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Can video really be the number one way to grow your audio podcast? Our guests think so and we're going to find out why. 

Paid podcasts. There are many ways to get paid as a podcaster and now Apple and Spotify are launching their own avenues for podcasters to produce premium content. Beyond the differences like price setting, cost to the creator etc., all stuff bound to change over time, what does it really mean for your show? Join Ray Ortega, Dave Jackson, Paul Colligan, Effie Parks, and Bryan Barletta to help figure out what works for your show, in terms of monetization and how you might begin to navigate premium podcasting.

What can you do beyond simply publishing a podcast to find more podcast listeners?  Join Ray Ortega, Dave Jackson, Noel Davila, and Roger Nairn to chat about communities for your podcast, outside of your podcast itself, virtual podcast events, Spotify's growing market share, podcast awards and more. Watch this Round: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5WfUZupskmQ You can subscribe to the episode mailing list to get new Rounds delivered to your inbox automatically. Sign up, if you'd like to appear on a future Round. Thanks and I can't wait to see you at the Roundtable!

Does moving podcasts behind a paywall work? Will Apple be testing the waters? Join Ray Ortega, Dave Jackson, York Campbell, and John Lund to discuss subscription models for podcasts. Stories discussed on this Round Title: Apple Spotlight Main Takeaway: This sounds promising for the independent Podcaster, but will it work? url: https://podnews.net/update/apple-podcasts-spotlight Title: Apple Podcast Subscriptions Main Takeaway: Would this be a blessing or a curse for the Independent Podcaster? URL: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/apple-mulls-podcast-subscription-push-amid-spotifys-land-grab Title: Is Spotify’s big bet on podcasts failing? Main Takeaway: The battle of converting music listeners to podcast listeners continues. Will it be worth playing the long game to find success? And is the podcast audience big enough to warrant platforms branching out to have exclusive shows and content? URL: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/15/spotifys-big-bet-on-podcasts-is-failing-citi-says.html Title:  Media targets podcasts for takedown Main Takeaway: How far should podcast platforms go in censoring or taking down the spread of misinformation, and can it actually be done? URL: https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-conspiracy-theories-media-misinformation-social-media-b7bb0ace8a617af733357f6ee15aca03 Title:  The Story of the First Podcast Feed Main Takeaway: The long debated...first ever podcast. URL: https://podnews.net/article/first-podcast-feed-history Twitter dust up: "Mom and Dad are fighting…" https://twitter.com/davewiner/status/1352269149247066113 Title:  Public media owners agree to sell Pocket Casts podcast platform Main Takeaway: significant given it’s share of the market in comparison to other podcast apps URL: https://current.org/2021/01/public-media-owners-agree-to-sell-pocket-casts-podcast-platform/?utm_source=podnews.net&wallit_nosession=1 Title:  What is the Value of Platforms Anyway?...Or...The False Choice Between Reach and Revenue Main Takeaway: What Platforms Should do is boost your reach. Johnny Carson used to make careers overnight because everyone was watching. Being in Amazon makes it easier to be found, but may not boost your reach. A podcaster will either get a bigger audience, or get paid to join a platform. URL: https://audioinsurgent.substack.com/p/what-is-the-value-of-platforms-anywayorthe You can subscribe to the episode mailing list to get new Rounds delivered to your inbox automatically. Sign up, if you'd like to appear on a future Round. Thanks and I can't wait to see you at the Roundtable!

Netflix is going to make movies available as an audio only experience. Will this pull people away from podcasts? Join Ray Ortega, Dave Jackson, Elikqitie, and Lee Uehara to discuss some of the final podcasting stories of 2020. Watch this Round: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFKgG5VGrmk You can subscribe to the episode mailing list to get new Rounds delivered to your inbox automatically. Sign up, if you'd like to appear on a future Round. Thanks and I can't wait to see you at the Roundtable!

