Podcast Pontifications

We don’t often hear stories from the business managers of podcasts, because they don’t have the sexiest of jobs. But it’s not an exaggeration to say they have some of the most important jobs. For example: ensuring the podcast business itself grows. That means monetization, which likely has its fingers in lots of other pies that make the podcast go.

The first thing a business manager needs to understand is the profit stream of the podcast: income and expenses. Profit (or loss) is the difference between income and expenses. And profits are what businesses often use to facilitate growth.

But it’s more complicated than simple addition. To really understand income and expenses, your podcast’s business manager will need to do two things you probably don’t want to do: categorize and forecast. Planning for growth requires some insight into how much money the podcast will make from advertising and how much the podcast will spend on freelancers over the next three months, by way of example. 

Armed with solid financial projections, a good business manager for a podcast will seek out opportunities. Income opportunities, obviously. Podcast advertising income, licensing, merchandising, paid gigs, direct listener support, sponsorship… the full gamut. Whatever your podcast’s income streams are, the business manager’s job is to point out ways teach stream ca be optimized or grown.

But the business manager will also seek out additional opportunities for income. A good business manager is always looking for new income streams based on activities the company is already doing.

You’ve probably heard the old adage “You gotta spend money to make money”, right? To truly take advantage of some of those uncovered opportunities, your podcast studio might need an upgrade. That costs money. To get more opportunities, you might need to spend money on a marketing campaign to raise the awareness of your podcast or your services. That also costs money. Maybe your website needs a complete and total overhaul. Maybe there's an opportunity for you to travel (when we can travel once again) to events. All of those things cost money, and the business manager of your podcast can tell you not only if you can afford to do it, but help you project the income that needs to come out of the other end to make it worth the expense.

If you’re serious about treating your podcast as a business, you need to get someone on board who is a serious business manager. A job for which they will require compensation.

If your podcasting is doing well enough that it covers all expenses and allows you to pay yourself a handsome wage, then your best course of action might be simply hiring a business manager. Make it a paid position, complete with a salary. 

But if you're like most podcasters who aren’t rolling in stacks of sweet, sweet cash, you can’t afford to pay a business manager. In that case, your best course of action is bringing the business manager on as a partner. Yes, your partner is going to own a portion of your podcasting business. That's their compensation. 

So how much ownership you should give up? I can’t tell you the right answer. But I can tell you that 40 - 50% ownership is not an uncommon deal. Make it 49% if you want to maintain majority control, that’s fine. Whatever number you choose, make sure it makes sense for both of you. 

If the opportunity is really there to seriously boost your podcast’s monetization and make it a true going concern, it’s probably worth it.

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Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/boost-your-podcast-monetization-with-a-business-manager

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting.

Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is designed to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

Given the state of our current divisions, podcasters don’t have to look too hard to find controversial topics to cover on an episode. And given what podcasters know about presenting topics to their audiences from behind the mic, firing off a hot take on a new controversy seems like obvious content for your next episode.

But maybe you have misgivings about this course of action. It takes a certain amount of self-awareness and restraint to tamp down our anger or desire to set the record straight. But if we’re to be responsible podcasters, we owe it to our audiences to do just that. These three questions can serve as a quick sanity check before you hit record on that hot take, podcaster.

1. Is this the truth? - It’s not enough that sounds truthful. You need to know that it is true. It doesn’t matter how much you want it to be true. It doesn’t matter how well it fits into your worldview. It doesn’t matter how badly you want to spread the message. None of that matters.

What matters is verifiable, objective truth. And the way you make that determination is by verifying the source. Don’t hide behind the “I’m not a journalist” position. You and I carry with us a device connected to nearly every bit of data that ever existed. In two minutes and a few finger taps, you can check the veracity of just about anything. Yes, even breaking news.

2. Is this necessary? - Not every topic is right for every show, and that gets more true the more a podcaster has niched-down their content. There’s an easy test for this question, though it’s in the form ofanother question: Does my silence on this topic make me complicit?

I’m not advocating silence. There are terrible and egregious atrocities that we might have a chance of addressing if there were more awareness. So If I feel that if I don't say something it makes me complicit, then I will absolutely say something. 

