Podcast Pontifications

The future of RSS feeds is part three of my 10-part miniseries on the future of podcasting. [Part 1, 2]

RSS feeds power the backbone of distribution. Barring a few minor namespace additions, they haven’t changed much in 15 years. And that alone makes them vulnerable, because the future favors change.

Many (if not most) of people new to podcast listening are consuming content in places RSS feeds don’t reach. For some of these platforms, RSS feeds don’t contain all the information needed. For others, the RSS feed is superfluous.

And apparently, if our media hosting companies are to be believed, the RSS feeds they generate on our behalf aren’t all that robust and are often error-filled or invalid. Odd that they don’t actively work to fix that, right?

For now -- but probably not forever -- RSS feeds will remain a fundamental part of podcasting. So don’t be lazy with yours. But don’t be Quixotic either. You have to embrace other distribution methods beyond RSS feeds already. Prepare for that to increase in the future.

Now, three things before wrap this up:

• Please tell me I’m wrong. One great place to do that is at Flick.group/podcastpontifications, a dedicated mobile app just for this show. Yes, it’s free to join and cross-platform.
• You could buy me a coffee to show your support. BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. I'd love it if you'd make it a regular recurring donation as well. 
• And then finally, if you're in business and you're wondering how to best prepare your podcast for the future, get in touch with me. [email protected] and go to PodcastLaunch.pro to see a list of all the services my firm offers. 

-----

Yes, this episode is something you should share. Thank you. Here’s where you can find a re-written in-depth article based on the audio of the episode that’s perfect for sharing: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/frenzy-or-famine-the-future-of-rss-in-podcasting

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 PodcastLaunch.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.

(This is part two of a 10-part miniseries made up of my predictions of the future of podcasting.)

• Pt 1: Premium Podcasting Will Soon Dominate The Short Head

--

For every short head, there’s a long tail. And podcasting’s long tail shall forever be the breeding ground for hobbyists doing amazing things with their podcasts.

But… pressure from the short head of premium podcasts will cause hobbyist podcasters to consider making fundamental changes to their shows. If they want. No one is forcing this change.

Except for maybe listeners? While your current listener base may be perfectly happy with the content you’re making now, the new crop is heavily influenced by the short head and have different expectations.

Different expectations of what good content is. Different expectations of where good content can be found. And different expectations on what good content is worthy of their time. 

Yes, I think that future tech will come along to help us with that. But I also think we can’t wait, and that we need to start making changes -- perhaps fundamental changes -- to our shows. Yes, even if we want to stay as a hobbyist podcaster.

Tomorrow, I’m getting into the questionable future of RSS feeds. Yes, that’ll ruffle a few feathers! 

Before you go, consider doing one or all of these three things.

• Check out Flick.group/podcastpontifications. It’s a totally free and private group in an app for your phone that’s just for listeners of Podcast Pontifications. Talk to me. Talk to your fellow listeners. Or talk to yourself, I guess.
• Go to BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra and buy me a coffee. I would love it if you decided to buy me a coffee every single month. 
• if you are a business or are in business and you need someone in your back pocket making sure your podcasting efforts match your business goals, please get in touch. [email protected] and go to PodcastLaunch.pro for a list of all the services we offer clients all around the globe. 

---

Yes, this episode is something you should share. Thank you. Here’s where you can find a re-written in-depth article based on the audio of the episode that’s perfect for sharing: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/mitigating-future-threats-to-hobbyist-podcasting

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 PodcastLaunch.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.

This is the first part of a 10-part miniseries where I will share some predictions I have for the future of podcasting. Let’s start with a bang:

In the future, the shows that get the majority of attention and therefore downloads and listens will require some form of payment to access.

Yes, I’m aware of the history where this has failed to happen at any appreciable level. But I’m also aware of the larger media plays by Spotify Premium, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Amazon’s Prime Video. And I’m betting that will work in podcasting.

Yes, I think paid subscriptions will overtake the current ad-supported model that’s akin to commercial radio. 

And, crazily enough, I think this will be a good thing for all podcasters, even those of us who have no intention of ever making premium content. 

