<description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If the majority of the world isn't talking about one single must-listen podcast, the industry is dead. Right? Wrong. So very, very wrong. Here's why this mythical success metric needs to die. &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Every time there's a negative article focusing on podcasting's inability to generate blockbuster hits, I get a little stabby. Because here's the secret: you don't need to create a blockbuster podcast—because &lt;strong&gt;podcasting does not need blockbuster hits.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I know that seems at odds with other forms of media. There's a blockbuster movie every three or for years that everyone is talking about. Every fall, there's a TV program or two that seemingly captures the entirety of the world. A single hit song dominates the airwaves for weeks or months, and there are best-selling books that "everyone" seems to have on their shelves or talks about over coffee.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But in podcasting? Not so much. Not since 2014–2015, by some yardsticks. Here's what I have to say about that:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So what?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You were probably expecting me to break down all the reasons why podcasting is different from those other blockbuster-driven media channels. Like the distributed architecture we built into podcasting from day one. Or the relatively low entry barrier for creating and distributing podcasts. Or the fact that "it's a podcast" tells a potential listener nothing about the audio's actual content.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;All of those things are true and certainly contribute to why podcasting doesn't have blockbuster hits like other media forms have blockbuster hits. I shall return to my secret once again.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;So what?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Podcasting doesn't &lt;em&gt;need&lt;/em&gt; blockbuster hits to survive. Podcast creators—at least those who understand our industry—don't &lt;em&gt;need&lt;/em&gt; blockbuster hits to survive.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Yes, the podcast industry must demonstrate that popular shows can attract and retain large audiences. As more shows enter the space with much higher production costs, that will continue to be a driving need within our industry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;But a podcast's audience that qualifies as "large and retained" need not mean &lt;em&gt;everyone&lt;/em&gt;. That's another power of podcasting: Establishing an audience that's many orders of magnitude below &lt;em&gt;everyone&lt;/em&gt; can still make the efforts pay off for all of a podcast's creators.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;That's what matters for many podcasters. That's what matters for many podcast networks. That's what matters for many podcast service providers who build the tools and services necessary to power podcasting as an industry.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If you're looking to make a blockbuster, I advise looking at a media form other than podcasting. Podcasting is a great place to be if you want to build a show—or a service—that can only work in podcasting. And be pretty rewarding.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With that, I shall be back next week with yet another &lt;em&gt;Podcast Pontifications&lt;/em&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Cheers!&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-----&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sponsored by:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://evoterra.link/captivate" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast hosting company&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;-----&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Links&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;-----&lt;/p&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;Got a podcasting service? &lt;a href="https://podcastpontifications.com/about/sponsorship-information" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Become a sponsor of &lt;em&gt;Podcast Pontifications&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;Serious about podcasting? Join the &lt;a href="https://evoterra.link/app" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Advancing Podcasting Community&lt;/a&gt; today!&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;-----&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="https://podcastpontifications." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Podcast Pontifications&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;is a production of &lt;a href="https://simpler.media" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"&gt;Simpler Media&lt;/a&gt;. New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It's created and hosted by&lt;a...</description>

Podcast Pontifications

Evo Terra

Podcasting's Lack Of Blockbuster Hits Is A Feature, Not A Bug

SEP 28, 20227 MIN
Podcast Pontifications

Podcasting's Lack Of Blockbuster Hits Is A Feature, Not A Bug

SEP 28, 20227 MIN

Description

If the majority of the world isn't talking about one single must-listen podcast, the industry is dead. Right? Wrong. So very, very wrong. Here's why this mythical success metric needs to die.

Every time there's a negative article focusing on podcasting's inability to generate blockbuster hits, I get a little stabby. Because here's the secret: you don't need to create a blockbuster podcast—because podcasting does not need blockbuster hits.

I know that seems at odds with other forms of media. There's a blockbuster movie every three or for years that everyone is talking about. Every fall, there's a TV program or two that seemingly captures the entirety of the world. A single hit song dominates the airwaves for weeks or months, and there are best-selling books that "everyone" seems to have on their shelves or talks about over coffee.

But in podcasting? Not so much. Not since 2014–2015, by some yardsticks. Here's what I have to say about that:

So what?

You were probably expecting me to break down all the reasons why podcasting is different from those other blockbuster-driven media channels. Like the distributed architecture we built into podcasting from day one. Or the relatively low entry barrier for creating and distributing podcasts. Or the fact that "it's a podcast" tells a potential listener nothing about the audio's actual content.

All of those things are true and certainly contribute to why podcasting doesn't have blockbuster hits like other media forms have blockbuster hits. I shall return to my secret once again. 

So what?

Podcasting doesn't need blockbuster hits to survive. Podcast creators—at least those who understand our industry—don't need blockbuster hits to survive. 

Yes, the podcast industry must demonstrate that popular shows can attract and retain large audiences. As more shows enter the space with much higher production costs, that will continue to be a driving need within our industry.

But a podcast's audience that qualifies as "large and retained" need not mean everyone. That's another power of podcasting: Establishing an audience that's many orders of magnitude below everyone can still make the efforts pay off for all of a podcast's creators. 

That's what matters for many podcasters. That's what matters for many podcast networks. That's what matters for many podcast service providers who build the tools and services necessary to power podcasting as an industry.

If you're looking to make a blockbuster, I advise looking at a media form other than podcasting. Podcasting is a great place to be if you want to build a show—or a service—that can only work in podcasting. And be pretty rewarding.

With that, I shall be back next week with yet another Podcast Pontifications.

Cheers!

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Sponsored by:


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Links

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Podcast Pontifications is a production of Simpler Media. New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about.

It's created and hosted by Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show.

If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it value-for-value and there are many ways to show your support.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th. Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions. Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few. You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com. If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources: 1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion. 2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions. 3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics. 4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet. 5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more. We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy