The Jag Show

I had artificial intelligence write and voice this entire 3 minute podcast (minus the intro and outro of course). I used Descript to create a synthesized version of my voice. This required me reading 30 minutes of copy, taken, interestingly enough, from a Planet Earth II script. (Also, I had to read it twice because I had the wrong mic selected the first time - it happens to the best of us). Each time, it took Descript about 24 hours to send back the new AI version of my voice. I can type text, and it will be read in my own voice. Next, I went to Chat GPT, and prompted it to write me a 3 minute podcast about the pros and cons of AI in podcasting. What you'll hear is their script, minus of course the podcast stereotype features, like the name of the show, and unnecesssary musical transitions. There are a couple moments where the audio hiccups, and it doesn't always get the inflection totally right. But overall, I find it quite impressive. Can you tell that it was AI and not me? Sure. But not by a lot. The script follows here. Questions about podcasting, AI, or both? Email me. jag@jagindetroit.com. Script: Nearly everything in this podcast is AI generated. I used Descript to create a synthesized version of my voice, by reading a 30 minute script. Then I asked Chat GPT to write me a 3 minute podcast exploring the pros and cons of AI in podcasting. It’s only lightly edited. Enjoy. Artificial intelligence has made significant advancements in recent years, and the podcast industry has not been left behind. Let's start by looking at the pros of AI in podcasting." One of the most notable benefits of AI in podcasting is content creation. AI-powered tools can transcribe, summarize, and even edit audio recordings, saving podcasters a considerable amount of time and effort. These tools can automatically generate show notes, enabling hosts to focus more on creating compelling content rather than spending hours on administrative tasks. Additionally, AI can enhance the listening experience for podcast audiences. With machine learning algorithms, AI can analyze listener behavior, preferences, and feedback. This data allows podcast platforms to offer personalized recommendations to their users. By suggesting relevant shows and episodes, AI helps listeners discover new content aligned with their interests, broadening their podcasting horizons. Furthermore, AI can improve accessibility in podcasting. Through automatic transcription and closed captioning services, listeners with hearing impairments can engage with podcast content more easily. Transcripts also benefit non-native English speakers, those who prefer reading, or individuals in noisy environments where listening may be challenging. Now, let's consider the cons of AI in the podcast industry. One concern revolves around the potential loss of human touch and authenticity. While AI transcription and editing tools can expedite workflows, they may lack the nuanced understanding and emotional connection that human editors or producers bring. It's crucial for podcasters to strike a balance between AI automation and preserving the human touch that makes their shows special. Another issue to consider is algorithmic bias. AI systems learn from vast amounts of data, and if that data contains biases, it can unintentionally perpetuate them. In podcasting, this could affect recommendations, leading to a lack of diversity or reinforcing existing inequalities. Careful attention must be given to the training data and the algorithms used to ensure fair and inclusive content recommendations. Lastly, privacy concerns arise as AI collects and processes vast amounts of user data for personalization. It's essential for podcast platforms to be transparent about their data collection practices, provide clear privacy policies, and obtain informed consent from users before utilizing their data. Safeguarding listener privacy should be a top priority." That concludes our exploration of how AI is...

Two of the best television shows in modern memory wrapped up this week - Succession and Ted Lasso. Today I'll tell you how some of the strategies they used can help your podcast. And oh, spoiler alert. Strategy #1 - Know when to get out. Both shows left us at a place where they could have continued on. Part of me would have loved to see how the Roy siblings moved on, and what happened to Waystar Royco. And of course, how would AFC Richmond have fared with Roy Kent at the helm? But both shows erred on the side of ending too early, as opposed to too late. The last thing we would have wanted is a "How I Met Your Mother" situation, where the last season was awful. It seemed like the writers were testing our loyalty, daring us to give up. This idea holds true for both your podcast as a whole, and individual episodes. When it's done, it's done. Wrap it up, and as the cliche goes, "leave them wanting more." Strategy #2 - Have characters that connect. Now, I'm not saying be somebody you're not. But as a host, or cohosts, what is it about you that makes your audience FEEL something? Roy Kent is one of my favorite television characters of all time, played by the hilarious comedian Brett Goldstein. Ted Lasso himself can be described the same way the show is - "relentless positivity." On the other end of the spectrum, you have Kendall, Roman, and Siovann Roy. They're all TERRIBLE people. But we connect with them in their moments of humanity - as they're all complex in their own way. Even if we may have been rooting for a meteor to hit them all in the end. What is it about you and your show that CONNECTS? Is it a personality trait? Is it humor? Or are you providing valuable information to your audience? If you want them to come back, they have to feel something - even if that something is "smarter." Strategy #3 - Set and meet your audience's expectations. Ted started in the early days of Covid, and it was one of those rare things that made us feel good. We came to expect to feel good after an episode. And of course, the other side of the coing. The Roys are all terrible people. It appealed to the lesser qualities of the human condition. Either you're an empath like me and felt terrible after each episode, or you are a sadist, looked at the Roy family, and said, "wow, I may have my issues, but at least I'm not them!" Establish what listeners will get out of your show. How will they feel? Will they learn something? What will resonate with them? You won't figure that out in Episode 1, but when you find that secret sauce, go with it. We'll miss you, Ted Lasso and AFC Richmond. As for the Roys, you had it coming. As you say to each other in every episode, "Fuck off."

