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Today's podcast landscape is busy. So is it still possible to grow a really big podcast? Yes, but you can't rely on just good content and luck. You have to address these five realities. (And get a little lucky.) What does it take to have a really, really big podcast in 2022? It'll take more than just making great content. It'll take more than satisfying your audience. If you're not content to let your show grow over time, you have to do more.  Sorry, there isn't an easy-to-follow recipe to creating a really, really big podcast. If there was, everyone would follow it. But I can, perhaps, help you out with the mindset it takes to have a really, really big podcast today. Realize That Reality Trumps A BHAG If your goal is to have the number one podcast in your category, knocking the current leader out of their position, or to just the top 10 list, do you know what it takes to get on that list? Do you know what the shows that are already on the list have done to get there?  Maybe you've set a goal of 100,000 downloads per episode so you can monetize seriously. Cool. Do you have the first idea of what you need to do to make that happen? How did other shows do it? Are you banking on luck to get you there?  Become Undeniably Unique If you want to have a really big podcast that defines the category, it needs to be demonstrably different. You can't sit back and rely on guests or other contributors to do the heavy lifting. You have to put in the work.  And it doesn't stop with episodes. You have to ensure your undeniable uniqueness carries through to all aspects of your show: your website, your social media shares, heck even the emails you send. If that means changing how you communicate on other channels... well, that's a price to pay for having a really big podcast. Your Angle Is More Important Than Your Topic  Why should anyone listen to what you have to say on a topic? Especially if it's a topic that already is well covered, as most topics already are. To break out, you have to develop and pursue an angle that clearly demonstrates why you and your podcast are worthy of being called the authoritative voice.  This Is Going To Cost Money So Make Sure It's Worth It  Having a really big podcast today almost certainly means putting a sizeable marketing budget behind it. And by sizeable, I may mean jaw-dropping amounts of money on each of those. What's the payoff? Before you drop $10–15K per episode to engage a top-notch production firm or spend $50,000 per month on a promotional plan, you must have clear measurement systems in place that aren't based on hope. 5. Keep Your Eye On The Prize If you're investing seriously to get a really big podcast for yourself you need to ensure that your time and money are both well spent. If you're not seeing results quickly enough, or you're not seeing any at all, then prepare to make adjustments. Just because you put it in your plan doesn't mean it's going to work. In fact, many of the tactics and strategies you put in place won't work. So you'll have to adapt constantly.  That's what think it takes to have a big podcast in 2022. A very different list of things than what it took five years ago, I'm sure you'll agree. And it's completely disassociated from any advice that you might've received 15 years ago back when just keep plugging along was all you had to do to have a really good shot at making a big podcast.  ----- Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company) ----- Links ----- Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! ----- https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released

The next few months are looking pretty rough for podcasting. And just about every other industry. Historically, podcasting has proven itself to be rather resilient. But there are lean times ahead. Are you prepared?  #podcasting Photo by https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-pink-suede-long-waller-910122/ (Robert Bogdan from Pexels) Everything just looks... bad right now. War in Europe. A down market. High inflation. Personal liberties revoked. Even crypto is tanking. So to ask the question outright: can podcasting survive the coming storm?  Yes. But not because it's too big to fail. Because podcasting is too diverse to fail. First, some good news: I'm stoked to welcome https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomwebster/ (Tom Webster) to the https://soundsprofitable.com/ (Sounds Profitable) team. Both Tom and http://linkedin.com/in/bryanbarletta (Bryan) share in my commitment to make podcasting better, and you're going to love what we're cooking up. OK. Back to the bad news: I don't know a single serious podcaster who isn't looking at the world around them and wondering just how their world will change in the coming months. Me included. But I'm convinced that podcasting will survive simply because I don't see podcasting, or even podcasters, as a monolithic group. But that doesn't mean all podcasters will survive. Candidly, I think "big podcasting" will face the brunt of the onslaught, with casualties expected.  Faced with financial pressures, businesses start cutting costs. And one of the first line items to be cut is always advertising and marketing. And podcasting is often under that umbrella.  If you're getting paid to run ads on your show, you may see some of your advertisers pull back. So start having conversations with those advertisers now or your agency rep now. And be ready to be flexible and creative. If you're pursuing paid campaigns for the growth of your show, start talking to the other shows, sites, and services you advertise on to see what their plans are. And watch your performance metrics! If people or companies pay you to podcast on their behalf, start talking to your clients and help assuage their fears. And if you get the impression their commitment is wavering...at least you know ahead of time, right? If you work for a company in the business of podcasting, start talking to your bosses. Don't expect the CFO to lay everything out on the table for you, but it never hurts to ask. Gently, though. None of us know how this is going to play out. But it will play out, one way or another. Keep your eyes open. Plan for the worst but hope for the best. The coming recession won't kill podcasting, and I hope you, your show, or your services make it through to the other side. ----- Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company) ----- Links ----- https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomwebster/ (Tom Webster) https://soundsprofitable.com/ (Sounds Profitable) http://linkedin.com/in/bryanbarletta (Bryan Barletta) Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! ----- https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support....

