PodMov Daily: Monday, January 17

Episode 570: Your Monday Mix

Podcast Work Must Be Paid Work. No Excuses

At this point, taking on unpaid interns isn’t a good look for a podcast production company. (Skye Pillsbury wrote a terrific article on the topic.) But influencers and marketers involved with podcasting may not share that burden. As one just told The New York Times: “I don’t feel anything weird about not paying them.”

Who are these individuals working for free (or, last fall, a generous $5 an hour)? “They’re podcast listeners who ask how they can help, or say they look up to me or wish they could get into podcasting,” the business owner said. “They want to break into the media industry, or TV or broadcasting, and they have a lack of experience.”

The company, a full-service social media and podcast marketing agency, has been built on the time and energy of about 40 interns and volunteers since 2018. Podcasters, don’t do this. Marketers, don’t do this. Aspiring creators, this industry is full of learning opportunities — many of which start with respect and a living wage.

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Surfing the Ups and Downs of Podcast Projects

We’ve all been in the Trough of Disillusionment, that dreaded place between the excitement of a new project and actually getting it off the ground. According to Karen Burgess of Pacific Content, “The Trough isn’t as bad as it might seem. It just feels that way because you’re comparing it to that overinflated peak.”

Burgess uses a model showing that “over time, there are ups and downs — but cycles eventually resolve, often returning the system to some kind of balance.” The Peak of Inflated Expectations (“that post-brainstorm, everything-is-awesome phase”) is followed by a dip. Building out a new idea is tough, and often demotivating.

To escape the Trough quickly, podcasters need “well-planned, well-articulated and aspirational expectations.” Burgess explains how a realistic attitude allows creators to appreciate the first signs of progress. “It’s time to use all the method and the magic you have at your disposal to find your way to higher ground.”

Keep Episodes Fresh with Dynamic Content

With Buzzsprout, it’s faster than ever to keep your podcast fresh — and your listeners up-to-date. The Dynamic Content tool lets you easily add and remove short pre-roll (intro) and post-roll (outro) content to your episodes. It's the perfect solution for timely messaging.

Whether you’re promoting a virtual event or giving a special shout-out, Dynamic Content makes it simple to swap, automatically add content to new episodes, or apply it to your existing catalog with a click. Old files are removed and replaced, so there’s no clean-up.

This innovative feature offers more than flexibility. It benefits your audience in more ways than one: Buzzsprout respects your listeners’ privacy. Unlike most Dynamic Ad Insertion, the Dynamic Content tool includes no tracking or targeting. Ready to make the switch?

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Here's what else is going on:

• Now trending: Thursday at 3:00 pm ET is “Super Podcast Growth Hacks for TikTok,” a free webinar from Libsyn. Elsie Escobar will host producer Samuel Donner (Finding Founders, Secret Sauce) to discuss promotion tips and time-saving workflows for the planet’s most addicting video app.

• Inside jokes: “Make a habit of clipping out highlights of your episodes for use in a future compilation,” suggests Mark Steadman of Podcode. A ‘clip show’ can be an effective way to introduce new listeners to your work, especially if it relies on “insider knowledge” to enjoy to its fullest.

• Learning curve: Applications are due this week for SoundPath’s Edit Mode (Wednesday) and Neon Hum Editors’ Bootcamp (Friday). Both are free, extended training programs for narrative podcasting with a focus on experienced candidates from underrepresented backgrounds.

• Calendar year: 2022 is packed with podcast events. The Podcast Host’s handy list (Why hello, PM Evolutions and PM22) will be updated as the world changes. “The good news is that now podcasters can listen in on panel discussions, lectures, and interviews from Austin to Zimbabwe.”