This Monday’s guest feature is the first in a three-part series, “Podcasts in Public.” Elena Fernández Collins and Wil Williams will be covering critique, feedback, and call-outs in the world of podcasting. What qualifies as legitimate critique, and what makes it effective? How should a podcaster go about responding?
“By making a podcast (or any art) public at all, you do necessarily open it up to critique,” Williams explains. “It could be discussed by professionals whether or not you ask for it.” The two reviewers lay out what creators need to know, “especially given the particular natures of this digital medium and era.”
Fernández Collins makes a crucial point: “Critique is not inherently negative. There’s positive and negative critique, and a critic’s work is often a blend of both.” From an experienced and compassionate perspective, readers will learn what to expect from comments and how to responsibly engage.
Now that we’re over a month into this altered state, Steve Pratt of Pacific Content suggests podcasters reconsider old patterns. “Best practices that were developed for a pre-pandemic world clearly need to be revisited and questioned,” he writes. “Everything that those best practices are based on has changed.”
Strategies from format choices to marketing plans may need tweaking. For example, “browser-based paid promotion strategies might become more effective than in the past” due to increased home listening. Above all, ask yourself: “Do audiences really want to hear from you right now and will your message really be heard?”
The lesson applies to creators of independent and branded podcasts alike, in all contexts. “You don’t need to wait for a pandemic to think this way,” Pratt points out. “The moral of the story: it’s almost always a good idea to revisit fundamentals, question assumptions, and constantly revise your playbook.”
Happy Monday, readers, and thanks to Bello Collective for this terrific list of upcoming podcast events. Among many: Every Friday night, join Dinner for One Sutanya Dacres on Instagram Live as you assemble a dinner for one together from her Paris apartment. C'est magnifique!
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