The Daily from the New York Times -one of the biggest, and in my opinion, best, podcasts out there is expanding. They're going to offer a daily 10 minute recap of the day's headlines. But in this week's rollout, they are doing something right, AND something wrong. Here's what they're doing right - they are promoting the show on their flagship podcast. The best way to grow your show is by targeting other podcast listeners. It's the old "fish where the fish are" mentality. By doing a promo swap with another show in your space, you can grow both audiences. And also think about the actual user experience. It's much easier to find another podcast when you're already in a podcast app, like Apple or Spotify, then having to click over from Twitter, Facebook, or another social app. But speaking of podcast apps, here's where The Times gets it wrong. While you can listen to "The Headlines" for free this week in the same feed as "The Daily," that will change next week, where the show will be available only in the new NYT Audio app. Clearly this is an attempt to drum up some revenue. But I don't know who's going to pay $6.99 a month (or $24.99 after the first year) to get the day's headlines in podcast form when you can just as easily get the same headlines from NPR, ABC News, or any other competitor, for free on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, etc. Now, "The Headline" and NYT audio will be great for anyone who already pays for a digitial subscription to read article, play the crossword and Wordle, and anything else. And maybe you can justify this by it maybe being the final piece that grabs someone on the fence about subscribing anyway. But this are the big mistakes that podcasters are making. Just look at TV - do you really want to be paying for Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max (i'm sorry, Max), and Apple TV? No, that adds up. Yes, I keep Netflix for my parents, but I'll be dumping HBO when Succession ends and Apple TV when Ted Lasso finished up. So with all these video services nickel and diming us, do you want to have to pay separate subscriptions for Apple, Spotify, and a bunch of other places for your podcasts? In my opinion, this is a short-sighted money grab on podcasters' part. And unless your show is SO good that people are willing to spend money on it (like Succession and Ted Lasso), it won't work in the long-term. Would I pay for the Daily? Maaaaaaybe, but probably not - as I don't listen when I get busy. Would I pay for 10 minutes of headlines I can get anywhere? Absolutely not. Podcast revenue is up year over year, but you won't make money selling ads on your shows until you spend a good year, or even two or three, building your audience (unless you're uber famous to start with). So don't cannibalize yourself by limiting where your show is available. As always, thanks for listening, and if you have any questions about podcasts, find me at JAG in Detroit.com. Lata!

Yes, I'm a 42 year old man and I'm recording this podcast while wearing a pair of my new Lululemon pants. And I found them the same way most people find podcasts. Look, we all know the pandemic changed EVERYTHING. From food delivery to media consumption to...PANTS. As a recent New York Times Op Ed said - the best things to come out of Covid are "soft pants." I've been working from home since 2018, and my wife has since March 2020 - and we openly complain when we have to wear jeans, or so-called "hard pants." Denim's out, comfort is in. So how did I start my pants journey? Much like podcast discovery, word of mouth. My wife's hair stylist told her that she bought a pair for her husband, and he loves them. So I started looking online -and of course my Facebook feed was soon filled with ads for Lulu, Birddogs, Public Rec, and Fabletics. I also posted looking for recommendations, and was surprised by how many friends my age had suggestions! Social media and Google - more drivers of podcast discovery. My wife is a fan of dressing "age appropriate," and I think she's on a secret mission to gradually purge all the sports logo'ed clothes from my 20's out of my closet. And yes, that includes sweatpants, which are being replaced by the more modern "joggers." At this point in time, me wearing a jersey to anything other than a game, well it makes about as much sense as sitting by the radio waiting for your favorite song to play. So I bought three pairs, all online of course. The LuLus, a pair from the cheeky brand Bird Dogs, which might even be slightly more comfortable, and a pair from Fabletics. which I returned. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this new way of wearing pants. It makes more sense for my lifestyle. Just like podcast skeptics can often be won over by a show that entertains or informs them. I gotta admit, I stereotyped Lululemon - thinking it was a brand for wealthy suburban moms and sorority girls. But I was wrong. Just like every SNL sketch you've ever seen stereotypes podcasts and podcasters. Gone are the days of poor audio made in Mom's basement. Now, every company needs a podcast as part of their brand strategy. And podcasting consumption has hit an all time high. 83% of American adults are familiar with it, 64% have listened to one, and almost 100 million people tune in every week. Now that I'm wearing comfy pants every day, I won't go back to jeans, except for those rare occasions when necessary. I hope you can find a podcast that feels as good on your ears as these pants do on my....legs. Lata!

We've all been there as podcasters. We finish our interview, we sign off, and the guest sends us an email and says, "oh, can I add something?" What's important to remember in podcasting is that, in most cases, this isn't hard-hitting "gotcha journalism." We aren't out to GET our guests or catch them with their pants down. Usually, we are highlighting them, or something interesting and relatable about their story. In fact, getting your guests to share the episode to their network is a great way to grow your show. So why NOT accommodate them? Yes, it can be more time out of your limited production schedule But it's important to be kind. Podcasting, like all things in life, is about relationships and how you treat people. The better an experience your guest has before, during, and after your show, the more likely they'll be to recommend both your show, and you as a host and person. Now here's a hack for you. When it's time to edit, if you haven't already done the cuts on the main episode, edit the inserted content FIRST. That way, you'll know how it sounds, in its edited form, and have a better idea of where it can fit in the context and flow of your main episode. Of course, there will be times where a production schedule doesn't allow for changes, or you may have a guest who has an unreasonable request. There are exceptions to every rule. But if you need some perspective, try being a guest on someone else's podcast. That's a lot more nerve-wracking, at least for me, than hosting. As a host, you have full control, both before and after. But as a guest, you're at the mercy of the interviewer. So, if possible, show a little kindness, and it can go a long way.

