener. Because maybe those big company-provided “listen with [app]” aren’t as helpful as you might think? Apple & Google Branding vs A Better Listener Experience Both Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts have given podcasters branding guidelines of how they would like us to represent their apps on our pages. You've probably seen a consistently branded “Listen with Apple Podcasts” button and a “Listen with Google Podcast” button podcast websites. Those all look the same because Apple and Google (and a bunch of other apps) provide the button for easy integration. I think it's time to reconsider our reliance on those auto-generated buttons. Specific to our consideration: Are those auto-generated buttons helping our listeners, or just helping big tech companies with their branding efforts? When Apple finally kills iTunes, they’ll put a lot (at least I hope so) of marketing effort into the brand change. If Apple starts “advertisi
S1 E178 · Thu, May 30, 2019
3 Reasons To Make A Bold Podcast in 2019
Many early podcasters got into podcasting with the idea of doing something different than was possible with other mediums. And while that’s still the case, many podcasters -- especially businesses just getting started with podcasting -- are choosing a more conservative path, choosing to follow-the-pack instead of doing something bold. And I get it. It’s hard to be bold. It’s hard to get fired by following the beaten path. But when you do something wild and weird? Your exposure goes way, way up. But right now, in mid-2019, I’m convinced that there’s never a better time to go bold and do something different with your podcast. Before I give you three reasons why that’s truer than ever before -- yes, even for business podcasts -- I’ve a caveat. Before you can make the conscious decision to something different from the status quo, you have to know what the status quo is. You need to do your homework and understand what un-bold podcasts in your particular niche look and sound like. No, you're not going to fulfill that need by listening to one or two shows in your space. This requires a relatively deep study of what's going on right now so you can really break from it. With that caveat out of the way, let's get into the 3 reasons why I think right now is probably the best time ever to go bold with your podcast. All New People There's an old saying I’m fond of repeating: It won’t matter what mistakes you make today, because 100 years from now; the world will be filled with all new people. That's the case in podcasting as well. Except we're living through “the all-new” people faze right now. Every day, a new flood of people become podcast listeners. Many have never heard a podcast before. Others have had very limited exposure to select shows. New listening apps are attracting new listeners who don't have any (or not very many) preconceived notions of what podcasts should sound like. (Of course, they do have some expectations of sound quality from other sorts of audio-based media. So don’t think you can get away with something that sounds like garbage.) These “all new people” becoming listeners represent a much bigger slice of the population than the current listening audience. We know
S1 E177 · Wed, May 29, 2019
It's Not OK For Your First Business Podcast To Suck
Conventional wisdom in the podcasting world is that the first few episodes of your podcast are going to suck. Conventional wisdom says you just need to get those sucky episodes out of your system, and then you'll be all better on the other side of the suck. I don’t disagree with that. Where I depart from conventional wisdom is when they translate “out of your system” to “into your podcast feed so everyone sees how much your episodes suck”. Call me crazy, I'm not sure many businesses can afford to purposely release sucky content. In any form. Last night I had a conversation with a new prospect about starting a business podcast for there firm. One of the questions they asked was, ”Is the market saturated?”. Of course, my answer was no, there's plenty of room for in the market for another podcast. Even at somewhere north of 700,000 shows, there’s no upper limit and we’ve plenty of room for more podcasts. However, we may be quickly running out of room for crappy business podcasts. I don’t think that we podcasters, especially those of us who've done it for a very long time, have done a good job as stewards of the medium from a professional sense. At least not as it applies to businesses looking to get into podcasting for the first time. Nota bene: Everything I'm about to cover is going to be highly controversial. If you're just in podcasting for the fun of it, what I’m about to say likely doesn’t apply. But in the vast majority of cases, businesses don’t get into new mediums like podcasting for the fun of it. Let's go back to correlating a first podcast episode with the first draft of something written. With the notable exception of email and social media posts, the first draft of written content is rarely published. Written content -- annual report, monthly reports, chapters of a book, case studies -- goes through several revisions before it's ready for public consumption. So true is -- or at least should be -- with podcasting for your business. The very first time you start talking into a microphone, you're probably not going to be “a natural”. There are many things you need to learn. Proper mic placement, diction, pacing, how to tell a good story... There are many skills, hard and soft, you need to learn to create good spoken-word content. And yes, as you do more behind the mic, you will get better over time. What you need not do is shine the public spotlight on your content as you work through that “getting better” phase. That's a tough pill to swallow, and it goes against conventional wisdom in podcasting. I realize that the way to get better most things is learning how to be better at those things. Practice and repetition is a part of that learning. But so is bringing in additional people and mentors who are skilled knowledge workers who know what they're doing. It’s the rare good business podcast that’s staffed by a team of one. Conventional wisdom in podcasting is to re
S1 E176 · Tue, May 28, 2019
Podcasting At The Top, Middle, & Bottom Of The Funnel
You don’t have to be a marketing expert to put out a podcast. But unless you’re doing your show purely for fun, your podcast episodes play a role in marketing. Yes, even if you didn’t intend them to. This episode will not teach you how to create an effective marketing funnel. Instead, I’ll hit the highlights, sharing a simple metaphor for the marketing funnel with you to help better understand the various states of minds people are in when they encounter your podcast episodes. That metaphor? See. Think. Do. Or in the case of podcasting: Listen. Think. Do. And let’s take them one by one, understand where podcast content fits all the way down. The See (or Listen) level is the very top of the funnel. When you produce content for this level, you achieve success when people -- probably lots of people, yet still within your target audience -- see (or listen) to your content. That’s it. That’s the entirety of the job of content produced at the See (Listen) level. It’s pure awareness building. A lot of businesses podcasting today are creating podcast content at this level. Perhaps unwittingly. A good chunk of my clients create content at this level, simply as a branding play. More eyeballs (ear holes) on their content is a Good Thing. Hooray for more Listen-designed content! At the other end of the funnel sits the Do stage of the marketing funnel. This is the payoff. The point at which action is taken. And for a lot of podcasts you listen to (maybe most podcasts that are making money today?), that podcast episode is “the thing” at the bottom of their marketing funnel. No action required on their afterward. That’s how selling ads often works. Sure, the person who paid the money to run the ad on the show likely wants some action taken. But for the business-focused podcaster, just getting someone to listen is the Do action they are looking for. But that's not enough for my clients, because my clients aren’t selling ads on their content. And because of that, my clients don’t produce podcast episodes for people at this stage of the marketing funnel. Yes, they want listeners, but they require listeners to do something else to make the podcasting investment pay off. <span style="back
S1 E175 · Thu, May 23, 2019
The Future Of Podcasting Might Be Stealing From Instagram Stories
No, this isn’t an article about using Snapchat and Instagram to promote your podcast. This is an article about packaging the contents of a single episode of a podcast by borrowing (read: stealing) a big part of Instagram stories. Which they stole from Snapchat, so turnabout’s fair play, right? Many podcasts are highly produced, often requiring more than 100 hours of work to put out a single, 30-minute long episode. Other podcasts require almost no extra work, where people just get behind the microphone and start talking. (Stop looking at me.) Between these extremes is room for many, many different effort-level approaches. One format made popular by newsletter publishers and Instagram influencers hasn’t yet taken off in podcasting. That approach is to create content “on the fly” throughout the day -- or sometimes the week --. Newsletter writers typically save the publishing until the entire “send” has been assembled, where IG stars publish each discrete bit as they go through their day. I think podcasting might be able to leverage those concepts, either as a new technology play or by Mechanical Turking our way to a new method of creating content that, for some shows, might be actually better than what they are doing today If you've listened to Podcast Pontifications for a while, you know I'm a big proponent of what I call Advancing Podcasting. That's the idea that software and technology should make podcasting better, not just easier. It also assumes that brand new business models will appear, which themselves necessitate new podcasting formats and approaches. This idea of assembling and producing content on-the-fly might be one such approach. Plenty of podcasts gather content on the fly. The work of James Cridland at PodNews.net comes to mind. James dutifully gathers the best podcasting news of the day, writes up his very popular daily newsletter, and also records a short “headlines only” version released as a podcast episode. He’s not alone. Many podcast producers gather news/information/inspiration throughout the day, write their notes about each element, adding in their own commentary on each or as a whole, create a final script, and then sit down behind a microphone to record the whole thing. Enter the Instagram Stories approach. What if, instead of only
S1 E174 · Wed, May 22, 2019
Will The Algorithm Love Your Podcast?
Ask around and you’ll hear a common theme amongst digital marketers and content creators lauding praises on podcasting: There’s no algorithm to try and game/fight/adapt to. Once someone subscribes to your show, they’ll get your episodes. Period. End of story. If only that was the end of it. Like so many things the web, too much of a good thing means an algorithmic change. Algorithms exist for one reason: To surface the best content for the person who is engaging with -- often unwittingly -- the experience controlled by the algorithm. Many of us were first exposed to algorithms thanks to Google. When you search for something on Google, your query goes through a very complicated algorithm with literally hundreds of different factors at play to determine the information presented to you on the search engine results page (SERP). Years later Facebook and other social media platforms recognized that literally billions of people all creating and consuming content make too much stuff to be presented chronologically. So now, most social platforms use algorithms to determine which content to show -- and which to hide. When we have near-infinite choices available, we humans aren't very good at making choices. So algorithms come into play. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Spotify and more have a vested interest in keeping people consuming the content on their platform. They implement algorithms to keep people engaged with their platform. Not necessarily any particular content from any particular provider. As an individual, that decision to filter your content through an algorithm might piss you off. It may, in fact, cause you to abandon that platform and use a different service, albeit one with a smaller pool of content that hasn’t (yet) implemented algorithms. But these platforms aren’t stupid, and you can bet that if there was a real exodus away from them due to their algorithms, they’d either abandon the algorithm or change it. And while changes to algorithms happen all the time, they aren’t abandoned. Because they work at keeping the audience using the platform more. So what does it have what's this have to do with podcasting? While I don't see algorithms influencing how podcast
S1 E173 · Tue, May 21, 2019
Making Room For Purposely Tiny Podcasts
While we often think about growth of a podcast as a natural progression. Slowly, you’ll gain more audience. Or, with the right application of marketing strategy, you can accelerate that growth. But that actually runs counter to the history of most things made for the internet. Most things made for the internet start out and end up with tiny audiences. I think podcast pundits (Hi!) would better serve podcasting if we recognized that fact. Because not every podcast -- either from hobbyists or for businesses -- has designs on growth. Most people who create content have no aspirations of having that content reach a massive -- or even modest -- audience. At its core, the internet is a communication medium. It was built to facilitate the publishing of information. You could argue that the true “superpower” of the internet is the facilitation that lets people exchange, text, images, video, audio, and have conversations about those items. This communication platform, though global in nature, does not require the things shared be seen by the majority of internet users. There's no implied success built into the underpinnings of the way that the internet works. The same holds true for podcasting: There is no inherent need for a show to bubble to the top. Of course, you may want to have your podcast reach a gigantic podcast. Great. Go for it! But on this episode, I want to talk about the merits of podcasting to a purposely tiny audience. That tiny audience for your podcast could be just the employees of your company. That tiny audience could be just a circle of friends that get together monthly for a happy hour. That podcast might serve a tiny group of people all interested in one very specific, highly-focused interest that you have to be a little weird to deeply enjoy. Maybe it's a local podcast. Maybe it's something that is so hyper-local that there's only a handful of people in your given city, your neighborhood, maybe only people in your apartment complex would care about. But I can hear the confusion from here: “Why would I invest all this money in hiring a firm like Simpler Media if my podcast won’t be huge? Why did I buy this $400 microphone if I'm not going to reach a gigantic audience?” <span style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(0, 0,
S1 E172 · Mon, May 20, 2019
What Business Podcasters Can Learn From Game of Thrones and the Indy 500
The series finale of Game of Thrones just happened. This coming weekend, the Indy 500 is happening. I know these things, but I’m not (yet) a watcher of Game of Thrones. Nor am I fan of auto racing. But nonetheless, I'm aware of these things because they are blockbuster events. How can you, the working podcaster, do something similar? Both NBC and HBO have fostered the public conversation -- nationally and internationally -- about these two events. When you look closely, you’ll see that there's a big difference in the way these events were marketed vs the way podcasters typically go about marketing their shows/episodes. Granted, big organizations like HBO and NBC have something that most podcasters don't have. A true network. And they’re in the business of driving either eyeballs (for ads) or keeping you from canceling your paid subscription. Quite a few podcasters, especially business podcasters, don't run ads. And most aren’t relying on paid subscriptions. So there are differences. But in those differences is where we find the lessons. Most podcasts -- even business podcasts -- tend to market “after the fact”. The big push for new listeners is done in arrears after the episode is published. From a listener-perspective, that makes sense. Why advertising something that isn’t yet available? Especially when there’s no immediate need to have massive numbers of people listen at the same time. Heck, doesn’t that entire concept break what podcasting is all about? Leaving that last concern (if it even is a valid concern) aside for the moment, let’s examine the idea of building anticipation in the world of podcasting. Most podcasters will face challenges in building anticipation. Many podcasters are podcasting too close to the ball and have no idea what’s happening on their next episode. But all it takes is some planning and foresight to solve that problem. Which you have to do it you’re going to build anticipation for a future episode. But not every episode is worthy of anticipation-building. But events, however, often are. That Game of Thrones episode last week was the end of the series. That's a big deal. If your podcast is also “seasoned”, where you’re producing episodes that build off one another and finally culminate in a final episode, you’ll find it easier to
S1 E171 · Thu, May 16, 2019
3 Tips To Perfect Alignment Between Your Podcast And Your Business’ Brand
Over the last three episodes , I've convinced you of the importance of making sure your podcast accurately represents your business’s brand. Today, I’m sharing three tips to make sure you’re getting to that crucial alignment. There’s no doubt that you put a significant amount of effort to make sure your business’, your organization’s, your nonprofit’s brand is on-point in all public-facing assets produced by your firm. And it saddens me that all too many of your peers don't do the same thing with their business-focused podcast. How bad would it be for your company if your business development lead went with a crappy PowerPoint presentation? With the logo of your business all pixelated because it was “upsized” from a thumbnail image and then expanded as the cover image? With crappy and inconsistent font usage (lots of Comic Sans)? Maybe with weird color schemes nowhere near your carefully chosen palette? Or filled with pictures of people with bodies stretched out of proportion? Or with ill-conceived transitions between slides? You'd fire that business development person and hire someone else who cared about the quality of their pitch deck and respect for the established brand. The same holds true for the people who are managing client relationships. What would happen if they showed up to a board meeting for a Fortune 500 client wearing ratty
S1 E170 · Wed, May 15, 2019
How To Produce A Podcast On Your Business’ Schedule
No, you don't have to release an episode of your business’ podcast each and every week. Or every two weeks. Or even every month. The myth of “publish or die!” is an ad populum fallacy. Most podcasts are made by hobbyists. Most of those hobbyists are “playing at radio” with their podcast. Or they're inspired by traditional media -- television, newspaper, magazines - that issues new content on a consistent (often weekly) basis. Others were bloggers before they were podcasters, perhaps published their own newsletter. They’ve gotten used to -- and popularized -- the notion of creating and publishing content for their audience on a regular basis. That might make sense for a hobbyist. But does it make sense for your business? Unless you're in the business of publishing, you're going to find that a weekly or even a fortnightly podcast publishing cadence is hard to sustain. If the schedule you set for your podcast episodes doesn't neatly fit into your business' work schedule… expect difficulties meeting your arbitrarily established podcast publishing deadlines. But even if (as is likely) your business is not built around pushing content each and every week, you can still have a podcast. And a successful one at that! You need to break out of the mindset of “let's do whatever the other podcasts are doing” and refocus on “let's do what's right for our business.” Here are three different methods that might fit better in with the way you do business. And as a bonus, I'm going to share with you three amazing benefits you'll get when you follow a non-traditional podcast episode publishing cadence for your business-focused or brand-based podcast. Event-based Is there an event on your business’ yearly calendar that you or your employees are going to either attend? Or maybe your business is putting on your own event? And even if you aren’t planning on
S1 E169 · Tue, May 14, 2019
Going Business-First With Your Podcast Is A Smart Business Move
Do you know why so many business-focused podcasts are interview-based? For the same reason that the tire ads are in the sports section of your Sunday newspaper. Not because people who read the sports section are more likely to buy tires. No, it's because that's where the tire ads go. After some 50 years of advertising, that's where the tire ads go. It’s become a habit, and businesses are keen to capitalize on ingrained habits of consumers. But back to podcasting for your business or brand. I promise to you that there is a lot more to podcasting than interview-based show. Consider for a moment what having an interview-based show say about your brand. Think about the story each episode tells about your brand? Even if the conversations you brand and your guests are having are on-point and wonderful that the audience seems to enjoy… those episodes may not be telling your brand story in an effective and meaningful way. In this episode, I’ll share three ideas for content-generation that will make sure your podcast’s episodes are business-focused by making them business-first. And no, that doesn’t have to mean boring. Before I list those, forget everything you know (or think you know) about podcasting for a moment and think about your business or brand overall. What kinds of content are you generating? What are you publishing and promoting that shares the story of your brand? Social media posts are likely. But podcasting isn't social media. Maybe you’re producing videos and publishing them to YouTube. It’s often touted as the second biggest search engine, so it’s an obvious content play for most brands. But people watch business-focused YouTube videos for very different reasons than they do when listening to a podcast episode from a business or brand. But there are three types of business-focused content that work really well in podcast form. Case Studies People want proof. Especially in business, where talk is cheap. But a well-crafted case study shows how the products or services offered by your business caused a meaningful change on or more of your clients. If you’re saying to yourself “I don't read those case studies”, then you’re making the classic blunder of using yourself as a sample size of one. Businesses case studies are popular. No, centering your podcast around case studies isn’t going to get you a Webby award. But treating your podcast episodes more like case studies will get potential clients excited about your solution, your business, and your brand. <span style="font-weight: 400;"
S1 E168 · Mon, May 13, 2019
Is Podcasting Harming Your Brand?