But for the vast majority of trending topics, my choosing not to give voice to my hot take doesn’t directly make me complicit. And if it doesn’t, then my hot take isn’t necessary. 

3. Am I the right messenger? - Do all the life experiences, demographics, genetics, and everything else that makes me me make me the right person to express this hot take?

I’m free to have an opinion on anything. And I’m free to express my opinion about anything. But I don’t have to do that.

Empathy is a different matter, and we shouldn’t lose sight of that. I don’t have to occupy the same socio/economic/demographic/genetics to bring forth an opinion that is in support of the plight others face.

But the reverse is not true. Cliche though it may be, I can’t be critical of someone else’s problems until I’ve walked a mile in their shoes. And I really don’t want to come off like a clueless old cis-gendered white dude. So no, I’m oftentimes not the right messenger. Simply because I don’t want to come off like a jerk. 

Not anymore, at least.

Over the weekend I finished up a huge project on PodcastPontifications.com that really improves the listener experience. Now you can browse by topics that you care about, with an easy (and much smaller) list of episodes to read, listen to, or watch. If you want to stay focused on, for example, the challenges of making an accessible podcast, all of those are now presented together. Or if you want to better understand the importance distribution strategies for your podcast’s episodes, they are there for you. Or maybe you want to dig into more esoteric topics like ethics in podcasting or self-care for podcasters, they’ve been collected. Or if you’re looking for some unconventional thoughts on growing your podcast, how to make money with your podcast, or the challenges of SEO for podcasts; have at it.

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Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcasting-a-hot-take-without-coming-off-like-a-jerk

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting.

Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is designed to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

I am a harsh critic. And I have no poker face, so you can clearly tell, either by sight or by sound, when I'm being critical. At least I used to be that way. I’m trying to be better.

Specifically, I'm trying to be less critical more often. I’m trying to internalize that phrase and make it my default behavior, which is quite a challenge for me.

I’m very good at triage, and that’s oftentimes a problem. With practically unlimited choices of content to consume, being able to quickly discern Things Worth My Time from Things Not Worth My Time is a handy skill. But it makes me kind of a nitpicking jerk.

I'm envious of people who can just listen to a new podcast for the first time with a smile and an open mind. Me? I hit play for the first time with a wince on my face, only relaxing if I’m pleasantly surprised.

As I embrace the new concept of being less critical more often, I’m changing how I listen to podcasts. In short, I'm only listening to podcasts that I enjoy. Surprisingly, that’s left me with ample time to discover new podcasts, not less. Go figure!

I cut my teeth in both the podcasting world and the publishing world at the same time, so I’m as braced for disappointment with books as I am with podcasts.

In an effort to being less critical more often about the materials I choose to read, I’m making better choices. As with podcasting, there are just too many books to read, so I’m staying close to some known-quantities.

Podcasting areas where I excel and have been able to productize have made me quite rigid. And while that dedication to a proven process is usually seen as helpful to clients, it’s not for everyone. That's not great for business. But worse than that, it's not great for fostering creativity. Creativity for the client as well as creativity for myself. I need to grow too. 

Recognizing that, I’ve done several things. One is working with a new partner (hi, Sam!) and am backing off of my hardline approach to my own processes and procedure. If we’ve a difference of opinion, I still voice that opinion. But unless their decision is objectively wrong, I leave the final decision to them. No one is going to bleed out over this stuff.

Whatever I get, either from clients or a new podcast recommendation, I treat as a gift. Some gifts, like those given by clients, I have to find a way to work with. There’s creativity in that. Other gifts, perhaps those given by strangers who don’t know my tastes and preferences, I don’t have to love. Or even keep. I just don’t have to be an asshole about it.

Most reasonable people are their own worst critics. I’m thankful I’ve spent the last 31 years with Sheila Dee, who often intervenes when I’m beating myself up way too much over something way too trivial. I ignored self-care for the vast majority of existence, and I can only implore you to find someone - perhaps a professional - to help you stop the self-pummeling, either physical or mental. 

Here’s the crux: Podcasting is supposed to be fun. Making content, even business-focused podcast content, should be fun. And yes, even if parts of it might get a little boring. Making a podcast is a creative process. Everybody involved in this industry, at least to some degree, is providing their own creativity. We forget that at our own peril.

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Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-benefits-to-podcasting-when-youre-less-critical-more-often

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting.

Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is designed to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

Doubts and suspicions about the content we make for public consumption are normal. We all have them. Even the most successful podcasters in the world have doubts about some aspects of the podcast episodes they're producing. 

While the totality of doubts one might harbor about their podcast are far too many to list, here are a few common ones you might have heard that little voice inside your head harping about:

Episode length - It’s quite natural for you to have a sneaking suspicion that your podcast episodes are too long, and that you're losing people because of the time commitment you require of them. Or maybe the nagging suspicion is that your podcast episodes are too short, and that you’ve somehow edited out all of the humanity from your show. 

Quality - Perhaps you doubt your ability to make episodes of a high enough quality to compete with other shows in your niche? You might have a nagging suspicion about your equipment. Or that you're not spending enough time making each episode nice and polished.

Boring bits -  It’s pretty common to have a nagging suspicion that your podcast’s episodes are boring, and you worry that might be a turnoff for some of your audience (or your potential audience). 

Running out of content - Podcasters new and old face all face the harsh reality of running out of things to talk about, people to talk to, or just having the energy to continue. 

Frequency - Is that little voice telling you that monthly episode releases are way too far apart? Or perhaps you’ve a nagging suspicion that putting out daily episodes is too much content for your audience - who are also busy - to consume? 

The healthy way to deal with these doubts is not to squash them or ignore them, but to give them voice.

To whom should to voice these doubts?  I’ve a few ideas.

Talk to your audience -After all, your doubts might directly impact your audience. But I would exercise caution with this course of action. Anytime you ask your audience for feedback, it’s almost always only the hardcore fans who will reply. And hardcore fans always and only want one thing from a podcast: more. 

Talk to your peer group - The benefits of having a good peer group where you (and they) can voice your concerns, tell them what’s keeping you up at night, and get reactions from cannot be overstressed. Start building one today.

Talk to an online group - Online communities can be good places to give voice to your doubts and suspicions. But I’m again going to exercise caution for you. How valuable is advice from random, unvetted strangers who also happen to have a podcast? 

Talk to the people who support you in real life - They may not be much help when discussing optimal frequency or the more technical aspects of making a podcast. But they do better understand your psyche and might help you refocus on why you decided to make a podcast in the first place.

You might find talking to any (all ?) of these groups quite helpful. More importantly, you’ll likely  find a healthy way to deal with the doubts you're having right now about your podcast. 

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Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-healthy-way-to-deal-with-doubts-about-your-podcast

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting.

Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is designed to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

It should come as a surprise to no one that the media we consume is polluted by misinformation and disinformation. Podcasting is part of that media mix, which means that podcasting has a similar level of misinformation and disinformation propagating through the podosphere.

Though I’m reticent to assign blame and am quite aware that correlation does not equal causation, there’s an argument to be made that the perceived increase in falsifiable claims in podcasting and all forms of media is due, at least in part, to a privileged class feeling threatened. There may not be (and there isn’t) a smoky dark room where monied old white men decide what podcasts get the most attention. But there are organizations with a vested interest (and power, and money, and influence) in keeping the status quo the status quo, if only to profit from others who also want the world to remain static. Or roll backward.

And once again, podcasting is not immune. When those threatened have a podcast, they shout louder. They become more reactionary. And willingly or unwillingly, they perpetuate the misinformation and disinformation. It’s in their immediate financial interest to do so. 

There's an old saying attributed to Theodore Parker that I, like many before me, am going to bastardize for my own purposes. Here it is:

“The arc of the moral universe is often crooked, but it bends towards justice.”

That means that bad things happen. There are setbacks. New atrocities will be dreamed up and inflicted upon groups of people. Yes, those things are true. But when examined in totality and on a long enough timescale, things tend to get better. Not all at once. And not for all people. Sometimes it takes years, decades, or centuries. But the trend towards justice does seem to exist.

And so while podcasting currently has (and always has had) a fair amount of misinformation and disinformation in it, and a fair amount of privileged class members feeling threatened by changes they are just now picking up on that have been rolling through society for some time; it is (or will be) trending towards justice.

There’s a growing movement inside the podcasting landscape working to curtail the misinformation and disinformation that permeates our medium. They certainly won’t make any friends with the privileged class, but they aren’t trying to make friends.