Three things: 

• I’m excited by the growth and engagement on the Flick.group/podcastpontifications app! It’s free to join and works on Android or iOS devices. Plus there’s even a built-in player if you happened to miss an episode and need to brush up before wading into a conversation.
• You can show your love for the show when you click BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. My favorite people have it set to buy me a coffee every single month.
• If you own or work for a business that could use my help to ensure your podcasting efforts ready for this new bright new future, get in touch with me at [email protected]. 

---

Yes, this episode is something you should share. Thank you. Here’s where you can find a re-written in-depth article based on the audio of the episode that’s perfect for sharing: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/premium-podcasting-will-soon-dominate-the-short-head

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 PodcastLaunch.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.

You already know that you and your episodes need to be in/on the places where these new “rookie” listeners are already consuming podcast content. And you know that “being there” isn’t enough, but that you need to have your content live there, since that’s where the rookie listeners are living. And there’s no reason not to do so, because you can make a version of your podcast episodes that can comfortably live there.

Today I want to wrap it all together and point out why the feral hog or herded cats metaphor is right. And to convince you that the hub-and-spoke model is broken for podcasting.

Because downloading our shows media files or subscribing to our RSS feed isn’t required for people to enjoy our content. Too many podcasters either don’t know or forget this important fact.

Not that this will be easy. Yes, it’s going to mean not all of your listening activity is traceable. Well… big deal. Much of it isn’t already. 

And to do it right, we’ll need to make each of our media files customized to the destination platform. Until new technology comes along to help us that, we have to do it the hard way. And the tools we have today to help us distribute actively fight against customization. Boo.

This again makes my case that the future of podcasting is going to look quite different than the past of podcasting. Podcasters are in for some massive changes as we survive our way through podcasting’s existential crisis.

Three quick things:

• Tell me what you think of this episode wherever you are consuming this episode. If the platform you're using doesn’t allow for communication (too many don’t), go to Flick.group/podcastpontifications. It's totally free to join. You can talk to me and other listeners of the show as well to keep the conversation going.
• If you want to support the show and my efforts bringing you this kind of content 4x a week (except for holidays, obviously), go to BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra and buy me a virtual cuppa. You can even buy me a coffee every single month if you like. 
• Or if you think you’d like my podcasting brain working with your organization’s podcast, get in touch with me: [email protected] and go to PodcastLaunch.pro to see a list of all the services my team and I offer clients all over the world.

Yes, this episode is something you should share. Thank you. Here’s where you can find a re-written in-depth article based on the audio of the episode that’s perfect for sharing: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcasting-has-a-hub-and-spoke-problem

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 PodcastLaunch.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.

Today I'm continuing the conversation inspired by Tom Webster's excellent article entitled Three Ways to Survive Podcasting’s Existential Crisis. From that, yesterday I told you that you and your podcast’s episodes need to be everywhere these noobies (rookies, in Tom’s lingo) are finding and consuming podcasts. Places you and I, the working podcaster, barely recognize as a valid place to listen to podcasts

But it's not just a matter of your podcast being on all these different platforms that you hadn't considered before. The episodes of your podcast need to live on all those different platforms. 

Here's a quick decision tree to help you evaluate how your content can live on a particular platform.

Step 1: Does this platform allow me to natively upload my content?

Step 2: Can I make the kind of native content that the platform requires? 

Step 3: Is the native content I can make appropriate to the platform?

If you can answer “yes” all the way through, you definitely should. Because the people on that platform are making the choice to live there and consume podcast episodes there. They live there. And if your episodes can also comfortably live there, they should live there.

Your job is to make sure your podcast’s content lives where they live. 

Tomorrow I’ll wrap all of this together to bring this miniseries to an end. But before I go; three things:

1. Keep the conversation going with our dedicated AND FREE Flick.group/podcastpontifications. Or you can comment right here, assuming the service you’re reading this on allows for comments. If not, Flick with others who want to make podcasting better!
2. Support the show at BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra. You can even make it a recurring coffee so that you automatically buy me a cuppa every month.
3. If you are in business and you need a podcasting pro in your corner, get in touch. [email protected]. 

