Content Strategy

Wendy’s has a new podcast, and it’s not great. At least, not on the surface. But what we see as a low-effort offering might mark a new inflection point in podcasting that few of us saw coming.

There’s a wave of advancements in both text-to-speech and AI-generated text that will impact podcasting as we know it. But rather than replace humans, this might be a boon for creative podcasters.

Beyond a few pockets of interestingness, video podcasting never really became a thing, and audio reigned supreme. But all of that could change in the ‘20s, and it’s the pandemic’s fault.

Few issues are more polarizing than the question of how much plan/prep time should go into a podcast episode. But if you cut out the extremists (who I think just like to argue), you’ll find there’s plenty of room for podcast planing and spontaneity.

The concept of both COPE & CORE -- Create Once, Publish Everywhere and Create Once, Repurpose everywhere -- sound great. But are they take a lot of strategy and time. Are they worth the trouble for podcasters?

The odds that your podcast serves an audience unimpacted by COVID19 is vanishingly small. Virtually everyone is facing a new reality and adjusting their habits. Should you adjust what your podcast delivers to them?

Your podcast is bigger than the audio episodes you create. And your media stack is more than the channels you use to promote and distribute your show. Are you approaching content creation strategically or taking a shotgun approach?

Podcasting has a super-power that beats broadcasting: The ability to put out a bonus episode when you need to. Or want to. Come to think of it, there are lots of ways podcasters can make better use of bonus episodes.

Does your audience expect you to say something about the pandemic? How do you balance your compassion as a human with your content production plan as a strategic podcaster? Or should you just stay silent?

As the podcast producer, you get to decide how long your episodes should be. But if you’re aiming to make a better podcast, you should consider what your show’s potential listeners’ expectations, which are already set for everything else they do in a day.

Are episodes of your podcast “the thing” at the bottom of your marketing funnel? Or are you using them at the top of the funnel? What about as content in the middle of the funnel? And what the heck is a marketing funnel?

Instagram stole the idea of Stories from Snapchat. Can podcasters steal it again to provide a new approach to (and service for) podcasting?

Conventional wisdom will have you believe that you have to produce a podcast every single week. But that's not true for most businesses. Here are three better ways, with three great benefits, to take your brand’s podcast in a better direction.

Google has finally incorporated podcast episodes in search results in listings that are playable directly from SERPs (search engine results pages).

The intro of your show is incredibly important for setting the style and the tone of your program. But trends are changing. Are you keeping up?

Do you have what it takes to give your listeners 5x more content than you deliver today?

Avoid burnout and make a better podcast? What's not to love?

Will video-focused podcasters ever overtake audio-only shows?

Podcasting is sort of the antithesis of live radio. But those lines are blurring.

Many podcast pundits poo-poo seasons. So naturally, I have to take the contrarian opinion.

Breathing new life into your static values and mission statements with a podcast.

You gotta have all three -- on every episode -- if you really want to connect with your audience.

Repurposing content is a great way to feed your podcast.

How skipping the printing press may be the best thing for your career.

Five things to consider before you start recording your daily podcast.

Three things to think about, and one thing to never, ever do.

How adding artificial constraint helps you be more creative with your show.

3 things to consider to find the right publishing cadence for your podcast.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking your listeners (or potential listeners) are monolithic.

4 types of podcasts and their efforts explained.

Should be subtle or overt in your messaging?

Don't let your release schedule drive your production schedule!

5 ideas for your business podcast to take you beyond the interview.

What podcasters can learn from Instagram TV stars.

Why you should stop building your show the way listeners consume your episodes.

If the most interesting thing about your podcast episode is the name of your guest… it's probably not a very interesting episode. Here's why you need to think more about your angle and your title for your episodes.

When is a podcast not a podcast? When it's a newsletter from a podcast. No, I'm not talking about just sticking a link to your latest episode in your existing newsletter. That's just being lazy. And it ignores the changing newsletter landscape.

When is a podcast not a podcast? Well, let's see: When it's a book, a video series, a community, or anything else that makes business sense as you expand your publishing empire.