Is your podcast serving the purpose to boost your brand? Or is it actively damaging the hard work you’ve put into building your brand? I stated before I'm going to say clearly once again: I honestly think that almost any entity -- company, nonprofit organization even as an individual or professional service provider can have a podcast. Not that they should. But they can . As with all things in life; just because you can do something doesn't mean you should do something. Because you are choosing to have a podcast to represent your brand, it’s almost a given that you should do it properly. I've recently made the decision to stop listening to some podcasts by brands because the contents of the podcast episodes have completely damaged the brand for me. Specifically, I mean they seem not to care about their podcast. They don't care about quality. They don't care about the contents. The podcast seems an afterthought for them. And since they are clearly spending resources on it, it makes me wonder if they take that same lazy attitude to their products and services. No thanks. This week, I want to talk about ways you can make sure that your podcast and your brand line up with one another. And if you care about your brand, podcasting cannot be an afterthought. (Nota bene: I know that for many hobbyists, podcasting certainly is an afterthought. Or just some fun thing they do once in a while with a friend. That’s great. In fact, I think businesses can also have a lot of fun with the podcast. But I’m not talking about having fun. I’m talking about making content that represents a brand image.) You can’t look at your large audience base as an indication of brand-damage. Nor can you ask your engaged fans if the carefree-attitude you are taking is damaging your brand to them. Of course it’s not. Fans of your podcast will almost always say the same thing: They want more of the same. Of course they do! They're already listening. The danger is that fans tend to not be very honest. But it’s not the current listener base a podcaster has to worry about. It’s the potential new listener. <
S1 E167 · Thu, May 09, 2019
Google Just Made Podcast Websites Really, Really Important
I made a joke on Twitter earlier this morning that back in 2004 when someone said “How can I listen to your podcast?”, you'd tell them to download some software and then get them the RSS feed but don’t click on the RSS feed, and then give that RSS feed to the software they installed, and that software would then download the latest episode of your show show, and then could transfer that episode onto their mobile device so they could listen. Which was kind of a pain. In 2005, Apple started listing podcasts inside of iTunes, and it was slightly less complicated for the next 13 years, but still a process. But now, in early May 2019, when someone asks “How can I listen to your podcast?”, you can just tell them to Google it. Seriously. If you google “podcast pontifications” , you will see, right there in Google's SERP for that query, play options for the three most recent episodes of my show. No need to visit my website first. But what I've noticed (and remember this is very early in this release) is something subtle and interesting. Best of all, it relates to the theme of “podcasting things I’ve changed my mind about” I’ve been pursuing this week. When you google “podcast pontifications”, you should get my domain and website -- PodcastPontification.com -- as the first listing. Underneath that listing, you'll see sub-listings playable recent episodes. After that, you’ll see a bunch of other pages/sites that Google displays, like Stitcher, Spotify and a bunch of other ones. That’s how Google works, giving you lots of choices, but with the best (?) first. When I did something similar for my clients’ podcasts, I noticed something different. While episodes are showing in the SERP, those episodes aren’t sub-listed under with the primary websites for my clients. Often times, it’s the show’s Apple Podcasts listing in the SERP that has the episodes listed below. Why is that happening, my clients are sure to ask. Here's what I think is happening. I think that Google is looking for a dedicated website -- not just a web page on an existing website -- for the podcast. If I’m right (and again, it’s very early), I’m now going to even more strongly communicate to my clients the impor
S1 E166 · Wed, May 08, 2019
The Business Case For Ignoring Podcast Statistics
Stats are important. They tell you how well your business is functioning. Podcasts also have stats. They exist to ensure your podcast is functioning properly. At least that’s the theory. In practice, business owners with podcasts probably aren’t getting the right picture by looking at the stats of their podcast. Allow me to explain. This week, I'm doing a whole series of episodes that cover things I used to think were best practices but have since changed my mind and my approach. The ability to quickly changing one's mind is important in an industry that is as fast-moving as podcasting. Today, we recheck our assumptions about podcast statistics and the story the tell for your business-focused podcast. Podcasters like us rely on the podcast the statistics we get from our podcast hosting company. I used to spend a lot of time -- probably way too much time -- looking at stats for my shows as well as the stats for the show's my firm produces on behalf of our clients. And if I'm being honest, I still spend too much time doing that. But I'm getting better. In fact, I haven't reported stats to my clients for about three months now. It used to provide rather extensive reports for each client, pulling down information from the hosting company and re-formatting said data in a way I felt was valuable to my clients. I’d even provide “benchmark” numbers so they could compare their podcast success against all other podcasts. I’m not doing that anymore for one simple reason: it’s data puke. There’s a real disconnect between what podcast stats tell us and what business-focused podcasters really want/need to know. And as I’ve said previously, IAB 2.0 compliant stats won’t help the owners of most business-focused podcasts. Note also that I'm not complaining about the accuracy of current stats (though I do have some questions about the accuracy). Remember that IAB stands for the Internet Advertising Bureau. They exist so advertisers can get an accurate counting of downloads to measure the reach of their ads. Well… none of my clients run advertisements. All of my clients are business-focused. They're using their podcast to influence people in an effort to (hopefully) cause, at some point, a business outcome. And while you could make an argument that more people listening to a podcast will create the opportunity for more business outcomes… I feel that’s a bit of a stretch. And a bit too obfuscated. I admit that I’m struggling to find the answer to this. I'm trying to get to is a set of universally acceptable metrics that tell the businesses behind these podcasts how they're doing, and how those metrics directly impact their business. But that metric doesn’t exist. Yet. I would love to be able to tell my clients how many listeners they have. But I can’t. I can tell them
S1 E165 · Tue, May 07, 2019
Canned vs. Fresh: (Podcast Intros, Not Veggies)
Typically, consistency is important when producing a podcast. And when someone -- subscriber, casual listener, or first-timer -- hears your work, it needs to grab them right away. But what they are listening to can't be a mystery, so you need to "intro" each episode. This week, I'm exploring elements of podcasting where I've had a change of approach. The ability to change your mind and your implementation is quite important in the fast-moving medium of podcasting. Back in the early days of podcasting, we were all doing we were taking from the world around us -- TV and radio. That led to many early podcasters going with the "canned intro" approach. We'd write some compelling (?) copy and then have a professional (?) voiceover actor narrate that for us. We'd produced it and then drop it in at the front of each episode. Some were short. Most were terribly long. Others took a different approach, choosing to do a "fresh" intro. Often times this wasn't much more than "My name is Bob. You're listening to my podcast. My guest today is..." And that style is still around today. Which is better? Well, my opinion has recently shifted. Back in 2016 when I jumped back into podcasting, but this time as a consultant with clients looking for me for advice on what to do, my advice was old-school: Write an intro and can that intro so that you've a consistent experience that meets your listener's expectations. But lately I've been changing my tune, and now I'm recommending my new clients take a "fresh" approach. My reasons for making this shift are twofold: If you listen to a lot of podcasts you'll hear the trend is definitely moving towards shorter intros. Getting people to the "meat" of content quicker is a smart move. Many new podcasts are eschewing professional voiceover talent in favor of the natural voice of the host or hosts of the program. So because of that clear trend, I have been recommending my new clients record a "fresh" intro for each episode. But there's a challenge with that. Several episodes ago I talked about the similarities between a hoagie sandwich and a podcast. Specifically, I called out that the way people eat a hoagie is very different than the way that a hoagie was made. And it's the same thing for a podcast. The way people consume a podcast is linear. But the best podcasts aren't made linearly. But back to the challenge. When doing a live fresh intro... it kind of encourages the bad behavior of narrating the fresh intro and then introducing your guests in the same take. And since you're already narrating those two things, you might as well kick out the interview with the guest in the same session, right? Wrong. That's lazy. Yeah, it's faster, but it's not better in many many cases in many cases. It's still better for you to compar
S1 E164 · Mon, May 06, 2019
Is Podcasting Wrong About Time-Shifted Media?
Time-shifted audio is what podcasting was built upon. We didn't want to be stuck with the appointment-based mentality of radio, television, or other media that require the listener of the content and the producer of the content to be on the same schedule. Because this is podcasting! People subscribe to the show and then our content automatically downloads, leaving it up to the listener to consume the content on their schedule. At least that's the theory. Since starting my consultancy , I have been recommending my clients select set day and time for their episodes to release. Unless they have a compelling reason not to, that time is usually midnight local time for the producer. Assuming a good portion of their listener base is on the same or adjacent time zones, putting a file out at midnight allows time for the file to propagate down to all of the devices all of the applications for all subscribers. When the audience wakes up in the morning, there is a fresh episode of the podcast waiting for their listeners to consume. That has been the advice I've given for a very long time. But maybe that advice needs to change. Several things have happened recently that are causing me to change my opinion. One is the proliferation of shows that are time-of-day dependent. The Daily , for example, comes out every weekday morning while you're sleeping. That makes sense because the New York Times is a newspaper, and papers tend to come out in the wee hours of the morning. But there are also some new shows releasing episodes timed for evening drive-time. Ride Home Media produces both a tech - and a politics -based show to get you caught up on all the niche news you missed while you were working. Episodes of both shows are out by 5:30 pm Eastern Time. The third trend is the time it takes for a new podcast episode to be available to subscribers. That used to take some time, so making sure your episode was ready as soon as listener wakes up and looks to their phone for content was smart. But with the proliferation of new podcast listening apps and updates to existing ones, you've probably seen "new episode available" notifications from your listening app of choice throughout the day. What took hours before is now only taking single-digit minutes. That's powerful. Especially when you remember that just because someone is subscribed to your podcast, it doesn't mean they're actually listening to your episodes. Many of your subscribers rely on that little notification to remind them to check out the recent episode to see if it's worth
S1 E163 · Thu, May 02, 2019
How Facebook's Pivot to Privacy Will Impact Your Podcast
Facebook's pivot to privacy and 1-to-1 communication will clearly impact your podcast's presence on Facebook. In this short episode, I discuss how podcasters will have to adapt to this new world. It's based not purely on conjecture, but experiences I had with the Bangkok Podcast when we embraced 1-to-1 communications with our listeners... sort of on accident. My recommendations focus on a single theme: this idea of a more intimate relationship was originally and today remains a key differentiator between podcasting -- where the first three letters stand for "personal on demand" -- and broadcasting (which follows a more spray-and-pray approach). So while others decry the loss of organic discovery and rail against the need to pay their way to more views and engagement, you can start refocusing your Facebook approach as you prepare for this inevitable future. And if you need help analyzing these changes for your business-focused show, I'm here to help. 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
S1 E162 · Wed, May 01, 2019
It's OK To Let Podcasting Changes Pass You By... For Now
If I'm feeling exhausted keeping up with all the changes in podcasting, pontificating about how our industry will change in the future... you must be near catatonic. Sorry about that. In this short episode, I share some good news for all working podcasters: Disruption of an industry -- and yes, the podcasting industry is clearly going through a period of disruption -- impacts the industry. Not the end user. So while there is good reason to vie for an early-mover position in some cases, most of the changes I talk about every day on this program won't come to fruition for months. You have time to breathe. But you don't have time to be complacent. So I give you two tips: • Don't stop reading. You can't play ostrich. For if you do, you'll be left trying to sort out six months of changes. Keep reading. Just don't react. • Get your house in order. Some of these disruptions will likely cause you to change your processes and procedures in the future. You need a comprehensive understanding of what you are doing -- and why -- to evaluate the new best practices that will come out of all this. But also... breathe. :) 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
S1 E161 · Tue, April 30, 2019
Free Podcast Hosting or SPHaaS (Subsidized Podcast Hosting as a Service)?
History hasn't been good to free podcast hosting companies. But for some startups, hosting podcast files for free is an integral part of their business model. That's causing old-school podcasters to scratch their heads. Because the conversation is shifting away from "how do I make money with my podcast?" to "how can I discover a business model with where I subsidize the costs of media hosting as part of my overall service offering?" In this short episode, I'll quickly discuss three new(ish) companies who've taken that approach and what that means to the health of the podcasting ecosystem as a whole. (Hint: It's a very, very good time to blend podcasting and startup culture!) 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
S1 E160 · Mon, April 29, 2019
A Podcaster's Guide To A Podcast Purge
While purging in the dietary sense is very bad for you, a good purge every now and again can be just the thing you need to do as a podcaster. In this short episode, I pontificate on the following points of podcast purging: Your listening list, going so far as suggesting you create "The Seven" The communities you belong to, with a call to seek out new ones to join The social connections you've made, which helps ensure you're fighting group-think Your entire "process" of podcasting, getting rid of outdated thinking and getting you to the new baseline I personally do a purge this way a couple times a year. And it's time once again! (Note: Do not purge Podcast Pontifications from your listening list. I mean all the other podcasts, clearly.) 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
S1 E159 · Thu, April 25, 2019
Podcast Copyright & Syndication In Conflict
As Luminary fights off a flood of takedown requests, podcasters have to ask themselves how they feel about having their content automatically added to new products and services. More importantly, podcasters need to take action to ensure that their rights -- their copyrights -- are explicitly stated * . Since I'm not a lawyer, I asked one. Ruth Carter is an IP attorney and personal friend. It was from my conversation with Ruth that I give the following advice: Go add this to the tag in your RSS feed right now: © 2019 ** by [Rights Holder Name]. All rights reserved. No, this isn't a guaranteed fix to keep Bad Actors from grabbing your feed and adding it to their own directory service. It's incumbent upon services/directories to respect copyright. (Sadly, I don't think most do today. But with all this brouhaha, future services may start.) No, this doesn't stop you from submitting your show to new services/directories as they come about. The fact that you, the rights holder, go through the submission process on that new service/directory acts as a license you are granting to that service (though Ruth recommends you read the click-wrap agreement, which is just what you'd expect an attorney to say.) While I recommend taking this action -- I just did it for my shows and all of my firm's clients' shows -- there will be a business impact. Namely, if precedence is set so apps/services/directories decide it is in their best interest to secure licenses with each rights holder... that's going to slow things down. Big time. And that's a topic worthy of future discussion, don't you think? * Ruth reminds me that, at least in the US, copyright applies even if the rights-holder doesn't expressly state them. Still, stating them is good practice, so do it. ** If you're looking at this in the future, adjust the year accordingly. And yes, you need to change the year on Jan 1 of every year. Dumb, I know. 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 m
S1 E158 · Wed, April 24, 2019
Upgrading Your Podcast: Incremental or Overhaul?
