Podcast Pontifications

Evo Terra

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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...

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

Feb 15, 2023 • 4:20

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 doin

Nov 2, 2022 • 4:36

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

Oct 26, 2022 • 10:48

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

Oct 12, 2022 • 8:51

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

Sep 28, 2022 • 7:28

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?#podcastinghttps://podcastpontifications.com/episode/making-complex-podcast-tech-disappear-with-alituOne 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. Alit

Sep 21, 2022 • 15:15

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.#podcastinghttps://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcast-conferences-cancel-culture-human-dignityPhoto by Markus Spiske from PexelsBut 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. Inst

Sep 14, 2022 • 7:09

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 podcast

Aug 17, 2022 • 11:04

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 hindsi

Aug 10, 2022 • 11:39

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 agen

Aug 3, 2022 • 10:08

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. #podcastingPutting 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

Jul 28, 2022 • 13:16

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 PexelsFour 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

Jul 20, 2022 • 11:52

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 PexelsFour 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

Jul 13, 2022 • 14:03

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-timeWhat'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 peopl

Jul 6, 2022 • 14:35

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 PexelsDo 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 st

Jun 29, 2022 • 14:53

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 s

Jun 8, 2022 • 14:46

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 PexelsToday 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 k

Jun 1, 2022 • 13:19

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 PexelsBig 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 o

May 25, 2022 • 13:57

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 cr

May 18, 2022 • 16:27

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? #podcastingPhoto by Robert Bogdan from PexelsEverything 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 becau

May 11, 2022 • 12:51

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 PexelsBig 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 Twitt

Apr 27, 2022 • 13:48

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-answerI 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

Apr 20, 2022 • 11:53

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 shou

Apr 13, 2022 • 9:32

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

Apr 6, 2022 • 12:05

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 DeeIn 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

Mar 30, 2022 • 16:10

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 RawPixelThis 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 W

Mar 28, 2022 • 7:20

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 lis

Mar 24, 2022 • 13:01

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-futureBuilding 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 fo

Mar 23, 2022 • 11:55

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

Mar 22, 2022 • 12:43

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

Mar 21, 2022 • 15:17

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 RightsWhile 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

Mar 21, 2022 • 14:19

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 resi

Mar 16, 2022 • 13:31

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

Mar 15, 2022 • 9:28

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

Mar 14, 2022 • 10:13

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 PexelsIt'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

Mar 10, 2022 • 11:32

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 PexelsGuesting 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 wort

Mar 9, 2022 • 14:20

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 PexelsIn 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

Mar 8, 2022 • 11:26

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 lo

Mar 7, 2022 • 9:25

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 ep

Mar 3, 2022 • 12:07

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 a

Mar 2, 2022 • 12:03

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 o

Mar 1, 2022 • 10:59

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 podc

Feb 28, 2022 • 14:10

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 s

Feb 24, 2022 • 10:28

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. So

Feb 23, 2022 • 10:30

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 s

Feb 22, 2022 • 10:27

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

Feb 17, 2022 • 10:35

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

Feb 16, 2022 • 9:26

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 a

Feb 15, 2022 • 12:02

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 podc

Feb 14, 2022 • 11:20

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-fameIt 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

Feb 10, 2022 • 9:29

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 t

Feb 9, 2022 • 10:34

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. An

Feb 8, 2022 • 9:56

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 i

Feb 7, 2022 • 10:48

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 realit

Feb 3, 2022 • 10:15

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

Feb 2, 2022 • 11:37

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-budgetBroadly 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 onl

Feb 1, 2022 • 10:06

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 Ve

Jan 31, 2022 • 10:36

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

Jan 27, 2022 • 12:15

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... b

Jan 26, 2022 • 11:48

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 ab

Jan 25, 2022 • 12:37

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. T

Jan 24, 2022 • 14:04

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 pod

Jan 20, 2022 • 11:30

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

Jan 19, 2022 • 12:00

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 practitione

Jan 18, 2022 • 12:08

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

Jan 17, 2022 • 11:17

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?#podcastingPhoto 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

Jan 13, 2022 • 11:47

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 addition

Jan 12, 2022 • 10:37

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 i

Jan 11, 2022 • 11:23

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'

Jan 10, 2022 • 14:45

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-podcastDid 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 ou

Jan 6, 2022 • 14:01

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 ResearchDo 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.

Jan 5, 2022 • 11:23

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 acquire

Jan 4, 2022 • 12:07

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

Dec 17, 2021 • 25:23

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

Dec 10, 2021 • 35:00

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-sea

Nov 16, 2021 • 6:33

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 special

Nov 4, 2021 • 11:55

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 br

Nov 3, 2021 • 8:56

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 h

Nov 2, 2021 • 12:18

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 a

Nov 1, 2021 • 10:23

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 exam

Oct 28, 2021 • 13:58

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 rundo

Oct 27, 2021 • 11:40

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 sa

Oct 26, 2021 • 13:34

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, severa

Oct 25, 2021 • 12:56

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

Oct 21, 2021 • 12:09

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. Bu

Oct 20, 2021 • 11:33

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 i

Oct 19, 2021 • 11:01

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 minu

Oct 18, 2021 • 10:57

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

Oct 14, 2021 • 11:02

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 lar

Oct 13, 2021 • 12:52

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

Oct 12, 2021 • 11:39

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 b

Oct 11, 2021 • 13:11

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 t

Oct 4, 2021 • 7:28

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.

Sep 30, 2021 • 16:18

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 no

Sep 29, 2021 • 13:40

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

Sep 28, 2021 • 12:01

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 yo

Sep 27, 2021 • 12:45

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 an

Sep 23, 2021 • 14:19

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 t

Sep 22, 2021 • 14:41

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

Sep 21, 2021 • 13:33

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-c

Sep 20, 2021 • 11:26

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

Sep 16, 2021 • 13:36

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

Sep 15, 2021 • 12:27

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?&nbs

Sep 14, 2021 • 12:28

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-compensat

Sep 13, 2021 • 13:11

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

Sep 9, 2021 • 12:43

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 stud

Sep 8, 2021 • 13:37

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 glo

Sep 2, 2021 • 10:58

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 f

Sep 1, 2021 • 13:38

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 infer

Aug 31, 2021 • 14:21

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 d

Aug 30, 2021 • 13:25

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 w

Aug 26, 2021 • 14:36

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

Aug 25, 2021 • 14:09

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 wi

Aug 24, 2021 • 14:02

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 yours

Aug 23, 2021 • 13:07

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

Aug 19, 2021 • 13:34

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 th

Aug 18, 2021 • 10:00

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

Aug 16, 2021 • 12:58

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 oth

Aug 12, 2021 • 14:04

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 fea

Aug 11, 2021 • 13:35

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

Aug 10, 2021 • 13:20

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

Aug 9, 2021 • 12:07

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

Aug 4, 2021 • 6:29

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, wh

Aug 3, 2021 • 13:13

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,

Aug 2, 2021 • 13:47

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 univ

Jul 29, 2021 • 11:04

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 ho

Jul 28, 2021 • 10:04

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 podcas

Jul 27, 2021 • 11:40

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 thing

Jul 26, 2021 • 11:29

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

Jul 22, 2021 • 12:02

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

Jul 21, 2021 • 13:17

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 a

Jul 20, 2021 • 13:41

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

Jul 19, 2021 • 12:12

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

Jul 15, 2021 • 12:36

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 eggs are shelved in their grocery store. For the rare person who has never cooked beef, their grocery store probably presents less

Jul 14, 2021 • 11:36

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

Jul 13, 2021 • 11:02

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. H

Jul 12, 2021 • 12:13

3 Lessons Podcasters Can Learn From Audio Drama Producers [S3E134 Bonus]

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 dr

Jul 6, 2021 • 11:17

Successful Podcasting Beyond The Top 100 [S3E134]

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 ide

May 27, 2021 • 11:08

Give Them An Excuse Not To Podcast [S3E133]

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 outcome

May 26, 2021 • 9:57

Pushing Podcasting The Responsible Way [S3E132]

