Podcasting is hot, right?! So what better time to jump back in than now? My (Internet) last name IS Radio after all.
Last year I attended and spoke at the first Podcast Movement and – fingers crossed – someone should pull off PodCamp Philly again. Before my stint at a 9-to-5 in 2014 I was also working with quite a few corporate clients on improving their own podcasts and designing marketing for the shows.
Needless to say, I have wanted to do a show again for quite some time. Since I’m back out working for myself (as well as working as Director of Marketing Technologies at Mingl – nearly always room for additional clients), it’s a great marketing platform for my business and product.
Trouble is, I’m ‘eh’ on going solo. Sad fact is I can’t find a single-person show that I feel is done well and not hyper-professionally produced (NPR). Although the story genre is not my thing, Serial also piqued my interest.
I know how the podcasting medium, technology and marketing works I just lack enough proof that a solo show is actually going to work. While some hosts do a great job with the interview-everyone format, it’s been done to DEATH because it’s packaged and sold as an infoproduct to wannabe podcast superstars. I had my fill of that last year at Podcast Movement (that seemed to be ALL that there was there) and don’t truly feel that’s the only direction the medium is good for.
Since the landscape has changed I’m conducting a lot of research. That means I’m listening to a lot of single-host podcast shows. I’m *bored* *to* *death*. In the average of a 20 minute show, I have to hear:
- How much they are thankful for the intro music and how it’s their brother-in-law’s neighbor’s garage band and is going to me the next big thing and how lucky you are to hear them on the podcast first!!
- Quote a bunch of other experts in their field and gush over how much they love them and offer little to no unique ideas of thoughts of their own.
- How cool their podcast gear is.
- How envious they are of other people’s podcast gear.
- How podcasting is going to reinvent business.
- How much they hate the sound of their own voice.
- Products or brands they LOVE and wish were sponsors and if anyone can hook them up they’d appreciate it. (No actual sponsors cited.) (Also: I am a believer that you should first monetize off-show.)
- Five or more minutes
askingbegging for iTunes reviews. - Five or more minutes complaining about the lack of iTunes reviews.
- On-air reads of every comment or review they get on the blog and iTunes.
Yes, I’m cynical. I started podcasting in 2004 and want to get back to my own show (as opposed to always working behind the scenes with client’s podcasts.) I’ve nearly always done solo shows and they’ve done well “back in the day.” What shows DO I like and listen to? Disclaimer: I know these folks and have had dinner with most of them (not all at the same time but that would be bang-up awesome.)
- She Podcasts with Elise Escobar and Jess Kupferman
- Lady Business Radio with Jess Kupferman
- Smart Passive Income with Pat Flynn
- The BeanCast with Bob Knorpp
- 1 Day Business Breakthrough with Chris Ducker and Pat Flynn
- The Owner’s Mind with Chris Brogan
- UnPodcast with Alison Kramer and Scott Stratten
- The School of Greatness with Lewis Howes
You may notice that these shows are consistently top of category in iTunes. They also all have more than one voice in the show. So. Do you know of any solo-host podcast shows that sound great, have great content and have a host that sounds great? Share it over!
Meanwhile I’m going to keep grinding forward on my own podcast again.
Lynette – I’ve spoken about most of what you don’t like as part of my talk about connecting with your listeners at Podcamp. I got both praise and flack for it. A lot of what you mention is what I call “meta-talk” and most of it just sucks and makes you sound unprofessional. Fact is – podcasts are just another thing vying for people’s attention in a varied media world. Most people are USED to stuff that sounds professional because that is what they have listened to all their lives. The podcasts – even ones from independent sources – that stand out for me are the ones that actually sound like mostly professional “radio” shows. Yes, there is a segment of podcasters who would argue that audio quality and meta talk don’t matter, but they’re not the folks who by and large have a lot of listeners. Even as a “one voice” podcast I always tried to sound as good as possible and as polished as possible. I know I wasn’t perfect but I just couldn’t bear the thought of just farting around. It was a “show” to do and I approached it like any piece of audio I made when I was doing radio production and/or was on the air. I hope more indie podcasters push their own abilities to sound great – I want to hear more awesome shows.
META is a really good way of describing it Rob. We both know, as we’ve been in the space for 11 or so years, that it is not that difficult to sound professional but people just get so enamoured with themselves that it bleeds through to the content.
When it comes right down to it a podcast is a delivery medium for content – hopefully GREAT content. All that other stuff is n00b filler 😉