Two things that will be central to growing your podcast in 2023 are a YouTube channel and an email list. First, YouTube. Now don't be scurred. If you're camera shy, this doesn't mean you need to shoot video of your podcast. There are tools like Headliner and others that will take the AUDIO of your show, and either your show or episode artwork or an image of your choice, add one of those moving waveforms and boom, it's a video file that you can either download or just connect the app to your YouTube page. You can even automate it to go to YouTube whenever an episode publishes. Example: https://make.headliner.app/download/e3a68b01-b965-4641-b345-af942d00ab37 Why is YouTube so important? Because YouTube is now a top 3 platform for both podcast discovery AND podcast consumption. You may have noticed that Google, who owns YouTube, is eliminating the Google Podcasts app, and they are folding it into the YouTube music platform. In fact, as a creator, if you have a playlist on YouTube, you can now designate it as a podcast. Podcast consumers are viewing, and even just listening, to podcasts on YouTube. Sometimes the audio just plays in the background while they are driving, or working on their TPS reports, or however they're going about their day. YouTube and Google's search engine can't be beat - so it's an easy way to find and consume content. The only downside is that your YouTube views and podcast downloads are counted separately, because YouTube doesn't yet use an RSS feed. But because of the exponential growth of podcasts, and the fact that Google is now all in, my prediction is that this problem will be solved by late 2023 or early 2024. So get on YouTube now and don't be late to the party. The other key to your podcast is an email list. It's easy to set up with a service like MailChimp or Constant Contact, or AWeber, which is what I use because it's got a template for podcasts. To quote my friend and colleague Tiffany from Twiz Creative, by using an email list, you are creating your own algorithm. You aren't relying on Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk to display your content to your followers. Sure, post your stuff on social. It can't hurt. But an email list guarantees your listeners will see that you've posted a new episode. In fact, if you'd like to subscribe to the email list for THIS podcast, you can at JAGinDetroit.com/subscribe. Thanks for listening, and for following and subscribing. Lata!

I grew up a die-hard Boston Red Sox fan. Every April, we thought, "this could be the year." Until it wasn't. But in honor of what used to be our national pasttime, today I'm going to tell you what podcasting and baseball have in common. When you start your show, it's April. You've got big dreams. You're going to be the next Serial, or the next Joe Rogan. You're going to get millions of downloads, and sell enough ads to quit your job and buy your own private island. Hope springs eternal, right? Then you get into the season, and you realize that this is a LOT harder that it looks - and sounds. You need to be consistent. And you need to spend a lot more time practicing - or prepping - than you do actually playing (or recording). And even if you're a knock-it-out-of-the-park type player, you can't do it without teammates. That could be cohosts, guest, virtual assistants or VAs, editors, and more. It sure is fun to start, but it's a grind. And while everyone wants to win - would you be happy with a .500 record? Making the playoffs? Winning the pennant? What does that mean for you in terms of downloads and either sales leads or ad revenue? Here's one more comparison. Baseball interest has plummeted in recent years. Why? As our attention spans wane, the game has gotten slower. Time between balls in play has gone from 3 to 4 minutes, which added up over a whole game is a lot. And the longer your content, the more compelling it needs to be. News flash: you're not Sarah Koenig or Joe Rogan with a full staff behind you. Chances are, your show can be more compelling if you keep it under 30 minutes. And lose the fluff. If it doesn't interest your audience, leave it on the cutting room floor. If you follow baseball, you'll know this year has brought - forgive the pun - a seismic....shift. For reasons too long to list here, baseball has gotten away from putting the ball in play, and just going for the home run. New rules have gone into place for the 2023 season to encourage more singles, doubles, triples, and steals - to keep the action and momentum going. Similarly, podcasting has swung for the fences - look at the hundreds of millions of dollars Spotify and others have thrown around over the last few years. It wasn't sustainable. And now, like many other industries, the podcasting world has started to contract - with cuts at many bloated companies. As Vanity Fair put it, "The Dumb Money is Gone." Or, as Steve Goldstein of Amplifi Media says, "Belt Tightening will be good for podcasting." More and more folks are listening to podcasts. After a brief dip in 2021-2022 as we came out of the pandemic, podcast consumption has once again grown this year, to another all time high, according to Edison Research's Annual Infinite Dial Survey. Four out of 10 Americans age 12-54 have listened to a podcast this week, and weekly podcast listeners average 9 shows per week. Chances are, your show is not the next Serial, Smartless, or Stuff You Should Know. Those shows are home runs. Your show might be a single, double, or triple. Heck, maybe it's a steal. Baseball is learning that those plays are key to keeping the game exciting. And that's why your show is important to podcasting. If you have any questions at all about podcasting, you can find me online at JAGinDetroit.com, where I have a new guide to all the equipment you'll need to get started: https://jagindetroit.com/podcast-equipment-recommendations/

