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What matters more—consistency and content quality or marketing and promotion? Drawing from industry insights, podcasting trends, and our own experiences, we explore the strategies successful podcasters use to grow their audience!

Audio quality plays a crucial role in retaining podcast listeners, and we've got some valuable tips to help you achieve great sound without breaking the bank. Drawing parallels from the world of sports, we delve into the importance of self-review, sharing how listening to your own episodes can lead to a more polished and engaging show.

We also explore creative marketing strategies, discussing guerrilla tactics and the power of listener engagement to fuel growth, even when resources are scarce.

Links mentioned in this episode: 

• Podcast Marketing Academy's 2024 Podcast Marketing Trends
• The Offline World by Tom Webster
• Buzzsprout Conversations: Badr Milligan
• Buzzsprout Conversations: Kate Casey

Sound-Off: Tell us about your podcast and we'll come up with a unique marketing idea for you!

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As apps like BlogTalkRadio, Samsung Podcasts, and Google Podcasts exit stage left, new ones are stepping into the spotlight! We're reviewing a fresh podcast listening app, Queue, which is purported to be the "simplest podcast app out there".

Don't forget to submit your response to last episode's sound-off question: Have you ever experienced a podcasting pitfall? What did you learn from it?

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Are you unknowingly sabotaging your podcast? We’re diving deep into the biggest pitfalls that trip up even the most seasoned podcasters—and how you can avoid them. From stretching episode lengths (when is it too long?) to finding the right balance with ads, we tackle the choices that can make or break a show’s success.

Plus, we're thrilled about all the Buzzsprout podcasters announced in the Women in Podcasting Awards, Kevin gets excited about a cognitive study on speed-listening, and we recount our recent meetup in Nashville!

Links mentioned:

• David Hooper - Big Podcast
• Why Listeners Enjoy Sped-Up Podcasts
• 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winners
• Five Ways that Podcasters are Their Own Worst Enemy 

Sound-Off Question: Have you ever experienced a podcasting pitfall? What did you learn from it?

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We’re thrilled to introduce the brand-new Buzzsprout Home Dashboard! After 15 years of landing on the familiar Episodes screen, it’s time for a big upgrade. We’ll dive into how our native apps inspired this new experience and what the Home Dashboard brings to the table for all Buzzsprout users. From instant access to recent episodes and new pacing charts to curated resources to help you grow as a podcaster, this dashboard is designed to make daily podcasting easier. 

Share your thoughts on these updates through the fan mail link!

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In this episode, we explore the growing influence of podcasts in shaping public opinion and ask: Can podcasts sway elections more than traditional debates?

We dive into why presidential candidates, like Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, are hitting the podcast circuit, and how long-form conversations are changing the political landscape.

We also discuss the launch of This American Life Partners, their new listener-supported model, and the challenges facing the podcast industry with the rise of AI-generated content. Is AI a real threat, or can human creativity keep podcasts personal and authentic?

Links mentioned:

• The New Yorker: How Podcasts are Transforming the Presidential Election
• This American Life Partners
• Is AI a "Threat to the Podcasting World"?
• Vergecast: They're Called Podcasts

Sound-off Question: What are some things you've gone to in-person lately and what made it valuable?

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We're gearing up for the Buzzsprout meetup in Nashville! Our team can't wait to connect with fellow podcasters over tacos, drinks, and some cool swag at the Virgin Hotels Nashville on October 24th from 6:30 to 8:30.

Don't forget to RSVP!

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We're diving into Buzzsprout's latest feature: custom mid-roll placements! This update gives podcasters more flexibility and control over where ads and dynamic content are inserted into their episodes.

Then, we discuss the growing trend of political podcasting and how major figures like Kamala Harris on Call Her Daddy and Donald Trump on This Past Weekend w/Theo Von are leveraging this platform to engage with a younger, broader audience, akin to modern-day fireside chats. 

Also in this episode, we cover a surprising new AI tool called Golpo that generates entire true-crime podcasts.

Sound-Off Question: What are your feelings toward AI-generated podcasts?

Undeniably Good Podcast Episodes:

• Everything 80's: Calvin and Hobbes: The Story of the Beloved Comic Strip
• Talk Lit, Get Hit: Fifty Shades of Grey
• Buzzcast: The Day Podcasts Stopped
• The Dollop with Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds: The Rube
• Shell Game: Conversations with Myself
• Invest Like the Best with Patrick O'Shaughnessy: Tobi Lutke - Building a Modern Business
• Reply All: #102 Long Distance
• Jaded HR: You're an HR Analyst Harry!

Buzzsprout's 80's style YouTube video

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As the Buzzsprout team prepares for Hurricane Milton, we decided to drop this conversation from the upcoming episode of Buzzcast before the hurricane makes landfall. 

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Chartable is shutting down and rolling into Megaphone on December 12, so what should podcasters use instead? Alban and Jordan break down real Chartable alternatives and how to replace every feature without breaking your RSS prefix or your ad campaign tracking links. We compare OP3 (Open Podcast Prefix Project) for free, IAB-friendly podcast analytics and download tracking; Podgagement and Podstatus for ratings, reviews, podcast rankings, and social proof; and Podtrac for advertisers who need attribution tools, demographic data, and advanced analytics. We also cover Apple Podcasts’ Linkfire integration for smartlinks/smartpromos and deeper listener engagement metrics, plus how Buzzsprout’s follow page stacks up against third-party landing pages and directories.

You’ll hear exactly which key features, pricing models, and metrics each service offers, how to optimize your podcast marketing and podcast advertising, and what to do before those Chartable prefixes break. We talk demographics vs. audience data, episode comparisons, podcast charts, and making data-driven decisions to grow your podcast audience and retention whether you’re on Buzzsprout or another podcast hosting platform.

Our recommendations:

• OP3 
• Podgagement 
• Podstatus
• Podtrac 
• Linkfire for Podcasts 
  
  

Stick around for a quick update on Pocket Casts adding transcriptions, and help us out: send your favorite individual podcast episodes for a future segment!

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We cover a wide range of topics designed to help podcasters stay ahead in the ever-evolving podcasting industry. We kick things off with some major Buzzsprout updates, including our latest IAB 2.2 certification and Buzzsprout’s newly redesigned website customizer. Check out the websites created by Sparkling Life Coach, The Kids' Code Podcast, The Late Bloomer Actor, and The Writing Worship Podcast!

We then take a look at Google’s Notebook LM, how Acquired filled an arena with thousands of fans, and the growing trend of niche podcasts making big waves, like the HVAC School podcast.

Sound-Off Question: What is a podcast episode that is so undeniably good you could recommend it to anyone? (Based off the Something Large and Wild episode Kevin recommended to Alban)

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Buzzsprout Stats are IAB v2.2 Certified
• Google's NotebookLM
• Acquired Live
• Substack Decoder Interview
• HVAC School 
• Tom's Episode on Micro-Plastics
• Read Something Wonderful

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• Tweet us at @buzzcastpodcast, @albanbrooke, @kfinn, and @JordanPods

Thanks for listening and Keep Podcasting!