With all the attention and investment opportunities pouring into podcasting, you're probably considering upgrading your show so you can get some of that sweet cash. Or just more ears on your content. In this short episode, I'll help you understand what sort of bang you can get for your bucks. I'll use the following directional budget-buckets to help you prioritize your plans: $100 lets you hire an editor, either of your audio files or of the text that accompanies your episodes. $500 lets you hire a producer, which affords you the opportunity to upgrade from the basic, linear flow to something resembling a narrative podcast $5000 puts a whole production team at your disposal, with a suite of professionals to help make great episodes from square one. You can also afford some solid marketing and PR. As stated, these budget-buckets are directional, not absolute. Hopefully, they give you some guide-posts and reality checks to help you on your podcast upgrade path. (And if you need help with your business-minded podcast at any of those levels, reach out!) 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
S1 E157 · Tue, April 23, 2019
How Podcasters Can Win The Podcast App War
Largely because of the non-stop love podcasting is getting in financial (and other) publications, developers with novel ideas are finding it easier to raise capital to build the latest and greatest podcasting app. Some offer exclusive, pay-walled content. Some blend social sharing with listening behavior. And others have less-scrutable business goals. But one thing is certain: we'll see many more launched, and it's hard to pick the winner. Or is it? In this short episode, I'll tell you, the working podcaster, how you can "win" this heating-up app war, ensuring your content is available no matter who winds up on top (or more likely eventually gets dumped.) 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
S1 E156 · Mon, April 22, 2019
Do You Need A Podcast Hygienist?
Most of us get by just fine on our own. To make sure we stay on the right track, we regularly see "experts" for checkups. Doctors, financial advisor, and dental hygienists. We trust these experts to catch things we might have missed, keeping us on the path. Maybe we podcasters need our own version of hygienists? In this short episode, I make the case for that, offering up some tips on the kinds of routines worthy of examining in such a relationship. I have one client I do this for about every six months. And while it's not currently a core service, it might need to be. Given all the changes happening right now in podcasting, having a pro on your side to perform a set of subjective and objective tests on your efforts seems like a good thing. So... maybe a new service offering is in the making? Get in touch! Also, I changed up the music and some other things in this episode. Let me know that you love it! 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
S1 E155 · Thu, April 18, 2019
Making Room For Dissent In Podcasting
As a professional contrarian, I know first hand the power of the dissenting voice. And I also know what it's like to be raked over the coals for espousing unpopular views. Recently, an opinion piece by the editor of the Podcast Business Journal and a perspective by the pop music critic for the Washington Post have the podcasting community breaking out the virtual torches and pitchforks. This episode is my attempt to persuade you that dissenting opinions -- especially ones you vehemently disagree with on a foundational level -- are both good and necessary for a healthy and evolving podcast ecosystem. 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
S1 E154 · Wed, April 17, 2019
Pitching Your Podcast To Non-Listeners
The Podcast Consumer 2019 report from Edison and Triton Digital is out, with lots of podcasters & pundits gobbling up the data and interpreting the results. In this episode, I focus on the one slide from that report that holds the most significance to business-minded podcasters: The reasons and rationale of why people choose not to listen to podcasts. And keep in mind: while the majority of Americans have listened to a podcast episode at least once, a good chunk of people walking around out there never have. Which means a good chunk of your customers, mailing list members, or anyone else you want to listen also have some preconceived notions about podcasting that you need to break through. 75% of non-listeners say podcasting isn't for them. Just like coupons will never entice me to try out a Chinese Buffet, cajoling (begging) your mailing list to listen isn't helping. Time to play the features/benefits card. 51% of them say there's not enough time for them to listen to podcasts. So consider the length of your episodes. If that's fine, you need to help these people in your list understand that podcast listening isn't a zero-sum game 49% think there's nothing inside of podcasts that they can't get through other means. Are you using those other means -- social, emails, blog posts -- to demonstrate the unique value contained inside your episodes? Or are you just auto-Tweeting headlines and a subscribe link? That's not going to work for them. Speaking of that last one, I go into much more detail inside the episode, so give it a listen. (Though given the nature of the content of this show, it's probably immune to those reasons. Still, just in case...) 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
S1 E153 · Tue, April 16, 2019
Leaning Into The Love Of Your Podcast
Here's a fact I live but often forget: Most people aren't looking for perfection. That's as true in podcasting as it in every aspect of life. Earlier today, I saw a Tweet from the actor Jameela Jamil that illustrated this point perfectly (he said, ironically). So on this uncharacteristic episode, I lean into the love, which is the single biggest motivating factor for a lot of podcasts. Not everyone strives to have a perfect podcast, just like not everyone strives to have a perfect body. Hell, most people don't strive to have a perfect body. But that doesn't mean they aren't proud of their show and actually put out effort to make a good sounding show. But those people care little about what self-purported experts (hi!) say makes a good sounding show. When you do it for the love of what you create, you have a different set of success metrics. And pleasing cranky salty old-timers like me isn't high on that list. And that's OK. Because you're podcasting for you first, not me. (I think I needed to hear this today, so I said it myself!) 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
S1 E152 · Mon, April 15, 2019
Downward Spiral From Leadership To Legacy
I've been blessed (cursed?) with an abundance of confidence. Couple that with nearly 15 years experience in podcasting and my leadership role seems cemented. But to be honest, I'm constantly fighting the suspicion that the processes I use and the advice I give will one day (soon?) be irrelevant. In this short episode, I'll examine my own fears/concerns, including how I fight against this constant pressure and never-ending fear that I'll be seen as a legacy provider, rather than maintaining my leadership role. Even if you've only been podcasting a short while, this future is in your cards too. Learn how to fight it! 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
S1 E151 · Thu, April 11, 2019
The Growing Trend Of Not Subscribing To Podcasts
As podcasters, we're always looking to get more people to subscribe to our show. But that drive runs counter to the new wave of podcast listeners, who want to be nothing more than that -- a casual listener. In this short episode, I'll share with you three real-world stories that lead me to this conclusion. One was a young woman who professes a love for listening to podcasts all the time, but doesn't subscribe to any. Instead, she just searches for something that sounds interesting. When that's over, she searches for something else. Another was a more mature woman -- a podcaster, even -- who listens to lots of podcasts (like this one) but doesn't subscribe. She catches lots of shows "live" on social media platforms, or follows links she sees in her Twitter feed. And then there was that much-lambasted study by the University of Florida and Futuri Media that claimed that YouTube was where the vast majority of listeners discover and listen to podcasts. That didn't sit well with many. Maybe not even me. But those signs, plus the fact that Google Podcasts is transcribing content podcasting content to feed to their algorithm, and even Apple is coming out with cross-platform webpages for podcasts that are indexable by search engines... it points to a growing trend that subscribing is now more optional than ever. What are we going to do about that? Well, I have a few ideas that are in the episode. Spoiler: They little to do with trying to convince these non-subscribers of the benefits of subscribing. 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 tak
S1 E150 · Wed, April 10, 2019
Re-Establishing A Podfaded Show
Yesterday, I went back to the gym after a 5-week break. I'm more than a little sore today, but it got me thinking about how similar this is to re-establishing a podcast that has faded away. In this short episode, I'll walk you through the three steps you un-fading a show. Note: this isn't just theory; this is practical advice I learned when we re-launched the Bangkok Podcast a few years back. Broadly speaking, here are the three steps to re-establishing a podfaded show: Remediate! Get to the root cause behind why the show faded... and fix it! Go slow & in stealth! Too many shows make grand "we're coming back!" announcements, then fail to deliver. Plan to fade again. Hey, it happened once before. And on a long enough time scale, all shows come to an end. So plan for it. Listen in to hear more about those topics, and join me tomorrow for another episode of Podcast Pontifications! Also, happy 150th episode! 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
S1 E149 · Tue, April 09, 2019
Daily Podcasting: Should You Make The Switch?
The next big thing in podcasting is daily podcasting. Which shows how history likes to repeat/rhyme because one of the first podcasts ever was a daily show. But with so many newspapers, magazines, and other sorts of "publishers" jumping in the podcasting space, there's a growing hunger among listeners for more frequently produced content. In this short episode, I'll walk through some considerations you might take before deciding to increase your publishing cadence. Sure, new listeners might be expecting more content. But what about the existing listener experience? Also: moving to daily requires more and different work. It's quite possible the routines you've established for your show aren't what's needed to keep a daily program running. Listen in to find out if you should make the jump -- or maybe start a new daily show? 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
S1 E148 · Mon, April 08, 2019
Broadcasters Killed The Podcasting Star
The NAB Show is just getting started this week, yet the podosphere is already buzzing with concerned podcasters worried that broadcasters are encroaching into their territory. They've a good reason to be concerned. In this short episode, I lay out the areas where professional broadcasters -- radio and TV -- have the upper-hand over podcast-only service providers. It's more than just access to pro equipment, quality editing, and established processes. Commercial radio can be quite good at understanding and meeting business objectives for their customers. For the stations/networks that manage to get past their distribution hangups, they see podcasting-as-a-service as a big part of their business plans for the coming years. 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
S1 E147 · Thu, April 04, 2019
Control The Future Of Your Podcast
To bring the theme of "control" to a close, I'm taking on the heavy topic of controlling the future. No, I'm not magic. No, I can't predict the future. No one can. But there are ways you can control how you navigate your podcast when the future becomes the present. In this short episode, I discuss three main points: Investing in resiliency Increasing your luck surface area Reducing surprises By applying the skills I discuss here, the future of your podcast becomes a lot less murky. And when things do change (perhaps for the worse) you and your podcast will come out on the other end, maybe even better than before! 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
S1 E146 · Wed, April 03, 2019
Control The Listener Experience Of Your Podcast
There's a misconception that podcasters have no control over whether or not a potential listener decides to sample and/or subscribe. The same misconception applies for listeners and their decision to hit play or stop on your episode. That's all bunk. Because the listener experience is a two-sided transaction, and it starts with you, the podcaster. In this short episode, I show you how to look at your podcast with a set of fresh eyes. Because you can't control what you don't know, right? Tomorrow, I'll conclude the mini-series on control with an episode on controlling the future for your podcast. 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
S1 E145 · Tue, April 02, 2019
You Control The Quality Of Your Podcast
Lots of podcasters are constantly looking for the one piece of tech that will increase the quality of their podcast. But as you'll learn in his short episode, the single most important controlling factor of your podcasts quality is... you. No, I'm not suggesting you fire yourself. But I am suggesting you have a better and more comprehensive understanding of all of the steps that go into making your podcast. Nor am I suggesting you strive to produce a perfect or flawless show. I am suggesting that you make sure that you have the right quality all along the process of making your show, for that's something you control completely. Listen in for some tips as I continue to explore the concept of "control" and podcasting this week. 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
S1 E144 · Mon, April 01, 2019
Controlling Your Podcasts' Distribution
As a working podcaster, you have ultimate control of the distribution of your show and episodes. But wielding that control is something worthy of strategic thought before taking any action or following questionable advice. On today's short episode, we'll look at three aspects of distribution control for your podcast: The nodes or distribution points (directories, apps, platforms) The depth of content (because there are no practical limitation on how much content you wish to release) The selection of content you wish to distribute (perhaps all episodes aren't worthy) As is my wont, this is the first of a four-part series on control. Next up will be ideas around controlling the quality of you show, how to control the brand experience for your listeners (and not-yet-listeners), and way to control your own future. So keep listening! 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
S1 E143 · Thu, March 28, 2019
Changes To Podcasting Are Just Getting Started
The changes we've seen thus far this year are just the tip of the iceberg. That's the way change works: always constant and often increasing. This is the hockey stick your mother warned you about. So how does someone like you, the working podcaster, stay up on all those changes? Well, you've already made the smart move of listening to this program on a 4x-a-week basis. But assuming you want to go beyond that: James Cridland's Podnews.net should be in your inbox every day. Or listen to the short podcast version if you like. If it's new, important, and about podcasting, James covers it. Podcast Business Journal is a relatively new industry-specific online magazine staffed by luminaries in the industry who provide context and insight. Sure, it's a little "inside baseball", but that's kind of the point. There are legion other podcast-focused newsletters. The Bello Collective and Skye Pillsbury 's Inside Podcasting Subscribe to every other show that podcasts about the same kind of stuff you podcast about. Yes, all of them. (I subscribe to 26 other PAPs -- podcasts about podcasting.) Get involved with those same people and start collaborating. Because podcasting isn't a zero-sum game. If you're serious about podcasting, you'll find time to stay updated on the vast changes coming. I hope those tips help. 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
S1 E142 · Wed, March 27, 2019
Change Your Mind About Your Podcast
It sounds kind of obvious that the way you think about your podcast impacts your podcast. That's because it is obvious. But like most other obvious things, it's not the kind of thing often re-examined. In this short episode, I'll encourage you to think differently about your podcast by examing two key questions: Why do you podcast the way you podcast? What do you want to get out of your podcast? Understanding your unique answers to these questions will help make a better podcast. Bonus: Ask yourself these questions continually. But now I'm spoiling tomorrow's episode... 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
S1 E141 · Tue, March 26, 2019
Change Your Podcast Hosting Relationship
Expect big changes to podcasting at the technical level this year. But you're at the mercy of your hosting provider for many of them. Which begs the question: How well-established is your relationship with your podcast's hosting provider? In this short episode, I'll explain why, now more than ever, it's extremely important to know the full range of options available from your hosting company. Because there's more to feed management than just having a link to your media file. 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
S1 E140 · Mon, March 25, 2019
Change Your Location, Change Your Podcast
While change is scary for many, and the unknowns with changing where/how you record/produce your podcast seems like potential boat rocking. But actually, what might be a terrifying change for you can often be the catalyst your audience is looking for. In fact, changes you make to how your show sounds can re-spark their interest to share your program with others. In this short episode, I'll do my best to convince you that change is good, as well as provide some ideas on how changes to your physical space can often (always?) make your podcast better. And all this week, I'll cover other aspects of change for your podcast. 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
S1 E139 · Thu, March 21, 2019
APODCalypse Endgame: When Literally Everyone Has A Podcast
As mass adoption of podcasting continues, it's becoming easier and easier to create a podcast. And while that sound lovely, fair and idyllic, a world where literally every person has their own podcast might be the worst apocalypse we can imagine for the industry. In this short episode, I'll dig into the challenges facing the companies and entrepreneurs that have that as goal or business model. And I'll dig into how such a future might play into the hands of the new push for privacy and more intimate communication. In the end, it's probably not the future we want to see. But a version of it might happen, so it's good to mentally prepare. 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
S1 E138 · Wed, March 20, 2019
APODcalypse: What If Podcasting Fails... Again?
While the cash-flush see podcasting as the Next Big Thing, those high expectations can be problematic if the medium fails to deliver serious returns. Where prior boom/bust cycles haven't proven a fatal blow, we've not seen investments of this size before. Which begs the question: What happens if podcasting fails again? In this short episode, I'll look at that potential (though unlikely, IMHO) future, offering up some comparison of prior podcasting failures. 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
S1 E137 · Tue, March 19, 2019
APodCalypse: The Downfall Of Free Podcasts
Podcasting will likely see at least one billion dollars of investment money in 2019 alone. And while VCs are used to losing most of the bets they make, they're also used to very big payoffs. And it's that pressure to make huge returns that may signal the end of free podcasting as we know it. On this short episode, I focus on the apocalyptic -- the aPODcalypse, if you will -- when most people are listening to either heavily ad-supported content or various (and varied) "pay to listen" curation apps and destinations. How likely is this future? Fairly, I'd say. Ad-supported shows are going to be under heavy pressure to squeeze more money out of a relatively small audience (comparatively speaking), which means loads more ads getting in the way of content. Suddenly, paying a few bucks to access ad-free and highly curated content might be a lot more appealing. But we'll see what the future holds! 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
S1 E136 · Mon, March 18, 2019
APODcalypse: Sub-Audible Keyword Stuffing?
To properly index podcast content, sounds need to be converted to something like text, if only for a robot to parse through and make sense of. It's only a matter of when, not if, unscrupulous black-hat scammers try to rig the game. In this short episode, I'll share one possible scenario that looks a lot like the black-hate SEO game of the late '90s and early '00s. Back then, it was common to display white text on a white background at the bottom of the page. No human would see it (unless they viewed the source of the page), but the at-the-time dumb robots would happily add that text to the visible text on the page. Back then, more instances of the keyword would almost guarantee you a spot on the first page of search results for that phrase. Today, the most used search algorithms for podcasts are even dumber than these early efforts. And that's a fertile breeding ground for bad behavior and shady businesses to do chart manipulation on a whole new scale. Don't fall for it! 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
S1 E135 · Thu, March 14, 2019
Focus On Business Goals With Your Podcast
Say it with me: Downloads and increased listener rate of your podcast are NOT BUSINESS OUTCOME. They are tactical outputs. And while very important to success, THEY ARE NOT BUSINESS GOALS. In this short episode, I implore you to focus on the outcomes for your business that your podcast serves. Very un-sexy things like: Increase retention and acquisition rates lower operating costs or increase revenues measurable cultural change That's a big shift from tracking downloads and retweets. But if you really are treating your podcast as a part of your business, you have a fiduciary (another unsexy word) responsibility with your business (or yourself, if you are the business) to treat it as such. I'm hopeful this episode helps you make the mindset switch required. 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
S1 E134 · Wed, March 13, 2019
Focus On Your Audience
Podcasting is the most intimate medium we've come up with to date. Yet far too many podcasters treat their show like it's being listened to by hundreds (or thousands, or tens) of people enjoying a movie together. Not true. We have solid evidence that shows most podcast listening is singular, with headphones plugged into a mobile phone. That means a single person. You should be talking to a single person with each and every episode. In this short episode, I talk to you about why that's such a challenge and ways to work through it. And as a bonus, I encourage you to go even further, giving your perfect listener (avatar, though I hate that word) a name. It'll change the way you do your show. For the better. 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
S1 E133 · Tue, March 12, 2019
Focus on One Topic All Season Long
Every good presenter, blogger, or podcaster knows that each item produced (slide, blog post, podcast episode) should be about one single topic. On today's episode, I explore that even deeper, giving you the concept of taking multiple episodes to cover a single topic and making all of those episode parts of a larger season. Why would you do this? Well, it can lead to better podcasts episodes. Bonus, it can help you avoid burnout. Also, I have a cold. Boo. 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
S1 E132 · Mon, March 11, 2019
How to build a "DIY network" to gain more of the right listeners to your podcast.