They’re taking a stand against the misinformation and disinformation often disguised by the privileged class as “opinions” or “just asking questions”. They're stepping up saying, “No, we won’t be a part of this”. They're banding together and taking their grievances up the ladder, trying to convince shareholders and stakeholders why misinformation and disinformation is damaging to the platform and organizational brand. And they’re seeing results. 

The activism we’re seeing in podcasting isn’t going away. This trend towards responsibility is a grassroots effort that will continue, as it has been continuing. So what are you going to do about it?

I see one of three choices you have to make.

1. You can help. You can help straighten the crooked path. You can actively fight the spread of misinformation and disinformation by simply not spreading it on your show. You can speak up when others in your sphere of influence fall short of that. You can work to change podcasting for the better.
2. You can get out of the way. Not everyone has the stomach for fighting. We need lots of podcasters making great content that has nothing to do with “the fight”. So yes, you can choose to not engage and step out of the way. 
3. You can get run over. The purveyors of misinformation and disinformation aren’t going to stop. But those actively fighting it will get better in their ability to detect falsehoods. They’ll be better equipped with more options to take action against shows and hosts who continue to distribute misinformation. So sure, you can get caught up in that if you want, I guess?

Remember the arc of the moral universe is often crooked, but it does bend towards justice. Even in podcasting.

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Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/we-the-people-are-changing-podcasting-for-the-better

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting.

Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is designed to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

Have you heard that Amazon Music now includes podcasts? Not knowing that means you somehow missed not only the news but also the email Amazon Music sent directly to you and every other podcast manager of the ~1,400,000 RSS feeds that make up the podcast ecosystem.

Yesterday was when they launched. By all reports, the updated Amazon Music service boasted 70,000 podcasts available at launch.

Seventy thousand sounds like a big number, but it’s less than 5% of the total podcast ecosystem. Missing 95% of the podcasts not hidden behind paywalls and completely accessible with public APIs is appalling. 

What happened? Podcasters just didn’t care enough to submit their shows to Amazon Music. That’s it. That’s the reason.

55 million people use Amazon music, and a good portion of them are committed to that app. It’s a safe bet that a lot of them listen exclusively to audio content through Amazon Music. If a podcaster isn’t willing to do that minimal level of effort of getting listed on a brand new platform with a sizable listener base, they have no business bitching about stagnating growth. It’s their own fault.

So why didn’t the podcast hosting companies automatically submit all of their clients’ shows to Amazon? I recognize that’s a contentious statement. I’m also fully aware of the historical complications and political ramifications of submitting shows to various directories without the express consent of the owner of the podcast. And I know that traditionally podcast hosting companies have taken a “we just host, you do the rest” approach.

But for Amazon Music there is no additional usage information provided by the service or app. The only wanted the RSS feed and perhaps a few other pieces of information that’s already contained in the account settings at the podcast host.

So let me be clear: There would have been no reasonable negative ramifications had a podcast hosting company automatically submitted all of their client’s shows to Amazon Music.

But unreasonable ramifications? Plenty. 

Not that it’s easy to do what I suggest. There are implications I’ve not thought about. So if you work for a hosting company are just waiting to fire off an angry “you don’t know what the flip you’re talking about, dude” email, relax. Consider this a thought exercise for next time.

Recently, Westwood One released the results of a survey of podcast listeners that highlighted the differences of reported podcast consumption habits based on how long the respondent has been listening to podcasts. It’s a long report, but quite eye-opening. It shows some indicators that long-time and heavy-use podcast listeners will find counterintuitive and contradictor to what actual listener data provided by podcast hosting companies show. The weirdness is really clear when you look at how people who’ve only been listening for six months reply. 

Are you focused on the new listener who’s not only new to your show, but new to podcasting all together? Or do you make and distribute your podcasts’ content the way you've always made and distributed our podcast’s content? Or do you make podcast content the way you want to make content? 

If you’re focused only on your needs, wants, and desires, you’re limited to an audience of sycophants. I hope you have a lot of them. 

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Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/are-podcasters-to-blame-for-podcastings-slow-growth

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting.

Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is designed to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

Abe Lincoln said that if he had six hours to chop down a tree, he'd spend the first four sharpening his ax. The quote’s apocryphal nature isn’t important. The sentiment is.