If you created 500, three episode, podcasts, would you be the number one podcaster? This seems to be Spotify's approach with Anchor but does it work? Is it valuable? Are they really 'dominating' podcasting?  Join Ray Ortega, Dave Jackson, Angela Connor, and Zack Jackson to music podcasts, getting your show in shape and other stories in podcasting. Title: Spotify says it’s dominating the podcasting market because of a million-plus tiny podcasts Main Takeaway: I'm skeptical. url: https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/2/21755151/spotify-podcasts-anchor-stats-data-wrapped-2020 Title: Text to Podcast Company Launches  Main Takeaway: Does a service like this make podcasting a turn-key commodity? I wonder if by selecting a narrator and having content read and turned into podcasts if there is a real connection with listeners. Is this just a way to make podcasting the new “content marketing?”  This may be okay for brands I suppose. I just think a connection with hosts being “real people” can really make a difference. Their website mentions turning ebooks into podcasts, for instance. This is not to pick on the company or the idea - I’m just talking about authenticity with podcasts. Not content being read by a nameless male or female voice.  The call-to-action on their website is “Create podcasts from any content.” Really? Is that what podcasts should become?  URL: https://podcastbusinessjournal.com/text-to-podcast-company-launches/ Title: Apple Podcasts Names NPR’s Code Switch as It’s First Ever “Show of the Year” Main Takeaway: A podcast that focuses on one of the toughest topics for people to discuss, RACE, is named Podcast of the Year, which I think is phenomenal. I also started a podcast this year on a tough topic such as this - racial equality in the workplace - so this is something I’m excited to see happen. Also, the idea of “Show of the Year.” It’s the first but will it become Emmy and Grammy-like? What’s the criteria? Who decided? Was there a submission period? I didn’ t know this was happening and just think it’s worth discussing.  BTW, Code Switch is a really good podcast.   URL: https://www.npr.org/about-npr/940135424/apple-podcasts-names-nprs-code-switch-as-its-first-ever-show-of-the-year Title:  Why Carmakers Are Getting Into Podcasts and Audio Marketing Main Takeaway: We’ve talked a lot about advertising in podcasting, and it’s usually driven by companies inserting their ads into podcasts and paying the content creators based on the number of impressions. That sort of advertising has been around since the days of the newspaper (maybe earlier), but Hyundai and Ford are bypassing podcasters all together and making their own podcasts that are thinly veiled ads instead. Hyundai created a podcast where they interview musicians and take a “virtual audio tour” of their home city. They’re integrating all kinds of musical playlists on Spotify and visual elements on their website too. More interestingly though is Ford. They’re bringing back the Bronco and are advertising it through an 8-part “investigative” series called “Bring Back Bronco: The Untold Story”. If this sort of thing works, will companies start hiring podcast producers instead of paying for ads on established podcasts? Should we start pitching corporate podcast ideas and get some of that sweet sweet cash?  URL: https://www.adweek.com/media/why-carmakers-podcasts-audio-marketing/ Title:  Bill Gates teaming with actor and activist Rashida Jones for new podcast, ‘Ask Big Questions’ Main Takeaway: Can we just talk about how random this podcast is? From the article, “A mutual friend suggested the two might have a lot to talk about and the podcast idea was born.” I just started listening to the first episode, but I love Rashida Jones and I’m sure it’s fabulous. I love the idea of interesting people getting together and just creating something like this that is meant to be a limited run. With the pandemic, this seems easier than ever. Who else could we introduce? Kanye and the Pope? Jeff Bezos and the Dalai Lama? Who is your dream team?  URL: https://www.geekwire.com/2020/bill-gates-teaming-actor-activist-rashida-jones-new-podcast-ask-big-questions/ Title:  I analyzed 20 million Apple Podcasts star ratings. Here’s what I learned Main Takeaway: If you have more than four ratings you are better than 50% of the podcast. The average rating is 4.6 URL: https://blog.pacific-content.com/i-analyzed-20-million-apple-podcasts-star-ratings-heres-what-i-learned-d1599a5d0cec You can subscribe to the episode mailing list to get new Rounds delivered to your inbox automatically. Sign up, if you'd like to appear on a future Round. Thanks and I can't wait to see you at the Roundtable!