To paraphrase a great philosopher of the early 2000's.....FINALLY.....The Jag Show....has come back....to podcasting. First, apologies for the hiatus. I've spent much of the last six months on a passion project - the WJPZ at 50 podcast - interviewing alumni from a half century of my college radio station. Look for a case study on that show soon in this space. Also, on Tuesday, April 4, I'll be co-presenting "How to Launch a Podcast," with my client Angela Buccellato of The Resume Rescue. I'll be talking about how to get started, and Angela will talk about how she's used her show, That's Business, as a marketing and lead generation tool. If you're local, the event will be at Bamboo in Royal Oak, Michigan. If you're not local, you can watch virtually. https://bit.ly/startapodcastwithjag Now, onto March's podcasting news. The biggest news is the integration of podcasts into YouTube. YouTube is one of the top discovery methods of podcasts, and I've long said that even if your show is audio-only, it still needs to live there for SEO purposes. Well, if you've organized your episodes into a playlist on YouTube, you can now categorize that playlist as a podcast. Also, YouTube's got some great analytics available to creators - from watch time to device type and operating system, as well as the traffic source they came from. For me, the only downside is that YouTube isn't pulling from your podcast's RSS feed (yet), so the YouTube metrics and your podcast download numbers will have to remain separate - for now. For audio podcast consumption, the debate rages on between Apple and Spotify. Spotify has the most listeners from a quantity perspective, but they only download 3 episodes on average. Apple's listeners download 30. So more listeners on Spotify, more consumption on Apple. Edison Research's Annual Infinite Dial Study was released in early March, possibly the most important analysis in podcasting, IMHO. Key takeaways are that after a bit of a COVID dip, podcasting is back on the upswing. This of course relates to the return of commutes. Two thirds of Americans age 12+ have listened to a podcast, almost half have listened this month, and a third have listened in the last week. Full study here: https://www.edisonresearch.com/infinite-dial-2023-from-edison-research-with-amazon-music-wondery-and-art19/ The PodFest Global Summit is live this week https://podfestglobal.online/tickets/ Some fun tools for podcasters include PodSqueeze, which uses AI to generate show notes, summaries, and social media content from your uploaded audio file. I tried it this morning. Pretty good, but like most AI, not nearly as good as a human doing it the old fashioned way. Auphonic, a popular online production tool, has revamped its system. And Podfast is an app that's coming soon which will deliver short audio summaries of longer podcasts, like a Cliff's Notes version. They claim it's totally legal. We will see. Here's my key takeaway - as AI continues to get better and better, the list of potential tools for podcasters keeps growing. But we aren't at "set-it-and-forget-it" levels yet. We'll get closer, but we'll never be all the way there. The best thing for you to do, as a podcaster, is see which of these tools can cut down your production time for your podcast, but check and tweak everything. Hope you continue to be well, and I'll see you next Tuesday in Royal Oak. Lata!

What's better than one podcast producer's 2023 predictions? How about 5? I moderate this month's roundtable with Matt Cundill of The Sound Off Media Company, Catherine O'Brien of Branch Out Programs, Johnny Podcasts of Straight Up Podcasts, and David Yas of Pod 617. We agree on some ideas, and have pleasantly divergent opinions on some others.

Hey everyone, it's been a minute. Gonna break down the last month or so of podcast news and look forward to 2023. First, a programming note. Yes, I've "pod faded" with this show a bit. That's largely because I've been dedicating a lot of time to a passion project, a show called WJPZ at 50. It celebrates 50 years of the radio station at my alma mater, Syracuse University. We are releasing interviews with alumni every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through the beginning of March and our annual reunion banquet. After that, the show will slow to a once-a-week cadence, and I'll be able to re-focus on this show and other areas of my podcast production business. Thank you by the way, PodNews and Podcast Business Journal for the mentions. OK, onto the news.... What about video podcasts? I'm asked this all the time. A new study from Cumulus/Westwood One and Signal Hill Insights show that 28% of podcast listeners want to watch video of their podcast, and 29% want video playing in the background. This changes a bit by format - like true crime for example is often best suited to audio only. But here's MY key takeaway: 43% of listeners prefer audio only. My position on this hasn't changed. I'm a radio guy by trade, so I'm always audio first. A podcast goes where video can't - in the car, walking the dog, and more. Now YouTube is huge for podcast discovery, but you can get all that SEO benefit but uploading your audio to YouTube with a static image or moving waveform, or even auto-generated captions. Make sure you have good show notes, and a transcription of your content if available. But don't feel the need to shoot video of your podcast- to me, the ROI on your time investment just isn't there. And yes, I know what you're thinking - Jag, aren't you doing a video version of this podcast? Well, yes, but only because it's very short. If this thing were 30 minutes, no way I'd be shooting and editing video. Speaking of YouTube, they've put out a 67 page guide to podcasting. If you've got some time - you can link from the bottom of this article at TubeFilter: https://www.tubefilter.com/2022/11/23/youtube-podcast-guide/ Podcast Hosting App Anchor seems to be losing market share. I've long been concerned about Anchor, its connection to Spotify, and the murkiness around who owns your content. Remember, free is never really free. Anchor, however, HAS announced an audio enhancement tool that will clean up your audio in noisy environments. Add this to the existing Studio Sound feature in Descript, and an AI audio enhancement tool in beta from Adobe, and podcast audio is going to get much better in 2023. If you're going to use these tools, however, proceed with caution. They aren't perfect, and unless you check through them, or employ a professional editor, you can get some WEIRD stuff in your "enhanced" audio. Spatial Audio could be the next big audio tech breakthrough. Theoretically, if you're listening to a podcast with headphones, you'll be able to hear the conversation from different angles depending on how you move your head. The New York Times has a website demo. I think it will be a couple of years before this is common place, but the cutting edge stuff is pretty cool. Link: https://rd.nytimes.com/projects/a-guide-to-creating-spatial-audio-podcasts There seems to be a growing sentiment in podcasting to remove email addresses from RSS feeds. Up until now, you needed an active email address to verify ownership of a podcast in Apple, Spotify, and more. But with the rise of two-factor authentication, that may no longer be needed. Why the pushback against email addresses? They inordinate amount of spam that you get from every bot on the planet as a podcast owner. And think you have it bad? Try being the email on the RSS feed of 25 or so client podcasts. It's a daily pain I incur so my clients don't have to. You're welcome. :) New research shows that podcast listeners are OK with content that's, shall we say, not squeaky-clean. The reason seems...