The idea that you should spend a significant amount of upfront time preparing to do a task is just good advice. In fact, it’s the ideal way to operate. Put another way: slow and deliberate preparation will allow you to execute elements of your podcast faster. 

But rarely do we live in an ideal world. Here’s a list of four approaches to planning and execution, with examples of how I’ve found my own podcasting efforts in each.

Fast Preparation / Slow Execution - Think of this as the “festering” quadrant. Activities that fall here will take a long time to complete (if they ever completed) because of (mostly) insufficient up-front planning. 

I recently found myself in this quadrant when I decide to (finally) create a YouTube channel just for the edited videos of Podcast Pontifications. A couple of Friday’s ago (or was it last Friday?), I took the plunge and started the task. I still have some ~300 videos to re-upload, so it's taking me a very long time to execute. And that’s OK, but only because I don’t have a time machine. This isn’t fun, but it is a reality.

Fast Preparation / Fast Execution - I call this the “today” quadrant because it’s where I live with this very podcast and this very episode you’re consuming. I chose the topic for today’s episode yesterday but didn’t do any real planning until this morning.  

I can get away with that because of the tight processes I’ve developed over time to get episodes of this podcast out on a consistent basis. The fact that it’s a short-form show with episodes on a single topic that require very little audio editing certainly works in my favor. I do not recommend living in this quadrant if you value your sanity! But it is called the “today” quadrant for a reason, so you might.

Slow Preparation / Slow Execution - If you take forever to implement a plan you took a long time conceiving of, you’re in the “limbo” quadrant. And that’s where good ideas go to die. 

In my case, I’ve yet to select an effective and efficient way to communicate with all of my clients en masse. For example, I need to let all of my clients know that Amazon Music now lists podcasts and that my team has already made sure their show is listed. Because I’ve been slow to select a solution, I’m forced to send out individual notes to all clients. Because I rarely encounter a situation like this, it’s not annoying me enough. So it goes into limbo. I've got other and better things to do with my time. 

Slow Preparation / Fast Execution - This is the sweet spot, where you take plenty of time getting ready, and then you quickly do the deed. 

The website for Podcast Pontifications is one example. I spent weeks looking through requirements, looking at examples of sites built with those solutions, talking to support personnel, interviewing current users of the solutions, and generally making sure that whatever solution I chose was going to be the right one for me. Then spent more weeks figuring out what pages I’d need, what elements I wanted to highlight, and then how to work best with the content management system and front-end to make it as easy as possible to update. 

After over a month of prep work, the execution to make the site live only took a few days. And I’m neither a web developer nor a designer.

Similar was my selection of newsletter vendors. I spent a great deal of time analyzing and investigating options, going so far as to completely re-work my approach to the newsletter after said investigations gave me new perspectives. Once I made my decision, I was sending newsletters within two days, having back-filled with enough content to make it compelling. And all that work on the newsletter paid off, as my show’s newsletter has become my fastest-growing distribution channel. 

But as great as the idea of slow preparation and fast execution is, I don’t always live there, as I’ve just illustrated. And I’ll never live there for everything. My reality is that I sometimes have to make decisions fast and implement them faster. I’ll always have nagging things that I’ll get to someday. Or non-nagging things that I may never get to at all. We all live in various quadrants all the time. So we should forgive ourselves when we find ourselves not working in that sweet spot of slow prep, fast execution. 

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Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/uncovering-the-tension-between-fast-slow-podcasting-processes

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting.

Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is designed to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

I’ve applied lots of filters to this audio. But if you’re able to detect the filters I applied to the audio, it means I did a bad job of applying those filters. Done right, most people should never know a talented(?) audio engineer was tinkering under the hood. 

But most often, when we apply filters on our Instagram photos, Tiktok videos, and even Twitch streams, we want them to be seen. I’m not talking color correction, exposure adjustments, or subtle enhancements. I’m talking puking rainbows and giant eyeballs that a nocturnal lemur would be jealous of.

Where are the fun filters in podcasting? Sure, we can pitch the voices on the episode up or down or make equalization changes. But that’s not fun. Worse, too many adjustments tend to mask or muffle the information being conveyed, making it difficult to hear what’s being said. 

