In this episode of Podcaster News, I give you five tips that will encourage your listeners to interact with your podcast. All of these tips are easy to do and can be very effective.
Links mentioned in this episode:
@PodcastingNews
@Queenofhaiku
Image by Andreas Cappell on Flickr.
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Earlier this week, Podcast Movement, the podcasting conference that’ll be held in Dallas/Fort Worth, TX from July 31st to August 2nd, announced that it has added Glenn Beck to its list of speakers. Beck is best known for his roles as a conservative talk radio and TV show host. But in recent years, he’s had notable success as a digital media producer, primarily thru The Blaze.
Podcast Movement gave no specifics as to why the conference chose to bring Beck on board. Presumably, it’s because of his growing profile in the new media space. Regardless, like him or hate him, Beck is a true “mainstream” media figure that’ll likely bring some extra notoriety to the event.
It’s worth noting that, along with Beck, Podcast Movement has also booked Sarah Koenig, creator of Serial, as a speaker. And while we can hope that the conference won’t be defined solely in terms of political left-right balance, it’s good to know that Podcast Movement has some diversity in its speaker lineup.
There’s no question that Glenn Beck is a polarizing figure. I’ve already seen multiple comments from people in various podcast-centric forums stating that they won’t attend Podcast Movement due to Beck’s involvement. It’s a somewhat risky move on behalf of the conference, which is only in its second year. Time will tell if this move pans out for Podcast Movement in terms of increased visibility and attendance.
It was rumored earlier this year that streaming-media service Spotify could be adding podcasts to its platform. Today, those rumors became truth as Spotify announced it will be enhancing its products with new offerings like podcasts and videos. Until now, Spotify has only provided music streaming with some limited ability to download songs for offline playback. This move brings Spotify more in line with competitors like Apple’s iTunes, which has offered multiple types of media for years.
There aren’t many public details as of yet about how podcasting will work within Spotify. The screenshot shown here was taken from a Spotify promotional video. In it, we see a mockup of the mobile app with familiar and predictable podcasts such as WTF, Nerdist and Startup. Spotify appears to be launching its podcast support with a closed, curated directory instead of a user-driven directory like iTunes.
Spotify will be working with a slate of new content partners to beef up the offerings of its platform. The only names on the list that are particularly interesting to podcasters will be TWiT, WNYC and Slate. The rest (such as ABC, Adult Swim and Comedy Central) will likely be bringing video to the service.
No information is available yet as to how content producers can become Spotify partners. But something tells me Spotify is in no hurry to work with smaller, independent creators. We’ll see what happens over time.
Those of you who have attended Blizzcon in the past two years may have heard about World of Podcasts. The event was in its second year in 2014. It included panels of podcasters whose shows focused on one of the games made by Blizzard Entertainment. Since last year, World of Podcasts has gotten bigger and is now called Con Before the Storm.
World of Podcasts is not an official part of Blizzcon. In October of 2014, I interviewed Xia who is one of the people who helped create and organize World of Podcasts. I was able to attend their 2014 event, and it was a blast!
The World of Podcasts event was held the night before Blizzcon started and it featured panels of podcasters whose shows focused on video games made by Blizzard Entertainment. In 2014, there was a whole lot more going on including an art gallery, a Hearthstone tournament, and a fun photo area with backgrounds from Blizzard’s games.
This year, World of Podcasts has grown and become Con Before the Storm. Once again, it will feature podcasters whose shows focus on the video games made by Blizzard Entertainment. This year, in addition to the panels, the event will have a good way for people to chat with the podcasters after a talk has ended. In other words, people who want to connect with the featured podcasters will have an easier way to speak with them at the event.
There is a Kickstarter for Con Before the Storm. It has reached it’s original goal of $5,000 and is now working on funding some interesting stretch goals. For full details, I suggest you check out their Kickstarter. There is still time to get in on some of the rewards that connect to specific pledge amounts. At the time I am writing this blog, there are 25 days left before the Kickstarter ends.
The Con Before the Storm event/party will be held at the Hilton hotel that is near the Anaheim Convention center (where Blizzcon 2015 will take place). Having attending the first and second iteration of the event, I am certain that Con Before the Storm will be exciting and fun.
Podcasting takes a lot of time, effort, and commitment. Every episode requires setting up microphones and recording software, a plan for what topics will be covered, and some editing after the episode is done. More time is spent putting together show notes and posting links to your brand new episode on social media.
Have you ever asked yourself why you go through all this effort? Why do you podcast?
Podcasters tend to spend time talking with other podcasters. This is to be expected, considering that it is natural for people to seek out those whom they have a common interest with. Podcasters, as a group, all “get” why a person wants to start a podcast and why they continue to put in the effort it takes to continue it. Few feel the need to talk about it.
As such, discussion among podcasters can often lead into comparisons of microphones, debates about which audio recording software is the best, and questions about whether or not anyone has used a new podcasting service. At times, a podcaster might ask for advice about how to get their podcast to make money. Each of those topics can be useful, informative, and, in some cases “eye-opening”.
I think it is important for podcasters to question, from time to time, why they are podcasting. This is especially true for those who have been podcasting for years. Why do you continue to put in the time and effort to regularly make new episodes?
For the Money
There are some podcasters who have managed to turn their show into something that generates an income. The amount can vary from a few extra bucks to enough money to pay one’s bills. I suspect that only a small percentage of podcasters are able to “quit their day job” and live off of the money their podcasts earn. It makes sense to keep doing something that is paying your bills (especially if that something is enjoyable to do).
For the Fun
The majority of podcasters don’t make any money at all from their shows. Why do they podcast? It is probably for the fun of it. Those who are doing a podcast with a friend, or a group of friends, can end up having a lot of fun just “hanging out” together and talking about a shared interest. Often, podcasts that are done just for the fun of it have a main subject they stick to. Overall, though, it becomes a fun way for a group of friends to get together.
For a Cause
There are podcasts that were started in an effort to bring awareness to a specific cause. Some of them relate to a certain health condition, disease, or disorder. Others are primarily political. Those who do these kinds of podcasts have something that they feel is extremely important to share with the world. The commitment to the cause drives the podcaster to make more episodes.
There will be times, with every podcast, when things just aren’t working out as well as they used to. A change to a job schedule, a severe illness, or an addition to the family can make it more difficult for a person to put effort into podcasting. When this happens, it is helpful to take a moment and consider why you decided to start podcasting in the first place. That reason could provide you with the motivation to make things work, or to step away from or end a podcast.
The team at RawVoice / Blubrry are making progress headway in their One Click – Subscribe on Android brand agnostic initiative to fix the challenges with subscribing to a podcast on Android.
PowerPress – Implementing
Podcast Addict Ver 3.0- Implementing
Beyond Pod – Implementing
Podcast Republic – Implemented and Released
Podkicker Pro – Implementing
Podcatcher Deluxe – Implemented and Released
PlayerFM – Implementing
Spreaker – Implementing
Blubrry – Implelmenting
If your Android Podcatcher or site you work with is not on the list, you should ask them to review the developers page on the SubscribeOnAndroid.com website and support the initiative.