Yes, this episode is something you should share. Thank you. Here’s where you can find a re-written in-depth article based on the audio of the episode that’s perfect for sharing: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/let-your-podcast-live-where-your-audience-lives

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 PodcastLaunch.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.

The impetus for this week’s series is an article recently published by Tom Webster, Senior Vice President of Edison Research, entitled Three Ways to Survive Podcasting’s Existential Crisis. And you know what a big fan of existential crises I am!

The main premise of the article is that newbie listeners, whom Tom calls ”rookies”, encounter and consume podcasted content much differently than podcasting veterans. And I don’t mean veteran podcasters, but veteran podcast listeners. 

So what do you do? Well, to start: Be everywhere today’s rookie podcast consumers are. 

But what rookies call “listening to a podcast” is often unrecognizable as podcast listening to us veterans. So rather than try and correct their behavior and lexicon (like we’ve been trying and failing to do for the better part of 15 years), we need to recognize that for the Quixotic effort it is. And we need to just stop.

Yes, that means your podcast needs to be on all of the podcast platforms.

Yes, you also need to be on every social platform where you have a presence.

Yes, your show and your episodes need to be “search discoverable”.

Yes, that also means getting your voice heard on other podcasts. 

 Yes, you need to be hanging out to where listeners are hanging out.

So keep listening over (at least) the next two episodes to get the full picture. 

Two things before I go:

1. Go to BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra if you’d like to support this show. I don't run (and have no intention of running) ads on the program, so If you like what I'm doing, buy me a virtual coffee.
2. Check out the (slowly) growing Flick.group/podcastpontifications to talk directly to me and your fellow listeners. 

Yes, this episode is something you should share. Thank you. Here’s where you can find a re-written in-depth article based on the audio of the episode that’s perfect for sharing: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/be-where-todays-podcast-listeners-expect-you-to-be

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 PodcastLaunch.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.

As much as I don't want to disappoint you, I really need back the three hours each day that this show takes. All is good on my end, but I need to put my head down and focus on my business.

Here's a taste of what's going on:

• I'm onboarding two new clients at the same time, and that's a lot of work and focus from me. And I can't let those slip, as it's paying clients that afford me the ability to bring you Podcast Pontifications four times a week.
• I'm giving a presentation about podcasting at Disrupt HR Phoenix this week, and I need to spend many, many hours to prepare for it. If you've ever seen me speak, you know I put a lot of effort into making sure the timing is perfect and that I have every aspect of my stage-game down pat. 
• In a couple of weeks, I'm headed to Kazahkstan to talk about podcasting at PATA Travel Mart 2019. I haven't even started that preso, because I'm incapable of prepping for two different talks. Thanks, brain.
• Prior to that, I have an original article due for the print-version of Podcast Business Journal, which I also haven't started. (Side note for Ed: How do people subscribe to the print version?)

So yeah... I'm busy. So is everyone. I don't think I'm special. But I am exercising my own control of my own show, and being a good doobie by letting you know in advance of my little break.

Talk amongst yourselves, and consider buying me a coffee if you like. Also, if you have topic ideas or things you want to talk, Flick.group/podcastpontifications is a nifty way to do that.

And if you want to add to my workload, great! Email me at [email protected] or go to PodcastLaunch.pro to see a list of the services we offer our clients all around the globe.

The show will be back right after Labor Day!

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.

In this episode, I (finally) stop espousing theory and give you the exact audio engineering steps you should follow to make amazing sounding and accessible episodes of your podcast. They are:

1. Clean up the noise
2. Control the dynamic range
3. Tweak the EQ
4. Compress to impress
5. Mix well and export at -16 LUFS

How do you do each of those steps is dependent on your DAW, but I do mention some plugins and services I use, like:

• Hindenburg Journalist Pro
• iZotope’s Voice De-noise
• Vocal Rider from Waves
• My Aeropress coffee maker, oddly enough

Also, and somewhat uncharacteristic of me, I enlisted the help of some smart and talented audio engineers to vet out my thinking. So thank you, Marcus DePaula, Tom Kelly, Josh Wade and Chris Curran for keeping me honest.