It's been awhile since we did a recap of news in the podcasting world - so I'm gonna share some headlines that have grabbed my attention over the last month or so: The biggest story is Edison Research's Spoken Word Audio report, released at the end of October, and surveying Americans ages 13 and up. Some of the key takeaways: 131 million Americans listen to Spoken Word Audio daily, that's up 25% since 2014. Also, 29% of all audio consumption is now spoken word. That's up 1.5x from eight years ago. And Gen Z specifically, their consumption of spoken word audio has nearly tripled. And that's not just because today's pop music sucks. Also, it's too loud and GET OFF MY LAWN! Here's a link to the takeaways and the study: https://www.edisonresearch.com/the-spoken-word-audio-report-2022-from-npr-and-edison-research Podcast host Buzzsprout has gone viral with their video on how to be a podcast guest. It's a classic 90's instructional video throwback - complete with a rapping PSA. Link: https://youtu.be/mes-wril-Gw Some news specific to Apple Podcasts: Beginning in 2023, they'll no longer require an email address to be associated with a show. I love this idea - because I'm the admin email for many of my clients, I can't TELL you how much spam I get. Your email address doesn't need to be in the back end RSS data. But it should be in your show notes, so your listeners have a way to contact you. Also, Apple has started auto-tagging individual episodes by category. On one hand, Big Brother is listening, but on the other, it might help your discoverability! You may have noticed a new look to Apple Podcasts in iOS 16. If you listen on an iPad, you'll have a new sidebar to help you navigate between shows. And on iPhone, you'll be able to navigate easier from the lock screen. That said, Apple is raising prices on Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple One. Man, I hope that last season of Ted Lasso is worth it... Amazon Music still represents less than 1% of US podcast listening, but it's Amazon, so I expect that number to grow. They've added more ad-free podcasts for Prime members. Maybe instead, we'll just keep seeing ads for terrible Thursday Night Football games. Titans-Packers this week. Yawn. Can't Wait. Tom Webster, in Sounds Profitable, has a two-part series on Radio's Seven Warnings For The Podcast Industry. They are: https://soundsprofitable.com/update/radio-warnings-for-podcast-industry-1 https://soundsprofitable.com/update/radio-warnings-for-podcast-industry-2 You know I'm a fan of Squadcast as a remote audio recording platform. They announced they've received several patents for their behind the scenes tech. https://squadcast.fm/blog/patent-awarded-the-squadcast-recording-engine A podcast called Canadian Politics is Boring is putting out an episode of their show on cassette. Yes, cassette. It's a cool novelty - but unless you've got a device that plays cassettes, it seems the tapes are just going to be glorified paperweights. Finally, a quick shoutout to Evo Terra, who wrapped up his show Podcast Pontifications. He was one of the first big names in podcasting two decades ago, and he was always gracious to me with his time, including being a past guest on this show. You can find his episode here: https://thejagshow.simplecast.com/episodes/podcast-og-evo-terra-consumed-only-beer-and-sausages-for-a-month

A great way to promote your podcast is in other podcasts. It's what's known as a "Feed drop." If you can work out a trade with a similar podcaster, you can promote each other's shows. The old adage is "fish where the fish are." It's a lot easier to land a podcast listener from another podcast than it is from a social media channel. They're already on their podcast app! With that in mind, here's a demonstration of how that works. I'm working on another project - a podcast commemorating the 50th anniversary of my college radio station in Syracuse, WJPZ. Episode 1 of the podcast debuted today, with interviews of our longtime faculty advisor, Dr. Rick Wright. I've taken the artwork and audio from that podcast's trailer, and added it to my feed for my followers to see and hear. And it's up now, classified as a "Bonus" episode. Maybe you'll be interested and follow that show after hearing it here. Enjoy.

My wife and I are back from a week in Disney World with some friends, and a lot of the things they do there can apply to you and your podcast. Now I realize Disney has about a 90 year head start on you, and 50 for Disney World specifically. Nor do you have a multi-billion dollar marketing machine and 4 generations of super fans at your disposal. But here are 8 takeaways from the Mouse House that you can scale down to your podcast. better To talk more about podcasts and how I can help you, find me online at jagindetroit.com.

