Podcast Pontifications
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Podcast Pontifications episodes

  • Reaching Beyond The Pod For Human Connection [Episode 283]

    Yesterday I went outside on my tiny little patio and smoked a pipe with 20 other people. Earlier in the week, my friend Rachel wrote dozens of people tiny poems using a tiny typewriter. And last night, my friend Addy led a brainstorming session with lots of people attending. 

    None of us were defying CDC/WHO directives. We did all of those things virtually using Instagram’s live video feature.

    For me, it was a chance to have a conversation with people that’s different than the conversations I have 4x a week on my podcast. It was similar for Rachel and Addy, both of whom found creative ways to engage with their audience -- including friends and family -- at a distance.

    Many podcasters are feeling a loss of connection “in the real world”. Not because we’re podcasters. But because we’re humans.

    Yesterday I suggested some ways you might want to modify your podcast to address the reality we face today. Because everybody is impacted by this pandemic. However, there are other ways you can acknowledge and accept COVID19 without changing the format of your podcast.

    This new content doesn’t have to be live video. It’s a very popular format, but it's not everybody's cup of tea. If writing is your thing, services like TinyLetter (not a sponsor) make it super-simple to get get a newsletter up and running. Or you could start a Twitter or other social media account you wanted to explore. And yes, I suppose you could start a brand new podcast if you wanted to.

    What's going to enable you to feel better as you connect with other people in a new way? And what is it that people want to get from you that they aren’t getting from your podcasting efforts currently? 

    This is one of the rare times I’m going to tell you to not pay all that much attention to the listeners of your podcast. At least, don’t try to pay attention to all of them. Instead, niche down and think about the ones with whom you do share certain ideas and passions that might not be covered in your regular podcast.

    If this pandemic has you really down or has a segment of your community really down, think about ways you can address that without interrupting what you're doing with your podcast. 

    And share this episode with another podcaster who you feel has something worthy of sharing beyond their podcast, please?

    Tell them got the idea from Podcast Pontifications and you’d love to see them add some clarity, brightness, or just plain silliness to the world, would you?

    -----

    Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/reaching-beyond-the-pod-for-human-connection

    Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

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

    And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business!

    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.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    12 min
  • Everything Has Changed. Why Hasn't Your Podcast? [Episode 282]

    According to studies by Voxnest and Podtrac, podcast consumption does not seem to be decreasing. Hooray!

    But don’t get too comfy. Combined with yesterday’s news, it means that listeners are shifting away from many shows, even though they continue to consume podcasted content at the same or an accelerated rate.

    Which makes many podcasters wonder what the heck they are going to do on their programs. You too, perhaps.

    It's time to renegotiate the social contract between you and your listening audience. Thanks, Coronavirus. This isn't something that will go away next week or the week after next. 

    If you agree with my bleak-yet-rational position, then you need to make some changes to your podcasts. Specifically, you really have to choose between one of three options. 

    1. Ignore it. I don’t recommend taking this approach. It makes you seem rather out of touch or that you just don’t care. While there are certain instances where not addressing the pandemic might make sense, it should not be your default choice.

    2. Acknowledge and embrace it. Assuming doing so doesn’t completely wreck your show and your audience’s expectations, I highly recommend you acknowledge and embrace the world we live in. I promise you that a good number of your listeners want to know how you and your crew are being affected. 

    3. Do not quit. Seriously. Don't quit. Your audience listened to you before this pandemic happened. Your audience still wants to hear from you during this pandemic. And they're going to want to hear from you after we all come out the other side. 

    Yes, that’s heavy stuff. And to be honest I'm pretty sure I'll be dealing with heavy stuff for some time to come on this program. Because this where we live, and the charge of this show is to help us all understand the future of podcasting in order to make it better. That means raising the right questions that impact your shows rather than blindly focusing on other aspects of our business. 

    I'll be back tomorrow for yet another Podcast Pontifications. 

    -----

    Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/everything-has-changed-why-hasnt-your-podcast

    Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

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

    And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business!

    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.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    13 min
  • Why Podcast Listening Won't Ever Return To Normal [Episode 281]

    Listenership is down across the board in podcasting. Your listener's routines have been disrupted. In a big way. Some much worse than others, obviously. But rest assured that just about every listener you have is having their routine and habits impacted in some way. And it’s that disruption in habits that is the root cause of decreased listening that your show is likely experiencing.