Have you heard you can use any music you want in your 'podcast' now!? Let's talk about the catch. Join Ray Ortega, Dave Jackson, Jordan Blair, and Bob Bender to music podcasts, getting your show in shape and other stories in podcasting. Stories discussed on this Round Title: Buzzsprout Adds “Locked” Tag Feature, Encourages Other Hosting Platforms to do the Same Main Takeaway: should be added to the RSS feed on all hosting platforms to prevent podcast pirates from making ad revenue from dynamically inserted ads. (Transistor has also announced support of podcast locking.) url: http://www.insideradio.com/podcastnewsdaily/buzzsprout-adds-locked-tag-feature-encourages-other-hosting-platforms-to-do-the-same/article_64a99b02-17a5-11eb-a6e3-4b3670ca346f.html Title: Use This Downtime To Get Your Music Business Affairs In Order Main Takeaway: Taking this opportunity of downtime to catch up on the business details of your show, along with fine tuning your craft, It’s a brand new and different world out there, and we’re all in unchartered waters, so there’s no better time to up your game as someone who’s entertaining others.  URL: https://www.businesssideofmusic.com/use-this-downtime-to-get-your-music-business-affairs-in-order/ Title: Spotify Launches New Audio Experience Combining Music and Talk Content Main Takeaway: Spotify’s new allowable podcast format seems to benefit podcasters whose topic covers music, but it all comes with quite a catch.  URL: https://newsroom.spotify.com/2020-10-14/spotify-launches-new-audio-experience-combining-music-and-talk-content/ Title:  The Virtual Music Conference May Become the New Norm Main Takeaway: Get used to the idea, that the virtual world may be what we’re possibly doing for the next 6 to 12 months. The live gathering is going to be slow in coming back. Such events as SXSW, NAMM Show, CRS, and other industry events are all planning on either postponing (or not continuing) their events, or taking it to an entirely virtual world. There’s a lot of solutions out there, its finding the one that’s going to work best for what you do, and attracting your audience (and keeping them). URL: https://www.businesssideofmusic.com/136-the-virtual-music-conference-may-become-the-new-norm/ You can subscribe to the episode mailing list to get new Rounds delivered to your inbox automatically. Sign up, if you'd like to appear on a future Round. Thanks and I can't wait to see you at the Roundtable!

Do you trust and value the opinion of your favorite podcast more than other media? If yes, why do you think that is?  Join Ray Ortega, Dave Jackson, Nicole Ackermans, and Elzie D. Flenard, III to discuss what makes a podcast trustworthy.  Watch this Round: https://youtu.be/75eyx7JcU7U You can subscribe to the episode mailing list to get new Rounds delivered to your inbox automatically. Sign up, if you'd like to appear on a future Round. Thanks and I can't wait to see you at the Roundtable!

We always want to know how to get more listeners but perhaps an even harder task is to get those who are already listening to send you feedback or interact with your podcast in any way. How do podcasters have more conversations with their listeners, how do they know who is listening? Join Ray Ortega, Dave Jackson, Scott Orr, Steph Paige, and Kennedy to discuss getting more engagement with your listeners.  Stories discussed on this Round Title: 38 percent of Americans listen to podcasts to improve their mood Main Takeaway: The value in podcasts is not just educational, what other benefits can we build in to the way we run our shows? Such as escaping their real world problems and improving their mood. What other types ‘f value’ can we give listeners? How about a sense of belonging and hope? URL: https://podnews.net/update/deezer-mood Title: GoodPods  Main Takeaway: I started using this app to listen to podcasts on and am loving how they are bringing a social media element to podcasting and fixing the discoverability problem in a community focused way. URL: GoodPods.com Title: Top Ways to Improve Audience Engagement Main Takeaway: Keyword in the title is Engagement. Podcasts are similar to any other form of social media, be it twitter, instagram, etc., in the way that if you are simply talking at people, interest will dwindle. But unlike other forms of social media, it can be easy to forget this, because of the nature of the platform of the podcast host/listener relationship. Engagement must be regular and continuous, both in ways throughout the podcast itself and on the platforms by which you promote the podcast.  URL: https://blubrry.com/podcast-insider/2020/08/17/top-ways-to-improve-audience-engagement Title:  Charging Your Guest an “Appearance Fee” on Your Podcast Main Takeaway: Don’t do it! Guest appearances should be mutually beneficial for both the host and the guest, and when you are charging guests, it is more likely than not that the quality of the content is being sacrificed in a number of ways.  URL: https://schoolofpodcasting.com/charging-a-guest-appearance-fee-on-your-podcast/  You can subscribe to the episode mailing list to get new Rounds delivered to your inbox automatically. Sign up, if you'd like to appear on a future Round. Thanks and I can't wait to see you at the Roundtable!

New podcasts are entering the space at a blinding pace. There were over 300,000 new podcasts added to Apple Podcasts in just the last three months. Are most of these podcasts making it past episode 7? Is there just a bunch of podfaded shows filling up the directories?  Join, Ray, Dave, Lee Uehara, and Kimchi Chow to discuss the impact of so many new podcasts.  Watch this Round: https://youtu.be/jKTgtzBvKVI You can subscribe to the episode mailing list to get new Rounds delivered to your inbox automatically. Sign up, if you'd like to appear on a future Round. Thanks and I can't wait to see you at the Roundtable!

Join Ray, Dave, Danielle Desir, Derek Graziano, and Aseloka Smith to discuss podcast ownership and recent podcast news. You can subscribe to the episode mailing list to get new Rounds delivered to your inbox automatically. Sign up, if you'd like to appear on a future Round. Thanks and I can't wait to see you at the Roundtable!