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

May 25, 2021 • 11:09

Facing Podcasting's Round Peg Square Hole Problem [S3E131]

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

May 24, 2021 • 11:15

Knowing When To Say NO To Podcasting Opportunities [S3E130]

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 fa

May 20, 2021 • 10:34

Playing Up (Or Down) Your Podcasting Personality [S3E129]

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 t

May 19, 2021 • 10:12

How Can You Give Back To Podcasting? [S3E128]

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 better1. Write a niche newsletter2. Buy something advertised on a smaller podcast3. Volunteer to help at a podcast event4. Participate in PodRevDay&

May 18, 2021 • 10:21

Podcasting For The Brass Ring [S3E127]

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,

May 17, 2021 • 11:41

The Happy Way To Find Podcasting Success [S3E126]

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 HappinessSometimes doing more with your podcast can greatly increase your level of happiness. Like focus more effort in post-prod

May 13, 2021 • 8:37

Discovering What Makes Your Podcast Uniquely Yours [S3E125]

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 w

May 12, 2021 • 10:27

Share Your Podcasting Brilliance With A New Podcast [S3E124]

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 th

May 10, 2021 • 12:23

The Process of Changing Your Podcast Is...Well, A Process [S3E123]

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 planning2. New branding3. New website design4. Corrected transcriptions5. New PPIYI provider6. I switched to Sanka tea7. I hired a vocal coach8. Audio engineering skills up-leveling9. Re-worked episode detailsSo yes, it

May 6, 2021 • 11:17

Getting Fickle Podcast Listeners To Listen More [S3E122]

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 ListenHarsh 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 be

May 5, 2021 • 11:07

Getting Your Podcast To Go Viral: A Healthy Move? [S3E121]

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 sho

May 4, 2021 • 11:55

Pondering Podcasting's Partiality Problem [S3E120]

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. Specifi

May 3, 2021 • 11:32

Tapping Into The Power Of Podfaded Podcasts [S3E119]

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

Apr 29, 2021 • 11:20

The Proud Way Of Finding Success In Podcasting [S3E118]

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 ente

Apr 28, 2021 • 8:33

The Art Of Selling And Keeping Your Podcast [S3E117]

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

Apr 27, 2021 • 11:28

Updating Your Podcast Listener Experience Assumptions [S3E116]

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

Apr 26, 2021 • 12:58

What's Apple's Motive For Apple Podcasts Subscriptions? [S3E115]

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 ForAt 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 DeveloperBut developers

Apr 22, 2021 • 10:56

The Easy Way To Make A Great Podcast [S3E114]

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

Apr 20, 2021 • 10:47

Reducing Your Anxiety Around Big Podcasting Changes [S3E113]

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 ha

Apr 19, 2021 • 10:24

Is A Top Placement In Spotify's Podcast Charts Worth The Price? [S3E112]

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 a

Apr 15, 2021 • 12:44

Have Evergreen Podcasts Gone Out Of Season? [S3E111]

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, T

Apr 14, 2021 • 11:46

Choosing The Difficult Path To Making Podcasting Easier [S3E110]

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

Apr 13, 2021 • 11:56

Making Bigger & Better Podcasts By Sharing The Wealth [S3E109]

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 sufficientI’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. W

Apr 12, 2021 • 11:41

Podcasting Like A Pro When You Don't Sound Like A Pro [S3E108]

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

Apr 8, 2021 • 9:55

Unlocking Podcast Listener Data Without Being Creepy [S3E107]

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

Apr 7, 2021 • 13:08

Four Dumb Things About Podcasting We Still Haven't Fixed [S3E106]

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 w

Apr 6, 2021 • 11:02

Five Additions To Move Your Podcast's Episodes From Good To Great [S3E105]

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 c

Apr 5, 2021 • 11:17

Will The Race For Podcasting's Profits Drive Our Dystopia? [S3E104]

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

Apr 1, 2021 • 13:02

5 Boring Ways To Keep Your Podcast Fresh [S3E103]

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 Experi

Mar 31, 2021 • 12:01

Growing Your Podcast Like An Architect [S3E102]

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

Mar 30, 2021 • 11:12

Taking The Creepy Out Of Personalized Podcasts [S3E101]

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-

Mar 29, 2021 • 12:21

Finally! A Podcast Website That Doesn't Suck [S3E100]

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’l

Mar 25, 2021 • 12:26

The Perilous Life Of A Podcast Producer [S3E99]

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,

Mar 24, 2021 • 11:51

Solving Podcasting's Opportunistic Challenge Today [S3E98]

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.Podc

Mar 23, 2021 • 11:56

Reality Checking Account For Your Big Podcasting Dreams [S3E97]

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 h

Mar 22, 2021 • 10:36

Would You Prefer Accurate Or Actionable Podcast Metrics? [S3E96]

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 Pod

Mar 17, 2021 • 12:00

Getting Paid For Your Podcast Without Podcasting More [S3E95]

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 neighbo

Mar 16, 2021 • 11:41

Unpacking Podcasting's Growth Seen In Edison's Infinite Dial 2021 [S3E94]

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 podcasting162 million Americans 957%) have listened to a podcast116 million Americans (41%) listen to podcasts monthly80 million Americans (28%) listen to podcasts every weekFor the purpose of the report, Edison creates three buckets based on the age of respondents. Here’s how the estimated size of the list

Mar 15, 2021 • 11:38

How Much Trust Can You Have In Podcasting? [S3E93]

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 spe

Mar 11, 2021 • 9:52

Apple Podcasts' Switch To Streaming Will Decimate Downloads [S3E92 - 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 s

Mar 10, 2021 • 11:48

Follow This: Apple Podcasts Is Killing The Subscribe Button [S3E91]

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

Mar 9, 2021 • 11:20

Thanking A Few Of The Women Who Make Podcasting Better [S3E90]

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 podc

Mar 8, 2021 • 10:07

Ways To Make Real Money In Podcasting Without Selling Your Soul [S3E89]

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 podcast

Mar 4, 2021 • 12:03

The Case For Upgrading Your Podcasting Recipes [S3E88]

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

Mar 3, 2021 • 9:11

The Future of Podcasting Conferences Post-Pandemic [S3E87]

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 t

Mar 2, 2021 • 10:36

Podcasting Listens A Lot Less White Than It Looks [S3E86]

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 2010The growth rate for Asian, Black, and other “not white” listeners grew 5x over that same time frame.White audiences grew only by 4xSo what does

Mar 1, 2021 • 10:58

The Next One Million Podcasts Will Come From Clubhouse, Not Podcasters [S3E85]

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 t

Feb 25, 2021 • 10:37

Stop Ignoring Your Podcast's Accessibility Issues [S3E84]

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.

Feb 24, 2021 • 11:38

If Podcasting Can't Please Everyone, Should We Even Try? [S3E83]

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 ev

Feb 23, 2021 • 11:45

Podcast Categories Have A Bad Apple At The Core [S3E82]

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

Feb 22, 2021 • 10:45

How iHeart's Buying Spree Will Effect The Future Of Podcasting [S3E81]

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 m

Feb 18, 2021 • 11:29

Podcasting's Elephant In The Evergreens Conundrum [S3E80]

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 cre

Feb 17, 2021 • 11:01

What We Talk About When We Talk About Podcasting [S3E79]

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 cont

Feb 16, 2021 • 10:20

How To Share Your Podcasting Brilliance & Not Be A Jerk About It [S3E78]

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 podcas

Feb 11, 2021 • 12:29

Bringing Back The Magic To Your Boring Podcast [S3E77]

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.&n

Feb 10, 2021 • 9:45

Tweaking Your Serialized Podcast For More Listener Love [S3E76]

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 seria

Feb 9, 2021 • 11:49

Make Your Good Podcast Great With Syndicated Content [S3E75]

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 new

Feb 8, 2021 • 11:35

The Gateway Drug To Podcasting Is You [S3E74]

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.

