An End To Podcast App Agnosticism & Apathy

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Podcast listening apps have been around since the beginning of podcasting. You can't have one without the other. In order to listen to a podcast you need (generally speaking) an app. Yeah, sure. Some listening happens directly on the website of a podcast, but the vast majority of listeners listening to their favorite shows via a dedicated podcast listening app.

For the better part of 15 years, I’ve had the attitude -- and have passed along the attitude to all of my clients -- that we really don't care what app someone uses to listen, because all podcast apps do basically the same stuff.

They all contain a directory of all podcasts available, with the rare exception of those with exclusive content. They all have a search feature (most of which stink) to help a listener find the specific show they are looking for. They all allow for playback. They all allow for subscriptions so that every time a new episode is produced, it automatically shows up and/or gives a notification to the subscriber. They all do the basic things you would expect a podcast listening app to do.

And it's because of that sameness that we generally don't care which one our listeners use. Apple Podcasts is clearly the leader of the space and continues to be thanks largely in part to that sameness. And the convenient fact that they helped define podcasting back in 2005 with an iTunes to include podcasts. Android and non-Mac people have had a slightly more difficult time with things, but nonetheless, Apple Podcasts is still the dominant player out there.

As you listen to podcasts these days, you’ll often hear podcasters end their shows with a call to action of “available wherever you listen to podcasts”. This again illustrates the sameness and uniformity of podcast listening apps.

For now. I think that's going to change. At least, I think it needs to change.

First off, it is a uniquely podcasty thing to say “available wherever you get your podcasts”. Imagine it wasn't a podcaster who said those words, but a sculptor. You’re at a party somewhere, and this sculptor is talking about their amazing new piece they've just finished and you say, “I would love to see your amazing new piece of art. Where can I find your art?”

And the sculptor says, “Wherever you view your art”.

I'm sorry, what? What does that mean? The potential listener is asking you a question: “Where can I find your show?” And you tell them, “Wherever you find my show”, in essence. The circular logic is absurd!

We have to stop thinking about podcasting like an extension of radio or television, where shows are segregated by channel, station, or streaming platform. But podcasts are available everywhere! So telling them “wherever you listen” is missing a key point: they clearly don't know where to find any podcast.

That, or they're unfamiliar with the fact that podcasts aren’t segregated like channels or streaming apps, and that whatever default app is already on their phone also contains your podcast.

This is your chance for education! This is our chance for education.

Yes. I know you've seen the studies that show that now more than 51% of the population has, at one time, listened to a podcast, but I don't trust that number.

The people who reported that number didn’t measure, watch, or track people to find out whether or not that statement was true. They simply ask people on the street, “Have you ever listened to a podcast?” And a little over half said, “Yes”.

But they might not have really listened to a podcast. They might have watched a YouTube video and thought that was a podcast. They might've clicked on a promotional audiogram on their Facebook Feed and saw the little 15-second snippet of the squiggly lines going by and thought they'd listened to a podcast. They might've heard a rebroadcast radio program that said, we're a podcast, but it was actually on the radio and thought they listened to a podcast.

The reality is that many -- perhaps most -- people actually don't know how to listen to a podcast. So if anyone ever asks you, “How can I find your podcast?”, don't tell them, “It's available anywhere you listen to podcasts!”

What should you do instead? Previously when someone asked about my show or one of my clients’, I’ve asked what kind of phone they carry, and then direct them to the native app on their phone. Or to Spotify if they have that app pre-installed. That's fine to do, but I don't think that's as helpful as it could be.

While there’s a benefit to leaving them to their own devices and preferences, it’s also sort washing my hands of the problem I deeply need to help them solve. Worse, it’s pushing them into a raging stream of content without meaningful differentiation. That’ll just leave a bad taste in their mouth if the content they’ve previously ignored turns out to be crap.

I think, without much in the way of meaningful evidence to back up this feeling, that 2020 might be the year we finally start seeing some differentiation -- differentiation that actually matters -- in the podcast app space. We saw hints of it last year (largely failures) with new apps launching that were very focused on exclusive content, choosing to carry a limited set of podcast titles. While that's one way to differentiate your app, I don't think it's the right way to differentiate your app.

All throughout podcasting’s past, we've seen some apps try to differentiate with social features or by using human-curated editorial lists. Those certainly have their appeals (and challenges), but none have proven to be the real breakout success.