Have you ever tried to recreate a filter from TikTok or Instagram by using an image editing tool like Photoshop? It’s possible, But doable for the 37 photos you want to post on the way to the parking lot? Not so much.

The same holds true for the digital audio workstations (DAWs) we used to make podcast episodes. We could apply literal bells and whistles to our audio files, but it just takes too long.

Also; podcast episodes don’t last a few seconds. They last minutes. Sometimes hours. If your favorite podcaster found a way to add in a fun filter, would you still find it fun after 15 minutes? Two hours? I'm skeptical anyone would find listening to an hour-long episode voiced by a convincing Roger Rabbit all that compelling

Looking at the mediums where fun filters have been a success, they share one thing in common: incredibly short formats. Perhaps that’s what is needed here: an offshoot format of podcasting designed around short-form, heavily-filtered content.

I know of quite a few apps floating under the radar that are exploring this nascent niche. Some are laser-focused of building “TikTok for audio”. Others are experimenting with making better use of the microphone on the mobile phone that's with us every moment of the day. 

Would the addition of fun filters be the piece that’s been missing from new short-format audio apps? Would content made and shared with one-touch fun audio filtering create community and (oh gods) virality seen in the image and video sharing space? I’m not sure. 

But I tend to not bet against creative people. I think there might be an opportunity to do something like that with podcasting. But I know I’m not the guy to come up with it. Predicting the future is hard. So is figuring out what will click with the next generation of listeners. So I’m not counting this out.

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Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcasting-through-rose-colored-glasses-bunny-ears

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting.

Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is designed to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

Not all mistakes made in the process of making a podcast are bad things. Sometimes, these inadvertent errors can be a gift. To help illustrate that, I’ve chosen 10 completely random examples of probable mistakes that might happen to you as you podcast, along with ways to embrace them as a hidden intention. 

Publishing Your Podcast Episode On The Wrong Day Or Wrong Time Of Day - There’s no reliable mechanism to unpublish an episode of a podcast and publish the exact same file again later. So instead of freaking out and beating yourself up over your error, use it an opportunity to learn how a change in time impacts your metrics.

Skipping A Plugin In The Mastering Chain - Maybe you forgot to add in noise reduction or some other filter or plugin you always use. Well… did it sound better to you? Did it sound better to your audience? Their opinion just might change yours.

Adding/Removing Too Much Space Between Segments - Sometimes you’re in a hurry or you accidentally click and drag a segment out of place, changing now long bed music plays before the VO part announces the next segment. The episode probably sounds weird, with that one bit sounding quite different than the rest of the program. But does it sound good? Is the change of feeling, now that you’ve heard it, something worth exploring? 

Promoting With A Full-Length Audiogram Instead Of A Clip - It’s easy to accidentally make an audiogram out of your entire episode instead of the short clip you had highlighted. And if the social destination you’re publishing on will allow it, your audience might see a 30-minute long audiogram from your show in their timeline. Did you stumble across a new publishing platform that at least some of your audience prefer? Or do you have new content you can upload to longer-form video platforms that helps your show stand apart?

Your Podcast Guest Isn’t A Good Fit For Your Show - You may very well find yourself with a guest that just doesn’t fit. Maybe they weren’t vetted properly. Maybe they’re just “off” that day. But are they saying interesting things? Can you find a way to use the content they are giving you for a different episode, perhaps one you haven’t even conceived of? See if you can make something out of it later, maybe as a bonus episode.

Recording Without Your Favorite Microphone - Every one us has a microphone we carry with us everywhere. While no one is going to confuse the depth of sound captured by an SM7B with the built-in microphone on any cell phone, they work in a pinch. What can you capture on your phone in the field that you can use to build a great episode when you get back in your studio?

Losing Access To Your Sound Library - You may find yourself without access to your trusted library of music, effects, and loops. Now what? Maybe this is an opportunity to try one of the newer services. Or if you’re really in a pinch, you now have an excuse to revisit the Freesound project, if only until you have the time to carefully vet new services. 

Losing Access To Your DAW - I know it’s been a while, but free software like Audacity is still out there, and you still remember how to use it. And sometimes, doing “less production” is an interesting break for you and your audience. 