Feb 3, 2021 • 10:49

A Podcast's Power To Change People... And The Podcaster [S3E73]

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 ou

Feb 2, 2021 • 10:01

Making Your Podcast Better With Dynamic Content [S3E72]

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

Feb 1, 2021 • 11:43

Can Video Be The Future Of Podcasting If We're Sick Of It? [S3E71]

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 cho

Jan 28, 2021 • 10:16

The Battle Against Irrelevancy In Podcasting [S3E70]

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

Jan 27, 2021 • 8:49

Is Today's Controversy Tomorrow's Podcast Episode? [S3E69]

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 yo

Jan 26, 2021 • 12:05

The Joy Of Successfully Creative Podcasting [S3E68]

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—

Jan 25, 2021 • 10:14

Living Up To The Promises You Made With Your Podcast [S3E67]

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

Jan 21, 2021 • 10:49

Podcast Your Way Through The Unknown [S3E66]

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

Jan 20, 2021 • 9:56

Blending Listener Emotions For A Better Podcast [S3E65]

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 humanThe 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 a

Jan 19, 2021 • 11:14

Making More Equity In Podcasting By Stepping Back [S3E64]

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

Jan 18, 2021 • 9:47

Is Clubhouse The Future Of Podcasting? [S3E63]

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

Jan 14, 2021 • 12:57

7 Intentional Ways To Boost Your Podcasting [S3E62]

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 b

Jan 13, 2021 • 11:52

A Brief Lesson Podcasters Can Learn From Politicians [S3E61]

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 ti

Jan 12, 2021 • 11:29

Are Helpful Podcasters Averaging Out Podcasting? [S3E60]

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 lo

Jan 11, 2021 • 12:32

Cat-Herding Podcasters Was Always Doomed To Fail [S3E59]

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 ha

Jan 7, 2021 • 11:48

Podcasting's Advertising Problem Is Your Problem, Podcaster [S3E58]

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

Jan 6, 2021 • 11:06

Scratching Your Creative Podcasting Itch [S3E57]

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 har

Jan 5, 2021 • 10:24

The Death Of Podcasting Dominance, Brought To You By Amazon & Wondery [S3E56]

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 musi

Jan 4, 2021 • 12:39

More Podcast Pontifications Soon Stuffed In Your Stockings! [S3E55G Bonus]

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 fr

Dec 23, 2020 • 9:25

The Trick To Maintaining Motivation For Your Brand New Podcast [S3E55F]

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 zer

Dec 16, 2020 • 7:17

The Low-Stress Approach To AdTech For New Podcasters [S3E55E]

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

Dec 9, 2020 • 6:50

Pondering The Pandemic’s Indelible Mark On Podcasting [PPS3E55D]

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 scr

Dec 2, 2020 • 12:55

Temper Your Harsh Critic By Looking For A Podcast's Best Trick [S3E55C]

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, engineer

Nov 25, 2020 • 12:07

3 Easy Steps To Increase The Global Appeal Of Your Local Podcast [S3E55B]

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 abo

Nov 18, 2020 • 9:00

Getting Your Podcast Unstuck With The Three I’s [S3E55A]

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 ma

Nov 11, 2020 • 12:37

Podcasting At Its Best Is Give & Take [S3E55]

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

Oct 29, 2020 • 12:06

Why PINOs - Podcasters In Name Only - Own The Future [S3E54]

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 u

Oct 28, 2020 • 12:54

A Podcaster's Work Is Never Done... Until They're Done [S3E53]

Some Podcasters Finish Thousands Of EpisodesI 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 PodcastsA great many of us podcasters build and dismantle several podcasts before deciding on the formula we’re using now. Making th

Oct 27, 2020 • 12:14

Podcasting In Hi-Fi: 3 Trends To Watch [S3E52]

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 Lis

Oct 26, 2020 • 12:22

Podcasting On Smart Speakers Isn't Dumb; It's The Future [S3E51]

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 assess

Oct 22, 2020 • 13:13

Accepting Podcast Listeners' Interest vs Desire Conflict [S3E50]

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 us

Oct 21, 2020 • 12:56

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 som

Oct 20, 2020 • 12:41

Why Spotify's Shows With Music Is A Big Deal Beyond Podcasting [S3E48]

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 Spo

Oct 15, 2020 • 13:12

Normalize The Making Of Abnormal Podcasts... Again [S3E47]

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

Oct 14, 2020 • 10:57

The Minor Role Podcasters Play In Podcasting's Power Dynamics [S3E46]

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 thi

Oct 13, 2020 • 13:16

Learning To Trust The Podcaster You Are Right Now [S3E45]

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 italici

Oct 8, 2020 • 12:05

Simply Making The Podcast You Want & Your Audience Needs [S3E44]

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 you

Oct 7, 2020 • 12:02

Milking Your Podcast's Popularity For All It’s Worth [S3E43]

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 v

Oct 6, 2020 • 13:08

A Simple Trick To Power Through More Podcasts In Less Time [S3E42]

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

Oct 1, 2020 • 12:54

Tracking Podcast Downloads Is Worthless To Everyone [S3E41]

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

Sep 30, 2020 • 12:54

Boost Your Podcast Monetization With A Business Manager [S3E40]

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 be

Sep 29, 2020 • 12:41

Podcasting A Hot Take Without Coming Off Like A Jerk [S3E39]

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. B

Sep 28, 2020 • 11:40

The Benefits To Podcasting When You're Less Critical More Often [S3E38]

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 Wor

Sep 23, 2020 • 12:39

The Healthy Way To Deal With Doubts About Your Podcast [S3E37]

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

Sep 22, 2020 • 12:00

We The People Are Changing Podcasting For The Better [S3E36]

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

Sep 21, 2020 • 13:04

Are Podcasters To Blame For Podcasting’s Slow Growth? [S3E35]

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%

Sep 17, 2020 • 13:08

Uncovering The Tension Between Fast & Slow Podcasting Processes [S3E34]

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

Sep 16, 2020 • 13:00

Podcasting Through Rose-Colored Glasses & Bunny Ears [S3E33]

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 rainbo

Sep 15, 2020 • 12:03

That's Not A Podcasting Mistake - It's A Feature! [S3E32]

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

Sep 10, 2020 • 13:10

The Importance Of The Unimportant Parts Of Podcasting [S3E31]

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

Sep 9, 2020 • 13:06

Coping Strategies For Podcasters Who Don't Like Change [S3E30]

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 mi

Sep 8, 2020 • 12:53

Having The Stones To Take A Temporary Break From My Podcast [S3E29 Bonus]

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-ind

Aug 31, 2020 • 6:27

The Case For Non-Hippie Meditating Over Your Podcast [S3E29]

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 com

Aug 27, 2020 • 12:51

Does Your Podcast Need A Tune-Up Or A Tone-Up? [S3E28]

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

Aug 26, 2020 • 12:28

Your Podcast Doesn't Suck, It Just Needs Un-Stuck [S3E27]

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 cl

Aug 25, 2020 • 12:15

Sir, This Is Not A Wendy's Podcast... And That's OK [S3E26]

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 Wend

Aug 24, 2020 • 13:15

Do You Have The Time To Monetize Your Podcast? [S3E25]

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 ad

Aug 19, 2020 • 12:58

Re-Humanize Your Podcast Before It's Too Late [S3E24]

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

Aug 18, 2020 • 12:28

Podcasting With A Voice That Could Peel Paint [S3E23]

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 ru

Aug 17, 2020 • 11:09

A Little Thinking On Big Podcast Stats [S3E22]

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

Aug 13, 2020 • 12:33

Do Androids Dream Of Being On Your Podcast? [S3E21]

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 eq

Aug 12, 2020 • 12:17

Saying No To Podcasting Jobs & Yes To Podcaster Relationships [S3E20]

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 h

Aug 11, 2020 • 12:36

Surviving The Balkanization Of Podcasting [S3E19]

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

Aug 10, 2020 • 12:15

Podcasting Conversations Worth Fighting Over [S3E18]

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

Aug 6, 2020 • 12:01

Getting The Podcasting Band Back Together Again [S3E17]

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 re

Aug 4, 2020 • 12:49

Correcting Your Authentic Podcasting Voice [S3E16]

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 pur

Aug 3, 2020 • 12:31

Confronting Your Podcast's Avatar From The Inside [S3E15]

