As podcasters, we're always looking to get more people to subscribe to our show. But that drive runs counter to the new wave of podcast listeners, who want to be nothing more than that -- a casual listener. 

In this short episode, I'll share with you three real-world stories that lead me to this conclusion.

• One was a young woman who professes a love for listening to podcasts all the time, but doesn't subscribe to any. Instead, she just searches for something that sounds interesting. When that's over, she searches for something else.
• Another was a more mature woman -- a podcaster, even -- who listens to lots of podcasts (like this one) but doesn't subscribe. She catches lots of shows "live" on social media platforms, or follows links she sees in her Twitter feed.
• And then there was that much-lambasted study by the University of Florida and Futuri Media that claimed that YouTube was where the vast majority of listeners discover and listen to podcasts. That didn't sit well with many. Maybe not even me.

But those signs, plus the fact that Google Podcasts is transcribing content podcasting content to feed to their algorithm, and even Apple is coming out with cross-platform webpages for podcasts that are indexable by search engines... it points to a growing trend that subscribing is now more optional than ever.

What are we going to do about that? Well, I have a few ideas that are in the episode. Spoiler: They little to do with trying to convince these non-subscribers of the benefits of subscribing. 

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