But the thing that I'm realizing is that we may not have a breakout success or big blockbuster that comes along and topple the dominance of Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Google Podcasts. In fact, it probably won't happen. Because differentiation almost by definition means smaller focus.

So what I think you should do, and what I'm going to try to do is, find a favored podcast listening app. One that I know intimately. And one I think you should know intimately. I don't know which one that is. I'm not going to tell you which one that is, because it's different for every single show.

I think you need to understand that app, either an existing app or something new that's coming along down the pipe. You need to understand how to find your show on that app, and you need to understand why that app is great for your potential listeners. Not your existing audience! There’s no need to try to talk your existing listeners into switching. This is for people new to your show who are also new to podcasting! The next time you were at a party or an event and someone asks, “How can I find your podcast?”, you can walk them through the steps that you recommend from start to finish.

I know it sounds crazy, especially if there’s already a perfectly good-but-unused app on their phone! But you’ll make a much deeper connection with that person that way vs saying the equivalent of “It's been on your phone all along and you're dumb because you couldn’t find it.”

Now, I could be totally wrong about the coming differentiation. Nothing new may come from app developers, and we’re stuck in a sea of sameness from the point of view of the uninitiated. Regardless, it's a good exercise for you to get more comfortable with the way new listener consumes content.

One thing I'd like you to think about is going to RateThisPodcast.com/podpont (‘cause why would I want you to spell out the entire name of the show?) and leave a rating for the show. It goes like... everywhere!

Also: BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra if you'd liked what I had to say and want to support me, that'd be awesome.

And if you need help with your business focused podcast, that's what we do at Simpler Media Productions. Simplermedia.pro.

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

Cheers!

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Podcasters tend to be opinionated, except when it comes to which app people use to listen to our episodes. Now, most of us just genuinely don't care, but perhaps we should, especially when courting new potential listeners.

Hello and welcome to another episode of podcast pontifications with me. Evo Tara podcasts, listening apps have been around since the beginning of podcasting. I mean, chicken and the egg much. You can't have one without the other. In order to listen to a podcast you need, generally speaking, an app. Most of the people who listen to podcasts use an app, some sort of application to listen to the content.

Yeah, sure. Some go to the website, but the vast majority of listeners for most shows, will be listening through a dedicated podcast listening app. Now, as a podcaster, I. Probably have the attitude, and I've certainly had the attitude, and I've certainly sent the attitude to all of my clients who I support, that we really don't care what app someone listens to because they all do basically the same stuff.

They all contain a directory of at least enough, if not all podcasts available. They all have a search feature. Most of which stink to help you to help a listener find the specific show they are looking for and they allow for playback. They allow for a subscription so that every time a new episode is produced, it automatically shows up.

Perhaps the notification, all the basic things you would expect a podcast listening app to do, and it's because of that sameness. That we generally don't care which one you use to listen to. Now we have some leaders in the space, Apple podcasts, re iTunes is clearly the leader of the space and continues to be so because, well, they helped define podcasting back in 2005 when they released, when they updated iTunes to include podcasts and kind of became the de facto directory as well as listening app, at least for Mac and iOS users.

Android and non Mac people have had a slightly more difficult time with things, but nonetheless, it's still the dominant player that's out there. Okay. And while I still think it's a good idea that your podcast be available everywhere. And in fact, if you listen to many podcasts these days, a lot of times they will end with a call to action of available wherever you listen to podcasts.

Just again, showing the sameness. The uniformity of podcasts, listening apps in the marketplace. I think that's going to change and I think it needs to change. And let me tell you why I think it's needs to change. First off, it is a uniquely podcasty thing to say available wherever you get your podcasts.

Now just think about it. If it wasn't a podcaster who was talking, let's say that you were talking to a sculptor at a party somewhere, and your sculptor talks about there's amazing new piece they've got and you say, I would love to see your amazing new piece of art. Where can I find your art? And the sculptor said to me, wherever you view your art.

I'm sorry, what? What does that mean? I'm asking you a question. Where can I find your show? And you tell me wherever you find my show. I mean, the circular logic is kind of crazy. No one goes to a television television producer and says, where can I find your show? Or if we do say that what they're asking for is, what station are you on?

Or which streaming platform is it available on? Well, again, the problem with podcasting, it's available everywhere. So telling them it's available wherever they listen to podcasts, it's, well, Hey, it's pointless, and B, it doesn't really help because if the person is asking you where to find your podcast, they don't know where to find any podcast.

Or they're unfamiliar with the fact that your podcasts, like every other podcast is available on whatever default app is inside of their phone. This is your chance for education. This is our chance for education. Yes. I know you've seen the studies that show that now more than 51% of the population, at least in America, has at one time listened to a podcast, but I don't trust that number to be really honest.

We didn't go measure, we didn't go watch. We didn't track people. To find out whether or not that statement was true. We simply asked. That's how these surveys work. They simply ask people on the street, have you ever listened to a podcast? And they say, yes. They might not have listened to a podcast. They might want to.

They might have watched a YouTube video and thought that was a podcast. They might've clicked on someone's audiogram. On the Facebook page and saw the little 15 second snippet of the little lines going by and thought they'd listened to a podcast. They might've heard a rebroadcast radio program that said, we're a podcast, but it was actually on the radio and thought they listened to a podcast.

So people generally don't know how to listen to a podcast. And if anyone ever tells you. Or asks you the question, how can I find your podcast? Don't tell them it's available anywhere you listen to podcasts now, you might be tempted to do what I have been doing for the last several years. When someone's asked about my show is I pull out their phone if I can, or I guess nice more nicely.

I say, what kind of phone do you carry with you? And they either say iOS or Android. And I tell them, well, if it's an iOS phone, it's an Apple podcasts, and you have, there's that purple icon right there on your screen. Oh, cool. Or if they're an Android user, I said, Oh, well, didn't. All you have to do is search Google and you'll find it because Apple podcasts is built right here.

That's fine to do. But I don't think that's as helpful as it could be because you're kind of leaving them to their own devices. You're kind of pushing them into a stream where there's lots of content without a lot of differentiation. Speaking of differentiation and why the whole purpose of this particular episode today is, I think that finally.

15 ish years after inception, 2020 might be the year we finally start seeing some differentiation that really matters in the podcast app space. We saw hints of it last year that were largely failures, and that is new apps launching that were very focused or designed originally to be very focused in their content so they wouldn't carry everything.

They just carry a few things. Well, that's one way to differentiate yourself. But I don't think it's the right way to differentiate yourself. In the past, we've seen other apps come along trying to do things that differentiate, like adding in some social features or some curation lists. And those largely have been fine, but not real breakout successes.

But I think the thing that I'm realizing, and I want you to understand is that we may not have a breakout success. There may not be a blockbuster. Well that's going to come and topple the dominance of Apple podcasts, Spotify, or I guess Google podcasts. That may not happen. The, in fact, it probably won't happen because differentiation almost by definition means smaller focus.

So what I think you should do, and what I'm going to try to do is I think I'm going to try to find a favored podcast listening app, one that I know intimately. And one I think you should know intimately. I don't know which one that is. I'm not going to tell you which one that is because it's different for every single show.

I think you need to understand that app, why their existing app or something new that's coming along down the pipe. I understand how to find your show. I understand why it's great. I understand why you love it and explain to your potential listeners, not your existing audience. That that's the app they should use.

So the next time you were at a party or to advent or something else, and someone says, how can I find your podcast? You tell them, download this app and then do this and do this. I know it sounds crazy, but I'm here to tell you that that's a much deeper connection you'll have with that person than just send you, Oh, it's been on your phone along and you're dumb because you can't find it.

That's not really helpful. It's kind of condescending. So let's not be. Now I could be totally wrong about the differentiation. Nothing new may come of this, but I hope I am wrong and even regardless, it's a good exercise for you to get more comfortable with the way the products are working. That's what I'm thinking about today.

What are you thinking about today? One thing I'd like you to think about as I'd like you to think about going to rate this podcast.com/pod Ponte cause why would I want you to spell out the entire name of the show, rate this podcast.com/pod Ponte and leave me a rating. It goes like everywhere. Also buy me a coffee.com/evo Terra.

If you'd liked what I had to say and want to support me, that'd be awesome. And if you need help with your business focus podcast, that's what we do at simpler media productions. Simpler media.pro. I'll be back tomorrow with yet another podcast on vacations. Cheers.

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