    People aren't going to the gym nearly as often as they used to, which means they aren’t listening on a treadmill, StairMaster, whatever else people do at a gym.

    People aren't commuting as often as they used to. Less windshield time means less time spent listening to podcasts and all other forms of audio. 

    But with all these people now staying home, why hasn’t podcast listenership increased? Because even at-home habits have changed.

    Worse news: this isn’t just temporary. No, everything will not go back to normal as soon as this pandemic is over.

    I hate the phrase “this is the new normal”. What we’re all living through right now is new and certainly is becoming normal. But normal is fleeting. What’s normal today won’t be normal next week. So “this is the new” is much better. That needs a hashtag: #thisisthenew

    Yes, the restrictions currently in place will (eventually) cease. And when that happens, of course people will return to the gym, commute to and fro, and put their kids back in school.

    But not exactly in the same fashion as they did before. 

    Your listeners are forming new habits. Your listeners are learning new routines. And here’s the kicker: Businesses are learning too. They might learn that WFH -  work from home - is a huge cost-cutter, and some of your listeners might never again have a daily commute. 

    New habits. New routines.

    The longer we live in this new world, the more these new routines will become new habits. And the less likely we are to go back to old habits that no longer fit our new routines.

    Please don’t take my words as a doom-and-gloom prediction. Yes, things will get better for most of your listeners. Yes, we will see overall podcast listenership increase to where it was and then beyond that. Podcasting will survive this pandemic.

    But podcasting on the other side will be different if only because the habits people formed around podcast listening have changed and will never mirror the way they were before. 

    I wish I offering up non-pandemic stuff, but it’s probably a topic I’m going to orbit for a while since this show is all about helping you think about the big questions faced by all of us in podcasting. And this is where we live now. #thisisthenew

    -----

    Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/why-podcast-listening-wont-ever-return-to-normal

    Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

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

    And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business!


    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.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    13 min
  • Dealing With Decimated Downloads [Episode 280]

    What do you do in a situation where you notice that your podcast downloads have dropped by 10%? (That's what decimated really means, by the way. 1 in 10.) If you notice that has happened to your show… what do you do? How do you deal with it? Is there an “other side” to the slump? 

    On today’s episode, I have three more questions for you to ask yourself before you jump into “find a solution” mode. 

    1. Does it really matter? 

    If you’re not paid by the download, or you can’t tie the size of your audience directly back to income or opportunities, then your answer to that question should be “no”. 

    If your answer to that question is a resounding “yes’, then keep going. Many podcasters are able to directly correlate downloads to dollars, and a negative trend in downloads probably means a negative financial impact. That’s not good. 

    2. Was it because of something you did?

    Sure, that sounds a little weird and a lot rude. But quite often the reason download numbers drop is because of something you did. Likely unintentionally, but still attributable to something you did. 

    There are plenty of things to check here, so be methodical. If you find a problem, fix it. And then don’t do that again. But if not, then we move on to the really hard question.

    3. Is there anything you can do about it?

    Chances are, there isn’t an easy yes/no answer here. This requires an examination of the external and internal influences on your download numbers. 

    Seeing a drop in downloads is scary to any podcaster. Before you go making drastic changes, try your best to understand why the downturn happened. If it's a temporary dip, then hopefully you can ride it out. Lots of podcasters are playing the “wait and see” game right now, so welcome to the club.

    One way you can help: become one of the many canaries in this coal mine we call podcasting. No one but you knows that your podcast download numbers are being decimated. And you don’t know if something similar is happening to others. We each need to act as our own early-warning system. Form a close peer group of other podcasters you trust and make it habit to report to each other when any of you see a dip in downloads.

    And once you've formed that group, please tell them about Podcast Pontifications. It'll give you at least four different things to talk about each week, right? 

    I'll be back on Monday with yet another Podcast Pontifications. 

    -----

    Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/dealing-with-decimated-downloads

    Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

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

    And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business!

    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.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    12 min
  • Disassembling Your Podcast Media Stack [Episode 279]

    Podcasters often fail to understand the fundamental difference between using media for distribution or promotional purposes versus using media for content creation purposes. 

    How strategic are you with non-podcast-related content you produce on a regular basis?