TikTok continues to out-innovate (and out-grow) other social media apps. And podcasting could be their next feature. PodNews, via AudioMeans, reports that there is a new "bot scraping our feeds." Or, in English, another party is starting to look at our podcasts. And it traces back to TikTok servers. Details are scant so far, but this makes total sense. TikTok has been rapidly gaining on other social media apps, so it only makes sense they'd want a bite of the podcast pie as well. What I find REALLY interesting is, will they work out deals with record labels so you can include commercial music in your podcast like you can on TikTok? We're probably a long way out from the answer on that - but definitely something to keep an eye on. Speaking of big names in podcasting, YouTube is continuing to increase their efforts in the space. You can now purchases ads in YouTube podcasts through Google Ads. If you haven't seen what YouTube's podcasting space looks like, you can go to https://www.youtube.com/podcasts Just know it's only available in the US at this point. How often does shared podcast listening happen? As in more than one person listening together? In a new study from SiriusXM and Edison Research, as much as 12% of podcast listeners report listening with someone else, including in-car and in other places. This can result in a 5% boost to impressions for podcast advertisers. And co-listening happens in the home, too - usually while cooking or eating together. Here's a link to the survey:https://www.sxmmedia.com/insights/5-reasons-brands-shouldnt-sleep-on-co-listening And speaking of Edison Research, you know I'm a big fan of almost everything they put out. Next Thursday, they're releasing their Spoken Word Audio report for 2022. It's going to look at how Spoken Word Audio fits into overall audio listening in the US, and there will be special focus on Gen Z listeners. If you're not paying attention to them, you should be. They were born between roughly 1995 and 2010. Which means the oldest ones are close to 30 now, and have significant disposable income to spend. Here's a link to sign up for the Edison Webinar. https://www.edisonresearch.com/the-spoken-word-audio-report-from-npr-and-edison-research-save-the-date-3 As always, appreciate you listening, and if you have any questions about podcasting or starting a podcast, find me at JaginDetroit.com. Stay healthy and stay safe. Lata!

The big news in podcasting this week was Spotify canceling 10 shows from its Parcast and Gimlet studios, leading to a layoff of just under 5% of its workforce. And it's all because of...greed. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/digital/spotify-cancel-podcasts-parcast-gimlet-1235234758/ These shows are Spotify exclusives. While it's true Spotify is one of the biggest players in podcasting, they are far from the only game in town. When you keep a product off of certain distribution channels, that content had better be an absolute home run, and worth the price of admission to Spotify. Another bad look for Spotify - and a reminder that you need to be crystal clear who owns your show's content. Their show "Sex, Lies, and DM Slides" was created in September 2020. The hosts parted ways, and now the show is being made without them - same name and everything. Spotify says they own the intellectual property of the name. More from PodNews: https://podnews.net/update/old-show-new-hosts Another piece of advice for your podcast - make it recommendable- to listeners and to Google. Connect with your audience and make them WANT to tell their friends and family about your show. And don't forget about Google and SEO. More: https://www.amplifimedia.com/blogstein/podcastings-paradox-of-choice Finally, some podcasting quick hits: Arthur the Aardvark is launching a podcast series next Thursday, October 20th, repurposing some content from the former kids show. Adnan Syed, the subject of the groundbreaking serial podcast, has had all charges against him dropped, after serving 23 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. And speaking of true crime, Kim Kardashian is investigating the case of Kevin Keith, who was convicted of a triple murder in 1994. He maintains his innocence. The Spotify show is called "Kim Kardashian's The System." And some of the survivors of the attack are NOT happy with the show. Well, I mean frankly, if you can't trust Kim Kardashian as a serious investigative reporter, who can you trust? As a reminder, I'm here to help you with all your podcasting questions and needs. And you want this show emailed to you every week, just visit jagindetroit.com/subscribe. Until next week. stay healthy and stay safe. Lata!