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 audi

Jul 30, 2020 • 13:09

How Do Podcasters Recapture The Ones That Got Away? [S3E14]

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

Jul 29, 2020 • 13:10

Are Video Podcasts Back From The Dead? [S3E13]

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 t

Jul 28, 2020 • 13:10

Solving Podcasting's Linear Listening Problem [S3E12]

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 ~30l

Jul 27, 2020 • 12:42

Fighting Against The Hateful Side Of Podcasting [S3E11]

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

Jul 22, 2020 • 12:29

Podcasting For Goodness' Sake [S3E10]

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

Jul 21, 2020 • 12:02

The End of Podcasting's Direct-Relationship Model Is In Sight [S3E9]

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

Jul 20, 2020 • 12:15

The Inevitable Dismantling Of Podcast Directories [S3E8]

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

Jul 16, 2020 • 13:06

The Future of Closed Captions May Look Like Podcast Karaoke [S3E7]

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

Jul 15, 2020 • 12:09

Improving Your Podcast's Acquired Taste [S3E6]

“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

Jul 14, 2020 • 12:32

Is Pandora Stitchering A Sirius Podcasting Strategy? [S3E5]

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

Jul 13, 2020 • 12:26

It's Time To Address Podcasting's Facebook Problem [S3E4]

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, eve

Jul 9, 2020 • 12:58

Restructuring Your Podcast To Be Advertising-Friendly [S3E3]

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 ow

Jul 8, 2020 • 13:08

Is Podcast Listening Too Big Of An Ask? [S3E2]

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

Jul 7, 2020 • 12:46

How You Can Exploit Podcasting's No-Code Future [S3E1]

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 quic

Jul 6, 2020 • 12:33

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

Jul 5, 2020 • 4:24

It's The Institutionalized Racism, Stupid. [Episode 311]

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 Seein

Jun 3, 2020 • 25:59

What To Do During Your Podcast's Season Break [Episode 310]

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, ra

May 12, 2020 • 11:47

Eye Can't Hear You: A Podcasting Paradigm Shift [Episode 309]

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 wa

May 11, 2020 • 13:10

Feeling Conflicted About Podcasting Conferences [Episode 308]

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 re

May 7, 2020 • 12:52

Putting The Simple Back In Podcast RSS Feeds [Episode 307]

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, b

May 6, 2020 • 12:56

Busting The Myth Of Podcast Exceptionalism [Episode 306]

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 lik

May 5, 2020 • 12:38

Podcast Episode Management For Tomorrow

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

May 4, 2020 • 12:31

Should You Join Or Form A Podcast Network? [Episode 304]

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 com

Apr 30, 2020 • 12:43

Today's Podcasting Innovations Will Impact Your Show Tomorrow [Episode 303]

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. Lif

Apr 29, 2020 • 12:45

It’s Curious More Podcasters Aren't More Curious [Episode 302]

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,

Apr 28, 2020 • 13:07

Podcast Success Metrics For Tomorrow [Episode 301]

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 tr

Apr 27, 2020 • 12:49

European Podcasters Adapt To Life Under Lockdown [Episode 300]

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% bo

Apr 23, 2020 • 13:08

Lean Into Your Love-Hate Relationship With Your Podcast [Episode 299]

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,

Apr 22, 2020 • 12:41

3 Things To Master Before Promoting Your Podcast [Episode 298]

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.

Apr 21, 2020 • 12:39

Podcasting: Genre-Defining Or Mired In Medium?

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

Apr 20, 2020 • 11:58

Podcasters Report A Mixed Pandemic Performance [Episode 296]

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 f

Apr 16, 2020 • 12:17

Don't Panic And Pivot Your Podcast To Video During The Pandemic [Episode 295]

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 serv

Apr 15, 2020 • 12:01

Stay Out Of Our Podcasting Lanes, Broadcasters! [Episode 294]

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 micr

Apr 14, 2020 • 12:24

Podcasting's Present Problems [Episode 293]

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 ha

Apr 13, 2020 • 12:19

Coping With COVID19 In Podcast Land [Episode 292]

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 wee

Apr 9, 2020 • 13:03

Podcast SEO is Hard. Is It Worth The Effort? [Episode 291]

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 giv

Apr 8, 2020 • 13:00

Podcast Episode Planning For Hip-Shooters [Episode 290]

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 s

Apr 7, 2020 • 12:36

Busting The Myths of COPE and CORE For Podcasting [Episode 289]

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

Apr 6, 2020 • 12:23

Podcasters Powering Through The Pandemic [Episode 288]

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 ou

Apr 2, 2020 • 12:54

Ethical Dilemmas Of Working Podcasters [Episode 287]

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 offen

Apr 1, 2020 • 12:07

April Is Podcast Experiment Month [Episode 286]

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 experimentsI 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 r

Mar 31, 2020 • 9:31

Podcasting From A Place Of Abundance [Episode 285]

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 u

Mar 30, 2020 • 11:59

Pandemic Parley For Podcasters [Episode 284]

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

Mar 26, 2020 • 12:20

Reaching Beyond The Pod For Human Connection [Episode 283]

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

Mar 25, 2020 • 11:13

Everything Has Changed. Why Hasn't Your Podcast? [Episode 282]

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

Mar 24, 2020 • 12:42

Why Podcast Listening Won't Ever Return To Normal [Episode 281]

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,

Mar 23, 2020 • 12:21

Dealing With Decimated Downloads [Episode 280]

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

Mar 19, 2020 • 11:59

Disassembling Your Podcast Media Stack [Episode 279]

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

Mar 18, 2020 • 12:19

Make The Most Of Podcast Bonus Episodes [Episode 278]

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 podc

Mar 17, 2020 • 12:15

Should You Produce An Episode About COVID19 (Or The Next Crisis)? [Episode 276]

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 favo

Mar 16, 2020 • 12:30

Yes, Indie Podcasters Can Compete... And Win! [Episode 276]

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 likel

Mar 12, 2020 • 11:44

Your Podcast Is #1. Now What? [Episode 275]

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

Mar 11, 2020 • 11:30

Growing Your Podcast By Solving Someone's Pain [Episode 274]

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

Mar 10, 2020 • 11:24

Balancing Skepticism & Support At A Podcast Conference [Episode 273]

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 th

Mar 9, 2020 • 12:34

The Primary Politics of Podcasting [Episode 272]

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

Mar 4, 2020 • 13:11

Knives Out! Podcast Fiction Vs The World [Episode 271]

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

Mar 3, 2020 • 12:47

Podcasting's Hollowed-Out Middle Class [Episode 270]

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 goin

Mar 2, 2020 • 12:24

Podcasting Through The COVID-19 Crisis [Episode 269]

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 v

Feb 27, 2020 • 12:28

Paywalls, Podcasting, and Prejudice [Episode 268]

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 t

Feb 26, 2020 • 12:38

Dealing With The Skeletons In Your Podcasting Closet [Episode 267]

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 evo

Feb 25, 2020 • 12:00

Mid-Level Podcasters' Biggest Mistake: Complacency [Episode 266]

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

Feb 24, 2020 • 11:18

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 podc

Feb 20, 2020 • 12:22

Is Selling Ads On Your Podcast Worth A Dime? [Episode 264]

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 man

Feb 19, 2020 • 12:48

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

Feb 18, 2020 • 12:14

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 m

Feb 17, 2020 • 12:40

Podcast Subscriber Tracking Is Pointless [Episode 261]

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

Feb 11, 2020 • 12:02

Turning SEO for Podcasts On Its Head [Episode 260]

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 flavo

Feb 10, 2020 • 13:08

Podcasting Your Way Through The Coming Recession [Episode 259]

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 ar

Jan 30, 2020 • 12:42

Harder Podcasting Makes Podcasting Better [Episode 258]

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

Jan 29, 2020 • 10:58

Planning For Better Podcasting [Episode 257]

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 EpisodesThe 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 pod

Jan 28, 2020 • 11:59

Better Podcasting By Living Up To The Hype [Episode 256]

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

Jan 27, 2020 • 13:10

No Pain No Gain Podcast Workout [Episode 255]

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.