This week, I'm focused. So, therefore, the conversation is all about being focused. Specifically, I'm going to bring forth some ideas bring getting better focus to your podcast. Tips I gathered mostly from the last week when I was at Podfest in Orlando , which was my first time being at the event. I have to say this about Podfest: Hands down an amazing event. Thank you very much to the organizers for bringing me out and out. You probably should make plans to go attend pod fest 2020. Lots of excellent information at the show and some of that information this year had to do with focus. Get Focused to Improve Your Podcast Specifically, focus on collaboration to build your audience. Because you're not part of a big network and it's hard for you to grow your audience without a big network behind you. The reason that the top 10 shows in the charts are all from big companies most of the time is because of something called "the network effect". The network effect means comes from an actual network of other shows working together to elevate a brand new -- or perhaps re-launched -- program to the top of the charts. That's hard for you to do because you are not part of a big podcasting network. But thanks very much to my friend Dave Zohrob at Chartable , there is a way. His presentation was all about this, drawn heavily from an episode of his program -- Chartable Radio . -- with Multitude Productions ' Amanda McLoughlin. Creating the DIY Network Effect Amanda refers to this as the "DIY Network Effect". You're trying to replicate that effect by building out your own collaborative network. A network that exists so other like-minded shows can collaborate, share, and help a new show flourish. Unlike a "real" network, the DIY Network Effect doesn't share resources. (You could if you wanted to.) The idea to get audience growth for a highly-focused, niche-appeal show. Candidly, your show is not something that the masses want to hear. The masses who listen to audio drama, or the masses who listen to random interviews, or even the masses who listen to funny comedy shows. Getting shows that do appeal to those audiences to mention your show is hard. Worse, all of that exposure isn't going to help grow your show. At least not in the same way it benefits the mass-appeal shows that do get mentions on the big networks. Those shows all have a focus and a theme. And your focus and your theme for your show are different. So that's what you're going to do as well. You may not break into the Top 10 All-Time charts anytime soon. But you can definitely increase your audience. I've seen it time
S1 E131 · Thu, March 07, 2019
Exploring Podcasting's Explosive Growth In 2018
Triton Digital's Infinite Dial 2018 report is out, and there are lots of great nuggets that show just how much podcasting grew in 2018. On this short episode, I'll highlight the most germane points. Like: Big shakeup in Social Media Brand Awareness that businesses will love. LinkedIn gained "share of mind" to beat out Twitter! And while Facebook still commands a larger piece of the pie, it's shrinking, with an estimate 15MM fewer users in 2018 vs 2017. Wow. Smart Speaker ownership is soaring, now at 1 in 4 Americans. Even more interesting: a quarter of them say they own 3 or more smart speakers, which is up from only 11% in 2017. Online Audio is way up in all age ranges, but growth among seniors (55+) is staggering. It was 33% in 2017, but now it's at 40%! Really interesting to my former life: audiobook listening is up for the first time ever! It's been hovering at 44%, but the 2018 report shows it at a full 50%! Podcasting in-car is growing (duh) and now has reached parity with online radio listening (26%), which beats the pants of satellite radio listening! And while podcasting awareness was up to 70% from 64%, the pull quote of the article is this: More than half (51%) of the US population report listening to podcasts at least once a month. Hooray! And the individual demographic breakdown is interesting: 12-24 grew from 30% all the way to 40%! Wow! 25-54 also grew significantly, from 32% up to 39%. 55+ is up as well, from 13% to 17% in 2018. But among self-reported Spotify listeners aged 12-24, we get this little nugget: in 2017, 32% said they listened to podcasts monthly. In 2018, now that Spotify has over 100,000 added, that usage has shot up to 52%! Holy cattle! If you list it, perhaps they will come! And finally, weekly listening (the brass ring to me) is up to 22% over 17%. Every single number is great and shows what strides we made last year. And now, with the pouring of resources and increased attention, we should expect even more from 2019. Here's to making it happen! 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, includin
S1 E130 · Wed, March 06, 2019
Picking Sides In The Politics Of Podcasting
"I'm Evo Terra, and I approve this message." No, I'm not running for office. But I do use the metaphor of politics on this short episode to better define the two camps I see forming in podcasting, plus offer up a "platform" of sorts for the one most strongly identify with. Note: The war between indie podcasters and professional podcasters is both made up and stupid. That's not what I'm talking about. The two "political groups" in podcasting are Conventional and Advancing. And I'm though I recognize the need for and welcome the views of those on the Conventional side, I'm a proud member of the Advancing party. Currently, I see two guiding principles that set my side apart. We believe that technology should make podcasting better , not just easier. We believe that new models are required to reach the 70% who don't yet listen to podcasts. So yes, that means we love and welcome change. Changes across the spectrum of podcasting. Changes to hosting platforms. Changes to show formats. Changes to consumption apps and discovery methods. Changes to monetization opportunities. Changes that cause ripples down to the very foundation of how the Conventional side define podcasting. We're OK with that. Which side do you fall on, podcaster? 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. <
S1 E129 · Tue, March 05, 2019
How Big Money Will Limit & Grow Podcasting At The Same Time
We've seen around $600M of investment dollars pouring into podcasting in the last 35 days. And we're barely out of the 2nd month of the year. The most recent funding round was for as-yet-unreleased listening app betting heavily that if they can make (or at least fund) content worth paying for. Naturally, this has caused a stir in the podcast community, with voices on one side decrying the eventual pay-walling of free content, while the others celebrate the fact that they and their staff are getting paid to create amazing content. But what's the impact to podcasting overall with moves like this? In this short episode, I'll discuss the benefits that a limited set of professionally produced content can have on the overall ecosystem. And maybe not all of those changes are bad. 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
S1 E128 · Mon, March 04, 2019
Open Rate: Podcasting's Forgotten Metric
Podcasting holds a single metric as sacred: downloads. And to ensure a podcast gets the most downloads consistently, lots of energy is spent encouraging people to become subscribers. But podcasting has a dirty underbelly that we're largely ignoring. Many of us don't want to face the truth, but the reality is that many downloads are never listened to. Shocked? Don't be. Email marketers have known this for a very long time. It's not good enough to track delivery. We need to track if the file is ever opened. Once a podcast episode is opened, we know (thanks, Apple) that the majority -- upwards of 85% -- of the episode is listened to. That's much better than online video, where the vast majority of views are for less than 10 seconds -- often with the sound off. So hooray for podcasts, right? Maybe. In this episode, I'll tell you how to use information from your podcast hosting company and from Apple Podcasts to find out what your show's "listen rate" actually is. Even better, I'll give you practical advice on how to improve it. 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
S1 E127 · Thu, February 28, 2019
Stop Not Marketing Your Podcast
You put all that time, energy, effort, and money into making a great podcast. But it's not growing as fast as you like. And that's probably because you're not marketing it properly. To properly market a podcast, you need three items: Planning Creative Budget You must have all three. If you've a plan and some creative but no budget, your efforts will flounder. If you've a plan and a budget but no creative, you're just wasting money. And if you the more common combo of budget and creative but no plan, then you're using "spray-and-pray" tactics. You must have all three to properly market your podcast. That's what I'll get into in this short episode 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: 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
S1 E126 · Wed, February 27, 2019
Stop Competing With Your Guests
When a podcast host tries to one-up their guest, it's a bad thing. It's also bad when the host continues to interrupt their guest, hoping to plug their book, product, or just get a point in edge wise. It's not a competition, podcaster. It's a collaboration. The extreme opposite isn't any better, where a host abdicates the mic, and each episode is literally just about the guest telling their own story. Yawn. Your audience wants your point of view. They listen to your show for a lot of reasons, and having quality guests is only one. One that's easily replicated and doesn't foster loyalty. In this short episode, I'll give practical tips on removing the competition from the encounter, making a better show for you, your guests, and the most important party: your listener. 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
S1 E125 · Tue, February 26, 2019
Stop Ignoring Your Podcast's Sound Quality
"I'm not going to invest in improving the quality of my show until I know this is something I want to do long-term." That's a common refrain I hear from my podcasting clients. And I understand the need to control costs, especially for activities seen as experimental and not core to the business. But it's also terribly short sighted. There's a minimum level of acceptable quality, and that bar is only getting higher and higher. Listeners have effectively limitless choices, and there are more competitors podcasting than you probably think. In this short episode, I'll lay out my case for paying attention to your show's quality. On obvious reason? It's your band personified. Can you afford to ignore that? 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
S1 E124 · Mon, February 25, 2019
Stop Trying To Run Ads On Your Podcast
"If you go in through the little door, you stay in the little room." That's from some business book I've forgotten the title of. But it's of importance to podcasters who spend a lot of time trying to chase down small ad-spends from big companies. Please stop. This short episode is the first in a mini-series about what NOT to do with your podcast. Today I'm talking about why chasing down ad dollars is futile unless you've over 50,000 downloads per episode or are a publisher. But if neither of those hold true, I'm still not opposed to you making money with or at least paying for the costs of your show. I just think your time would be better spent cultivating sponsorships and collaborations with those firms. Sure, that might involve some "ad-type" mentions on the show, but the long-term intangibles are much more valuable. For you both. 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
Bonus · Fri, February 22, 2019
Introducing The 7 Minute Mentor
I've been listening to another short podcast that I really think you're going to like. So much, that I'm sharing an episode of the show with you today. This one is called Understanding The 3 Pillars of Podcast Discoverability, so it should be right up your alley. The podcast is called The 7 Minute Mentor and it's produced by Mark Asquith. His episodes are short, come out three times a week (every Monday, Wednesday, & Friday), and are chock-full of forward-thinking info. I'm subscribed and I hope you will too. Easy way: subscribe.fm/7mm or just search for "The 7 Minute Mentor" inside of your podcast player. 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. 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
S1 E123 · Thu, February 21, 2019
Podcasting Intrapreneurs Wanted
I'm wrapping up my "things that should exist in podcasting but don't" mini-series today with a preview of my upcoming presentation at Podfest Orland in early March of 2019. In this short episode, I'll run through the main "inflection points" podcasting has gone through over the last 15 years: June 2005 - iTunes 4.9 (still the winning podcast directory) January 2007 - iPhone (listening and directory integrated) June 2012 - Apple Podcasts standalone app (which sucks but still wins) October 2014 - Serial (public awareness skyrockets) February 2019 - Spotichorlet (too early to tell if it will be a true inflection point, but investing $500M is worth noting) When I look at those seismic events, I notice something a little troubling. There were plenty of entrepreneurial people behind those changes. Maybe it's time for some intrapreneurs to make their presence known in podcasting over the next 15 years? 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
S1 E122 · Wed, February 20, 2019
Getting Past Podcasting's Linear Past
For a medium that's supposed to represent choice, podcasting is rather restrictive. It's not quite "all or nothing" but it's close. Today, when someone subscribes to a podcast, they have the choice of either listening from the most recent episode or backing up all the way to the first episode and start from there. There isn't a third choice, unless you consider the painful attempt at self-selecting which episodes to download from crappy titles and missing descriptions inside an RSS feed a choice. It's really not. Software can fix this problem, and I discuss it today on this short episode. I also talk about a dirty little secret of podcasting which you're probably not going to like very much. But that problem helps illustrate the problem if why podcasting needs to (and probably will) to better in the future. 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
S1 E121 · Tue, February 19, 2019
Do Subscriptions Help Or Hurt Podcasting?
Subscriptions -- free, mostly -- have been baked into podcasting since the beginning. But back then, there was a big push for "subscribe to my blog". Then Google killed Reader because of poor adoption of the tech. On this short episode, I'll demonstrate how odd it is to assume a potential listener wants to "eat all the things" made by a producer, and talk about some alternative options that might be more palatable to the needs of the 70% of people who've still yet to make podcasting a part of their daily lives. This is a continuation on the "future of podcasting" deep dive, which asks more questions than it gives hard answers. So if you like to ponder, listen in. 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
S1 E120 · Mon, February 18, 2019
Upping The Sound Quality Of Podcasts
It's 2019. A new 5G network with blazing speed is coming out this year. The cost to store larger files has plummeted. Mobile device storage will soon be measured in terabytes. But the standard for podcast media file settings hasn't changed since 2006. Serious. I'm encoding files -- for myself and my clients -- based on a standard I helped establish back in 2006. But before you rush to start saving your files at 320 kbps or making episodes in rich, binaural sound: keep in mind that's not what everyone wants. Some people listen with a single ear bud in. Others over their car audio system when the road noise is high. Some live in areas where bandwidth is at an expensive premium. But it's not an either or proposition. In this short episode, I'll layout an opportunity for the next-generation of listening apps to provide the best possible listening experience for each and every listener. And I'll tell you how to prepare for that coming future. 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
S1 E119 · Thu, February 14, 2019
The Coming Wave of Custom Podcast Apps
Custom podcast apps -- a dedicated mobile app that's just for your show and your show alone -- haven't been widely embraced. In this short episode, I'll talk about why that may be changing in the near future. While it's easier than ever to make a custom app for your podcast, they aren't all that convenient for most listeners. Put another way: there isn't an advantage to listening to the content in app. But that might change. If a podcaster -- or group of podcasters -- is able to create compelling content beyond their regular episode release, then an app can be a fantastic way to share that with the right audience. Audio. Video. Images. Documents. All of that is possible to share on a custom app right now. But that's just scratching the surface. An app that lets listeners connect with the host of the show better and immediately. An app that lets listeners connect with each other, sharing information and building their own tribe. An app that truly makes a comprehensive experience. That's what the future holds. 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
S1 E118 · Wed, February 13, 2019
Are Podcasts Worth Paying For?
Ask the pundits and you'll hear plenty of reasons why paid podcasting will never really take off in America. Most often cited is "the djinni is out of the bottle". But they forget that other media (see: TV, radio) have plenty of success stories in doing just that, and now both have rich ecosystems where paid and free content exist in essentially the same form. Recent moves such as Slate's Supporting Cast platform , Substack's new audio-centric paid newsletter offering , and Himalaya's $100M investment round are just the more recent moves that could signal changing attitudes around the concept of paid podcasting. Will they be enough to get anywhere near the $7.3B that Chineses podcasters earn mostly through paid subscriptions? Maybe. If we're ready to commit to podcasts worth paying for. That's what we'll discuss on this episode. 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
S1 E117 · Tue, February 12, 2019
The Future of Video In Podcasting
Video was once a strong format in podcasting, but that's been awhile. Today, only a single-digit (or sub-single-digit) percentage of podcasts are video-only. But will it always be that way? There's no doubt that video is popular. More popular than audio, if you compare TV vs radio. Or even the number of YouTube videos available compared to the tiny number of audio-only podcast episodes. But before you abandon your podcast to beef up your YouTube page, you might want to listen to this short episode. Because without a serious shift in consumption habits and content creation, the podcast-as-video segment is likely to remain very small. 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
S1 E116 · Mon, February 11, 2019
Live Podcasting Is Not Dead Simple
"Live podcasting" is a growing trend. From existing services like Spreaker Live, re-tooled platforms like Periscope's new audio-only option, to new devices like the Rødecaster, plenty of people are betting heavily on making it easier for podcasters to go live. But is that a good thing? In this short episode, I'll cover the shortcomings all of these players face, and talk about the two key things required to make a "live" podcast work well. 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
S1 E115 · Thu, February 07, 2019
"Spotify Is Changing Podcasting! What Should My Podcast Do?"