Big tech provided podcasting's first shot in the arm in the early days. In fact, big tech often provided the catalyst for several inflection points in podcasting's history. But recently, the tide seems to be shifting.  https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-woman-using-virtual-goggles-8728379/ (Photo by Michelangelo Buonarroti from Pexels) Big Tech does not care about podcasting the way we care about podcasting. There. I said it. Rememberhttps://techcrunch.com/2022/03/04/twitter-podcast-tab-spaces/ ( Twitter's big podcasting plans) from just a few weeks ago? Now it's a pretty safe bet that those plans are all out the window as Twitter reshuffles to a new set of priorities now that there's a new sheriff in town.  And remember a few months ago when Facebook let ushttps://www.theverge.com/2021/6/16/22537023/facebook-podcast-rss-feed-publish-clips-pages ( link our podcasts' RSS feeds to our Facebook page)? That fizzled out, and it's now "Metaverse or bust". And now we're waiting to learn more abouthttps://podnews.net/update/youtube-podcasting-plans ( YouTube's plans for utter podcast domination). And we've conveniently forgotten about all other instances Google disappointed podcasting over the last two decades. Paid subscriptions on Apple and Spotify haven't yet been widely adopted by a majority of podcasters. Will those tech giants shift away? Social or drop-in audio apps are seeing appalling attrition and declining user rates. How much longer will those be around? All of this reinforces my notion that Big Tech does not care about podcasting. At least not the way that you and I care about podcasting.  So what do we do about it? Two ideas: 1. Out-rank apps & directories. You don't have to know a damned thing about SEO to own the #1 search spot for your show.  It's enough to write good content and create a fantastic on-page experience. 2. Own the relationship with your audience. That can't be taken away. But it means figuring out what you can create that's worthy of them signing up to receive and looking forward to receiving.  That's just two things. Two things you can start working on right away to keep you from being at the whims of changing priorities, tantrums, reactions to perceived governmental overreach, or anything else Big Tech companies are wont to do.  ----- Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company) ----- Links ----- https://techcrunch.com/2022/03/04/twitter-podcast-tab-spaces/ (Twitter's big podcasting plans) https://www.reuters.com/technology/exclusive-twitter-set-accept-musks-best-final-offer-sources-2022-04-25/ (What would you do with $44 billion dollars?) https://www.theverge.com/2021/6/16/22537023/facebook-podcast-rss-feed-publish-clips-pages (Facebook now imports podcasts' RSS feeds) https://me.mashable.com/tech/16636/facebook-is-reportedly-halting-its-podcasting-plans (Facebook pivots away from podcasting) https://podnews.net/update/youtube-speaks (YouTube's nothing burger event at Podcast Movement Evolutions) https://podnews.net/update/youtube-podcasting-plans (YouTube's plans for utter podcast domination) https://podnews.net/article/apple-podcasts-top-channels (Slow adoption of premium podcasting via Apple or Spotify) https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/spotify-greenroom-live-1235231178/ (Spotify shifting social audio attention) Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! ----- https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him

Everyone agrees that pre-produced, lifted-from-radio ads suck on podcasts, and that host-read ads are the clear winner. But is that true for every podcast? More importantly, is it true for your podcast?  https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/host-read-podcast-ads-arent-always-the-right-answer I think we put too much emphasis on the idea that host-read ads are the be-all end-all for podcasting.  Not that I have any doubts about the https://soundsprofitable.com/update/good-data-back-to-basics (myriad case studies and the reports) that provide ample evidence to the fac that yes, podcasting's host-read ads beat the pants off of just about every other form of audio advertising. The reason host-read ads work really, really well is not because the host of the show is reading out the ad. Yes, I know that sounds weird.  But it's not the host reading that does it. It's the audience trusting the recommendations of the host.  A host-read ad is—and I know I'm oversimplifying, but not much—a recommendation. A powerful one, but that power only extends so far. It's delineated, more or less, by the domain of the topics and issues discussed on the podcast.  I'd be heavily influenced by a car recommendation from the host of a car podcast. But life insurance? Nope. I'd listen to a birder podcaster tell me what binocular to buy. But their opinion on patio furniture is less important.  And don't forget the myriad fiction, news, or straight-up educational podcasts where there isn't a strong and central host. In all of those cases, there's not even an option for a true host-read ad.  Keep that in mind and look closely at the type of show you're producing before you assume that ad types other than host-read aren't applicable. They might be. And they might work even better. ----- Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company) ----- Links ----- https://soundsprofitable.com/update/good-data-back-to-basics (Podcast advertising case studies) https://twitter.com/Clew_less/ (Andrew Clews)  https://twitter.com/dbwilldo (Don Burnside) https://www.motoringpodcast.com/ (Motoring Podcast) https://www.whiteroofradio.com/ (White Roof Radio) https://twitter.com/Suzy_Bee (Suzy Buttress)  https://casualbirder.com/ (The Casual Birder Podcast) Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! ----- https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode: Captivate.fm Whether you’re a new or veteran podcaster, if you’re serious about audience growth then Captivate unique feature set and proven, deep-dive education should be the next thing you try. Get a 7-day free trial and access to Captivate’s Podcast Growth Labs at Captivate.fm. https://podcast-pontifications.captivate.fm/captivate (Captivate.fm) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy

Podcasting's purveyors of picks and shovels—the myriad service providers that make our space an actual industry—are filled with smart people. But smarts only gets you so far. What's needed is experience.  I have a pointed, actionable message for everyone who works in the business of podcasting. If you work in the business of podcasting, you need to be a podcaster.  If you're feeling called out right now, relax. I'm not advocating for your immediate dismissal. My position is that you should want to have your own podcast, either a solo show or a group effort, because being a podcaster will make you better at your job.  It will accelerate your career trajectory. It will increase your value, present and future, and it will make you all the more resilient and able to withstand the upheaval our industry faces every single day. By becoming a person who works in the business of podcasting and is a podcaster, you'll gain a greater appreciation for the role you play in the podcast ecosystem at your job that no amount of training can ever provide.   By becoming a person who works in the business of podcasting and is a podcaster, you'll have more than just an appreciation of the effort it takes to put out a podcast; you'll gain empathy for the clients of your company who do. That empathy will lead to understanding, and understanding will make you more efficient and more effective because you'll know the crux points faced as a podcaster because you too faced them as a podcaster.  But I do not care what your show is about, where you host it, and even if you can grow it. Sure, start on a free hosting platform. Collaborate if you can. But also try your hand at every aspect. Start with free tools. Spend time hanging out in online communities.  All of that is valuable experience. Just don't worry about making a hit, finding sponsors, or landing big guests. All you have to do is learn what it truly means to make a podcast. I assure you that doing so will make you that much more valuable to the podcast-related company you work for today, as well as podcast-related companies you might work for tomorrow. ----- Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company) ----- Links ----- https://www.apple.com/mac/garageband/ (GarageBand) https://www.audacityteam.org/ (Audacity) https://www.descript.com/ (Descript)  https://hindenburg.com/products/hindenburg-pro/ (Hindenburg Pro) https://www.adobe.com/products/audition.html (Adobe Audition)  https://www.avid.com/pro-tools (Pro Tools) https://www.canva.com/ (Canva) https://help.twitter.com/en/using-twitter/spaces (Twitter Spaces) Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! ----- https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode: Captivate.fm If you could save more time during your podcasting processes and put that time into audience growth, how big could your podcast be? Captivate’s dynamic show notes builder cuts the average podcaster’s show notes creation time down by 90%, and it's free to all podcasters hosting with Captivate. Get a...

Fishing where the fish are is a solid strategy, so using similar podcasts to promote your podcast is obviously a good idea, right? You bet! But like any marketing effort, what you put in determines what you get out. Cross-promotion has been a part of podcasting since there were two podcasts. Cross-promo campaigns make up the backbone of growth plans for large podcast networks and are used by some of the biggest podcasters to increase the size of their audience.  Let's start with a successful podcaster who spends $10,000/month on a successful cross-promotional campaign. But maybe you only have $1000 in your budget. Or $100. Will it still work for you? Yes, but about 100 times less well.  According to http://dzohrob (Dave Zorhob), co-founder and CEO of Chartable, the new listener acquisition rate for cross-promotions was 0.75%. Not 75%. Point-seven-five. Less than one percent.  With 10,000 impressions of your promotion, that's 70–80 new listeners. With 1000 impressions, it's seven to eight new listeners. And with only 100 impressions, you'll be lucky to get one new listener. So why do podcasters do this if the math sucks so bad? At scale, that math works fine and it doesn't suck at all.  Acquiring a lot of new listeners for $3 each makes sense if the impressions they generate over the course of a year are worth $7.50 or more. And that is precisely why big shows and big networks spend big bucks on effective cross-promotional campaigns. To increase their available and saleable inventory If your show is on the smaller scale, or if you're not selling ads or have another hard outcome with your podcast that you can directly trace back to increased listenership, then the scale problem is real and probably out of balance for you. But that doesn't mean that you should give up on running a podcast cross-promotion! A new listener or two is a new listener or two. Just understand the realities. And don't expect your listener numbers to skyrocket unless you've got big bucks to spend. ----- Sponsored by: https://evoterra.link/captivate (Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company) ----- Links ----- Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! ----- https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode: Captivate.fm Whether you’re a new or veteran podcaster, if you’re serious about audience growth then Captivate unique feature set and proven, deep-dive education should be the next thing you try. Get a 7-day free trial and access to Captivate’s Podcast Growth Labs at Captivate.fm. https://podcast-pontifications.captivate.fm/captivate (Captivate.fm) This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy

One of the ways we make podcasting better is by holding the people who work in podcasting accountable for doing better. I'm using my induction into the Podcast Hall of Fame to shine more light on that. Image courtesy of http://twitter.com/sheila_dee (Sheila Dee) In case you missed the memo, I was inducted into the https://podcasthof.com/hall-of-fame/ (Podcast Hall of Fame) last weekend. For those who don't have ~2 hours to watch the video hosted on Libsyn's account of the entire event, I've isolated out just my bit for today's episode. I talked a bit about the various perspectives of the people in podcasting. But the main thrust of my talk was about the perspective of people who are aware of podcasting but still aren't picking up what we're putting down. What do we look like to them?  It's great that https://www.edisonresearch.com/the-infinite-dial-2022/ (the diversity of podcast listeners is now nearly matching and in some cases exceeding the diversity of the overall country). But that's just listeners. Creators and service providers still over-index on the old white dude scale.  I'm doing what I can to change that by leading by example. I no longer apply to speak at podcast conferences because I don't want to force a well-meaning conference organizer to choose between me or someone from an underrepresented group to be on the stage. Someone whose ideas, work, and opinions deserve to be heard by more people. I'll speak at conferences if invited, but only after I do my homework. If (when)the headshots of other speakers aren't sufficiently diverse, I make them invite speakers from underrepresented groups. And if they refuse or are unable to comply with my request, I turn down the offer to speak. I've much the same attitude when I interact with my peers in the podcasting industry, and I don't shy away from calling my fellow old white dudes out on their bullshit or their bad behavior.  I'm not virtue signaling here. I call them out because I've been there, spewing similar bullshit or exhibiting similar bad behavior. A friend of mine once said to me, "You get away with so much because you're Evo." She was right. That wasn't good. And it's up to me to do better. I'm trying every day. And because it was an awards speech, I thanked a bunch of people, like: http://twitter.com/sheila_dee (Sheila Dee), https://www.facebook.com/michael.mennenga (Mike Mennenga) https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathanialunwin (NJ Unwin) https://twitter.com/TeeMonster (Tee Morris) https://twitter.com/markjeffrey (Mark Jeffrey) https://twitter.com/scottsigler (Scott Sigler) https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069795018864 (Chris Miller) https://www.linkedin.com/in/timlwhite/ (Tim White) https://www.linkedin.com/in/brantsteen (Brant Steen)  https://linkedin.com/in/podcast411 (Rob Walsh) https://twitter.com/GaryLeland (Gary Leland)  https://twitter.com/jaredeasley (Jared Easley) https://twitter.com/dmfranks (Dan Franks) https://twitter.com/1LanceAnderson (Lance Anderson)  http://twitter.com/bkkgreg (Greg Jorgensen)  https://twitter.com/Global_Gaz (Ric Gazarian) https://twitter.com/alushlifemanual (Susan Schwartz) https://twitter.com/Daughterpick (Allie Press) http://twitter.com/walkersam (Sam Walker) http://twitter.com/bryanbarletta (Bryan Barletta) http://twitter.com/jamescridland (James Cridland) http://twitter.com/libsyn (Libsyn) https://www.captivate.fm/ (Captivate) https://maps.fm/ (Maps.fm) https://scribl.com/ (Scribl) the https://mobile.twitter.com/bipoccreators (BIPOC Podcast Creators) community, ... and the myriad people and companies I couldn't squeeze in. (Did I mention I was over time?) ----- Other Links http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout)  Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the...

I give you, the serious podcaster, lots of things to think about. Not just about the future of podcasting, but how you can make podcasting better. Now I'm giving you another gift: some of your time back. Image via https://www.rawpixel.com/image/139790/premium-photo-image-megaphone-loud-adult (RawPixel) This is the final episode of Season 4 of Podcast Pontifications. Yes, that's quicker than anticipated. But don't fret, because Season 5 of Podcast Pontifications will start on Wednesday, March 30th, 2022. And new episodes will drop every Wednesday following that!  But only Wednesdays. As I've been hinting about in the last few episodes, this show is... a lot. And you've already got a lot going on as a serious podcaster. Asking you to spend 10 minutes listening to me, reading me, or watching me four days a week... it adds up. And I really want you to think about how the questions and concepts I bring to you on each episode impact your life as a podcaster. And it'd be great if maybe you could even put them into practice! I'm not making that easy to do when I'm shoving another question or idea into your brain 24 hours later. So starting Wednesday, my philosophical deep-dives into the most pressing questions about podcasting for serious podcasters will switch to a weekly format. I've shopped this around to a few people, including many I engaged with last week at Podcast Movement Evolutions 2022. So far, every single person I've shared this with has breathed a sigh of relief. They too are busy and it's been hard for them to keep up with the fire hose of content I shove out four days a week.  Moving to a weekly publishing schedule means more great news: no month-long summer break for me in June, my birthday month (though if you want to buy me a present, feel free), and no Long Winter's Nap to where I don't put out episodes during November and December of each year. Nope. Weekly means weekly, and you can count on new episodes or newsletters (or both if you're really a fan) dropping every Wednesday morning at the standard publishing time you've grown accustomed to; 10:00 AM Phoenix time.  If you're one of the few who opts to pay for a subscription(thank you very much for your support) on https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-pontifications/id1438981144 (Apple Podcasts), https://open.spotify.com/show/7JqIHVGhX2FaRYNQE6AkBp?si=a50c59ccf91e4011 (Spotify), or via http://buymeacoffee.com/evoterra (Buy Be A Coffee), you'll get the episode/newsletter a few hours before anyone else. So if you'd like to support the show and be an early bird, you have options! Again, the first season of Season 5 of Podcast Pontifications will drop on Wednesday, March 30th, 2022. New episodes weekly after that.  Thank you so much for listening to, reading, or watching me pontificate about podcasting all these years. I'm excited to keep on doing that, but now at a more sustainable frequency. I shall be back directly with yet another Podcast Pontifications. Cheers! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy

When people complete your latest podcast episode, what do you want them to do? Reflect on your brilliance? Bask in a sense of satisfaction? Or would simply remembering what you said 5 minutes later be enough? Making your podcast memorable isn't easy. There isn't an easy-to-fill-out template or checklist to get you there.  Even if you do manage the herculean feat of making a truly memorable episode, your memorable episode is in direct competition with dozens of other pieces of content your listeners are exposed to that very same day. And we quite literally cannot keep everything in our active memory.  So what's the trick to making memorable podcasts? Here are a few practical tips that I use that you too can use  1. Have a schtick. I know it sounds gimmicky. But if people are memorizing repeatable parts of your show, there's a good chance they'll remember other parts of your episodes too. 2. Be about one thing. If your format allows it, try to keep your episode to just one topic. Even if you have an interview show, you can ask your guest about just one thing. (And you can always invite them back to talk about more things!) 3. Reinforce and repeat. Don't assume the nuggets you or your guests drop will be picked up. Call them out. Make a big deal out of them. And then end with a recap of the key point for good measure. 4. Less is more. What you found fascinating in creator-mode may seem tedious and even boring to those listening in enjoying-content-mode. Try to take an objective listen before you make your final edits. 5. Don't flood your audience. By that I mean don't give them more to think about than they can handle. I've been guilty of this on Podcast Pontifications but I'm finally doing something about it starting next week.  Stay tuned for more! ----- Links https://evoterra.link/vocalize (Vocalize Inc) http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout) Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! ----- https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy

Podcasting is an audio-first medium consumed on devices that have built-in microphones. Yet the listening experience is reliant on eyes and hands. What would a voice-only listener experience look like?  https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/a-glimpse-of-podcastings-voice-only-future Building on my talk with the CEO of https://evoterra.link/vocalize (Vocalize), today we'll explore a "what if" scenario where podcast listeners only have to use voice commands to control their podcast listening experience.  Let's first focus on the idea of reserving a memorable phrase for your podcast that when spoken aloud with intent or accompanied by an activation phrase does more than just take someone to your podcast. Can it drop them into where they left off? If they're caught up, could it recommend a different podcast from your network? Or an episode of a different podcast where you were the guest? I know such a service seems fantastical. And I'll grant you that today it is. But I don't think it always will be. Today, we type in URLs—secret phrases—to get to a destination. It's not really a stretch to consider tomorrow we'll be able to speak a secret phrase—likely a different secret phrase than the URL—to get to a destination. Should I also register make podcasting better? Or maybe Evo Terra's podcast? And will the system be smart enough to offer suggestions or request clarification if the spoken phrase isn't an exact match?  One of the first tricks a solid voice-enabled podcast listing experience has to figure out is how to navigate through the episodes of the show. That's not going to be easy. But using voice commands to navigate within an episode might be. Commands like start, stop, and skip variety seem like low-hanging fruit, along with volume up, rewind 15 seconds, or even get details. Implementing these base-level, common interactions to a voice-only mode would solve the sudsy hands or back pocket problems of podcasting.  Again, I'm spitballing here. I know it's a lot of work to make this viable happen. In fact, I think the bet is it will happen. And when it does, I think it will certainly make podcasting better. (Trademark Evo Terra! Just kidding.)  ----- Links https://evoterra.link/vocalize (Vocalize Inc) http://wannagetaway.com (wannagetaway.com) http://tires.com (tires.com) http://whoownswhoinpodcasting.com/ (whoownswhoinpodcasting.com) http://ihearthin.gs/ (ihearthin.gs) https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/carglass-inc (OttoRadio)  http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout)  Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! ----- https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy

More ad dollars flowing into podcasting is generally seen as a good thing. Yet niche podcasters don't see very much of it. Yes, there are "riches in the niches," but only if your podcast is attractive enough. Podcasting has a healthy and growing industry set up to serve the needs of both the big-money advertisers and the podcast publishers who get the lion's share of the more-than-a-billion dollars spent on podcast advertising.  But that industry doesn't work all that well for podcasters on a smaller scale. Nor does it work for many potential advertisers and sponsors with more modest budgets.  That doesn't preclude niche shows or smaller would-be sponsors from participating in podcast advertising and sponsorship. It just means those niche podcasters have to be little scrappy. And they can start by making their podcasts more attractive to potential sponsors.  Here are five ways you might go about doing so. 1. Know Thine Audience. Deeply. Set up a survey, like https://www.edisonresearch.com/edison-research-podcast-listener-survey/%5C (the template) gifted to podcasters by Edison Research. Set up an online group, community, or forum. Or start a newsletter. You can learn a lot by just email domain names. 2. Have A Commitment To Quality Does your show present itself well? If they select a random episode—or your most recent—will it sound, look, and feel like something they'll want their brand associated with?  3. Have A Brand Story To Tell Spending money in an unexplored channel is a little scary, regardless of the size of the budget. So you might need to prime the pump by putting brand messages on your show so the brands you want to work with have a clear idea of what their money gets them. 4. Ask For The Sale Yes, put a sponsor or advertiser inquiry page on your website. But also put your sales hat on and start making phone calls, sending emails, and brushing up your LinkedIn profile as you go on the hunt for dollars. 5. Grow Your Podcast's Audience Yes, some brand-based sponsors are going to want to know how many people your podcast reaches. Advertising and sponsorship is often a numbers game, but so is talking to the right audience in the right way. Grow wisely.  ----- Links https://evoterra.link/vocalize (Vocalize Inc) https://www.edisonresearch.com/edison-research-podcast-listener-survey/%5C (Podcast listener survey template) via Edison Research http://podcastpontifications.com/survey (Take the survey for Podcast Pontifications) http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout)  Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! ----- https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy

Podcast advertising has much greater recall than other forms of ads. But how many times have you forgotten a URL, a coupon code, or even the name of the advertiser when you were ready to take action? Podcast advertising is hard. On all sides of the equation if I'm honest. One company, https://evoterra.link/vocalize (Vocalize Inc)., is trying to change that. They're the Branded Benefit Sponsor this month, and here's what CEO CJ Silva told me their up to and how they are working to make podcasting better: Vocalize makes it easy for people to remember how to connect with brands. No memorizing URLs. No clunky coupon codes. Instead, listeners speak a memorable phrase into their phone—like Nike's "just do it"—to get where they need to go. And no more spending tens of thousands to get people to search for competing products and services. In essence, Vocalize is creating a bunch of "speakeasies" where podcast listeners have a secret phrase to get content. Perhaps exclusive content. Content that they can't get any other way. Click-based advertising in podcasting. But this just might be a better analog for us to get behind. We all remember jingles phrases from when we were little kids. We all sing. Or we repeat them. We find them stuck in our brains. For years. Vocalize uses that same capability within humans, giving them something that's easy to remember. Something that they'll be able to recall—and use—at any time. But you probably don't have the Vocalize app installed. They get that and is why they're focused on getting their SDK baked into apps that podcast listeners use every day, getting us closer to a future where listeners can not just talk back to the podcast they love, but use voice-enabled tech in a unique and novel way.  ----- Links https://evoterra.link/vocalize (Vocalize Inc) CEO https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-silva/ (CJ Silva) http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout)  Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! ------  Podcast Pontifications is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released four times a week, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted by https://twitter.com/evoterra?lang=en (Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.net (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it value-for-value, and http://podcastpontifications.com/support (there are many ways to show your support).  This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy

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? This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy

Sometimes the advancements we see in podcasting look pretty small compared to the hype we see and hear about in other forms of media. Would you be better off jumping ship to try the Next Big Thing?   I love distractions. I think it's healthy for podcasters to explore new tools, technologies, and other nifty things that live on the periphery of podcasting. But don't get so distracted you lose sight of why you are here—to podcast. For the most part, podcasting has proven to be a rather resilient medium. Many of podcasting's purported disruptors have either fizzled out or remain little more than a curiosity. So to will the next Remember enhanced podcasting? It's been here in various forms since 2006. And on the surface, it's a compelling idea. But the fact that listeners don't have to watch or engage with their devices as they enjoy a podcast episode is one of podcasting's strongest features. It's not a weakness to be exploited. Clearly. That "pivot to video" that's been predicted for the last 16 years also has failed to happen. I'm not ignoring the huge successes of video-empowering companies like YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and others. But for similar reasons, podcasting hasn't pivoted to video. And likely won't. Social audio's entry onto the stage was fortuitous. Being lockdown for a couple of years had many craving real-time human interaction drop-in audio could provide. But producing a fun live call-in show and producing an engaging podcast episode are two very different things. And the predicted mass migration away from podcasting to producing shows exclusively on social audio platforms never materialized over any of drop-in audio's ongoing iterations. And it likely won't. And then there's the VR, AR, and metaverse movement. As much as I'd love to have a heads-up display projected onto my iris or be able to check out for a few hours in the middle of the day to a virtual beach in the tropics... none of that is going to replace podcasting. Not anytime soon.  So yes, enjoy the bleeding edge, podcaster. Get out there and explore. Just don't make such a big bet on any of those distractions that you lose sight of your podcast. Podcasting has resilience. Don't lose it. ----- Links http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout) Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications).  Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! ----- https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy

Podcasters love regular listeners. And regular listeners love their podcasts. Dependability on both sides has been a driving and differentiating factor for podcasting. But is that still a good thing? When the book I'm reading ends, I go get another book.  With millions of choices for me to read, there's never a time when I can't find anything to read.  When the series I'm watching ends, I go get another TV series. With hundreds or maybe even thousands of shows I can watch, there's never a time when I can't find anything I want to watch.  When I'm in the mood for a new movie, I'm spoiled for choice, and there's never a time when I can't find a new movie to watch. There's a lot of content at our fingertips. More content than any one person can hope to consume. People start and finish dozens or hundreds of books, tv shows, and movies every year. But a lot fewer podcasts. Not podcast episodes, which easily get to the hundreds. But discrete, podcast titles or shows. Why is that? I have a hypothesis. Edison Research's Infinte Dial report tells us that you can count the number of "shows" the average listener is actively consuming on one hand. And the most common type of podcast is the episodic, ongoing show. The type of show that doesn't give a chance to say "Well, that's over, so I guess I gotta go find something new to listen to." Episodic podcasts don't have the terminal nature of books, television series, or movies. They don't have a finite end-point. They don't have a natural conclusion. There's no "the end" experience with forces listeners to hunt for something else to fill their time. Not with most episodic podcasts. They. Just. Keep. Going. For months on end. For years.  Podcasting is different from other media forms. They've adapted to provide their consumers a "get this and then get this when you're done" content fountain.  But much of podcasting is still built around the "get this and then never leave mode".  But I wonder for how long? Perhaps we'll learn more about that when the https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-infinite-dial-2022-tickets-290830069567?aff=edisonsocial (2022 Infinite Dial by Edison Research comes out next week).  ----- Links https://www.edisonresearch.com/the-infinite-dial/ (Edison Research's Infinite Dial reports) http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout) Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications).  Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! ------  Podcast Pontifications is a production of http://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released four times a week, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted by http://twitter.com/evoterra (Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.net (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it value-for-value, and there are http://podcastpontifications.com/support (many ways to show your support). This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy

The tools podcasters use are constantly changing. But we tend to ignore changes to a critical piece of our podcasts: the podcaster. Has your podcast changed to keep up with changes in your own life? I half-jokingly asked a fellow podcaster and friend the "what do you want to be when you grow up?" question. Their immediate response was unexpected and worth exploring further. "The problem, Evo," they said "with people like us is that's the wrong question. We really should be asked, 'what do we want to be this year?'"  I feel that. In the 2 decades I've been podcasting, I've moved houses 11 times. I've raised a kid and now have grandkids. I've changed jobs five times. I've changed actual careers four times.  I'm clearly a different person. Which means my show has effectively changed hosts, right? Podcasting is like other media forms. When there's a brand new person at the helm, things are supposed to change. They have for me. And will continue to change for me.  Yet a lot of podcasts haven't changed much at all since inception. Maybe because of habit.  Concerns about disappointing or turning off listeners. Maintaining an excellent cash flow. Fear of the unknown. Or perhaps the show is hosted by someone who actually knew what they wanted to be when they grew up. Think for a moment about your own show and all the changes you've seen in your life, from family to job to hobbies.  Have you changed? And have you changed your show enough to match the person you are today? Would doing so make you happier? Would that re-energize you? Would that possibly re-engage your audience? And can you do it in a way that doesn't jeopardize the success you've already seen thus far?  if you look in the mirror and the person staring back at you isn't the same person you see in your head, it might be time to mix things up on your podcast.  ----- Links The https://www.bangkokpodcast.com/ (Bangkok Podcast)  http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout)  Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications).  Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today!  ------ This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy

Two decades and millions of podcasts later, it's likely what you want to talk about is already talked about. But if you're not afraid of doing things differently, you can still make a splash with your new show.  Photo byhttps://www.pexels.com/@belart84?utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels ( Artem Beliaikin) fromhttps://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-terrestrial-globe-scale-model-taken-1079033/?utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels ( Pexels) It's hard for anyone to keep up with all of the news about any given topic. Unless your full-time gig is keeping up with everything about one thing. For people who've acquired the podcasting habit, podcasting is where they often turn for a curated view of the important bits of their treasured topic. So podcasters like https://twitter.com/jamescridland (James Cridland) of https://podnews.net/ (Podnews) and https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmcc (Brian McCullough) of https://www.ridehome.info/show/techmeme-ride-home/ (Techmeme Ride Home) spend hours a day wading through a hundred and more articles, press releases, newsletters, emails, and other forms of inbound information every single day to create daily, timely episodes. Some tech services are now cropping up to help creators, either by helping them automate the "bulleted' nature of quick reads or by letting publishers re-publish podcast episodes multiple times a day so it's always fresh at the time of download. But helping people make sense of an avalanche of news with short-form episodes isn't the only business case for podcasters.  Consider for a moment the two- to three-hour episodes, some of the more popular podcasts put out every week. Or more frequently. That's the price of being in the club, right? But what about the people who do care about the facts or the thought leadership occurring on those long, rambly episodes. People who just don't have the 2–3 hours to commit to listening. Would they be interested in a distilled, just-the-facts version of those episodes? If the length of a popular podcast is a barrier for many, a bulleted, facts-reported-only version could approach and perhaps even exceed the size of the audience of the source show. Maybe your next podcast?  ----- Links https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/01/books/01podb.html (NYT piece on podiobooks from 2007) - https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/01/books/01podb.html https://podnews.net/ (Podnews) by https://twitter.com/jamescridland (James Cridland) - podnews.net/ https://www.ridehome.info/show/techmeme-ride-home/ (Techmeme Ride Home) by https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianmcc (Brian McCullough)- ridehome.info/show/techmeme-ride-home/ https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/07/business/media/axios-local.html? (New York Times piece on the growth and expansion of Axios) - nytimes.com/2022/03/07/business/media/axios-local.html? https://www.spooler.fm/ (Spooler) - spooler.fm/ http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout) - evoterra.link/buzz Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). - podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! - AdvancingPodcasting.xyz ------  Podcast Pontifications is a production of Simpler Media. New episodes are released four times a week, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted by Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter (twitter.com/evoterra) for more podcasting insights as they come. Allie Press (alliepress.net) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it value-for-value, and there are many ways to show your support. -...

