In Apple's live-streamed presentation on April 20, 2021, they announced several new products and offerings. But in only a couple minutes, Apple CEO Tim Cook mentioned Apple Podcasts with announcements that will affect the whole industry. Disclaimer: This episode contains my live-streamed initial thoughts, along with consenting participants, recorded shortly after Apple's presentation. Any misrepresentations are accidental. “Subscribe” changed to “follow” The first change is something we've known about for a few months. With iOS 14.5 and macOS 11.3, Apple is changing the label for getting episodes automatically from “subscribe” to “follow.” While I and many other podcasters rarely saw issues with the word “subscribe,” frequent studies and experiences have demonstrated that most people think you have to pay when you subscribe. For example, subscribing to a newspaper, streaming entertainment, Internet service, and such. But while I feel like the word “follow” implies a more personal thing, like following a person or a brand on social media, I think it removes the potential misunderstanding about any involved costs. Spotify and a couple other podcast apps already use the word “follow,” and Twitch even already uses both “subscribe” and “follow” on the same platform to mean different things: subscribe to pay the content creator, or follow to simply see when they publish new content. I suspect YouTube and other podcast apps will soon follow suit (pun unavoidable). I also really like this change because for a long time, I've wanted to add a new feature to My Podcast Reviews to help podcasters grow their audiences by providing a smart link with the right podcast options. I quickly registered FollowthePodcast.com and we launched that as an included new feature on My Podcast Reviews! So even though you might still be struggling to say “Apple Podcasts” instead of “iTunes,” I think switching from saying “subscribe” to “follow” will not only match current and future options, but maybe even help you get more listeners because they'll understand quicker. Premium subscriptions in Apple Podcasts If you didn't already read it, here's the emailed announcement from Apple. I recommend you read all the links, too. Dear PodcastCreator,We are thrilled to share the following announcements andupdates.Introducing ApplePodcasts SubscriptionsStarting today, creators in more than 170 countries and regions can offer premiumsubscriptionson ApplePodcasts, which will be accessible to listeners next month. Creators set the pricing for each subscription, which are billed monthly by default, and define the benefits, such as ad-free listening, early or exclusive access to new series, or access to additional or archival content. Creators can also offer annual billing and provide free trials and sampleepisodes.Creators interested in offering subscriptions can log in toApplePodcasts Connectand enroll in the new
Do you want to improve the content on your podcast? Jasper (formerly known as “Conversion AI” or “Jarvis”) can help! It uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to generate blog post ideas, headlines, phrases, captions for images, and more. How good is it? That first paragraph was generated using Jasper's “Blog Post Intro Paragraph” template! And all the italicized text in this article was generated or enhanced by Jasper with little to no tweaking from me. Click here to try Jasper yourself with a FREE 5-day trial! (As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases through this link. But I recommend products I truly believe in, regardless of earnings.) Unless otherwise noted, the following input descriptions and text were provided by my email subscribers. 1. Improve your podcast descriptions Jasper is a nifty little tool that will take your podcast description and make it the best you've ever seen. With just three clicks, Jasper automatically finds all of those perfect...
How serious are you about improving and growing your podcast? In this miniseries, I'll explore the different labels used to describe podcasters. The labels “amateur” and “skilled” do indicate quality. So while it's okay to stay in one group and own it with pride, I do encourage you to seek to move into the “skilled” group. What are amateur podcasters? The late Steve Jobs once referred to podcasts as “amateur hour” in one of his last Apple keynotes. But don't let the term “amateur” be demeaning. Instead, consider it a way to describe where you might be now, but not where you're staying. 1. Amateur podcasters accept where they are They may not be content with where their podcasts are, but they often don't consider how they need to improve and grow themselves. 2. Amateur podcasters have vague or no goals If an amateur podcaster has goals, they're often rather vague, such as growing or monetizing. Vague goals look for vague successes. For example, if an amateur podcaster says ...
Who has the final say for your podcast? In this miniseries, I'll explore the different labels used to describe podcasters and encourage you to own your label with pride! An aside before diving in, I never liked the term “procasters” because it made it seem like indie podcasters couldn't be professionals at what they do. How are independent and corporate podcasters similar Independent (or “indie”) podcasters and corporate podcasters share the same similarities I shared in my previous episode about hobbyist vs. professional podcasters. Here's that list for your convenience. * Both can have excellence* Both can have passion* Both can have audiences of any size* Both can “PROFIT” So let's jump to what sets them apart! What are indie podcasters? 1. Indie podcasters make their own decisions “The buck stops here” for an indie podcaster! They make their own decisions, big and small. They might involve their cohosts, community, or other collaborators. But everything about their podca...