For all the buzzing from us podcasting insiders, speculation from tech reporting companies, and even financial media companies weighing in on Spotify's buying spree, we're not doing a good job of answering the question on most podcasters' minds: What is the implication for my podcast, and what should I do right now ? In this short episode, I'll answer that question, as clearly and concisely as I can, with four primary points: Relax. No changes will be seen for weeks/months to come. Check to make sure your show is on Spotify. And if it isn't, fix that. (All of my clients' shows are already on Spotify. You're welcome.) Think about Anchor as a possible additional distribution point. (All of my client's shows are already on Anchor's platform. You're welcome.) While we can't know what Spotichor (yes, I'm totally coining that) will look like in the future, you should double-down on making the best episodes for your show as possible. Quality and attention to detail will matter even more than they do now. Lots more details in the audio itself, so click play. It's less than 10 minutes. You'll love it. 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.
S1 E114 · Wed, February 06, 2019
Podcasting's Unlikely Social Sharing Savior: Spotify
Social sharing of audio-only content sucks. Thus far, podcasters have all bad options: Share a direct link to the media file (inflated metrics, zero context), share a link to the episode page (often un-optimized and where is that listen link?), or share to a platform that only 25% or less of the audience use. But ignored in Spotify's recent acquisition announcements is this fact: Social sharing of a podcast episode on Spotify does not suck. In fact, it's quite good. In this short episode, I remind you that social sharing of video sucked until Facebook and (belatedly) Twitter and LinkedIn realized how popular YouTube video sharing on their platform was growing, and how much they wanted in on the action. So my big prediction: Those social giants will see the value in sharing natively uploaded audio on their platforms very soon. And you can thank Spotify for that. If enough of us start sharing our episodes social via Spotify, that is. I'm starting now. How about you? 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
S1 E113 · Tue, February 05, 2019
Pride, Prejudice, & Podcasting
When you create your podcast on your own, you feel a sense of accomplishment. Even if it's not perfect, maybe a little rough around the edges... that sense of pride you feel is well-deserved. When you share it with your friends, unless they are bunch of dicks, they'll pat you on the back and tell you what a good job you did. Because they are friends. Many of whom haven't made their own show, so you're already better than them. But members of the general public aren't your friends and will, often times, be a little harsh. Not because they are bunch of dicks (OK, some are), but because they are becoming more discerning in their tastes, and less forgiving of "quaint" mistakes your friends over look. In this short episode, I equate all of this to home improvement projects. Which works. I think? 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
S1 E112 · Mon, February 04, 2019
Moving Podcasting From Big Joke To Big Deal
15 years later, and podcasting is still a big joke to most people. That's likely an unpopular sentiment, but it's borne out by the fact that 75% of the US population still doesn't think podcasting has to offer them. And as much as I love the Amazon Alexa "Not Everything Makes The Cut" commercial that prominently features podcasting, it's treated as a joke. (Yes, I'm aware the entire commercial was poking fun. I understand humor and its place in advertising, trust me.) Of course, Spotify's recent announcement that they are trying to buy Gimlet Media for $230 million is most certainly not a joke, and could signal (gods, I hope so) a changing landscape. In this short episode, I'll go beyond the current-focused thinking and get into what an investment like this could mean for the future of podcasting. Caution: Wild speculation and wishful thinking ahead! 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
S1 E111 · Thu, January 31, 2019
Your Podcast Needs A Loyalty Program
This episode was inspired by a 6'4" Canadian discussing peeing on his knees in Thailand. And it's also about how to build a "loyalty program" for your podcast. For The Bangkok Podcast , they do that with their LINE business account . When they share content -- episodes but also special "quick-hits" -- they get feedback within seconds. Is the following there as big as the social accounts for the hosts or the show itself? Not even close. Do the majority of their listeners follow the show on LINE? Nope. Is LINE a convenient way to listen to podcast episode? Not so much. But (at least for this show) it's become the place where their most loyal fans directly interact with the show. And as the hosts continue to feed that channel with content other than podcast episodes, I predict a significant bump in word of mouth. Listen to this short episode as I try to make sense of this trend and adapt it to many of my other clients. It's a work in progress, so your feedback is appreciated! 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
S1 E110 · Wed, January 30, 2019
Podcasting Needs Better Standards
At the risk of offending my libertarian-minded friends: Podcasting's lack of clear standards is hurting the growth of the medium. Not that I think we should make a standards board that reviews the quality of podcasts for inclusion in our secret club or anything draconian like that. No, I'm committed to podcasting being and weird and wild, or as bland and tame, as the creator(s) want their show to be. What I want -- nay, demand -- is that we establish standards for all the non-artistic, behind-the-scenes plumbing and duct work that make a podcast a podcast. Yes, I realize we have guidelines. But as you'll hear on this short episodes, guidelines lead to ignorant decisions and often stymie a would-be podcaster from getting started. There's no reason we can't declare *the right* encoding specs. There's no reason we can't declare *the right* ID3 specs. And it's 2019, and it's ludicrous that podcast hosting companies still let invalid RSS feeds publish. No one makes an artistic decision to have an invalid feed. Why does it happen? A lack of standards. Fair warning: This episode is a little rant-y. You're welcome. 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
S1 E109 · Tue, January 29, 2019
How To Stop Google From Ignoring Your Podcast
Spoiler: Paying someone to "SEO" your existing podcast's content isn't the solution to getting more attention from Google. If you really want Google to pay attention to your podcast's content (which means including your podcast's episodes in relevant searches), you have to change your mindset and involve Google earlier in the process. This isn't an episode about SEO. Rather, it's an episode to get you think like a person who does SEO strategy. Yes, it is possible for you to create content in a format and style you want that still resonates with Google. But it's very hard to do that -- if not impossible -- after the content has already been created. 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
S1 E108 · Mon, January 28, 2019
Acute Solutions to Chronic Problems of Listener Growth
Modern medicine makes it easy for many to deal with chronic problems with acute solutions. "Take two of these" really does work in many cases. At least temporarily. There's a parallel in podcasting, where one of the biggest chronic problems is listener growth. And many of the reported solutions aren't all that lasting. In this short episode, I'll get into three commonly-used methods of getting more attention to you or your show: Getting a big name guest on your show Being a guest on a show larger than yours Upping your social media/promotional output Don't get me wrong. All of these are very good tactics to spur audience growth. But just like paracetamol won't correct the fundamental problems with the musculoskeletal structure of my back, getting lots of clicks on a fundamentally flawed podcast -- quality, content, or site structure -- will only lead to temporary spikes in activity. 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
S1 E107 · Thu, January 24, 2019
When Robots Attack Podcasting!
Remember when I said that podcasting would never get any easier ? Well... what if I was wrong? While I don't think an army of robots will take over podcasting anytime soon, there are lots of ways in which automation is already making podcasting easier. I talk about a few in this episode, like: Amazon Alexa's voice assistant that emulates a broadcaster's voice Automated content gathering tools like Paper.li that apparently never die Audio processing filters and software that save engineers gobs of time Episode distribution was born from automation (and has been extended) Why robots are better a placing ads that people don't hate With those advancements come constraints. It's not easy to cross the uncanny valley, and it's often not a straight line from idea to automation. Check out the episode for my thoughts, and share you feedback with me (or the world!) 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
S1 E106 · Wed, January 23, 2019
Unmeasurable Metrics: Seeking Serendipity
While it's smart to have measurable business objectives for your podcast, focusing too much on easily tracked items such as downloads and reviews can cause you to miss out on serendipity. In this short episode, I briefly touch on a concept called the direction of maximal interestingness , but spend most of the time encouraging you to pay attention to something a little harder to quantify: opportunities. You won't find them in download numbers. Not in reviews. And you won't be able to act on them if you're working under scarcity conditions. Best/worst of all? Some opportunities may not be in line with your current show. But they could cause you to make a better podcast. Or just be a better podcaster. 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
S1 E105 · Tue, January 22, 2019
The Art of Being Specifically Selfish
"So... what do you get out of that podcast you do?" Every podcaster I know hates (or at least hated) this question. You feel the need to justify what you're doing, often to someone who isn't equipped to judge your relative success in achieving what you set out to do. And that assumes you know what you set out to do. Many podcasters don't. In this short episode, I'll talk about the need to be specifically selfish about your podcast. Because when you know the specifically selfish reasons you are podcasting, it cuts through the noise and clutter and keeps you focused on the task at hand. 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
S1 E104 · Mon, January 21, 2019
It Will Never Be Easier To Make Aa Good Podcast
There are always new tools, processes, devices, and services to make it easier to podcast. But in podcasting, easier rarely leads to making a better podcast. But that's true with all media creation. It's not limited to podcasting. In this short episode, I'll talk about why it will still (and always) take a lot of time, energy, and effort to make a good-sounding podcast. Yes, there certainly are ways to simplify your tech chain, streamline processes, and plug in experts to increase the efficiency. And many of those can also lead to making your podcast sound much better. But it's still doing to take time. And as the title says, it's never going to be easier to make a good podcast. Sorry for the bad news. 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
S1 E103 · Thu, January 17, 2019
Exposing Your Business' Podcast To The Public
Business with podcasts care most about two types of listeners: current customer and existing customers. If your business is one where customers frequently (or occasionally) visit, you should consider showcasing your podcast recording area. In this short episode, I'll talk through why that's a great idea for any business, plus give you some advanced techniques (OK, tricks) for leveraging that great-looking space when a hot new prospect comes to visit. And if you do it right (and why wouldn't you?), you'll find much of that equipment is easily made portable, so you can keep showcasing your podcast to the public at trade shows and events your business sponsors. 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
S1 E102 · Wed, January 16, 2019
How To Convince Your Boss To Send You To A Podcasting Conference
I'm speaking at several events in the coming months: Phoenix Startup Week , Podfest Expo , and Podcast Movement , with more coming. Plus some new workshops/seminars I'll soon be announcing right here in Phoenix . And that's got me to thinking about ways to convince your employer to send you to a podcasting conference. As you'll hear in this short episode, I have a love/hate relationship with conferences. I love my time on stage, plus all the time that goes into making sure I create an entertaining and engaging experience for the audience in attendance. But there's a lot I hate, like networking and dealing with pushy trade-floor vendors. I don't say this often: Don't be like me. You'll get (and hopefully bring back) valuable, first-hand information at conferences like these. You'll meet great people that can spark collaborations. And you'll learn what the future has in store, not just for your show, but for podcasting as a whole. I give some actionable tips in the episode. And deal with my own anxiety. Thanks for suffering through. And again, don't be like me. (In this very specific case, as least.) 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 spe
S1 E101 · Tue, January 15, 2019
Will Podcasting Ever Become A Growth Channel?
No matter how you slice the data, podcasting is growing. More listeners? Check. More shows? Check. More traditional media coverage? Check. More people asking for podcast recommendations? Check. But for all that growth of the industry, podcasting doesn't make for the best growth channel for an individual business or professional service provider. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but while there are huge numbers of new people consuming shows, they already have plenty to listen to. That means very, very few of them are just waiting for your show to drop. But that doesn't mean you should let your show (perhaps un-launched podcast) waste away in obscurity. In this short episode, I'll talk about how you can get your podcast to grow. If you're willing to put in the effort and not be scared. 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
S1 E100 · Mon, January 14, 2019
Finding Your Groove & Escaping The Rut
To succeed in anything, you need to establish a routine. But building processes from scratch takes time and a lot of trial and error, which is one reason clients come to me. I give them the processes, and we work together to incorporate solid templates into the daily/weekly routines for their businesses. But you can take a routine too far, where that groove becomes a rut. It may be comfortable, and it may even feel like it's working, but ruts tend to keep going by inertia, making it difficult to see what you're missing with your podcast. That's what I'm discussing on this short episode -- creating good routines but breaking free when they become limiting. Oh, and happy 100 episodes to me! 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
S1 E99 · Thu, January 10, 2019
Are You Making A Podcast or A Can Of Beans?
Commoditization happens in all industries. And by some accounts, it's already happening in podcasting. With some 1,000,000 podcasts expected by the end of 2019, it's bound to happen. The good news: Most of those podcasts -- and I'm just quoting Sturgeon's Law here -- suck. So simply by not sucking, you can fight the race to the bottom that comes with commoditization. But there likely isn't a dial on your Yeti mic or button to press on Audacity that says SUCK LESS. It's something you have to work at. In this short episode, I'll give you several suggestions of how you can fight commoditization of your show, helping you stand out from the crowd. Because as much as we all like cans of beans, we like special cans of beans better. (If that metaphor holds up.) 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
S1 E98 · Wed, January 09, 2019
Building Resilience Into Your Podcast
You can't avoid change in podcasting. And if you're using a free podcast host, that change -- the company closes up shop or start charging -- it's going to happen to you sooner or later. Recently, a free podcast hosting company out of Arizona, Zcast, announce their intention to close after four years in the free hosting game. It happens. And while a smart bet might be to pay a lot of money for hosting, that won't protect your podcast perfectly. There isn't a way to be 100% free of worry. Unless, that is, you concentrate on resilience. Having a resilient show means you have the processes and procedures in place to quickly (dare I say easily?) recover for the inevitable changes that will impact your show. In this short episode, I give some concrete examples of how to do that for your own podcast. Change is hard. But resilience helps. 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
S1 E97 · Tue, January 08, 2019
In Defense of Seasons
I'm a big fan of applying the "seasons" or "mini-series" concept to podcasting. But it has to be done right, and for the right reasons. Selfish reasons like "I'd just like to take a break every 30 episodes" probably isn't the best reason to break your show into series, though it's certainly a valid one. In this short episode, I'll talk about some changes to the infrastructure of podcasting that now better enable seasons. Plus we'll talk about some new consumer preferences we just didn't know existed a few short years ago. 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
S1 E96 · Mon, January 07, 2019
From Streaming Audio To Revenue Streams
Most successful businesses have multiple revenue streams. The same should hold true for business-focused podcasters. Patreon -- a platform that enables podcasters to monetize their audience with patronage -- is one common revenue source. But how applicable is it for businesses with a podcast? Short answer: There's no good reason to not allow your loyal audience to show their patronage to you and your content. Longer answer: Adding a revenue stream to a business should always be a considered decision. In this short episode, I share some eye-opening stats and audience expectations to help you decide if this is the right course for your business and want to make it a serious income stream. 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
S1 E95 · Thu, January 03, 2019
Promoting Your Podcast To The Clueless
If you tell four random people you have a podcast, three of them will look at you blankly. That's because around 70% of the US population don't listen to podcasts. They are, you might say, clueless. Keep that in mind when you are designing your promotional efforts -- a podcast page on your website, email newsletters, social posts, etc. And realize that maybe that high-paid podcasting consultant you hired (hi there!) may not have all the answers. When it comes to promoting your show, you need to embrace the clueless. Sure, it's important to follow best practices for engineering, production, distribution, and even content. And you very well may need some strategic help (hi there!) to make sure you've got all the bases covered. But when it comes to designing promotional elements, are they "clueless" enough to speak the the three out of four people who'll see that promotion? Or are you better using a clueless-about-podcasting person (perhaps you) to evaluate those efforts? 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
S1 E94 · Wed, January 02, 2019
Why A Business Podcast Is Better Than A Website
At its most basic level, a business website serves two functions: Discoverability Information dispersal And while I don't think a business podcast will is better than a website at the first, I'm convinced a business podcast is MUCH better at providing information than a website. More people than ever are consuming podcasts, and that means expectations are changing. Just like every reasonable person expects a business to have a website, they'll come to expect a podcast too. This short episode gets into why that's true and offers some advice on what sorts of information a business podcast should contain (and what you might want to skip!) 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
S1 E93 · Thu, December 20, 2018
2-Question Web-Presence Test
As we near 2019, more people don't listen to podcasts than do. Understanding that reality is key to finding success for any podcast, but especially those podcasters with business goals in mind. In this short episode, I'll give you a simple two-question test that will help insure your overall web-presence is podcast friendly. You can do this test in five minutes and immediately make changes to your website your podcast page on your website your key social media profiles and the podcast-specific content you share on those profiles Also, this marks the end of the four-part Know Your Podcast, Know Yourself mini-series. And it's the last episode of 2018. I'll be back in early 2019 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. 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
S1 E92 · Wed, December 19, 2018
Eliminate The Bad Sounds
"Make great sounding audio", says everyone. Often with little actionable advice on how to make that happen. In this short episode -- the third part in my Know Your Podcast, Know Yourself mini series designed to help with your retrospection as you face the new year -- I'll focus on what makes audio sound bad, as well as provide you with things you can do RIGHT NOW to get rid of bad things you might be doing. I talk about some easy mistakes to avoid when using that magic talking stick we call a microphone, gaffs to avoid when your recording environment isn't a professional recording studio, and how to let your voice be your voice without annoying your audience. 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
S1 E91 · Tue, December 18, 2018
First & Last Impressions
We all know how important first and last impressions are. One of the problems with podcasting is that we often forget what sort of impression we're starting and ending with. Not because we're clueless, but because of the way podcasts are build. Many podcasters haven't heard their bed music, canned intro, or canned outro since they were recorded months (if not years) ago. And that's potentially a problem. In this short episode -- part 2 of a 4 part mini series called Know Your Podcast, Know Yourself -- you'll learn what not to do with your intro and outro, plus some "new hotness" trends that you might have missed. And if you've not yet started your podcast, this episode will make sure you start your show with the right impression. (Though you'll want to revisit that in a year or so, right?) 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
S1 E90 · Mon, December 17, 2018
Title, Description & Image
As 2019 approaches, I think it's a good time for a bit of self-examination -- at least podcast self-examination. Today we're dealing with the three most obvious elements of your show (at least as far as the not-yet-a-listener is concerned): your show's title, description and image. Did you know you can change your title as often as you like without impacting those currently listening to your show? Yes, you can. So now is a great time to look at your title self-critically and make sure it's saying what you want (and none of what you don't). Your show's description serves one purpose: to entice someone to listen. If you can't recite your description (or at least have a very good understanding of what it currently says), you probably should re-write it with this in mind. Finally, your show's image (artwork) is seen in lots of places. Does it look hastily assembled, or does it really represent your show? Does it look good when tiny? And do you even know the correct size (both in dimension and in "weight") to keep all the directories happy? You'll get great tips for all of these in this short episode. And tomorrow, we'll tackle a few more elements as we whip your show into shape for 2019 and beyond! 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 analys
S1 E89 · Thu, December 13, 2018
2 Reasons Podcasters Should Love The Idea of RAD
NPR's much lauded RAD (Remote Audio Data) has been released to the wild , and the predicted flood of "won't someone think of the privacy!" has begun. Rather than analyzing the merits of the current offering, I'm taking this short episode to discuss two reasons why business-savvy podcasters should love the idea of RAD. Specifically, I discuss how enabling non-proprietary tracking and analytics at the device level is exactly what we need to get the $88 billion dollar digital advertising industry interested in podcasting. Even better, I'll tell you how enabling such tracking will improve the overall listening experience and perhaps even reduce the number of intrusive ads a podcast listener experiences. Two very good things, indeed. 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
S1 E88 · Wed, December 12, 2018
Podcasting Pillars for 2019: Character, Conviction, & Conceit
Making a great podcast episode isn't easy. But with a little intent, planning, and three key ingredients, you can be confident you're making episodes your target audience will love. Character Conviction Conceit But I'm probably using a different definition of those words than you are used to. I'm not talking about being or playing a character. I'm talking about making sure you, your co-hosts, and/or your guests have it. I don't mean prosecution. I mean bring it to the conversation, in both large and small ways. Nor am I suggesting you be conceited. I am, however, demanding that you deliver upon one. Check out this short episode for a podcasting-specific twist on Aristotle's art of persuasion. 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
S1 E87 · Tue, December 11, 2018
10 Reasons Why You Are Not In Control Of Your Podcast
If you think you're 100% in control of your podcast; your fooling yourself. Not unlike other digital products, every podcast is reliant on a complex chain of services -- some free, some not -- that each represent a potential fail point. In this short episode, I run down 10 I though up in just a couple of minutes, including: Hosting companies (yes, even if you roll your own) Tracking services Website hosts (yes, even if you host your own) Software Computer hardware Marketing services Social media Saas (Skype, etc.) Governmental regulations Podcasting apps and directories Any one of those going south could cause major problems for your podcast. Perhaps even prohibiting some (or all) of your audience to consume your content. Are you prepared for when the inevitable happens? 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
S1 E86 · Mon, December 10, 2018
How Disney+ Will Impact Podcasting
Online video services are fracturing. Thanks to coming-entrants like Disney+, AT&T, and more, fans of well-made TV and movie content (not broadcasted or in the cinema) will no longer assume the must-watch content is on Netflix. And this new, fractured world for video is a good thing for podcasting. In this short episode, I'll explain why a changed mindset on how to consume quality content for video will lead to more people discovering audio via podcasting. Or at least have a better time for it. Assuming a super-smart entrepreneur or two can ride on the coattails of the inevitable site/app that solves the video's pending discovery problem. 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
S1 E85 · Thu, December 06, 2018
Podcasting's Missing Porn Problem
Yes, podcasting has a porn problem. But by "problem", I mean that it's generally absent from the medium. And that makes it very strange compared to other digital formats Here are a few reasons porn never gained much of a foothold in podcasting: Podcasting is audio-centric - Porn is a visual medium Cultivating/sharing content is hard in podcasting - That was central to making sites like Tumblr a huge porn magnet Direct money collecting is cumbersome in podcasting -- Not so in porn Some of these challenges might be addressed in the coming months/years. Will that make podcasting more susceptible to porn infestation? (And, though unasked in this short episode, is that necessarily a bad thing? 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
S1 E84 · Wed, December 05, 2018
Using VC Money To Quit Your Day Job
They're at it again. Podcast companies like Acast are getting millions of dollars from venture capitalists (VCs) to grow their businesses, and some (most?) of that will flow to podcasters. That's a trend I predict will continue for the next couple years. Better: I think you should give serious consideration to taking some of that money for yourself if offered. But make sure you're doing it for the right reasons. More importantly, make sure you're using that money to set yourself up for success once that VC money dries up (which it always does). In this short episode, I'll run through some smart things to think about, as well as some pitfalls to avoid. 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
S1 E83 · Tue, December 04, 2018
Podcasting's Holiday Paradox
It's the time of year when podcasters all over Western culture stress out over a single topic: What happens if I take a break with my show over the holidays? First bit of advice: Don't overthink it. You need to do what's right for you first, and your audience second. Next, remember that podcasting has some unique quirks that, if not making the question moot, certainly makes it much more complex to figure out what impact a break -- or not taking a break -- will have on your overall show. In this short episode, I'll get into some of those thorny issues. (But seriously, don't overthink it.) 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
S1 E82 · Mon, December 03, 2018
The Best New Year’s Resolution For Seasoned Podcasters
It's the time of year when people start thinking about new year's resolutions, and I've a great one for podcasters who've been at it for a while. While the fundamentals have podcasting haven't changed much since 2004, the processes to get files distributed to listeners have been through sweeping changes. Most long-time podcasters have developed processes and systems to keep them running smoothly. But how relevant are those systems? Are some of those processes actively hurting your show's success? On this episode, I make the case for bringing in a fresh set of eyes -- and ears -- as the year draws to a close to ensure you're doing all the necessary things that'll make a difference in 2019 and beyond. 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
S1 E81 · Thu, November 29, 2018
Entanglement with Podcasting's Gatekeepers
Spoiler: Podcasting has gatekeepers. Those gatekeepers? The hosting companies we podcasters use to host and distribute our media files to the world. Sure, anyone can pay a cheap price (heck, some are free) to have a podcast hosted and distributed. So it's not like they're being select on what kind of content they'll host. The issue is entanglement, and it's the topic of this short episode. Because while these benevolent hosting companies never meant to limit you show's reach, that's what's happening. And it's something we need to talk about or it'll just become more problematic as we see new platforms enter the game. 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
S1 E80 · Wed, November 28, 2018
600K+ Reasons Podcasters Can't Organize
With almost 15 years of existence, it must be time to organize all podcasters under a governing body, right? Not so fast. I can offer you many reasons why that's likely not to exceed. More than 600,000 reasons, come to think of it. In this short episode, I inject a bit of reality into the question by shattering a few misconceptions about the "specialness" of podcasters compared to other forms of digital content. But I also talk about some very good reasons to organize sub-sets of the entire ecosystem. (So it's not a total downer.) 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
S1 E79 · Tue, November 27, 2018
Ignore Most Today & Focus On The Best For Tomorrow
Podcasting today has more in common with broadcasted media rather than digital media. But that won't always be the case. In this short episode, I make the case for why business-minded podcasters need to start implementing changes in their processes to be ready for the inevitable changes coming that will allow for easier engagement from our best listeners. 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
S1 E78 · Mon, November 26, 2018
Cooking Up A Podcast With Leftovers
If you're like many American's, your refrigerator overflows with leftovers at certain times of the year. Savvy "food assemblers" know how to turn the goodies inside of those plastic tubs into tasty meals for several days to follow. On this short and metaphorical episode, I'll put a podcasting twist on the concept of leftovers, and show your business-minded podcast how to take the existing audio (and video) content you're already producing and crank out some excellent podcast episodes. 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
S1 E76 · Wed, November 21, 2018
Podcasting Is The New Book Publishing
Not long ago, saying you were a published author was a huge shot in the arm for your professional standing. Not only would you get access to speak at conferences and industry events, but even clients would consider you over others in your field. Just because you published a book. Today, many professionals are looking at having a podcast in a similar light. In this short episode, I talk about why that's happening and give you some things to watch out for if you decide to go the podcast route. (Because it's different. Not easier. Not better. Just different.) 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
S1 E76 · Tue, November 20, 2018
Play For Free Or Pay Your Fee?
It's smart to want to make a return on your podcasting effort. But as a business creating a podcast focused on your particular business niche, most of the current monetization strategies for podcasts don't work very well. In this short episode, I'll run down how most podcasts make money today. And I'll set your sights on a growing trend that might make sense for you. Even though it runs against the conventional wisdom of what makes a successful podcast. 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
S1 E75 · Mon, November 19, 2018
Stop Obsessing Over Dedicated Podcast Listening Apps
There are dozens of dedicated podcast listening apps, and podcasters spend a lot of time declaring which one is the best (or just their favorite). And in some cases, podcasters actively encourage their listeners to switch apps. This is a bad, bad idea. Look, I get that some of those dedicated apps give a lot more bells and whistles for power listeners. But most people don't want/need/care about increasing listening speed, trimming silence from audio, or building custom playlists. Again, your listeners -- including potential listers -- do not care. Which means you shouldn't care either. At least not so much. In this short episode, I talk about the importance (and simplicity) of putting yourself in the shoes of listeners by listening to your show the same way they do. 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
S1 E74 · Thu, November 15, 2018
Learning (And Teaching) New Things For (And On) Your Podcast
With some notable exceptions, most podcasts have an informational component. Which makes, at some level, all podcasters teachers of a sort. And if there's one thing teachers are good at, it's being life-long learners. Not just about their own subject matter, but of the process of teaching as well. It's not different for podcasters. In this short episode, I'll walk you through the importance of asking yourself "what can I learn today?" and applying that to your podcast. 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
S1 E73 · Wed, November 14, 2018
Your Podcast Is Bigger Than Your Feed
Recent development by audio-first companies are changing what it means to have a podcast. As players like Spotify, Pandora, and who ever is next expose their audience to podcasts, savvy podcasters are recognizing new opportunities. On this short episode, I'll rundown what some of those changes might look like, giving you new insights into how podcast will soon become much more than just a feed. 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
S1 E72 · Tue, November 13, 2018
Has Google Given Up On Podcasting?
It's been a year since the podcasting world was all excited about Google's latest entry to podcasting: Google Podcasts. But today, Google Podcasts commands less than 1% of the marketshare. And that makes a lot of people nervous that Google is going to (again) duck out and move on. I don't think that's the case. In this short episode, I'll run down my interpretation of Google's approach to podcasting. It fits perfectly with Google's mission, but it's a lot different than what the preservation-seeking arm of podcasting wants. And hopefully you'll get some ideas of how you can better your podcast (or future podcasting efforts) to take advantage of the world Google sees for podcasting tomorrow. 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
S1 E71 · Mon, November 12, 2018
Searching For Your Podcast's Niche
Picking the right niche is key to podcast success. Luckily, your current customers (users, clients, whatevs...) are already telling you what they are looking for in a podcast -- even if they don't know it. In this short episode, I'll tell you the best research trick (it's totally not a trick) you can use to pick the right angle for your show to give your customers exactly what they are looking for. Not a business? Don't worry. I also give out some bonus ideas to kick-start your research to build a podcast that perfectly fits a niche. 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
S1 E70 · Thu, November 08, 2018
Don't Let A Hacker Steal Your Podcast
How bad would it be if someone stole your podcast? And what does that mean? Is it even possible? Yeah, it's possible. And when someone gains access to your podcast -- either at the hosting provider or any of the directories where it's listed -- they can do whatever they want, from simple vandalism to stealing your intellectual property to deleting your show from existence. Luckily, there's a simple and straightforward first-line-of-defense you can employ today to keep this from happening to you. And it all centers around a brand new email address. Listen to this short episode for the details on how you can protect yourself. And do it today, please? 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
S1 E69 · Wed, November 07, 2018
Merging Your Way To Podcasting Competency
There's a pretty obvious trend of more companies getting interested in podcasting. But companies tend to be smart -- that's how they stay in business -- so they'll be worried about the multi-month (if not multi-year) ramp-up time it takes to build an audience. Or they could just merge with an existing podcaster who's done the hard work. Instant competency. In this short episode, I'll run down how that might look on both sides of the equation. Podcasters will get some tips on how to position their show for acquisition, and companies will gain some understanding of how such a deal might be structured. 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
S1 E68 · Tue, November 06, 2018
Is The "Just Launch" Mentality Bad For Podcasting?
Apparently, large tech companies and podcasting have a common foe: A "just launch it!" mentality, that has little (if any) repercussions when that which is released just isn't any good. Because Sturgeon's Law applies to all things, this isn't a new problem. And I'm not concerned that wave of bad content hinders greater adoption of podcasting. Instead, this episode is more about me, and the people like in the industry who have either assumed or have been elevated to influential positions. Do we have an obligation to do something about it? And if so, how can we do it without being a dick? 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
S1 E67 · Mon, November 05, 2018
Niche-ing Down On Daily Podcasts
The old Evo cautioned anyone who would listen to stay away from daily podcasting. But after doing it for about 70 episodes, I'm changing my tune. Even better -- I think a daily podcast is a great way to set your business-focused podcast apart. But daily podcasting is hard. Is it harder than making a well-produced weekly show? Maybe? But what I can say for certain is that it's different work. In this short episode, I break down five big things to think about: Why news based isn't niche enough How long it will take you to produce/publish each episode Finding the sweet spot for your daily show's length Choosing the right time to publish that makes your audience happy Ideas on repurposing/repackaging to increase the usability of your content. 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
S1 E66 · Thu, November 01, 2018
Relating America's Car Obsession To Its Dominance In Podcasting
While cars are a staple in most countries, America clearly has an obsession on automobiles that's hard to top. Perhaps it's no coincidence that America also dominates the podcasting scene, counting either creators or listeners. No, I'm kidding. It's pure coincidence. But the correlation does allow me to pontification on why the two are similar, even though completely unrelated. In America, we have a concept of a "Sunday drive", where one drives around rather aimlessly, without a particular destination in mind. And that' a good metaphor for this episode, since I really didn't have a place I was trying to take it. But I think we wound up somewhere interesting and of value to "creators" of podcasts, whatever that might mean. 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
S1 E65 · Wed, October 31, 2018
No, Podcasting Hasn't Jumped The Shark. But...