    I’m far from perfect when it comes to my approach to my media stack. But it might help you better understand yours if I give you a rundown of what I’m doing, warts and all. 

    This that you’re consuming didn’t start out this way. Nor did it start with me typing words on a keyboard. Nor did it start as a transcription of an audio file. It started life as a live video on LinkedIn.

    From there, I stripped out the good bits from my extemporaneous talk and wrote an article that was published on my website, on my Medium profile, and as an article on LinkedIn. And by “wrote”, I mean it. Those pieces are not accurate transcripts of what I said, though I do include one of those on the page of my website where this article will live. Those articles are 100% re-written so that 100% of the value can be received just by reading.

    Let me state that again: It’s OK with me that people who find this article never listen to my podcast. That’s because I get other tangible value from the effort it takes to make those posts.

    I also spend time (and money) editing the live video down to a stand-alone video that’s loaded to the Facebook Page for my company, Simpler Media, as up to a playlist on my YouTube channel.

    I get effectively zero views on these videos because they aren’t designed to be good video to watch. Each video is nothing more than my head mostly blocked behind a big fat microphone with a boom arm in the way. So of course it’s not good video! It doesn’t matter that I have a great lighting kit and a quality video camera. I'm not creating good video content. I’m merely using (abusing?) these media properties for distribution. Nothing more. Don’t be like me!

    I’m better at social media. If you follow me on social media channels, you'll see I'm actively creating lots of content about podcasting in general in my own format and style. Not every forward-thinking, big question about podcasting is worthy of an episode of Podcast Pontifications. But they are great to share on social, mostly on my Twitter account. 

    I could be better at sharing content on LinkedIn and through my company Facebook Page. But I’m not. And I’ve become OK with that. 

    Other than my occasional guest appearance on someone else's podcast or getting up on a stage in front of a crowd (not that I can do that for a while, obviously), my media stack is small. Yours may not be. 

    Regardless, I hope this helps you understand the difference between using your media stack for content creation versus using your media stack for promotion and distribution of your podcast episodes. There’s a difference.

    What media stacks are you using? Where are you creating not your podcast content? And do you think it's effective? I want to know, and I also want you to ask your podcasting friends what they're doing with their own media stacks.

    -----

    Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/disassembling-your-podcast-media-stack

    Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

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

    And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business!


    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.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    13 min
  • Make The Most Of Podcast Bonus Episodes [Episode 278]

    Today’s focus will a broader conversation that features some creative ways podcasters can make better use of bonus episodes. 

    This is a tough thing for a lot of podcasters to wrap their head around. They're thinking -- rightly so -- that their episodes drop on Tuesdays at midnight, come hell or high water. But sometimes there’s a need to work around that publishing schedule. And that's what you do with bonus episodes.

    Here are nine ideas for bonus content that you should examine for your podcast.

    Announcing a break from publishing new episodes

    Generate easier content in-between full episodes

    Go behind the scenes

    Feature a special co-host

    Release a music-only episode

    Turn the mic around and give a reverse interview

    Interview your supporting crew

    Podcast non-podcast appearances

    When news breaks

    And that’s just a start. There are all sorts of ways smart podcasters can use bonus episodes. But before you start, there are three major considerations you need to staple to your wall so you don’t forget to think about them before you drop a bonus episode.

    1. Should this bonus episode live only in the feed or should it also be on the website?

    2. How will you promote these bonus episodes? 

    3. What will new listeners think about your overall show?

    Get together with your podcasting family and have a conversation about how each of you are (or are not) using bonus content. Tell them you heard about me talking about making bonus episodes and put forth the idea of collaborating together. That might be fun.

    You know what else will be fun? Me coming back tomorrow to do this again for another Podcast Pontifications. 

    Cheers!

    -----

    Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/make-the-most-of-podcast-bonus-episodes

    Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

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

    And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business!


    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.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    13 min
  • Should You Produce An Episode About COVID19 (Or The Next Crisis)? [Episode 276]

    Many podcasters are struggling with that same decision:  Should you say something to your audience acknowledging the reality of the pandemic?

    On one hand, listening to podcasts is a great way to practice “social distancing”. And since most (?) podcasters produce their shows alone or with guests or co-hosts in remote locations, the act of making a podcast is also good social distancing put in practice. 