Jan 23, 2020 • 13:00

It's 2020: Is It Easy To Make A Good Podcast Yet? [Episode 254]

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 & service

Jan 22, 2020 • 11:51

Pitching Your Podcast To Passive People [Episode 253]

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

Jan 21, 2020 • 12:54

Podcasting In The Zone (Without Zoning Out) [Episode 252]

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

Jan 20, 2020 • 11:27

Unmeasurable Metrics: Tracking Intangibles [Episode 251]

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 af

Jan 16, 2020 • 11:42

How To Do More In Podcasting Without Doing More Podcasting [Episode 250]

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

Jan 15, 2020 • 10:56

Leaning Into Radio's Podcasting Push [Episode 249]

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 percenta

Jan 9, 2020 • 11:41

An End To Podcast App Agnosticism & Apathy [Episode 248]

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 does

Jan 8, 2020 • 13:22

Surviving The Podcast Privacy Wars [Episode 247]

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 ImplicationsStep

Jan 7, 2020 • 13:17

Did Your Podcast Grow In 2019? [Episode 246]

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 countsIn 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

Jan 6, 2020 • 12:29

The End Of Painful Podcasting On Smart Speakers [Episode 245G]

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

Jan 2, 2020 • 9:44

Perfecting your Podcast's PR Pitch [Episode 245F]

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) podcastin

Dec 31, 2019 • 10:49

Simpler Podcasting As A Survival Technique [Episode 245E]

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

Dec 30, 2019 • 12:16

Share Your Work To Make A Better Podcast [Episode 245D]

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 worldcommit to sharing elements of your process so we can better un

Dec 19, 2019 • 13:06

Keeping Your Show Relevant Is All Relative [Episode 245C]

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 toda

Dec 16, 2019 • 13:34

The Press, Your Podcast, And All Of Podcasting [Episode 245B]

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 becaus

Dec 11, 2019 • 11:29

There Is No Competition For You To Bury [Episode 245A]

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

Dec 3, 2019 • 9:17

Social Scrubbing For A Pristine Podcast [Episode 245]

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 podosphe

Oct 31, 2019 • 12:11

Driving Downloads From Drive-Bys [Episode 244]

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

Oct 30, 2019 • 12:58

Sharing Sharable Info In Show Notes For Your Podcast [Episode 243]

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 e

Oct 29, 2019 • 12:53

What Podcasters Can Learn From Tennis Players [Episode 242]

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 goo

Oct 24, 2019 • 10:44

How To Make A Podcast Worth Paying For [Episode 241]

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

Oct 23, 2019 • 12:57

The Future of Podcasting Will Be Driven By Data [Episode 240]

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

Oct 22, 2019 • 12:17

Tilting At Podcasting's Apple-Shaped Windmill [Episode 239]

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 g

Oct 21, 2019 • 13:06

Podcasting: Precursor To Publishing Pizzazz [Episode 238]

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 ideaBut 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 - W

Oct 17, 2019 • 10:50

From Podcast Listeners to Podcast Learners [Episode 237]

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

Oct 16, 2019 • 12:55

How A Newsletter Can Catch Your Podcast's Overflow [Episode 236]

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 alread

Oct 15, 2019 • 12:12

How Bob Ross Ruined Live Podcasting [Episode 235]

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 th

Oct 14, 2019 • 12:39

Breaking for SiglerFest2K19 [Bonus]

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 mi

Oct 7, 2019 • 4:41

If All The World's A Stage, I Want Better Podcasting [Episode 234]

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.Judgi

Oct 3, 2019 • 12:26

Stop The Presses! Print Plies Podcasting Prowess [Episode 233]

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 s

Oct 2, 2019 • 12:51

Who Birthed Who? Radio & Podcasting For The Future [Episode 232]

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, ne

Oct 1, 2019 • 13:03

Podcasting is Better Than TV. Film At 11. [Episode 231]

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 c

Sep 30, 2019 • 12:40

Are Podcast Apps Part Of Podcasting's Problems? [Episode 230]

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

Sep 26, 2019 • 13:10

Angling for Titles That Are More Than Just The Topic [Episode 229]

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 t

Sep 25, 2019 • 12:44

Less Old White Men In Podcasting's Future [Episode 228]

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 & 9)When I give advice, it’s from 15 years -- nearly the entire duration podcasting has

Sep 24, 2019 • 11:12

Podcasting Spins Off Something Brand New [Episode 227]

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 technology we use today in podcasting will probably be the driving factor in what those spinoffs will look like. But as I sit in my

Sep 23, 2019 • 13:11

Betting On Bits For Better Podcasting [Episode 226]

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

Sep 19, 2019 • 12:56

Surviving The Cold War Of Podcast Advertising [Episode 225]

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 h

Sep 18, 2019 • 12:44

A Future Reckoning For The Podcast Ad Bubble [Episode 224]

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 adsThe 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 hundre

Sep 17, 2019 • 10:59

Solving Future Podcast Discovery Problems [Episode 223]

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 en

Sep 16, 2019 • 11:00

Exploring Podcasting's Cost-Free Future [Episode 222]

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 th

Sep 12, 2019 • 11:43

Frenzy or Famine: The Future of RSS in Podcasting [Episode 221]

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

Sep 11, 2019 • 13:02

Mitigating Future Threats To Hobbyist Podcasting [Episode 220]

(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 chan

Sep 10, 2019 • 12:35

Premium Podcasting Will Soon Dominate The Short Head [Episode 219]

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 t

Sep 9, 2019 • 12:46

Podcasting Has A Hub-and-Spoke Problem [Episode 218]

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 ca

Sep 5, 2019 • 12:57

Let Your Podcast Live Where Your Audience Lives [Episode 217]

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 podcastsBut it's not just a matter of your podcast being on all these different platforms that you

Sep 4, 2019 • 13:11

Be Where Today's Podcast Listeners Expect You To Be [Episode 216]

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

Sep 3, 2019 • 13:09

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 Dis

Aug 26, 2019 • 8:59

How To Make Accessible Podcast Audio In 5 Easy Steps [Episode 215]

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 noiseControl the dynamic rangeTweak the EQCompress to impressMix well and export at -16 LUFSHow 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 ProiZotope’s Voice De-noiseVocal Rider from WavesMy Aeropress coffe

Aug 22, 2019 • 12:35

Make An Accessible Podcast With The Right Equipment & Environment [Episode 214]

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 h

Aug 21, 2019 • 11:46

Captioning Your Podcast With A Transcript For Those With Hearing Loss [Episode 213]

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 depen

Aug 20, 2019 • 12:59

Hearing Loss, Accessibility, and Your Podcast [Episode 212]

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

Aug 19, 2019 • 13:03

Podcasting's Two-and-a-Half-Men Problem [Episode 211 Bonus E]

"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

Aug 18, 2019 • 11:36

Podcast Movement 2019 - Making Friends Will Make Podcasting Better [Episode 211D]

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'

Aug 17, 2019 • 7:43

Podcast Movement 2019 - A Little Hoarse & A Lot Of Awesome [Episode 211 Bonus C]

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,

Aug 16, 2019 • 11:15

Podcast Movement 2019 - As It Turns Out, I Don't Know Everything [Episode 211 Bonus B]

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

Aug 15, 2019 • 8:29

Podcast Movement 2019 - This Changes Everything [Episode 211 Bonus A]

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 w

Aug 14, 2019 • 9:11

What To Expect From Podcast Movement 2019 [Episode 211]

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,

Aug 12, 2019 • 7:57

Advancing Podcasting At Big Events - On Stage Or In The Audience [Episode 210]

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

Aug 8, 2019 • 13:03

Becoming THE Local Podcast Advocate [Episode 209]

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 meetupsPitch podcasting stories to your local TV news outletsAttend networking events that have nothing to do with podcastingAll of these suggestions work better -- much better -- when they are done on

Aug 7, 2019 • 12:37

How To Be A Not-So-Pushy Podcast Pusher [Episode 208]