Beyond the fact that the concept of "shark jumping" by definition can't apply to an entire industry, this week we'll take a critical look at a recent post on Folio that claimed that very thing. No, this isn't a take-down piece. Actually, I think the author makes some very good points with his contrarian article. But that doesn't mean we can't learn from his opinion. Newsflash: It's an opinion many people share about the current state of podcasting. Listen in to learn how you, the current or soon-to-be podcaster can avoid a few tropes and pitfalls, some of which have plagued us from the beginning of podcasting. 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
S1 E64 · Tue, October 30, 2018
EATing Your Way To A Successful Podcast
If you think 600,000 podcasts sounds like a big number, imagine what number you get when you look at individual episodes of podcasts? Millions, to be sure. While that's an arguably large number, it's not big in the world of datasets. Take the data set of "everything on the internet" (of which podcasts are a small but significant portion) where a variety of AI and well-trained humans work behind the scenes to flag content across the good-bad spectrum. I look to the future on this episode, looking at a world where podcast content - episodes, artwork, and copy - are evaluated in a similar light, using Google's Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines as my guide. Spoiler: if you're a business podcaster, you've got it easy. Unless you did some silly things. But you've time to fix it. 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
S1 E63 · Mon, October 29, 2018
Don't Micromanage The Future Out Of Your Podcast
Syndicating a podcast the right way is a mix of art and science. Knowing the right combination of text and images to place in a variety of mostly hidden fields -- mostly RSS feeds and ID3 tags -- is tricky because the field is constantly changing. And with the advent of new ways of listening -- watches, cars, countertop devices -- the pace of change is happening even faster, forcing those of us who offer strategic podcast consulting services to adjust our own ideas of "perfect balance" when advising our clients on the types, format, and style of content necessary. That pace of change won't slow down anytime soon. Sometimes, our requests seem inscrutable. After all, if the end client can't see the point of the change... why do it? Because, if we're good at our jobs, we're thinking of the future at least as much as the present state of affairs. Planning for an uncertain future isn't something that can be easily micromanaged. Especially when the micromanaging comes from sources less-well-versed on all the nuances required. In this short episode, I'll make the case for using trust to ensure your podcast is set for the future. And yes, that trust flows both ways. 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/p
S1 E62 · Thu, October 25, 2018
Atomizing Your Podcast
Here's a trick: Don't think about your podcast as a continuous piece of content. Instead, think of it as contiguous pieces that can be assembled into a whole. That's what I mean by "atomizing" content. There are many benefits to using atomized content for your podcast Assembly is a breeze. You not doing "all at once" work, letting you fit in small bits of time to produce content during your day (or week, whatever.) The atomized components are easy to syndicate in other, non-podcasting mediums to expose your content with a new audience. They're great for sharing on smart speakers, where shorter content rules the day. They may earn you a recurring spot on another podcast. Lots of things to think about, for existing podcasters and those new to the game. And all of it is covered in this short episode. 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
S1 E61 · Wed, October 24, 2018
What NOT To Put In Your Podcast Outro
Many podcasters struggle to figure out what to put in the outro -- the last bit -- of their show. Oh, and so we're clear: YOU MUST HAVE AN OUTRO. Seriously. In this short episode, I'll talk about the three (and only three) scenarios to consider when figuring out what you should put in your outro: Being compliant with rules/regulations to keep you out of legal hot water Wayfinding for someone who finds your audio file "in the wild" and unassociated with your larger podcast Entertainment/extra content for hard-core listeners who always listen to the end If you keep those in mind, it's a lot easier to figure out what should go in the outro of your podcast. But here's what you SHOULD NOT put in your podcast outro. And I can sum it up in one phrase: calls to action. A call to action is important and should be put in every episode. Just not in the outro. Listen in to learn more. 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
S1 E60 · Tue, October 23, 2018
Podcasting Over The Intranet?
Using a podcast as an internal communication tool isn't new to companies. But some companies are taking novel approaches to this intimate communication medium, drawing on the lessons learned from 15 years of podcasting and breaking down some long-held assumptions about privacy. In this short episode, you'll learn two trends that are revolutionizing -- and humanizing -- the concept of making hyper-niche content for your most valuable audience -- your employees. (Spoiler: They may not be the only ones listening. And that's a good thing!) 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
S1 E59 · Mon, October 22, 2018
Overcoming Podcasting's Creativity Paradox
Podcasting's greatest strength -- room for unbridled creativity -- is also it's biggest weakness. For some, a wide open playground, with zero rules and unlimited freedom leads to some amazing creations. But for many -- more, perhaps -- the lack of structure and rules leads to a sort of paralysis akin to the frustrated author staring at a blank page. In this short episode, I'll talk about ways that adding in artificial constraints to your podcast can help you be creative in the right ways without alienating your audience (or potential audience.) 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
S1 E58 · Thu, October 18, 2018
Embracing Podcasting's Punk Rock Roots
Podcasting and punk share a similar origin story. Both "movements" had people on both sides of the equation wanting something different. The creators broke with tradition and created (often re-assembled from conventional products) content that an eager group of consumers couldn't get enough of. For punks it was music, clothing, lifestyle, and attitude. Eventually (or quickly, depending on your time-horizon) the mainstream picked up on the trend, and punk became fashionable. None of the true punks -- on either side of the equation -- ever wanted that. (Though I bet secretly, many did.) Podcasting was that same way in the early days, with creators happily coming up with new formats, experimenting with new ways to tell stories, and re-mixing what conventional broadcasters had been doing for years. It didn't take long for that freedom and creativity to be noticed by the mainstream, and here we are less than 15 years later. In this short episode, I explore how podcasts -- yes, even business podcasters -- should embrace the punk rock roots of podcasting to keep the creative spark. And maybe make a little money along the way. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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 wor
S1 E57 · Wed, October 17, 2018
The Art Of Renting Out Your Podcast
Most serious podcasters know the importance of putting out a new episode on a consistent, regular basis. But that's hard to do every day (or week) of the year. So while many pro podcasters reach back into their archives when they have no new content; I've a novel idea. Why not rent out your podcast? The concept is simple, but takes a bit of planning and foresight. And yes, even business podcasts -- or perhaps especially business podcasts -- can take this approach. In this short episode, I'll walk you through the high-level concept, with a couple of pitfalls to watch out for. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E56 · Tue, October 16, 2018
You, We, and The Audience Makes Three
The words used on your show matter. Specifically, the words used to describe: the host(s) of the show the company/organization the show is for the people who listen to the podcast You might think this doesn't matter, but it certainly does. How much "you" should you put into a show? Many hosts are trying to be "influencers", where putting more you in your show is a good thing. Sometimes. What about the company the show is for? Or the crew that helps put the show together? Is that worthy of the "we" treatment? How much should "we" be mentioned? Finally, and perhaps most importantly, I'll convince you why you should never refer to your audience as "the audience" or any other collective noun. Listen in! 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
S1 E55 · Mon, October 15, 2018
Choose Your Own Future, Podcaster!
You need your show to be "everywhere" to reduce the amount of friction it takes for a would-be listener to find and subscribe to it. Historically, being "everywhere" was a bit of a challenge. Either you don't know where to submit (I submit to around 17 different locations), or you don't have the time it takes (a couple of hours) to do the deed. Now, some aggregators and directories are offering to take care of that heavy lifting for you. And that's tempting to take them up on their offer. But don't. You need to be in charge of your own future, and you can't if you don't have control over all the listings. Don't get me wrong: I like easy. But there are some potential problems you may run into if you leave it to someone else. And those problems may impact the future of your podcast. Or at least take away your control from important places like Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts... and whoever is next. Yeah... you don't want that. Check out this short episode to learn more. 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
S1 E54 · Thu, October 11, 2018
The Rise And Fall of Podcast SEO
There are lot of myths surrounding how the major podcast directories help with podcast discovery. One such myth is that there are people and/or algorithms in place that notice when a new podcast is making waves. This myth goes on to say that when this activity is noticed, the new podcast is elevated to some big, prominent position. Yeah, that's false. Flat out. False. Still, its myths like this that cause people to attempt to "game the algorithm" with a variety of tricks. But those tricks won't work for two reasons: There isn't any algorithm to speak of. Nope. None. Just some moronically simple lookup rules. And they are so easy to game, they're pretty much useless. People don't "search" podcast directories the way they use search engines. So can we just stop it? There are much more important things you should focus on, podcaster. And in this short episode, I'll tell you about them. You'll feel better. Promise. 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
S1 E53 · Wed, October 10, 2018
My Podcast Can Beat Up Your Facebook Live
Live video is all the rage, and has been for some time. And it's hard to argue when anyone can see the "view count" of any video. It's impressive when videos have millions of views. And it's likely telling when a video has been up for three years yet only has 17 views. Ew. Only, that's not the whole truth. It's the three-second truth. When you dig deeper, you see that most of the views are for just a few seconds. Doesn't matter. A view is a view, so it's counted. Some 3/4ths of all videos "watched" on Facebook are watched with the sound off. WITH THE SOUND OFF. You know that that means? That means ZERO engagement. Contrast that with podcasting, where the engagement numbers show that, on average, people listen to most -- like 85% -- of the podcast episodes they download. Time to double down on podcasting, right? Check this episode out for more details and thoughts that might make you rethink your commitment to video. 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
S1 E52 · Tue, October 09, 2018
What's The Frequency, Podcaster?
Let's start with a bold statement: You really should publish episodes of your show on a regular basis, business podcaster. With that out of the way... what's the right frequency? Daily? Weekly? Monthly? There are a few factors at play: How often can you, the podcaster, gather the materials necessary to make an episode? (Hint: There's more to it than just scheduling an interview.) How quickly can your production team -- audio, copy, and image -- turn around those materials to produce the episode? How often does your audience expect to hear from you? (They do have expectations and "listening windows".) Check out this episode for a deeper dive. And if you need help? Contact me at https://podcastlaunch.pro. I'm here to help! 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
S1 E51 · Mon, October 08, 2018
In Support of Single-Issue Podcasting
It's often recommended that podcasters follow trends and news, adding their voice in support of or in protest of [insert cause/event]. But as a business podcaster, you do not have to do that. In fact, maybe you shouldn't. Don't fall into the trap of thinking your listeners (or potential listeners) are monolithic. Or feel the same way that you feel about a current, issue, or topic. It's possible (likely, even) that your audience doesn't expect for you to pick up the torch, carry the flame, or any other political/social cause, ESPECIALLY when your content has nothing to do with the issue of the moment. Yes, you're entitle to your opinion. Yes, if you feel it necessary, then go ahead and use your podcast as a platform for forward/fight the cause. But you do not have to do that. I give you permission. Check out this short episode for more details. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E50 · Thu, October 04, 2018
Building Community for Your Business Podcast
As a business podcaster, there's a whole slew of promotional ideas that just don't work. Or maybe, we just think that they don't. Take community building, a tried-and-true method of getting lots of people to listen to and share podcast content with the larger world. Luckily, businesses have a built in community just waiting to be "activated" -- their customers. Customers as community? Absolutely! And in this short episode, you'll get some ideas on how to use what popular personalities know about building community. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E49 · Wed, October 03, 2018
Science Says Monkey With Your Podcast
New science indicates that we need to change up things for our listeners, podcasters. Unless you're podcasting for nothing but entertainment, you want your audience to do something. To learn something. Here are the actions I recommend you take: Listen to podcasts outside your comfort zone Explore those episodes with clicks, not just your ear When you click thru, keep looking and learning from that site. Change things up (not too much) inside your episodes ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E48 · Tue, October 02, 2018
Podcast Experts Are Not Your Friends
Sure, that's a bit bombastic. I know many people who are called "podcast experts" and I call them friends. Heck, I've been called a podcast expert. But keep this in mind: We have our own agendas, and they may not line up to your objectives. Experts from podcast hosting companies have great info, but they're in the business of getting as many people as possible using their service, either as a revenue source or as a way to show traction. So they want to make it easy FOR EVERYONE. Good advice, but likely quite broad that may not pertain to you. Then there are the big podcast directories. They want more podcasts so that more listeners use them. Their agenda is to get podcasters to promote the directory, which is often a good experience. But is that what you should do? Looking to a successful podcaster to take advice from? They clearly know what their doing. Or rather, they know what they did to make their show successful. Is that advice germane to your show? Then there are those of us who've been doing this for the better part of 15 years that have had the mantle of "expert" thrust upon us. Sure, we've been at it a long time. But are we keeping up on the new changes? Or are we stuck in the way things were back in the day? What about keynote speakers? Their agenda is to energize the crowd so they say nice things to the conference organizers, so they in turn tell other organizers why you should hire that person. But is all of their advice right for you? And then, there are the paid consultant. Our agenda is simple (and obvious). But be sure you choose one that makes the kind of show you want to make. Else we're not all that helpful. Dig deeper in this short episode. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E47 · Mon, October 01, 2018
Podcasting Like An Influencer (Even For Your Business)
Influencers -- the "tastemakers" that populate just about every vertical -- can teach fledgling podcasters quite a bit. While influencers are quite individual, they share some traits that new podcasters could learn from. Yes, it requires you to perhaps be a bit more public than you might like. But it's hard to argue with their effectiveness. Can you bring the mindset of being public and prolific to your podcast as you are launching? As you are recording? As you are continuing to release? That's the trick, and I'll talk about it in detail in this short episode. 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
S1 E46 · Thu, September 27, 2018
The Real Line That Divides Podcasters
Spoiler: The line between "indie" podcasters and "pro" podcasters is NOT the line I'm talking about, because that line doesn't really matter to most people. Except for those who really want to keep looking at the past. They like that line. And therein lies the problem. The real line -- the only one that matters -- is a line that divides those who look back at podcasting's history with affection, and those who are more interested in the future. Guess which side of the line I reside? In this short episode, I'll break down why that line is so important, and show you a way to come join me on the future-positive, progressive side of things. 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
S1 E45 · Wed, September 26, 2018
Stealing Money To Pay For Podcasting
Today I bring you a business opportunity, potential podcast peddler. No, it's not a multi-level marketing scheme. Because those suck. This opportunity is yours, if you're an expert in any given field or an employee of a company that really should be podcasting. In this episode, I'll tell you how you can steal money from the marketing or advertising budget to pay for podcasting. Because if a company wants to advertises -- seriously -- across the top podcasts, it'll cost them about $25,000 to start. Or maybe that company is thinking about paying someone to create the ever-popular "explainer" videos. Assuming they go for quality, it'll cost (see if you can guess) about $25,000. With $25,000, you could produce 6-months to a years worth of episodes for a podcast for that company, with much greater legs than a month of ads or a couple of videos. Free idea. All yours! 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
S1 E44 · Tue, September 25, 2018
Exploring Podcasting's Effort Hockey Stick
Not surprisingly, there's a correlation between complexity and effort when it comes to podcasting. The more complex a podcast -- as in pieces and as in processes -- the more work it takes. In this episode, I'll show you the natural way podcasts break down when you look at the data: Two Dorks With Microphones Five Part Podcast Recombinant Editoral-driven And those four categories will make a lot more sense when you watch the video. Learning these will help you properly budget (your time or money) to make the right kind of show for you. 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
S1 E43 · Mon, September 24, 2018
You've Launched Your Podcast. Now What?
There are plenty of myths that keep tripping up new podcasters, and they just won't die. (The myths, not the podcasters.) To help with that, here's a list of old and busted myths, like: Stop worrying about "New & Notable" Reviews DO NOT impact rankings Stop spamming social communities Promo swaps are as effective as commercials (and you skip those, right?) Instead of those things, do these things: Work hard to bring value to another (more popular) show as a guest Do smart PR with influencers in your vertical Make your website not suck Get real people to share a testimonial with THEIR network Simple stuff. Yet most new podcasters get it all wrong. 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
S1 E42 · Thu, September 20, 2018
Marketing your podcast to the TOP!
So you want to have a hit podcast that brings you meaningful monthly income, do you? No worries. That's easy. Just build an amazing, high-quality show and produce four amazing, high-quality episodes every week. And then build your audience to 50,000. If you do that, you have potential revenues of $5K a month. Not enough for most people to seriously considering quitting their day job over. But still meaningful. Only... what sort of ad budget would you need to get 50,000 people to sign up quickly to listen to your show? Oof. More than you'll make. Listen to this episode and I'll give you the math. Sorry in advance! ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E41 · Wed, September 19, 2018
I Think We Have Business Podcasting All Wrong
Most businesses aren't publishers of information. Sure, they have information and they likely publish it on their website. But that's different than media publishing companies. The way we podcasters think is like, well... media publishers. So when business jump in and ask our expert opinions on how they should approach podcasting... we stay in the media-publishing mindset. And that's a problem. Luckily, we can course-correct. Podcasting is big enough to handle many different "publishing" approaches. In this episode, I'll give some examples of what business are good at publishing. And I'll share some ways we can use that to form a better business podcasting approach. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E40 · Tue, September 18, 2018
The BFR Approach to Podcasting
What does the first private company to reach space (and soon the moon) have to do with podcasting? Oddly enough, the way Space X is thinking about the BFR -- their new 100-person spacecraft -- is a great way for you to think about doing unique things in podcasting. "This is not something that makes intuitive sense", Elon said about the belly-flopping, whale shaped craft as it comes down for a landing. And therein lies the key. In this episode I'll break down the four key lessons you can implement. They are: Assume nothing. Form the right questions. Focus on the fundamentals. Build it right. Listen in and see if you can pull it off. 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
S1 E39 · Mon, September 17, 2018
Podcasting's Growth: Bigger Audience or Just More Playgrounds?
Is the (very real) growth in podcasting a rising tide that lifts all boats, or that growth un-evenly distributed? Spoiler: It's un-evenly distributed, with most of the growth occurring at the "short head" rather than the long tail. For details, I get into some numbers recently published by Libsyn , using them to prove a my point. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E38 · Thu, September 13, 2018
Sept 12 2018: The Rise of Skynet of Podcasting?
