❗BREAKING: How (and Why) to Keep Up with Industry News
I’m so sorry to tell you this, but if you want your podcast to be a business, you have to treat it like a business
Have you heard anyone say “iTunes” instead of “Apple Podcasts” recently, or act like Google Podcasts is still alive and kicking? Ever hear someone talk about Serial like it’s still charting? Ever talked to someone who seems to brag about not listening to other podcasts or paying attention to industry news? Freak out about Pocket Casts opening their web listening app for everyone only to be met with, “What’s Pocket Casts?”
Are any of these people . . . you? Oh, honey. It’s okay. Come here. Hold my hand. You don’t have to live like this. It might seem fine. It isn’t. I love you. You deserve better than this.
Keeping up with what’s going on in the industry is a mandatory part of marketing. If you’re not keeping up, your marketing is not going to work nearly as much as it could be. Let’s talk more about the why and how to keep up with industry news.
If you only have time for one thing: Go subscribe to Sounds Profitable, Podnews, and obviously, Podcast the Newsletter.
❓The why
📈You gotta know where the money is if you wanna get the money
We’re all on the same page about the cream not really rising to the top, right? Joe Rogan and Ashley Flowers are constantly topping the charts and living lavish on podcasting alone. We all – I don’t – um – you see what I’m saying, right? If the cream really rose to the top and got the money because it deserved it, I think our charts would be um . . . not . . . this.
To get the money, you have to follow it and go where it’s going. It’s not going to just come to you. There are massive changes in monetization and marketing best practices regularly – see, for instance, a ton of podcasters I know being so out of the loop they didn’t know what Chartable even was, let alone the fact that it had gone to the great podcatcher in the sky.
If you don’t know how marketing with the big dogs works, how are you going to market like the big dogs? We all know there are way, way too many podcasts to just hope you’ll stand out with your marketing. You have to be intentional – and how can you be intentional if you’re unaware?
🫣Don’t embarrass yourself like that omg
So Adrien Brody talked forever during The Oscars, because clearly, if nothing else, he cares a lot. Now imagine if he’d gotten up there and been like, “Haha that’s so cool, omg, I honestly didn’t even know this event was happening. I don’t watch a lot of movies.”
He’d be for real over, right? What an insult to the industry, and what an embarrassing admission. Show biz is show biz, and the same is true for podcasting. If you want to take your industry seriously and be taken seriously in your industry, you have to remember that your industry is – get this – an industry. And that means paying attention to industry news. Trust me: people can tell when you don’t.
By paying attention to the news, you’re showing that you care about the actual whole world of audio, not just your own productions. At baseline, it’s evidence that you respect your colleagues and your art form. These, unfortunately, cannot just be neatly divorced from the business.
Being aware also means you won’t make mountains out of molehills when things change in the industry; you’ll have been around for every time this has happened before (and trust me, these things are always cyclical) without the industry exploding. If you got panicked a few years back when everyone started talking about the “bubble bursting,” this is for you.
❣️The how
🔍Poke around a lot
I check the charts just about every day, and at least once a week. “Wil, you just talked shit about the charts though,” you might say. And yeah – when it comes to quality. But the charts always have vital information on what’s being listened to by the widest audiences, and that’s going to inform where the money is going. And then, of course, there’s also the regularly-charting podcasts that are there because they’re just good.
See an indie keep popping up on the charts like You’re Wrong About or Darknet Diaries? There’s a good chance they’re there for good reason – and it might be that they got in early, or they got a big burst of critical acclaim, or just straight up that they really are good shows. You won’t know until you actually take a listen and study up on how they got to where they are today.
🗞️Read and listen
Of course, you don’t have to do all the hard-hitting inside baseball type of industry journalism yourself. There’s still some professionals out there doing that work for the rest of us!
I genuinely recommend subscribing to everything I’m going to list here. If that’s too many publications, I highly recommend RSS feed readers like Feedly (not sponsored give me money Feedly). And in case it needs to be said, always read the whole article and not just the headline, my god, people.
🗞️Newsletters and publications
Podcast the Newsletter: Written by our own Lauren Passell, PtN isn’t hard-hitting news, but is such a vital read for the actual best of the best in podcasting each week.
Sounds Profitable: This is the source for actual data and news regarding the money in the industry.
Podnews: Does exactly what it says on the tin. Aggregation and written analysis, every single day.
Pod the North: News all about the podcasting industry in Canada – vital for podcasters everywhere, though!
And Black Canadian Creators, too – yes including if you are not Black.
Bloomberg’s "Soundbite" newsletter: Ashley Carman has been doing the work for ages, and she’s one of the best in the game. Hard journo meets wise takes.
And be sure to check our podcast newsletter database, too!
🎧Podcasts
Podnews Daily: The Podnews daily news roundup, but audio. Quick but thorough daily industry updates.
Crime Writers On: Whether or not you’re a true crime creator or even listener/watcher/engagerer, true crime is a massive part of the industry. This podcast gives you not just reviews, but the goss on the biggest true crime podcasts in the scene.
Trailer Park: A featured trailer for a podcast plus analysis on what makes it work, hosted by THEE Arielle Nissenblatt.
The Sound Off Podcast: Interviews with professionals in the podcast and broadcast space hosted by Matt Cundill, who’s been in the game for 20 years.
Podcast Marketing Trends Explained: Like Podnews, does what it says on the tin! This is especially important for all your marketing needs informed by actual data.
✨ More Magic
Yeah you heard right, the Pocket Casts web player is now available to everyone FOR FREE! No subscription needed! Which doesn’t matter if you’ve been around since it was just a one-time purchase like the rest of us cool kids. If you’re not using a dedicated podcatcher, it’s time to hop on over to my personal favorite of the bunch.
Michelle Jackson’s Podcasters Getting Paid newsletter is BACK! Now obviously, this announcement could have lived up above, but I’m ❣️🎉SO EXCITED🎉❣️ I had to make sure it was getting its moment here in more magic – because this IS some real magic!
And similarly: Transistor’s data on gen-z podcast listeners is here! Think all gen-z’s are listening to podcasts over on YouTube? Nah. Or, not necessarily: this is a great practice in making sure you’re being normal about data. The sample size is very small, under 100 — so take things with a grain of salt!
🎧 From the Desk of Tink
✨From Tinkster Devin!: “In the age of comfort-watching our favorite sitcoms, a new How I Met Your Mother rewatch podcast has suited up! Josh Radnor (who played “Ted Mosby”) has teamed up with series co-creator Craig Thomas for How We Made Your Mother. Together they’re exploring, episode-by-episode, the mystery at the heart of what has made this show so durable and beloved. It’s time – much like the older wiser narrator Ted does in the show – to look back on this adventure that occupied a pivotal decade of their lives: how the show changed them, how it changed its fans, and how it changed the culture.”
Later skater! Next week, Shreya returns with some more podcast marketing magic. ✨
– Wil 🦇
Grateful for the mention :)
Thank you for sharing my Gen Z study, Kattie! 🙌
A common refrain I've noticed from Gen Zers that many are "tired of screens" and weary from "consuming too much video every day."
They're looking for some calm—a way to walk around, do chores, etc., without staring at their iPhones.