The public facing image of podcasting needs to look more like the podcasters who make up the medium.  Join Ray, Dave, Mary Nichols (DJ Fusion), and Brian Smith to talk about diversity and equality in podcasting, and a million podcasts in Apple Podcasts. You can subscribe to the episode mailing list to get new Rounds delivered to your inbox automatically. Sign up, if you'd like to appear on a future Round. Thanks and I can't wait to see you at the Roundtable!

Will tweeting your podcast episodes bring in tons of new listeners?  Join Ray, Daniel, Dave, and Effie to talk about how twitter can and can't help you grow your podcast audience.  Watch this Round: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prfVcG7oEYM You can subscribe to the episode mailing list to get new Rounds delivered to your inbox automatically. Sign up, if you'd like to appear on a future Round. Thanks and I can't wait to see you at the Roundtable!

We talk about the top 5 networks getting the majority of ad deals.  Join Ray Ortega, Daniel J. Lewis, Dave Jackson, Sarb Johal, and Kayden Taylor to chat about podcast ads, how COVID is affecting podcast consumption, the importance of having an introduction at the beginning of your podcast and having your podcast on YouTube. Watch this Round: https://youtu.be/XgNKRWIGEnE You can subscribe to the episode mailing list to get new Rounds delivered to your inbox automatically. Sign up, if you'd like to appear on a future Round. Thanks and I can't wait to see you at the Roundtable!

Does the name of your podcast tell the potential listener what the show is about? Can you be found in search?  Join Ray, Dave, Paul, and Amos to discovery optimization, new creative ideas for podcasts, and focusing on podcasts over live-streaming.  Watch this Round: https://youtu.be/xCZlnd4nBPc You can subscribe to the episode mailing list to get new Rounds delivered to your inbox automatically. Sign up, if you'd like to appear on a future Round. Thanks and I can't wait to see you at the Roundtable!

Are you stuck inside your house because of a global pandemic? Do you have a microphone?    Join Ray Ortega, Daniel J. Lewis, Dave Jackson and Bandrew Scott to chat about how your podcast studio has also become your work office and the unique challenges that might be placing on your podcast. Watch this Round: https://youtu.be/dkE3nWDGQHA You can subscribe to the episode mailing list to get new Rounds delivered to your inbox automatically. Sign up, if you'd like to appear on a future Round. Thanks and I can't wait to see you at the Roundtable!

Do you have subscribe buttons on your website? Which ones should you include? Which ones are being used?  Ray Ortega, Daniel J. Lewis, Dave Jackson, Suzy Buttress, and Andrew Wang to chat about getting more subscribers, networking with your podcast peers, podcast industry tensions and more. You can subscribe to the episode mailing list to get new Rounds delivered to your inbox automatically. Sign up, if you'd like to appear on a future Round. Thanks and I can't wait to see you at the Roundtable!

Does everyone have the potential to be the next big podcast? If you knew you weren't going to grow to be among the biggest podcasts listened to, would you avoid starting? Would you stop podcasting if you had already started? Join Ray, Daniel, and Trevor to discuss what kind of success you can expect when starting a podcast.  Subscribe ✅ http://youtube.com/podcastersroundtable The audio-only, podcast version, as well as all archived Rounds, can be found at http://PodcastersRoundtable.com/archives. You can subscribe to the episode mailing list to get new Rounds delivered to your inbox automatically 📬 http://eepurl.com/GnBwr Would you like to appear on a future Round? Sign up and let me know what you'd like to discuss http://podcastersroundtable.com/guest Thanks and I can’t wait to see you at the Roundtable!  

How do you find new podcasts? How do you help new listeners find your podcast? Join Ray, Dave, Daniel and Jared Sanders to chat about getting in front of a new ears (metaphorically;)).  You can subscribe to the episode mailing list to get new Rounds delivered to your inbox automatically. Sign up, if you’d like to appear on a future Round. Thanks and I can’t wait to see you at the Roundtable!

If you're a podcaster you've certainly made a mistake that you wish you could take back. With any luck, after this Round, you'll never make that mistake again or maybe you'll avoid it all together! Join Ray Ortega, Daniel J. Lewis, Kevin McKinney and Eric Broadbent to chat about our podcasting mistakes and why you might want to add video to your podcast or if you're a video podcaster or YouTuber, why you might want to get into audio only podcasting. You can subscribe to the episode mailing list to get new Rounds delivered to your inbox automatically. Sign up, if you'd like to appear on a future Round. Thanks and I can't wait to see you at the Roundtable!