I'm only being slightly superlative when I say that Panoply's announcement will lead to a distinct demarkation between the hobbyist and the professional podcaster. But isn't that what we have today? Sort of. But this is the proverbial straw. Advertising on podcasting, well... sucks. It's more related to how broadcast ads are booked rather than digital ads. And that's just stupid. Panoply thinks so, too. So much so, that they're going all-in on podcast advertising. They've fired their original content staff and turning the reigns back to creators who were on the network. Effective yesterday, they are the biggest -- and smartest! -- podcast advertising company. Oh, and they also think it's stupid how we book podcast ads, too. They're taking it digital, and everyone else will be forced to play catchup. Because if they don't, the revenues that Panoply is uncovering will be unavailable to anyone else. If you think there's big money in podcasting in 2018... just wait until you see what 2019 for brings for Panoply. Can you say exponential growth? ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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.</p
S1 E37 · Wed, September 12, 2018
From Penny Press To Podcasting Powerhouse
When a small-ish podcast app gets acquired by one of the largest podcast ad platforms that gets acquired by a 150+ year-old publisher, it's not really news. But when that 150+ year-old publisher and ad platforms changes it's name to match the small-ish podcasting app ... that's something special. And it's telling for the future of podcasting. In fact, it'll probably make waves throughout the industry. This is how you go all in on podcasting. This is how you demonstrate a certain maturity level we've not seen before in podcasting. Check out this episode to gain more insight. Because this is the way forward. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E36 · Tue, September 11, 2018
Podcasting Your Way Through Your Existential Crisis
It's not a matter of if but when you'll start to question why your show exists. Or why you keep doing it week after week. It'll happen. So you might as well prepare for it. Here are a few tips for surviving: Check in with others (Not your audience) Go listen to new and amazing content (Outside of your vertical) Talk about your crisis (Not necessarily on your show) Trust me. It'll help. If not now, soon. :) ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E35 · Mon, September 10, 2018
How Apple and Twitter Are Disrupting Audio
Apple is buying movies for a new streaming service. Is that a direct line to a paid content, a more robust curated experience... and hosting? Twitter offering an "audio-only" version of Periscope . Is that a direct line to audio hosting for social networks? When companies the size of these make changes to how they deal with podcast content, they make massive waves across the podcast community. What does this hold for existing hosts? RSS feeds? And the chance to reach an entirely new audience? Listen to this episode for a few thoughts and see if you agree. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E34 · Thu, September 06, 2018
Yes, Netflix Will Save Podcasting
Many of my podcasting friends poo-poo the idea that a Netflix of podcasting will arrive. They decry the loss of the open nature of podcasting when that happens. But as a curation tool, Netflix is hard to beat. And when your consideration set is in the hundreds of thousands or millions, a standard directory does't cut it. New people don't want to wade through a cluttered mess. A Netflix of podcasting is inevitable. As is a Hulu of podcasting. And an Amazon Prime of podcasting. A PlayStation Vue of podcasting. IG TV. YouTube Premium. This episode will help you better understand how a new wave of podcast content aggregators will provide (or create) a better experience for listeners. 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
S1 E33 · Wed, September 05, 2018
Is Your Business Podcast Worth $100,000?
If you're considering launching a podcast for your business, you should be as serious about it as any other investment you'd make for your business. Because to go all-in on podcasting -- which is very smart -- is certainly an investment. There's more to podcasting for a business than just talking into a microphone. Don't treat your planned business podcast the way that many companies treated their blog or social media platforms by tossing it to the interns (though I will concede that many smart people and happy accidents happened there). If you want the best chance of success , you need to invest at least the equivalent of a full-time, senior level position, dedicated 100% on this new media outlet. And trust me, they'll be insanely busy. Listen in and learn what needs to happen to take your business podcast seriously. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E32 · Tue, September 04, 2018
IAB Compliance Won't Save Podcast Advertising
IAB compliance is coming, and the money should start flowing to podcasters thanks to all the new advertisers just waiting to advertise on podcasts, right? Well... not so fast. I speak with some authority when I say that there are more problems with podcast advertising than will be solved by having an agreed upon way of counting downloads. What's the problem? Logistics. We're just not set up to easily take ad dollars, because we've made it hard, when the advertising world is moving in a different direction. It should take hours to get an IO generated in 2018. Not days. Or weeks. I think it's mostly due to a misunderstanding -- if not downright ignorance -- of how digital advertising is supposed to work Check out this episode and see if you agree. The good news is that it's fixable. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E31 · Thu, August 30, 2018
Do We Need Physical Therapy for Podcasts?
I'm currently in physical therapy for a bum shoulder, and it's causing me to think about physical therapy for podcasting. Podcast Therapy, if you like. Not just to get better. That's working out. Physical therapy is designed to fix something wrong or injured in the body. I think there are parallels in the podcasting world. How would "podcast therapy" work? I've some ideas. Check out this episode and see if they work for you. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E30 · Tue, August 28, 2018
Podcast Discovery In 2026
If you think podcast discovery is a problem today, imagine the scale of the problem in 2026 (to pick an arbitrary date). I don't think the current model employed by Apple is scaleable. And I don't think that the same solutions that work for Amazon, Netflix or Medium are immediately applicable. Worse, I don't think technology and algorithms save us. Because while I agree that podcast recommendations is a big data problem, we don't have enough data to solve it. Catch-22, for sure. In this episode, I bring up more questions than I provide answers. Such is the nature of pontificating on the nebulous thing we call the future, right? ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E29 · Mon, August 27, 2018
You Say Podfading Like It's A Bad Thing
It's been recently announced that most of the podcasts in Apple Podcasts' directory have "podfaded", meaning the show has stopped releasing new episodes. But who says that's a bad thing? Sure, most podcasts produce content on an ongoing basis, but that's not a requirement. And sometimes, it's OK to stop podcasting. Assuming you don't want to quit, I have some helpful tips to help prohibit un-scheduled podfading: Be realistic Plan your exit Pivot Sunset You'll hear all about those four tips in this quick 10 minute episode. Check it out! ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E28 · Thu, August 23, 2018
Your Strategy Is Showing, Podcaster!
Business can engage in the podcast world too. Most just go super-niche, creating content that a hyper-focused audience would be interested in, ignoring everyone else. But some business -- big and small -- are looking to create their own "blockbuster" podcast, hoping to gain the attention of hundreds of thousands of people. In this episode, I'll cover some of the good strategies businesses are using to present content any audience can engage with, while giving extra info to the much smaller core audience. It's a delicate balance, and is very easy to make content with the strategy showing. (Yeah, don't do that.) ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E27 · Wed, August 22, 2018
What Iron Man Can Teach Podcasters About The Future
If there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that changes to podcasting over the next 15 years will cause us to listen to podcasts in a completely different way than we do today. We may not even recognize the action as "listening to a podcast". You need look no further than the changes simple "AI" devices like Amazon Alexa already have enabled. Take that forward a few iterations... and "Jarvis" is not only possible, but likely. And when we can speak to our "device" as that device is listening in to the same content we are, things get interesting. Things get, as far as podcasting goes, screen-less. And that'll change things. Check out this episode and see if you agree. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E26 · Tue, August 21, 2018
Pitch or Launch It? How To Start A New Podcast
Most podcasters with an idea for a show simply start it. Indie podcasting is (and has been) the largest portion of podcasts in the market. But others need some resources -- money, staff... something -- in order to get the show off the ground. They first have to pitch a show to someone -- a network, a platform... someone -- and hope they get the green light. In this episode, I make the case for the pitch growing as a viable model for more people in the future. See what you think. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E25 · Mon, August 20, 2018
The Bad News About Social Media Marketing & Podcasting
To make your podcast grow, you need to do some marketing. And social media marketing is a staple of marketing. But all too often, firms assume that starting a brand new [insert social media platform] account is the right way to do this. Wrong. Here's the bad news: If you don't have an existing, robust, and highly engaging social media presence already on said social media platform... you're gonna have a bad time. Not that you shouldn't do it. Just adjust your expectations. And if you decide you do wish to really leverage social media for your new podcast, prepare to put in the hours. (Hours which may be better spent making your podcast better, you know?) ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E24 · Thu, August 16, 2018
Why RSS Feeds For Podcasts (Might) Need To Die
Podcasting has changed a lot over the last decade and a half. But one thing that has held true is the RSS feed. But maybe we podcasters need to rethink our reliance on this technology. How critical is your "sitemap" to your website? (Do you even know if you have a sitemap?) It's similar. And becoming superfluous. More signs: Some new partners, like Spotify, aren't even using RSS feeds. Amazon Alexa does, but the content we should be producing for Alexa should likely be much different than our show... But we only have a single RSS feed. And that's the problem I want to explore in this episode. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E23 · Wed, August 15, 2018
Apple Put The Kibosh On Gray Hat Podcasting Practices
While Apple has been the best friend ever to podcasting, they're starting to crack down on some, well... spammy practices savvy podcasters have been using to help their podcasts be more "discoverable" in Apple Podcasts/iTunes. But those practices no longer work for new show submissions. And I've a theory that they're going to be problems for those of you (us) with shows already in the catalog that uses these tactics. Which isn't all that surprising to anyone in the SEO space. Grey hat tactics often come back to bite you in the butt. And now it's happening in podcasting. Clean up your title and author tags, podcasters. Or prepare to get dropped. Maybe even banned? ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E22 · Tue, August 14, 2018
What Jerry Seinfeld Can Teach Podcasters
Most podcasts feature an interview. Sometimes, it's a very long interview. That's the beauty of podcasting: There isn't a "show clock" to force a podcaster to trim off the "good bits" of an interview. But sometimes (often times), restrictions lead to some fantastic results. Take the show Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee , for instance. 20 minutes. Very tight. And, interestingly enough, without any "narration" beyond the setup and wrap-up on each episode. Which gets me to thinking: Could this be the perfect format for podcasts with interviews who don't want to release all 2+ hours of conversations, where much of it is crap? Listen to this episode and see if it makes sense for your show. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E21 · Mon, August 13, 2018
Stop Podcasting Too Close To The Ball
So many podcasts are stuck in the record-produce-publish model stuck in an infinite loop that mirrors the listening experience. But just because a show releases and episode each week, that doesn't mean an episode has to be produced each week? Don't buy it? Think of any non-news TV program. Or a book. Or just about anything out that isn't produced "live" or with time-sensitive info. And then think of all the things you can focus on when all your production is all finished. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E20 · Thu, August 09, 2018
Can We Still Podcast In A Post-Apple/iTunes World?
Say what you will about Apple, but they've been the proverbial 800-lb gorilla when it comes to podcasting. No company has done more for podcasting than our friends at Apple. But that may be coming to an end. For week now, it's been impossible to list a new show on Apple Podcasts/iTunes with a new Apple ID. And they don't seem to be in any hurry to fix it. So rather than suggest what they're up to, I'll take 10 minutes to talk about what the world looks like when -- either next week or the next decade (or two) -- when Apple no longer supports podcasting as we know it today. What will we do? ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E19 · Wed, August 08, 2018
What Alex Jones Can Teach Podcasters
You've probably heard that Alex Jones and his Infowars has been mostly removed from various social and new media sites. And therein lies some lessons for anyone serious about their podcast. Even if you aren't likely to get yanked for hate speech (which you don't do, right?) you likely are running risks. Yes, even if you're a nice person. In this episode, I give you three tips to ensure your livelihood isn't jeopardized by any one else. And here they are: Treasure your audience, but ignore your fans Invest wisely Don't poke the bear Listen to the episode (it's less than 10 minutes long) for more details. And feel free to give me your feedback. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E18 · Tue, August 07, 2018
Nice Podcasters Finish First
There's a lot more to the podcasting process than just hitting PUBLISH when the audio is done. Let's call it "finishing", and I've some tips (via a checklist) on making sure that you're really finished before you hit publish. You'll learn all about it less than 10 minutes. Listen and learn. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E17 · Mon, August 06, 2018
The Secret To Growing Podcasting Is More IHNIs
As much as I love podcasting, there are some statistics I find troubling. Specifically, there's the fact that podcasting is the slowest growing "media" medium... ever. Why is it that more than 70% of the population think that it's just not worth their time to check out podcasts? Part of the problem is the conflation of quality and popularity. Just because something is "the biggest", it doesn't mean it's "the best". Worse, often times "the best" isn't palatable for those who assume that they don't need (or won't like) the content. We can fix that by only suggesting shows that deliver "I Had No Idea" experiences. Do you know any? Go find some. And listen to this episode to learn more. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E16 · Thu, August 02, 2018
Podcasters: Stop Making Sh**ty Show Notes!
Wow, but do we podcasters abuse the term "show notes". This whole rant was predicated by two podcasts I recently listened to that didn't care at all about the Listener Experience, making it incredibly hard to take the action the hosts (and their guests) wanted me to take. Why? The vast majority of listeners can click on the show to get more details that can contain links to other content on the web! Yet most ignore that fact. And it really upsets me, as you'll hear in this episode. Idiots. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E15 · Wed, August 01, 2018
Is Google Podcasts Making A Play For Everyone?
Recent changes indicate Google Podcasts is about to go beyond the Android, likely to iOS. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. What changes are endemic when a powerhouse like Google can make a consistent user experience across Android and iOS? At a minimum, it changes how (and where) people -- all people on a mobile device -- find and discover new podcast episodes. For the better. For more ideas on this, listen to this episode (recorded in my car right before I went into physical therapy for my bum shoulder.) ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E14 · Tue, July 31, 2018
5 Ways To Quickly Grow Your Business Podcast
Everyone -- even business podcasters -- wants more listeners. But getting them is hard, and marketing for podcasting isn't easy. But I've some idea for you, ranging from easy to more complex. 1) Do guest appearances on bigger shows (with an adjacent audie 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
S1 E13 · Mon, July 30, 2018
Are Conferences and Meetups Good For Business Podcasters?
Short answer: Yes, business podcasters can (and do) get value out of podcasting conferences, meetup groups, and other gatherings that tend to attract the hobbyist podcaster and fans of podcasters. But you need some survival skills to make sure you don't get discouraged when the conversation is about swapping promos, making money for coffee, or clamoring for autographs of "famous" podcasters you've never heard of. 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
S1 E12 · Thu, July 26, 2018
Does Your Podcast's Brand Match Your Business?
Branding isn't what's inside your brand book: it's whatever the public says it is. Now, with podcasting, we have the ability to give voice to our brand to help shape public perception. But for business podcasters who try hard to emulate talk radio or big-time podcast personalities... they're missing the point. What is the point? Well... what's the business outcome you're going for? And how can you take your existing brand and extend it to audio form? In this episode, I'll walk you through a simple branding exercise to help you understand what you can do to convey your brand better through podcasting. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E11 · Wed, July 25, 2018
There's More To Podcasting Than Just Interviews
Interviews have become synonymous with "interviews", but there's a lot more out there that podcasters -- especially business podcasters -- can explore. In this episode, I'll give you five ideas for your business podcast to take you beyond the interview. And here they are: On location recording Fiction podcast (yes, for business) Takeovers Conference calls Presentations ... and that's just the start! More details in the episode. And if you have questions, get in touch with me! ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E10 · Tue, July 24, 2018
Perfection Isn't The Enemy of Podcasting
There's no doubt that it's easier than ever to launch a podcast, thanks to advances in technology. But when you sacrifice quality for ease, you're into troubled water, especially if you're shooting for a professional product. In this episode, I'll cover the pitfalls to avoid to make sure that you find the right balance of easy and great sound. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E9 · Mon, July 23, 2018
Why You Should (Happily) Pay For Podcast Hosting
No one wants to waste money creating their podcast. But before you cut out professional podcast hosting from your budget, consider what all you're getting for the $5 to $20 cost each month. (Yeah, that's all it costs!) Even if you have a site and some coding skills, how will you handle new innovations that go beyond the RSS feed? Because that's where podcasting is heading. Don't make a bad decision that leaves you scrambling to play catchup later. ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
S1 E8 · Thu, July 19, 2018
Business Podcasters Need To Be Writers Too
Many (if not most) podcasters think that their job is done after producing the audio. But to do the publishing process right, you have to write. Hey, that's clever. In this episode, I'll run through all the microcopy and long-form content you should be writing for each and every one of your episodes. And here's the bad news: it'll probably take you a couple of hours to do this. Sorry. (But you'll get faster once you have a system.) ----- I make shows for professional firms that support business objectives. Visit https://podcastlaunch.pro for more info and ways to get in touch! 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
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