Figuring out what type of podcaster you want to be is important to establishing your podcast. But have you thought about and established what kind of interviewee or guest you want to be on other podcasts? Photo byhttps://www.pexels.com/@padrinan?utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels ( Miguel Á. Padriñán) fromhttps://www.pexels.com/photo/illustration-of-gray-metal-chain-in-4-digit-form-1061139/?utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels ( Pexels) Guesting on other people's podcasts is a time-honored way to gain targeted exposure for you and for your podcast to podcast listeners. It may not be the growth hack of the century (spoiler: It's not), but it is a solid top-of-the-funnel activity likely worth your time. So how do you become a better podcast guest?  I don't have a pat "how to" answer at the ready. But I do have four questions you should consider that will help you boost your podcast interviewee skills.  1. Agenda or objective? An agenda means you have a few key talking points around a central theme. An objective means you have a clear call to action to push as often as you can. 2. Prep or go in cold? Prepping means you won't be hit out of the blue. But going in cold could make your answers and reactions sound more spontaneous and natural. 3. Short or long answers? Do you keep your answers direct and to the point? Or do you embrace meandering and anecdotes, leaving it up to the host or their editor to tighten things up as they see fit?   4. How accommodating will you be? Do you have only certain days or times when you can be available? Or do you have ultimate flexibility and can say "Whenever is good for you" to all requests, moving your schedule around as necessary?  Now, as I said, there aren't right or wrong answers to any of those questions. If you're curious how I'd answer: I almost always have an agenda, but rarely an objective I prepare for every guesting opportunity, but not obsessively I give way too long answers but am working on going shorter I'm very accommodating, but I have some hard blocks on my calendar so I can get things done ----- Links https://3clipspodcast.com/ (the podcast 3 Clips by Castos) http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout)  Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! ----- https://podcastpontifications. (Podcast Pontifications) is a production of https://simpler.media (Simpler Media). New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted byhttps://twitter.com/evoterra ( Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter) for more podcasting insights as they come. http://alliepress.ne (Allie Press) assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it https://PodcastPontifications.com/support (value-for-value) and there are many ways to show your support. This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy

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 byhttps://www.pexels.com/@charlotte-may?utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels ( Charlotte May) fromhttps://www.pexels.com/photo/young-cheerful-woman-listening-to-music-using-smartphone-5965926/?utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels ( Pexels) In The States, https://eshap.substack.com/p/fourth-estate-sale?utm_source=url (trust in traditional broadcast media is at or near an all-time low), a trend that has been happening since the 1970s.  And we're all keenly aware that, left to their own devices, the social media platforms we use every single day would serve their own interests far more often than they'd serve ours. Weirdly, podcasting doesn't follow those trends. Listeners report rather hard-to-believe trust scores for podcasts. A trust that's even extended to the ads played on podcasts. Why? Part because there's no algorithm deciding what podcast episodes someone should and shouldn't be exposed to. And because there aren't multinational media conglomerates vying for their share of a limited set of channels, frequencies, or shelf space on a newsstand.  But that's changing.  We're starting to see some of the same scenarios that predicated trust issues consumers have with other forms of media worming their way into podcasting. The rise of celebrity podcasters and other fast-growing personality-based podcasts are getting podcasts in the ears of 70% of the population who don't yet consume podcasts regularly. That's great! But is it good for the perception of trust in podcasting?  Take a look at any of the https://podnews.net/uploads/edison-podcast-ranker-publisher-q4.png (podcast) https://tritondigitalv3.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/PodcastReports/Dec%202021%20USA%20Ranker.pdf?utm_source=podnews.net&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=podnews.net:2022-02-18 (ranker) https://www.tritondigital.com/resources/podcast-reports (charts), and you'll find plenty of shows—incredibly popular shows—that you wouldn't consider all that worthy of your trust. Mainstream media is bringing the same biases and points of view that are staples of their broadcast content to their podcasts and networks.  Billions of dollars of investments in podcasting are consolidating voices, enabling more rapid production, and further siloing podcast content. But they're also getting podcasters, and people in the business of podcasting paid, which is also a Very Good Thing.  But I wonder about the cost to the trust podcasting has enjoyed thus far.  ----- Links https://eshap.substack.com/p/fourth-estate-sale?utm_source=url (Trust in traditional broadcast media is at or near an all-time low) https://www.edisonresearch.com/super-listeners-2021-from-edison-research-and-ad-results-media/ (People trust the ads and commercials they hear on podcasts) https://podcastpontifications.com/search?query=truth (Podcast Pontifications episodes on truth) http://analytics.podtrac.com/podcast-rankings (Podtrac top podcasts) https://www.tritondigital.com/resources/podcast-reports (Triton Digital podcast charts) https://www.podcastinsights.com/top-us-podcasts/ (Podcast Insights top podcasts)  http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout) Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications). Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting

Everyone leads busy lives, and the smart podcaster doesn't waste their audiences' time. But in your quest to tighten things up, don't forget to build in time to let your audience reflect as they listen. If there's an ongoing struggle between podcasters and podcast listeners, it is the conflict between breadth and depth. We're busy cranking out more and longer episodes. But what they want from us is to go deeper. And get to the point quicker. Yeah. That's a conflict.  So we podcasters often look for quick fixes, employing tools to make easy subtractions from our content. We re-record our long, rambly questions or aggressively tighten up every single pause and gap between sections. Because shoving more information in less time means more depth, right? No, not really. Part of going deeper is giving your audience time to reflect as they are listening. Like you, they're doing other things as they listen. So it's up to you to sculpt reflection points, using silence, bed music, repetition of words, or other effective ways to ensure the clarity of your message is delivered. Because going deep requires clarity, which means leaving room for clarity. So yes, tighten up where you can. But also leave room in your audio for reflection.  And remember that the parts of your episode where no one is talking are the parts where your audience's brains have a chance to get deeper into your episodes. That's how they feel like you're letting them be a part of the conversation. Build in time so that can happen. ----- Links https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/5-ways-to-serve-your-podcasts-listeners-future-needs (Five ways to serve the changing needs of your audience)  http://evoterra.link/buzz (Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout)  Got a podcasting service? https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information (Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications).  Serious about podcasting? Join the https://evoterra.link/app (Advancing Podcasting Community) today! This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy