Past Episodes of Podcast Pontifications

The podcaster/listener relationship is give and take. But that’s not a one-way street. Both podcasters and listeners are rewarded when podcasters take from their audience just as much as they give.

As technology progresses, it’s creatives with the least amount of classic podcasting skills who are leading the way, eclipsing the accomplishments of those of us who can hand-code RSS feeds.

Begin with the end in mind is good advice for podcasters, as there’s always something more to tweak. But are you willing to face the logical conclusion of this statement where you end podcasting?

Where did the “hi-fi” enthusiast go? It’s hard to not buy a 4K (soon 8K) monitor or TV, a trend noticed by content developers. Yet personal audio reproduction lags behind. But that might be changing.

Smart speakers make for a tiny fraction of podcast listening. And the experience is frustrating. But when Google, Amazon, & Apple decide to make a better experience, will your podcast be ready?

Market research & analytics show interest in your podcast’s topic is huge, but your audience growth is modest at best. Before you blame your content or marketing, the problem may be a lack of desire.

Professional creatives know that the process of creation changes them. Podcasters aren’t immune from this reality, & what we say has just as much control over us as we have control over what we say.

Spotify now lets you place entire hit songs in your episodes, with monetization options & no licensing fee. Yes, there’s a twist. But this might be the biggest change to podcasting since… podcasting.

Podcasting has become the new normal for most people. And while more people listening to podcasts is an obvious Good Thing, are you sure they’re looking for normality out of your podcast?

For a DIY, creator-first, indie-friendly medium as podcasting is, it’s shocking how little control you, the podcaster, have over the podcasting experience.

Want to be a better podcaster? Education, practice, & commitment are key. But becoming truly successful at podcasting requires uncomfortable amounts of trust in one key person: Yourself.

At its core, podcasting is pretty simple. What makes podcasting so complicated, is us, the podcasters, trying to give our audience what they want. But is it what we need?

Podcasters have a myopic view of metrics, often putting the greatest import on statistics that matter the least to the people who matter the most - our listeners. Here’s how to do better for your show.

Want to make a better podcast? Listen to a lot of podcasts that are better than yours. Here’s a simple technique that will make you a more productive podcast listener without monopolizing your time.

16 years in and podcasting still relies on an obfuscated and disconnected-from-reality metric to track all aspects of success: file downloads. There’s a better way. Several, in fact.

Congrats! Your podcast is starting to earn real money. Or has the promise of doing so. Before you rush to hire for a sales or content position, consider picking up a business manager first.

Before you take to the podcast airwaves with your own hot take on a trending topic, answer these three questions to make sure your words aren’t doing more harm than good.

Like most creative and professional pursuits, critical opinions help make podcasting better. But when your criticism inhibits the creative process, it limits the promise and potential of podcasting.

You know that little voice inside your head raising nagging suspicions about some aspect of your podcast? It’s probably there for a reason. And you should probably give it voice.

We tend to assume the power is in the hands of the voice behind the mic. But as podcasting matures and expands, other hands are exerting their influence on what makes it to our ears.