    Still, our audiences might wonder what's going on with the people that make their favorite podcasts. And as human beings who make podcasts for listeners, we often feel a desire to let our audiences know what’s going on with us personally in times of crisis.

    But if you produce a show that never covers current events, should you say something, putting the “evergreen” nature of your episodes at risk? What if you're in the middle of a six-part series on the history of apples (or anything non-pandemic related)? A “special announcement” at the beginning of your fourth episode would be terribly off-putting and impact the flow, wouldn’t it?

    Remember: if you do decide it’s a good idea to say something, you don’t have to drop a note at the beginning of your next podcast episode. Nor do you have to put out an entire full episode about the pandemic.

    A bonus episode might be just what you need.

    Remember: Your podcast is more than just the audio you put out on your RSS feed. Does your show’s website have a role to play? What about the social media channels where you engage with humans every day?

    Maybe audio isn’t the best place to share the message.

    Of course, it might be. Here’s your North star for this: If you feel like you need to say something to your audience, either to let them know how you are coping, to let them know that you're in this together, to let them know changes to your production schedule, or whatever else you feel it might be important to say to them: I think you should say something to them.

    I hope you're doing well during this time of coronavirus. We're okay on this side, fully adopting social distancing and self-quarantine methods as we do our part to flatten this curve. Hopefully, you are as well.

    And tomorrow, I'll do it again. On another Podcast Pontifications. 

    -----

    Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/should-you-produce-an-episode-about-covid19-or-the-next-crisis

    Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

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

    And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business!

    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.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    13 min
  • Yes, Indie Podcasters Can Compete... And Win! [Episode 276]

    Big media companies have piles of cash to throw at awareness campaigns, grab the best and most recognizable names in the world, and hire gigantic teams of a dozen or more talented people to work on a single episode.

    And you, the indie podcaster… you probably don’t have any of that. 

    You likely don’t have piles of cash that you can use to hire a team of talented people. You probably don't have a name that is recognizable by the majority of households in this country (or any country). You likely can't spend hundreds of thousands or millions of marketing dollars to give your work exposure to the masses. 

    But big media doesn’t have a monopoly on shows that sound great. 

    And as my friend Tom Kelly stated so eloquently, indie podcast doesn't have to mean shitty podcast.

    As an indie podcaster, we can compete with big media podcasts on quality. They’re probably going to win when it comes to marketing. They’re probably going to win when it comes to talent acquisition. 

    But there is nothing stopping you, me, or any individual person from making a podcast that always has amazing sound quality. 

    If you’re just one person, there’s no way to scale to the ~125 hours of work required to put out a complex episode. So deal with that reality and do something different that does not require that level of people-hours. Reduce the frequency if you need to. Or better yet, reduce the complexity. Whatever you do, do not reduce the quality.

    With very few exceptions, there’s nothing stopping you from ensuring your episodes sound amazing every single time. If you’re committed enough, you should be able to work with whatever tools you have at your disposal to make a show with amazing quality sound.

    Your goal is simple: when someone listens to the Conan O'Brien podcast and then listens to your podcast, that person should be unable to detect a difference in sound quality. 

    And if anything, you want your show’s sound quality to be better. 

    You can do this. You, the individual and independent podcaster can do this. No, there isn't a magical button or box that big media spent $50,000 on that makes their shows sound amazing. It’s mostly just people and resources. Well, you’re a person, and clearly you already have the resources to make a podcast. 

    The next time you get together with your podcasting friends, start a conversation about commitment to quality. If they ask you to check out their show, be honest with them about how you perceive the quality. They need to hear an unvarnished opinion.

    And if you don't want to be the one to tell them, send them this episode of Podcast Pontifications and I will tell them how incredibly important sound quality really is. 

    -----

    Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/yes-indie-podcasters-can-compete-and-win

    Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

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

    And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business!

    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.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    12 min
  • Your Podcast Is #1. Now What? [Episode 275]

    I’ve been fortunate enough to have some of my content (or my clients’ content) ranked number one for a highly desirable term. It’s great to see traffic come flooding in, For a while. For an all-too-short amount of time. A short amount of time that is continues to shrink.

    Getting to the top of the list is hard. Staying there is even harder. 

    Search algorithms are influenced by lots of factors. But two of the most important factors are freshness of content and authority. Both of those (and more) help you get to the top. But are you ready to produce the kind of content that keeps ringing both of those bells?