Do you podcast for the fun or art of it, or to build a business? In this miniseries, I'll explore the different labels used to describe podcasters and encourage you to own your label with pride! How are hobbyist and professional podcasters similar? 1. Hobbyists and professionals can have excellence Neither label indicates quality levels. It's possible for hobbyists to rival “professional quality,” and it's also possible for professionals to sound like “amateur hour.” 2. Hobbyists and professionals can have passion No one has exclusivity on passion in podcasting. Pardon the pun, but anyone can be “on fire” for anything. 3. Hobbyists and professionals can have audiences of any size Whether a narrow niche or a broad topic, there are no upper or lower limits for hobbyists or professionals. 4. Hobbyists and professionals can “PROFIT” Podcasting PROFIT is popularity, relationships, opportunities, fun, income, and tangibles. These are all attainable for hobbyists and professionals....
Even though podcasting is usually an audio-only experience, attractive images can enhance your podcast branding and help you promote your podcast better! Here are suggestions to consider for podcast-level and episode-level images. How images help your podcast Establishing and reinforcing visual branding Are Disney's movies Frozen and Frozen II related to Pixar's movie Onward? Many of the 5by5 podcast network's cover art shares the same style, making the relationship obvious. Marketing your episodes Artwork makes your podcast look a lot better when shared in social networks like Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Having images, especially for each episode, can help enable you to promote your podcast in visual-only platforms, like Pinterest and Instagram. Engaging your audience Look at No Agenda‘s art generator. Communicating without words “A picture is worth 1,000 words.” 1. Square image for podcast apps and Instagram 2. Crop-friendly wide image for video and social * 16:9 for video*...
On Friday, April 17, 2020, Apple Podcasts surpassed 1 million valid podcasts in their catalog. So have we reached “peak podcast”? Is it too late to start a podcast? Will your podcast only be lost in the sea of over 1 million other podcasts? Short answer: NO! Here's why. 1. Saturation is a matter of perspective Listen to “There Are Now More than 800,000 Podcasts and More Industry Stats” for more information behind my Podcast Industry Statistics site. According to the top results in Google searches: * There are more than 31 million YouTube channels* There are more than 97 million songs* There are more than 140 million books* There are more than 600 million blogs 2. Not all podcasts are active 3. Not all podcasts are consistent 4. Your niche is much smaller 5. Your podcast could do what others don't, can't, or won't 6. There will always be ways to innovate
Did you know I once directed a podcast network? I retired it in spring 2019, and here are some lesson I hope can help you. The network's history I founded Noodle Mix Network (originally called “Noodle.mx Network,” but always pronounced the same) with the launch of The Audacity to Podcast in June 2010. My goal was to bring together like-minded podcasters with high-quality shows to grow together through synergy, community, support, crosspromotion, and sponsorship. Noodle Mix Network combined my pre-existing shows, the Ramen Noodle and Are You Just Watching, with a brand new show called The Audacity to Podcast. It since grew to host a wide variety of shows: * the Ramen Noodle* Are You Just Watching* The Audacity to Podcast* Beyond the To-Do List* The Productive Woman* Christian Meets World* The Sci-Phi Show* ONCE* Welcome to Level Seven* WONDERLAND* Under the Dome Radio* Resurrection Revealed* Podcasting Videos by The Audacity to Podcast* Inside the Podcasting Business What the netwo...
The RØDECaster Pro is my new favorite piece of podcasting gear! I'll have a thorough review soon. In the meantime, here are some tips to help with one of the biggest complaints I've heard about the RØDECaster Pro. Why the RØDECaster Pro transfers files so slowly The RØDECaster Pro (RCP) can read and write to a variety of microSD cards, including extremely high-speed cards. But its transfer speed is limited because the interface with your computer is only USB 2.0! USB 2.0's maximum transfer speed is 480 megabits per second (or 60 MB/s because there are 8 bits in 1 byte). But USB 3.0's maximum transfer speed is 5 gigabits per second, so it's about 10 times faster than USB 2.0. Thus, not matter how fast your computer or the microSD card are, the RØDECaster Pro has a bottleneck transfer speed. In my real-world testing, this came out to be about 8.1 MB per second. How to speed up file transfers (and workflow) 1. Update the app and firmware The RØDECaster Pro Companion app version 2...
I have a confession: I'm a perfectionist, at least to some level. (That I want to define my level of perfectionism—or “professionalism,” as I prefer to call it—only confirms I am, indeed, in the perfectionist spectrum.) As might be obvious, this gets meta because I know I can't title this episode “How to Overcome Perfectionism” since I haven't overcome it myself! If you've been following The Audacity to Podcast for a while, then you've witnessed perfectionism—both its benefits and its disadvantages. So instead of seeking to teach you how to overcome a personal struggle like this, I want to share what I'm learning, doing, and reminding myself. I hope this will help you in your own podcasting journey, too. Your audience needs you People like you “I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.”“Stuart Smalley” Perfectionism is not inherently bad You can't make “perfect” But you can still make “excellent” “Published” is better than “eternal draft” ...