I really don't want this to be a podcast where I talk about radio, an industry I left in 2017 after almost 20 years. But for the second straight week, we've got a radio company who's trying to break podcasting. Last week it was iHeartRadio, and their sketchy practice of buying podcast downloads as ads in video games. How sketchy was that? Well depends on who you ask. This week, it's Audacy, formerly Entercom, and CBS Radio before that. They're the company that saw how badly ClearChannel and iHeart screwed up the radio business, and said, effectively, "Hold my beer." Most radio companies have invested heavily in the digital space, specifically in podcasting. Audacy is no exception, having purchased Cadence13, and Pineapple Street Media, two leading podcast studios. Well flash forward to late 2022, and Audacy's stock price is in the crapper, below $1, and facing de-listing from the New York Stock Exchange. So in a desperate move, they're selling off...you guessed it, Cadence13. It's the classic "company is in deep trouble, so we need to sell something valuable to save our butts today, future be damned." Mortgaging the future to save the present. Now we've seen this before, and it's what happens when companies - radio or otherwise - get too big. They've got to satisfy bean counters and stock-holders, and they get away from their core missions and what they do well. That's what happened to ClearChannel when they went public, sold to private equity, declared bankruptcy, and seemingly had layoffs every step along the way. That's why in a market like Syracuse, New York, there may be more radio stations than live DJ's. The more I think about it, I'm actually kinda glad Audacy is selling off Cadence13. Maybe it will end up in the hands of someone who can invest in the product, not rob Peter to pay Paul. Keep screwing up radio, Audacy. Stay out of podcasting. Onto other podcast news this week. Kara Swisher is leaving her New York Times podcast and returning exclusively to Vox Media. But there are reports that the New York Times, who owns all rights to the show, has repurposed her feed to do a new show. On the surface, it seems like a good idea for marketing and downloads. Start a show standing on third base, with an already dedicated number of listeners to a certain feed. Nothing illegal, either. But what I don't like here is the idea of eroding trust with your audience. They expect certain content from a show they subscribe to. Maybe they'll give the NEW content a chance, but I've got to think they'll unsubscribe. A story to keep an eye on for sure. The lesson: always be sure who owns your content before you start a show. For a deeper dive on that, you can check out this months Podcast Superfriends episode, which I cohost. Link in the show notes. https://www.soundoff.network/show/the-podcast-super-friends/podcast-married/ Twitter is rolling out its premium features within Twitter Blue, including podcasts, to Android users. It had previously been available on just iOS devices. Personally, it's not enough to get me to pay for Twitter, which I guess differentiates me from Elon Musk. Finally, if you're looking for a higher-end podcast microphone, Logitech has unveiled the Blue Sona Dynamic mic. It's designed to compete with the microphone I use, the Shure SM7B. Now the Shure has been used in many radio stations, and by artists from Michael Jackson to Eminem. I love it. The Blue Sona is about $50 less ($350 instead of $400), and is designed not to need a signal booster, like a Cloudlifter or a Fethead. For me, I'm going with the tried and true mic that's been used for 40 years. Plus, I already have it. But if you're watching your budget as you build your podcasting setup, the Blue Sona might be worth looking into. Link in the show notes: https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Blue-Sona-XLR-Microphone/dp/B09MRSQDJ7 Finally, I'm not one for shoutouts in my podcast, but do have to give one to my colleague Johnny Peterson, aka Johnny...

Is iHeart scamming the podcasting industry? That's the implication of an article this week that was widely discussed in the podcasting world. The story is from Bloomberg and written by Ashley Carman, one of the most respected reporters in our industry. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-09-27/inside-podcasters-explosive-audience-growth Advertising buys in podcasting are based on audience size - downloads and streams. According to Carman, publishers are buying ads inside mobile games. The publisher can claim a dubious download, as WELL as an ad impression for a commercial that may not be heard. Are they gaming the system? Well, opinions are all over the map on that. For a deeper dive, you can check out this week's Podcast SuperFriends Roundtable where I discuss it with four of my colleagues. https://www.soundoff.network/show/the-podcast-super-friends/podcast-married/ Tanner Campbell suggests in his Good Morning Podcasters newsletter that iHeart isn't doing anything wrong here. https://tannerhelps.substack.com/p/iheartradio-isnt-doing-anything-wrong?r=19niz3&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email Here are my key takeaways. Will the industry correct for this practice? After this much publicity, I believe it will. Much the same way as Apple Podcasts and Google Search always find a way to punish folks who try to game the system. Also, will this affect your show? No. Unless you are in the rarified air of a large podcast, with huge download numbers, that sells advertising based off of those numbers, this has no bearing on you, or your show. But there is a concern over that anything that hurts the credibility of the podcasting industry. In other podcasting news, PodNews reports that the average length of a podcast is shrinking, from 53 to 37 minutes. https://rephonic.com/blog/podcast-episode-length New podcasts are out from Stephen A. Smith and the CIA this week. Don't miss an episode of The JAG Show Podcast - you can subscribe in your favorite podcast app, or have it emailed to you every week. I promise not to spam you. Just go to https://jagindetroit.com/subscribe Until next week, stay healthy and stay safe - especially our friends in Florida. Lata!

Yesterday, I went to the North American International Auto Show, known to locals here as the Detroit Auto Show, or just the Auto Show. And it reminded me of a common question I get from podcasters - when should I release my new episodes? Now, whether you release, weekly, biweekly, monthly, whatever, the key to growing your show is consistency. As your show grows, your listeners will learn when to expect new content - whether that's the 2nd and 4th Tuesday each month, or every Wednesday morning, whatever. We are creatures of habit. The Detroit Auto Show was always in mid-January, usually when it was about 0 degrees here in Michigan. It sucked, but we were used to it. In 2019, they decided to move it to the summer or fall, where it could become a hybrid indoor-outdoor event. Seemed like a good idea. But then the pandemic happened, and this week's auto show ended up being the first since January 2019. I checked it out with some friends yesterday, and it was pretty meh. Was it cool to have monster trucks at Hart Plaza downtown? Sure, I guess. Inside, it was fun to drool over exotic Corvettes, Mustangs, and concept cars. And there were the ridealongs to check out the acceleration in the F-150 lightning electric, as well as the off-road capabilities of the Bronco and Jeeps. But the show seemed quiet. Was it, as one friend suggested, the fact that people have way more going on in September than in the dead of winter? Maybe. But when people think of the Auto Show, they think of January. Now, this could be a great event again if they can get more buy in and participation from car companies, and if they get the public used to the idea of it happening in nice weather. But it's going to take time. The pandemic gave them a reset, but now they have to build a new habit from scratch. That's why it's important to be consistent with your podcast release schedule. Amazon Music celebrated two years of featuring podcasts on its platform. If you don't use it, don't feel bad. They boast a whole 0.7% of podcast listening. But putting your show on there is as easy as giving Amazon Music your RSS feed. And it's free, so why not? Could we be one step closer to using copyrighted music? YouTube is testing out a program called Creator Music, that will allow you to either purchase a use-license for commercial music, or enter a revenue share with the artist. It's still in Beta, they're hoping to launch in the US later this year. So it's a baby step, but if it works, that could provide a blueprint for podcasters. Via PodNews: https://techcrunch.com/2022/09/20/youtube-announces-creator-music-a-new-way-for-creators-to-shop-for-songs-for-use-in-videos Are audio ads more effective than video ads? Well, yes, according to a press release from Mars Media Group, linked in today's show notes, via Podnews. They claim a 25% revenue increase for audio ads over video. The reason, they suspect, is with so much screen time, visual ads just become more clutter. They also say that audio ads, in their research, haven an 85% listen-through rate. Pretty impressive. https://podnews.net/press-release/audio-ads-mmg On Medium, Adam Rostad says you should stop buying ads on big podcasts and, instead, create your own podcast for the same investment- or less, I might add. Among his other reasons, the "skip" button in your podcast player, podcast ads aren't forever, and honestly, listeners just crave that human connection. More: https://medium.com/@a.d.rostad/3-reasons-you-should-stop-paying-for-ad-space-on-podcasts-e5bc7ce93f30 What was the first podcast you listened to? For me, it was Serial. Well this week, a judge quashed the murder conviction of Adnan Syed, ordering a new trial. He's been released from jail and is on home confinement, pending his new trial. That's at least in part due to the power of a successful podcast. Until next week, stay healthy and stay safe. Lata!

Did you see 16 year old Shane Hawkins pay tribute to his dad at the recent Foo Fighters tribute to Taylor Hawkins? Well, turns out how you heard about it and how you watched and reacted to it - can teach us a lot about podcasting. How did you hear about it? For me, it was a combination of social media post after social media post, and hearing friends talk about it. Was it the same for you? Did you run to YouTube to see it? Or did you actually pull up the Paramount Plus app to watch the one hour highlight reel? There are so many lessons here when it comes to podcast discoverability. As we heard over and over at Podcast Movement, make your show SHAREABLE. Have some kind of hook. Have content that folks will want to tell others about. Make is so they'll post about it, and tell their friends. Also, and I mentioned this last week. Getting folks to change platforms is hard. When I watched this show, it was probably the second time in months I've used the Paramount app. The first was to watch the new Beavis and Butt-head movie and channel the inner 15 year old in my head. Huh Huh. I said....nevermind. Anyway, this was content that was worth opening a different app for. If you're promoting your show on TikTok or Instagram, THATS the criteria you need to hit to get someone to open Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Onto this week's podcasting news. Meghan Markle seems to have paused her podcast in the wake of the Queen's passing. We will see if she resumes it, against (allegedly) the new King's wishes. Twitter is upping their podcast game - rolling the feature out for their Blue (paid) subscribers). Research from Amplifi Media and Podnews recently showed that there are only 155,000 regularly-updated podcasts out of the 4 million shows in existence. The space is not as competitive as you might think. There's a new podcasting publishing king - in terms of total audience of shows. Spotify now leads the pack, followed by SiriusXM. iHeart rounds out the top 3. I record my show on a Shure SM7B microphone. It's the same mic that Michael Jackson recorded the Thriller album on. And I just found out another, more contemporary big name in music uses it for his podcast. And there's a Detroit connection.

Welcome to Season 4 of the Jag Show. We're going to start with what I learned this year at Podcast Movement, and how you can improve your show. The first thing you should know about is video. Your show needs to be on YouTube. According to Edison Research, 48% of the podcast audience has consumed a show on YouTube. So even if your show is audio only, put a graphic, or an audiogram with a moving waveform up, and upload that audio to YouTube. OK, what about short-form video? One of my big curiosities this year was around the world of TikTok, Instagram Reels, and now YouTube shorts. The goal of every social media platform is to keep users on that platform. It's not going to be easy to "STOP THE SCROLL" and get someone to switch apps. The bar is very high. So unless your highlight is absolute gold and will get someone to want to hear more, consider a different approach. So how do you grow your podcast? Well, the easiest ways are to "fish where the fish are." Two ways to do this are 1) a "promo swap," where you find a similar podcast and agree to promote each other. Or 2) what's known as a "Feed Drop." You post an episode of someone else's podcast in your feed, and they return the favor. So how do podcast listeners find shows? Well, back to Edison Research: This advice comes from James Cridland of PodNews, don't be afraid to advertise IRL - in real life. But don't be scared by the total number of podcasts out there. By some counts, there are now 4 million shows. But most of them died on the vine! The podcasting space is NOT as crowded as you might think. Another great session I went to was presented by Jay Clouse, where he talked about using Twitter and Email to grow your show. Email especially, is a great way to grow your show. I also get into what I learned about branded podcasts, and the interesting approach iHeart is taking. And yes, we address the Ben Shapiro controversy, mostly online, that happened in Dallas. Finally, you'll notice some tweaks to The Jag Show - now into Season 4 after a summer hiatus and re-tool. New artwork, new music and voiceover, and new format. I'm trying some different things out, and I hope you'll enjoy. If you'd like to have new episodes emailed to you, you can sign up at JAGinDetroit.com/Subscribe.