    You're not probably going to rank on the word “podcast” no matter what you do. In fact, you’re probably not going to rank number one for your category of podcast. You might, however, rank high for more specific terms, Podcasts for private clinicians or something along the lines of scuba diving in the Maldives podcast, by way of example. 

    To sustain a number 1 ranking for your podcast, you have to keep producing content about that thing. Whatever actions you took that paid off with the reward of being number one, you have to keep doing that. A lot. You cannot “get it and forget it” or you’ll quickly find your show no longer in that number one spot.

    That might have serious ramifications for the type of show you want and the content of the episodes you produce. To maintain your number one ranking, you’ll have to forget about true independence. Sure, you can always produce whatever the heck you feel like. If you feel like producing an episode that’s nowhere near the term you ranked number one for. But that’s going to negatively impact your number one ranking. 

    Are you willing to stay laser-focused on your content so that your show is and always will be about one thing? Are you willing to axe the clever little segments, avoid off-topic diatribes, break out the nine different topics you want to talk about into their own episodes, and possibly switch to a daily or multiple-times-per-day format? Are you willing to cut out anything that doesn’t contribute to your number one standing, changing your show so drastically to maintain that ranking? 

    Getting to the top of the list is hard. Keeping your podcast there is even harder. 

    Here’s your daily challenge: Ask one of your podcasting compadres what they think your show should rank for. Even if they don’t listen to your show (here’s a good way to get them to do that), just ask them what they think your show should rank for. And return the favor, were you tell them what you think their show should rank for. I’m fairly confident that you’ll both be thinking of rather different things. 

    And by all means, tell them the question was sparked by this episode of Podcast Pontifications. I'd like to have another listener. :)

    And if you have an opinion on what this show should rank for, drop me an email at [email protected].

    -----

    Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/your-podcast-is-1-now-what

    Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

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

    And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business!

    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.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    12 min
  • Growing Your Podcast By Solving Someone's Pain [Episode 274]

    Every podcaster I know (including this guy) wants to grow their show. It doesn't matter if they run a gigantic show with hundreds of thousands of listeners; they want to grow their audience. It doesn't matter if they're a teeny-tiny show hyperfocused on one small corner of the world; there are always people the show hasn’t yet reached. 

    At Podfest Multimedia Expo 2020 in Orlando, which I’m freshly back from, I attended a panel discussion where several very successful niche podcasters -- all of them business-related -- were sharing the tips and techniques that made them successful.

    During the Q&A portion, one of the panelists -- Joe Sanok from Practice of The Practice engaged in a dialog with an audience member who was struggling to grow their firm’s niche podcast. Joe asked a simple question of them:

    “What pain does your podcast solve?”

    The exchange between the two of them got me to thinking: what pain does this podcast solve? 

    Which should lead you to think: what pain does your podcast solve? 

    Initially, you might assume that not all podcasts are designed to solve pains. I know I did. But when you look a little bit deeper, maybe that’s incorrect. Because even if you make a show that’s just there to provide some levity and entertainment to your listeners, maybe that's enough temporary pain-removal for them.

    Clearly, the more focused your show is, the easier it is to understand your own answer to that question. The advice came from a guy with a podcast and a podcast network designed to solve the problems of clinicians in private practice, which is quite specific. But as a focusing device, I think we can all benefit from asking ourselves the same question.

    So how does your podcast solve pain? What pains do you solve with your podcast? These are interesting questions causing me to re-examine what I am doing with these episodes. Because while I think I do solve some pains, I think that could be better at being more focused on solving pains faced by working podcasters like you.

    This is a good question to bring to your podcasting compatriots. Podcasters tend to run in tight circles, in my experience. And while most of our conversations are either light or super-specific, sometimes asking these larger, more ethereal questions is healthy. So the next time you get together, either in person or on a Slack channel, ask your podcasting buddies what pains they solve with their podcasts. Tell them you got the idea for the question from this episode of Podcast Pontifications and ask if they heard it as well.

    And also, I’d love to hear how your podcasting efforts are solving pain. Even if you think that’s not what you do. Send an email to [email protected].

    -----

    Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/growing-your-podcast-by-solving-someones-pain

    Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

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

    And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business!

    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.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    12 min

About Podcast Pontifications

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