Podcast Pontifications

Commoditization happens in all industries. And by some accounts, it's already happening in podcasting. With some 1,000,000 podcasts expected by the end of 2019, it's bound to happen.

The good news: Most of those podcasts -- and I'm just quoting Sturgeon's Law here -- suck. So simply by not sucking, you can fight the race to the bottom that comes with commoditization.

But there likely isn't a dial on your Yeti mic or button to press on Audacity that says SUCK LESS. It's something you have to work at.

In this short episode, I'll give you several suggestions of how you can fight commoditization of your show, helping you stand out from the crowd. Because as much as we all like cans of beans, we like special cans of beans better. (If that metaphor holds up.)

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 can't avoid change in podcasting. And if you're using a free podcast host, that change -- the company closes up shop or start charging -- it's going to happen to you sooner or later.

Recently, a free podcast hosting company out of Arizona, Zcast, announce their intention to close after four years in the free hosting game.

It happens.

And while a smart bet might be to pay a lot of money for hosting, that won't protect your podcast perfectly. There isn't a way to be 100% free of worry. 

Unless, that is, you concentrate on resilience.

Having a resilient show means you have the processes and procedures in place to quickly (dare I say easily?) recover for the inevitable changes that will impact your show.

In this short episode, I give some concrete examples of how to do that for your own podcast. Change is hard. But resilience helps.

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'm a big fan of applying the "seasons" or "mini-series" concept to podcasting. But it has to be done right, and for the right reasons.

Selfish reasons like "I'd just like to take a break every 30 episodes" probably isn't the best reason to break your show into series, though it's certainly a valid one.

In this short episode, I'll talk about some changes to the infrastructure of podcasting that now better enable seasons. Plus we'll talk about some new consumer preferences we just didn't know existed a few short years ago.

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.

Most successful businesses have multiple revenue streams. The same should hold true for business-focused podcasters.

Patreon -- a platform that enables podcasters to monetize their audience with patronage -- is one common revenue source. But how applicable is it for businesses with a podcast?

Short answer: There's no good reason to not allow your loyal audience to show their patronage to you and your content.

Longer answer: Adding a revenue stream to a business should always be a considered decision.

In this short episode, I share some eye-opening stats and audience expectations to help you decide if this is the right course for your business and want to make it a serious income stream.

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 tell four random people you have a podcast, three of them will look at you blankly. That's because around 70% of the US population don't listen to podcasts. They are, you might say, clueless.

Keep that in mind when you are designing your promotional efforts -- a podcast page on your website, email newsletters, social posts, etc. And realize that maybe that high-paid podcasting consultant you hired (hi there!) may not have all the answers.

When it comes to promoting your show, you need to embrace the clueless. 

Sure, it's important to follow best practices for engineering, production, distribution, and even content. And you very well may need some strategic help (hi there!) to make sure you've got all the bases covered.

But when it comes to designing promotional elements, are they "clueless" enough to speak the the three out of four people who'll see that promotion? Or are you better using a clueless-about-podcasting person (perhaps you) to evaluate those efforts?

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.