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 y

Aug 6, 2019 • 12:07

Guiding & Mentoring Junior Podcasters With Honesty & Expertise [Episode 207]

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 mentor

Aug 5, 2019 • 12:38

Age & Treachery vs Youth & Skill In Podcasting [Episode 206]

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: Your own personal time horizon as a podcasterPart 2:The length of time it takes to make a better podcastPart 3: How long a podcast episode should beYou'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

Aug 1, 2019 • 12:55

The Long & Short Of Better Podcast Episodes [Episode 205]

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 cons

Jul 31, 2019 • 12:43

How Long Does It Take To Make A Better Podcast? [Episode 204]

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 acc

Jul 30, 2019 • 12:44

Expanding Your Podcasting Time-Horizon [Episode 203]

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 hea

Jul 29, 2019 • 12:17

Getting Your Mind Right About Becoming A Podcasting Professional [Episode 202]

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 podcastlevel-up the skills and abilities you already havesurround 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

Jul 25, 2019 • 10:59

Cultivate The Right Connections To Become A Professional Podcaster [Episode 201]

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

Jul 24, 2019 • 13:01

Upgrading Your Ability To Become A Pro Podcaster [Episode 200]

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

Jul 23, 2019 • 13:03

Turning Pro In Podcasting: A Reality Check [Episode 199]

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

Jul 22, 2019 • 11:31

Understanding Your Podcast's Most Important Growth Metric [Episode 198]

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 helpSocial media metrics have little to do with podcast successUnderstanding 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 t

Jul 18, 2019 • 12:06

Spying On Your Listeners Can Improve Your Podcast [Episode 197]

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

Jul 17, 2019 • 12:53

Can Social Stats Track Your Podcast’s Growth? [Episode 196]

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

Jul 16, 2019 • 12:07

Overcoming Download Depression Syndrome [Episode 195]

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://podcastpontificatio

Jul 15, 2019 • 13:03

Appeasing The Fickle Podcast Listener [Episode 194]

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 podcastThe 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 p

Jul 11, 2019 • 12:35

Turning Happy Accidents Into A Podcast Audience [Episode 193]

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 fil

Jul 10, 2019 • 12:57

Convincing Your Contacts To Listen To Your Podcast [Episode 192]

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 specialDon’t pollute the

Jul 9, 2019 • 12:58

Design Your Podcast for the 75% Who Don't Listen To Podcasts [Episode 191]

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 contextThey’ve no recognition of podcast app logosThey 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

Jul 8, 2019 • 12:35

Season Two Starts... Now! [Trailer]

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 podcastin

Jul 8, 2019 • 5:58

Will Time Change Your Podcast? [Episode 190]

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 pro

Jun 20, 2019 • 12:47

Should You Grow A Big Podcast Or Work To Build A Better One? [Episode 189]

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/2KV4qr8This 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 roa

Jun 19, 2019 • 12:57

Can Old Podcasting Dogs Learn New Tricks? [Episode 188]

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

Jun 18, 2019 • 12:57

Sharing Is Caring (About Your Podcast) [Episode 187]

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 follow

Jun 17, 2019 • 12:37

The Advancing Podcasting Party Wants YOU! [Episode 186]

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,

Jun 13, 2019 • 12:53

What SpaceX Webcasts Can Teach Podcasters [Episode 185]

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

Jun 12, 2019 • 12:13

Poking Holes In Your Podcasting Plan [Episode 184]

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

Jun 11, 2019 • 12:53

Are You Podcasting On Purpose? [Episode 183]

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” listenersWith 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 s

Jun 10, 2019 • 11:34

What To Do When You're Overwhelmed By Podcasting Changes [Episode 182]

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 g

Jun 6, 2019 • 5:16

Solving Podcast Discovery With Lists & Search [Episode 181]

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 resu

Jun 5, 2019 • 13:03

What Apple's Big Changes From WWDC19 Mean For Your Podcast [Episode 180]

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

Jun 4, 2019 • 13:03

Podcasters Are Making It Too Hard For New Listeners Wide [Episode 179]

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 -- quickl

Jun 3, 2019 • 12:40

3 Reasons To Make A Bold Podcast in 2019 [Episode 178]

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

May 30, 2019 • 12:34

It's Not OK For Your First Business Podcast To Suck [Episode 177]

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

May 29, 2019 • 12:17

Podcasting At The Top, Middle, & Bottom Of The Funnel [Episode 176]

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.

May 28, 2019 • 12:51

The Future Of Podcasting Might Be Stealing From Instagram Stories [Episode 175]

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 micr

May 23, 2019 • 12:47

Will The Algorithm Love Your Podcast? [Episode 174]

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 --

May 22, 2019 • 13:00

Making Room For Purposely Tiny Podcasts [Episode 173]

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 bu

May 21, 2019 • 12:58

What Business Podcasters Can Learn From Game of Thrones and the Indy 500 [Episode 172]

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 b

May 20, 2019 • 12:36

3 Tips To Perfect Alignment Between Your Podcast And Your Business’ Brand [Episode 171]

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

May 16, 2019 • 12:41

How To Produce A Podcast On Your Business’ Schedule [Episode 170]

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 publish

May 15, 2019 • 12:56

Going Business-First With Your Podcast Is A Smart Business Move [Episode 169]

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 pro

May 14, 2019 • 12:53

Is Podcasting Harming Your Brand? [Episode 168]

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 t

May 13, 2019 • 11:58

Google Just Made Podcast Websites Really, Really Important [Episode 167]

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 list

May 9, 2019 • 12:46

The Business Case For Ignoring Podcast Statistics [Episode 166]

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 qu

May 8, 2019 • 12:46

Canned vs. Fresh: (Podcast Intros, Not Veggies) [Episode 165]

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 podcast

May 7, 2019 • 12:52

Is Podcasting Wrong About Time-Shifted Media? [Episode 164]

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

May 6, 2019 • 12:58

How Facebook's Pivot to Privacy Will Impact Your Podcast [Episode 163]

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 differentiat

May 2, 2019 • 12:54

It's OK To Let Podcasting Changes Pass You By... For Now [Episode 162]

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 t

May 1, 2019 • 11:04

Free Podcast Hosting or SPHaaS (Subsidized Podcast Hosting as a Service)? [Episode 161]

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) c

Apr 30, 2019 • 12:07

A Podcaster's Guide To A Podcast Purge [Episode 160]

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 o

Apr 29, 2019 • 12:29

Podcast Copyright & Syndication In Conflict [Episode 159]

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 fe

Apr 25, 2019 • 12:44

Upgrading Your Podcast: Incremental or Overhaul? [Episode 158]

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 h

Apr 24, 2019 • 11:55

How Podcasters Can Win The Podcast App War [Episode 157]

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 work

Apr 23, 2019 • 12:24

Do You Need A Podcast Hygienist? [Episode 156]

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 si

Apr 22, 2019 • 12:02

Making Room For Dissent In Podcasting [Episode 155]

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 disag

Apr 18, 2019 • 12:16

Pitching Your Podcast To Non-Listeners [Episode 154]

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 ther

Apr 17, 2019 • 12:44

Leaning Into The Love Of Your Podcast [Episode 153]

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, mo

Apr 16, 2019 • 12:22

Downward Spiral From Leadership To Legacy [Episode 152]

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 le

Apr 15, 2019 • 11:59

The Growing Trend Of Not Subscribing To Podcasts [Episode 151]

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

Apr 11, 2019 • 12:19

Re-Establishing A Podfaded Show [Episode 150]

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 ro

Apr 10, 2019 • 12:25

Daily Podcasting: Should You Make The Switch? [Episode 149]

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

Apr 9, 2019 • 12:41

Broadcasters Killed The Podcasting Star [Episode 148]

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 underst

Apr 8, 2019 • 11:50

Control The Future Of Your Podcast [Episode 147]

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 th

Apr 4, 2019 • 12:40

Control The Listener Experience Of Your Podcast [Episode 146]

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

Apr 3, 2019 • 11:55

You Control The Quality Of Your Podcast [Episode 145]

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 th

Apr 2, 2019 • 11:43

Controlling Your Podcasts' Distribution [Episode 144]

