Is Podcasting Being Ruined?
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Did We Make it Too Easy?
Oh here we go with another “Back in the Day” story, but hear me out. In the same way that music is devalued, and we have an endless stream (so we take music for granted), I wonder if we’ve done something similar to podcasting.
The first podcasters were geeks who pieces-parted shows together before WordPress, iPods, and hosting companies. If you wanted to podcast, you had to put in some serious sweat equity. The people who wanted to podcast, really wanted to start a podcast.
Along came hosting companies (so no more uploading feeds via FTP), and hardware designed for podcasters at an affordable price.
Fast forward to today and it is SO EASY to make a podcast that if someone looked at me and said, “Go!” I could have a show recorded and listed in Apple in an hour.
So the good news is anybody can start a podcast.
The bad news is anybody can start a podcast.
Companies lure the uninformed with promises of money and fame for three easy payments. In the same way that the show “Serial” is a turning point, for me it will always be “Anchor” (now Spotify for creators) that really started to pollute the podcasting space. If some day podcasting is completely ruined, I will point at Anchor as patient zero.
We have Jedi mind-tricked people into thinking that every conversation should be a podcast.
In the same way that not every book needs to be a movie, not every conversation needs to be a podcast.
Being completely transparent, as I look into 2026, and podcasting as a whole, it takes a lot from me to believe that good will prevail. Big companies with GIGANTIC budgets manipulate potential podcasters and point them towards ads that pay almost nothing (very similar to musicians).
With movies your project has to be “Green Lit” to be produced. In Podcasting you are the host, producer, marketing director. There is no board of directors that you need approval from (which is again good and bad).
We have AI companies puking out THOUSANDS of episodes a week. When I go to Audible to find an audio book, I’ve given up by “read by the author” and now seriously struggle to find a book that was read by a human (and the AI is HORRIBLE). So I’m not a fan, but ask the kids two generations from now when that is all they’ve known.
It seems like we’ve all taken the “Circle Jerk” strategy of content creation. Go see what works for some other show, and do the same thing for your audience (although we all say your audience and mine are probably different). If that strategy works, won’t we all just keep putting out the same content? (and wondering why our audience isn’t growing).
I miss the creativity I see in podcasting. When it was hard, you had to think outside the box. If you’ve ever heard the song “Metal Gods” by Judas Priest at the end of the song it sounds like a group of soldiers marching. It was a cookie sheet filled with forks where they threw the forks up into the air in time with the music. Sometimes a lack of technology breeds creativity.
So I know I sound like Debbie downer, but with CPM prices going down and ad levels trending up and an endless stream of “same ol same ol shows….” (let me guess it’s a left leaning show that called the right leaning people idiots, or, wait for it, a right leaning show that called the left leaning people idiots - HOW CREATIVE).
This is why I get giddy, GIDDY I tell ya, when I help someone who is going to talk about something in a new, creative way, often about a subject that needs more exposure (did you know your child can be expelled from PRE-SCHOOL?). I know you’re out there. Podcasting is simple (not always easy) but I’d love to help you.
Podcast Hot Seat Black Friday Deal Still Going
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Nominations are now open for the 2026 Women Podcasters Awards, one of the largest and most recognized celebrations of women in podcasting and broadcasting. Creators from around the world are invited to submit their shows during the nomination window from December 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026.
The Video Outperforms Audio 15 to 1 Story
This comes from a talk by Rob Walch from Libsyn where he share Bill Maher only promoting his video version of his show, and yet audio outperformed video 15 to 1.
See video (already set to go to that part)
What’s Coming In The Future
I often say Podcasting leads to relationships that lead to opportunities (which lead to more relationships..). The next episode I have some real life examples.
Need Help With Your Podcast?
Whether you’re just starting or a seasoned podcaster, the School of Podcasting can help. Helping podcasters is what I do, and I’ve been doing it since 2005
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