Two things before I go one:

1. BuyMeACoffee/evoterra is where you should go if you enjoyed the tips and guidance in this miniseries. More miniseries is are coming, and you can show your appreciation to me at buying me a virtual coffee.
2. The Flick group app for Podcast Pontifications is growing! People are talking about next week's planned episodes as well as talking about this week's miniseries. We’d love for you to join. It’s free!

Enjoy your weekend (because I don't do episodes on Fridays!) and I shall be back on Monday with a brand new miniseries on Podcast Pontifications. 

Yes, this episode is something you should share. Thank you. Here’s where you can find a re-written in-depth article based on the audio of the episode: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/how-to-make-accessible-podcast-audio-in-5-easy-steps

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 PodcastLaunch.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.

Equipment and the environment where those tools are deployed have massive implications on your ability to make that podcast episode accessible.

Accessibility improves your podcast’s listen-ability for everyone. And that’s the goal, right?

It starts with the right equipment, like microphones and DAWs. But talking about equipment without also understanding the environment where that equipment will be used is a fool’s errand. You’ll waste money. Or you’ll keep using the same free or cheap stuff you have access to. 

Neither of those bad decisions will help you make more accessible audio content.

What I am advising is that you use equipment designed for the task at hand. Equipment specifically designed to produce podcast episodes instead of capturing the sounds of a band in a garage. 

Choosing Equipment dedicated to and designed for the job at hand is always the best choice. 

Once you have the right environment and the right equipment for the show you’re making, you have the best chance at making accessible audio that anyone can hear. 

Two things: 

• BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra is how you can show your appreciation for my advice.
• It’s free to join the show’s Flick group/app on your mobile device where you can engage with me and other listeners. 

Tomorrow I’ll get even more specific, now that I’ve laid the groundwork. Yes, I’ll talk about some plugins and processes you can actually put in play to your podcast production right away.

Speaking of accessibility, here’s where you can find a re-written in-depth article based on the audio of the episode: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/make-an-accessible-podcast-with-the-right-equipment-environment

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 PodcastLaunch.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.

If you care nothing about accessibility and take only one thing from this episode, please let it be that shitty transcripts will not help your website’s SEO.

Transcripts of podcast episodes are an accessibility feature, not an SEO benefit.

Captioning is added to the audio (and video) elements of your digital content so that people can consume those elements with their eyes instead of (or in some cases in addition to) their ears.

But do I mean a literal, 100% accurate transcription? Well… that depends. My processes is (or has been since June) to taking this 10-minute audio monologue and turning it into a (in this case) 1,323 word written representation of the topic. Why? Because it reads better than a literal word-for-word transcript, which you can read here. 

So that’s fine (I think?) for a short show like this. But longer shows? Not so much, so I’m changing the advice I give to all of my clients. While it’s still important to create a well-crafted “landing page” for each episode, complete with charts, graphs, and other visual components to really make a piece of worthy digital content, that’s not enough.

That's not sufficient for servicing the needs of the hearing impaired. In most cases, the audio of your episode and the contents of this new landing page, another digital asset, are vastly different. If that’s the case for you, then you need to include a transcript of the actual audio episode. Yes, that means more work for you. Sorry?

Tomorrow I’m going to get into some technologies and tools to help you make your audio content more accessible. But before that, two things real quick:

• BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra is running if you want to show your appreciation for this show. You're probably never going to buy the services my firm offers since you're a working podcaster, so buy me a virtual coffee instead.
• The new Flick group app is growing. People are having conversations with me and themselves, but it's just getting started. If you want to be one of the early members of this new Flick group (it's an app on your phone), come on in! It’s free to join, of course.

Speaking of accessibility, here’s where you can find a re-written in-depth article based on the audio of the episode: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/captioning-your-podcast-with-a-transcript-for-those-with-hearing-loss

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 PodcastLaunch.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.