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 select

Apr 1, 2019 • 12:27

Changes To Podcasting Are Just Getting Started [Episode 143]

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

Mar 28, 2019 • 12:37

Change Your Mind About Your Podcast [Episode 142]

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 yo

Mar 27, 2019 • 10:52

Change Your Podcast Hosting Relationship [Episode 141]

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 epi

Mar 26, 2019 • 12:07

Change Your Location, Change Your Podcast [Episode 140]

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 physic

Mar 25, 2019 • 12:03

APODCalypse Endgame: When Literally Everyone Has A Podcast [Episode 139]

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 inti

Mar 21, 2019 • 12:19

APODcalypse: What If Podcasting Fails... Again? [Episode 138]

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

Mar 20, 2019 • 12:02

APODCalypse: The Downfall Of Free Podcasts [Episode 137]

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 app

Mar 19, 2019 • 12:40

APODcalypse: Sub-Audible Keyword Stuffing? [Episode 136]

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 vi

Mar 18, 2019 • 12:14

Focus On Business Goals With Your Podcast [Episode 135]

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 yo

Mar 14, 2019 • 12:36

Focus On Your Audience [Episode 134]

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 cha

Mar 13, 2019 • 12:26

Focus on One Topic All Season Long [Episode 133]

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 Abor

Mar 12, 2019 • 11:55

Focus Collaboration For Focused Audience Growth [Episode 132]

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 excel

Mar 11, 2019 • 12:47

Exploring Podcasting's Explosive Growth In 2018 [Episode 131]

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,

Mar 7, 2019 • 13:06

Picking Sides In The Politics Of Podcasting [Episode 130]

"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 recogn

Mar 6, 2019 • 12:31

How Big Money Will Limit & Grow Podcasting At The Same Time [Episode 129]

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 gett

Mar 5, 2019 • 12:13

Open Rate: Podcasting's Forgotten Metric [Episode 128]

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 e

Mar 4, 2019 • 12:42

Stop Not Marketing Your Podcast [Episode 127]

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:PlanningCreativeBudgetYou 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,

Feb 28, 2019 • 12:37

Stop Competing With Your Guests [Episode 126]

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, an

Feb 27, 2019 • 12:26

Stop Ignoring Your Podcast's Sound Quality [Episode 125]

"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 compe

Feb 26, 2019 • 12:16

Stop Trying To Run Ads On Your Podcast [Episode 124]

"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 th

Feb 25, 2019 • 11:47

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

Feb 22, 2019 • 12:28

Podcasting Intrapreneurs Wanted [Episode 123]

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 - Seria

Feb 21, 2019 • 12:25

Getting Past Podcasting's Linear Past [Episode 122]

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

Feb 20, 2019 • 12:20

Do Subscriptions Help Or Hurt Podcasting? [Episode 121]

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 th

Feb 19, 2019 • 12:25

Upping The Sound Quality Of Podcasts [Episode 120]

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 e

Feb 18, 2019 • 11:29

The Coming Wave of Custom Podcast Apps [Episode 119]

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 compellin

Feb 14, 2019 • 12:32

Are Podcasts Worth Paying For? [Episode 118]

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 inve

Feb 13, 2019 • 12:33

The Future of Video In Podcasting [Episode 117]

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 episo

Feb 12, 2019 • 12:47

Live Podcasting Is Not Dead Simple [Episode 116]

"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 RightsWhil

Feb 11, 2019 • 12:23

"Spotify Is Changing Podcasting! What Should My Podcast Do?" [Episode 115]

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

Feb 7, 2019 • 12:50

Podcasting's Unlikely Social Sharing Savior: Spotify [Episode 114]

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 rem

Feb 6, 2019 • 11:33

Pride, Prejudice, & Podcasting [Episode 113]

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

Feb 5, 2019 • 12:05

Moving Podcasting From Big Joke To Big Deal [Episode 112]

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

Feb 4, 2019 • 12:36

Your Podcast Needs A Loyalty Program [Episode 111]

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? N

Jan 31, 2019 • 12:44

Podcasting Needs Better Standards [Episode 110]

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-th

Jan 30, 2019 • 12:42

How To Stop Google From Ignoring Your Podcast [Episode 109]

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 f

Jan 29, 2019 • 12:40

Acute Solutions to Chronic Problems of Listener Growth [Episode 108]

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 larg

Jan 28, 2019 • 12:40

When Robots Attack Podcasting! [Episode 107]

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 gob

Jan 24, 2019 • 12:18

Unmeasurable Metrics: Seeking Serendipity [Episode 106]

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

Jan 23, 2019 • 12:27

The Art of Being Specifically Selfish [Episode 105]

"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 p

Jan 22, 2019 • 11:44

It Will Never Be Easier To Make A Good Podcast [Episode 104]

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 efficienc

Jan 21, 2019 • 12:18

Exposing Your Business' Podcast To The Public [Episode 103]

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 yo

Jan 17, 2019 • 12:55

How To Convince Your Boss To Send You To A Podcasting Conference [Episode 102]

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

Jan 16, 2019 • 12:35

Will Podcasting Ever Become A Growth Channel? [Episode 101]

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 v

Jan 15, 2019 • 12:37

Finding Your Groove & Escaping The Rut [Episode 100]

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

Jan 14, 2019 • 12:05

Are You Making A Podcast or A Can Of Beans? [Episode 99]

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

Jan 10, 2019 • 12:32

Building Resilience Into Your Podcast [Episode 98]

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

Jan 9, 2019 • 12:31

In Defense of Seasons [Episode 97]

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 exi

Jan 8, 2019 • 12:31

From Streaming Audio To Revenue Streams [Episode 96]

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 deci

Jan 7, 2019 • 12:47

Promoting Your Podcast To The Clueless [Episode 95]

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

Jan 3, 2019 • 12:23

Why A Business Podcast Is Better Than A Website [Episode 94]

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 g

Jan 2, 2019 • 11:36

2-Question Web-Presence Test [Episode 93]

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

Dec 20, 2018 • 12:26

Eliminate The Bad Sounds [Episode 92]

"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 m

Dec 19, 2018 • 12:43

First & Last Impressions [Episode 91]

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 Yours

Dec 18, 2018 • 12:56

Title, Description & Image [Episode 90]

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 sayi

Dec 17, 2018 • 12:29

2 Reasons Podcasters Should Love The Idea of RAD [Episode 89]

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 i

Dec 13, 2018 • 12:24

Podcasting Pillars for 2019: Character, Conviction, & Conceit [Episode 88]

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 la

Dec 12, 2018 • 11:56

10 Reasons Why You Are Not In Control Of Your Podcast [Episode 87]

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 medi

Dec 11, 2018 • 12:59

How Disney+ Will Impact Podcasting [Episode 86]

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.

Dec 10, 2018 • 11:30

Podcasting's Missing Porn Problem [Episode 85]

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 mediumCultivating/sharing content is hard in podcasting - That was central to making sites like Tumblr a huge porn magnetDirect money collecting is cumbersome in podcasting -- Not so in pornSome of these

Dec 6, 2018 • 12:49

Using VC Money To Quit Your Day Job [Episode 84]

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 on

Dec 5, 2018 • 12:50

Podcasting's Holiday Paradox [Episode 83]

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

Dec 4, 2018 • 12:43

The Best New Year’s Resolution For Seasoned Podcasters [Episode 82]

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

Dec 3, 2018 • 12:23

Entanglement with Podcasting's Gatekeepers [Episode 81]

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 happ

Nov 29, 2018 • 13:11

600K+ Reasons Podcasters Can't Organize [Episode 80]

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 ecos

Nov 28, 2018 • 12:46

Ignore Most Today & Focus On The Best For Tomorrow [Episode 79]

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 RightsWhile Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisi

Nov 27, 2018 • 13:16

Cooking Up A Podcast With Leftovers [Episode 78]

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 i

Nov 26, 2018 • 12:54

Podcasting Is The New Book Publishing [Episode 77]

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. (Be

Nov 21, 2018 • 13:07

Play For Free Or Pay Your Fee? [Episode 76]

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 Abort

Nov 20, 2018 • 12:15

Stop Obsessing Over Dedicated Podcast Listening Apps [Episode 75]

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 lis

Nov 19, 2018 • 12:51

Learning (And Teaching) New Things For (And On) Your Podcast [Episode 74]

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:S

Nov 15, 2018 • 12:37

Your Podcast Is Bigger Than Your Feed [Episode 73]

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 RightsWhile Americans overwhelmingly support the right o

Nov 14, 2018 • 12:34

Has Google Given Up On Podcasting? [Episode 72]

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-se

Nov 13, 2018 • 12:42

Searching For Your Podcast's Niche [Episode 71]

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

Nov 12, 2018 • 12:38

Don't Let A Hacker Steal Your Podcast [Episode 70]

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.