When “Oh Shit, I’m Recording TODAY?!” Happens - Through a fluke of scheduling, you’ve nothing lined up. No guest. No well-researched topic. So… lean into it. Riff on a topic all on your own. Respond to some listener feedback. Talk about future plans for the show. Don’t try to fake a normal episode. instead, take the opportunity to give your audience something different from you and the show.

You Forgot To Socially Promote An Episode - At some point, you’ll forget to kick off the promotional process you’ve developed. Examine the data for that episode compared to others. Are you getting positive responses from people thanking you for not flooding your social profiles with promotional messages they just see as noise? How will that change your future promotional plans?

Not All Errors Are Created Equal - Some things that are “wrong” are just that: wrong. And you should fix them. But for non-factual errors or glaring mistakes, treat other boo-boos that happen on your podcast as a gift. Maybe they were your hidden intentions all along.

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Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/thats-not-a-podcasting-mistake-its-a-feature

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting.

Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is designed to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

You want your podcast to be successful, don’t you? You want it to grow, don’t you? You want your episodes to reach as many people as they can, don’t you? Of course you want those things. All podcasters want those things.

Almost by definition, working on critical things puts us working podcasters in crisis mode. We’ve no time for fluff, context, theory, and nuances. We want the meat, plug-and-play solutions or a checklist that tells us exactly which five boxes we need to tick to make a successful podcast. Now, please.

Sound familiar? 

The solution to the inevitable burnout that comes from operating in full-time crisis mode? Take a break and get some downtime. That can be a simple as shutting off the studio computer when you’re done with the day or when you need to finally sleep. Or it might be less a frequent but longer break, like a vacation away from your podcast for a week.

But what if I told you the scenario I just outlined is a false dichotomy? What if the difference between “working” and “not working” on your podcast wasn’t a binary choice?

Generally speaking, we’re happier podcasters when we occupy the middle ground between overwhelming business and complete relaxation. The trick is finding that healthy middle ground for us. That’s a tall order for those of us who were raised in a culture that rewards the “up and to the right!” business mentality. 

Finding the middle ground is hard when you're getting slammed on all sides with ideas on increasing the productivity of your podcasting efforts, ways to grow your podcast even bigger, and dozens of articles on ways to podcast better that you simply don’t have the time to read past the title.

And the other side isn’t quiet, either. Seminars, apps, newsletters, and more constantly come across the transom, imploring us to walk away for a bit, take a nap, make room for a passion project, or spend a couple of weeks alone in a cabin in the woods.

That sounds nice, doesn’t it? 

But remember, this isn’t an either/or situation.

I could come off like some low-rent self-help guru and tell you it’s about finding balance. Instead, I’m going to tell you about the lamp on my desk.

I hate this lamp.

It's ugly. It doesn't put out the right amount of light. It doesn't fit with the vibe of the rest of the studio. It's hard to turn it on without sorta flipping my hand over at a weird angle. Oh, and my wife hates it too.

So occasionally, I go lamp shopping.

I've hated this lamp for a couple of years now. Yet in all that time, I haven't bought a new one. That's because replacing the lamp is not what’s important to me. What is important to me is that, occasionally, I go lamp shopping. 

Yes, I know this sounds incredibly dumb. In fact, you may think it sounds like I’m using lamp-shopping as a way to take a break from podcasting. 

You’d be wrong.

This lamp, hate it though I might, is a part of my podcast and podcasting business. If I didn't have a lamp, I couldn't do the show or do any business. I need light to see and to function. Clearly, the lamp itself is not super-critical to my podcast. I mean, my audience isn't going to grow or shrink depending on what my lamp looks like. Clients aren’t going to flock to me or run away based on my decorative light fixture choices. I mean… it’s just a lamp, right? And in the grand scheme of things, the lamp is necessary, but not important. 

For me, shopping for a new lamp for my studio gives me a break from the truly important things regarding my podcast and my podcast business without being completely trivial. Put another way, lamp shopping gives me perspective.

What's your lamp? What unimportant-yet-necessary element in your podcasting process can you return to again and again when you need some perspective? I’d love to hear it. Go to BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra and tell me what your lamp is. I'll share your donation card with other working podcasters. Oh, and it's a nice way for you to help keep the show afloat.

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Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-importance-of-the-unimportant-parts-of-podcasting

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.