Nov 8, 2018 • 12:59

Merging Your Way To Podcasting Competency [Episode 69]

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 thei

Nov 7, 2018 • 12:33

Is The "Just Launch" Mentality Bad For Podcasting? [Episode 68]

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

Nov 6, 2018 • 12:34

Niche-ing Down On Daily Podcasts [Episode 67]

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 Ho

Nov 5, 2018 • 12:26

Relating America's Car Obsession To Its Dominance In Podcasting [Episode 66]

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 desti

Nov 1, 2018 • 12:44

No, Podcasting Hasn't Jumped The Shark. But... [Episode 65]

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 s

Oct 31, 2018 • 12:52

EATing Your Way To A Successful Podcast [Episode 64]

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, lookin

Oct 30, 2018 • 12:41

Don't Micromanage The Future Out Of Your Podcast [Episode 63]

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 adv

Oct 29, 2018 • 12:40

Atomizing Your Podcast [Episode 62]

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

Oct 25, 2018 • 12:21

What NOT To Put In Your Podcast Outro [Episode 61]

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 co

Oct 24, 2018 • 12:17

Podcasting Over The Intranet? [Episode 60]

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

Oct 23, 2018 • 12:36

Overcoming Podcasting's Creativity Paradox [Episode 59]

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

Oct 22, 2018 • 12:38

Embracing Podcasting's Punk Rock Roots [Episode 58]

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 pun

Oct 18, 2018 • 12:41

The Art Of Renting Out Your Podcast [Episode 57]

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 w

Oct 17, 2018 • 12:38

You, We, and The Audience Makes Three [Episode 56]

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

Oct 16, 2018 • 12:04

Choose Your Own Future, Podcaster! [Episode 55]

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 do

Oct 15, 2018 • 12:24

The Rise And Fall of Podcast SEO [Episode 54]

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

Oct 11, 2018 • 12:44

My Podcast Can Beat Up Your Facebook Live [Episode 53]

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 "watch

Oct 10, 2018 • 12:58

What's The Frequency, Podcaster? [Episode 52]

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

Oct 9, 2018 • 12:37

In Support of Single-Issue Podcasting [Episode 51]

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

Oct 8, 2018 • 12:27

Building Community for Your Business Podcast [Episode 50]

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

Oct 4, 2018 • 12:35

Science Says Monkey With Your Podcast [Episode 49]

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 f

Oct 3, 2018 • 12:26

Podcast Experts Are Not Your Friends [Episode 48]

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

Oct 2, 2018 • 12:44

Podcasting Like An Influencer (Even For Your Business) [Episode 47]

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

Oct 1, 2018 • 13:10

The Real Line That Divides Podcasters [Episode 46]

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

Sep 27, 2018 • 12:39

Stealing Money To Pay For Podcasting [Episode 45]

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 star

Sep 26, 2018 • 12:52

Exploring Podcasting's Effort Hockey Stick [Episode 44]

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 mone

Sep 25, 2018 • 12:42

You've Launched Your Podcast. Now What? [Episode 43]

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

Sep 24, 2018 • 12:47

Marketing your podcast to the TOP! [Episode 42]

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

Sep 20, 2018 • 12:43

I Think We Have Business Podcasting All Wrong [Episode 41]

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" approac

Sep 19, 2018 • 12:25

The BFR Approach to Podcasting [Episode 40]

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 implemen

Sep 18, 2018 • 12:50

Podcasting's Growth: Bigger Audience or Just More Playgrounds? [Episode 39]

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 epis

Sep 17, 2018 • 12:43

Sept 12 2018: The Rise of Skynet of Podcasting? [Episode 38]

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 co

Sep 13, 2018 • 13:04

From Penny Press To Podcasting Powerhouse [Episode 37]

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 w

Sep 12, 2018 • 12:45

Podcasting Your Way Through Your Existential Crisis [Episode 36]

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:

Sep 11, 2018 • 12:53

How Apple and Twitter Are Disrupting Audio [Episode 35]

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? L

Sep 10, 2018 • 12:37

Yes, Netflix Will Save Podcasting [Episode 34]

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 o

Sep 6, 2018 • 12:43

Is Your Business Podcast Worth $100,000? [Episode 33]

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

Sep 5, 2018 • 12:55

IAB Compliance Won't Save Podcast Advertising [Episode 32]

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

Sep 4, 2018 • 12:34

Do We Need Physical Therapy for Podcasts? [Episode 31]

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 objecti

Aug 30, 2018 • 9:26

Podcast Discovery In 2026 [Episode 30]

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,

Aug 28, 2018 • 12:38

You Say Podfading Like It's A Bad Thing [Episode 29]

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

Aug 27, 2018 • 12:42

Your Strategy Is Showing, Podcaster! [Episode 28]

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

Aug 23, 2018 • 12:52

What Iron Man Can Teach Podcasters About The Future [Episode 27]

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 th

Aug 22, 2018 • 12:32

Pitch or Launch It? How To Start A New Podcast [Episode 26]

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 sho

Aug 21, 2018 • 12:33

The Bad News About Social Media Marketing & Podcasting [Episode 25]

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

Aug 20, 2018 • 12:27

Why RSS Feeds For Podcasts (Might) Need To Die [Episode 24]

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 sh

Aug 16, 2018 • 12:21

Apple Put The Kibosh On Gray Hat Podcasting Practices [Episode 23]

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 of

Aug 15, 2018 • 12:43

What Jerry Seinfeld Can Teach Podcasters [Episode 22]

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 t

Aug 14, 2018 • 12:10

Stop Podcasting Too Close To The Ball [Episode 21]

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

Aug 13, 2018 • 12:34

Can We Still Podcast In A Post-Apple/iTunes World? [Episode 20]

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 d

Aug 9, 2018 • 11:38

What Alex Jones Can Teach Podcasters [Episode 19]

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

Aug 8, 2018 • 12:41

Nice Podcasters Finish First [Episode 18]

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 RightsWhile Am

Aug 7, 2018 • 12:38

The Secret To Growing Podcasting Is More IHNIs [Episode 17]

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'

Aug 6, 2018 • 13:00

Podcasters: Stop Making Sh**ty Show Notes! [Episode 16]

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. -----

Aug 2, 2018 • 12:14

Is Google Podcasts Making A Play For Everyone? [Episode 15]

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

Aug 1, 2018 • 12:26

5 Ways To Quickly Grow Your Business Podcast [Episode 14]

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 audieMentioned in this episode:Support For Abortion RightsWhile 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 Suprem

Jul 31, 2018 • 12:42

Are Conferences and Meetups Good For Business Podcasters? [Episode 13]

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 RightsWhile Americans overwhelmingly

Jul 30, 2018 • 12:43

Does Your Podcast's Brand Match Your Business? [Episode 12]

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 simp

Jul 26, 2018 • 13:04

There's More To Podcasting Than Just Interviews [Episode 11]

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 show

Jul 25, 2018 • 12:43

Perfection Isn't The Enemy of Podcasting [Episode 10]

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!Mention

Jul 24, 2018 • 12:28

Why You Should (Happily) Pay For Podcast Hosting [Episode 9]

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 s

Jul 23, 2018 • 11:59

Business Podcasters Need To Be Writers Too [Episode 8]

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

Jul 19, 2018 • 14:09