Inside jokes can offer fun potential for your podcast, but also some potential costs. Here are some brief things for you to consider as you engage with your podcast audience.



In my signature fashion, I started preparing a whole list of pros and cons, and some big thinking on inside jokes.



But it's really not that complicated!



An inside joke is some form of callback, trope, catchphrase, or similar that only those &#8220;in the know&#8221; will get and enjoy. Because of this, inside jokes can be hilarious, but only for those who get them. Inside jokes can be a sort of reward your loyal audience, but alienate your new audience.



I've heard some people advise against inside jokes exactly because your new audience won't get them. But that seems overly focused on the new audience and at the cost of engaging your existing audience and making them feel special.



I think it really comes down to this simple guidance: avoid inside jokes with your cohosts and guests, but embrace inside jokes with your audience.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Where inside jokes come from</h2>



First, some examples of inside jokes I've heard from podcasts:



<ul>
<li>&#8220;Lemons, lemons&#8221; from <a href="http://thatstoryshow.com">That Story Show</a></li>



<li>&#8220;Hit in the mouth&#8221; from <a href="https://www.noagendashow.net/">No Agenda</a></li>



<li>&#8220;KEDAKAI!&#8221; from <a href="https://teamcoco.com/podcasts/conan-obrien-needs-a-friend">Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend</a></li>



<li>&#8220;Super easy; barely an inconvenience&#8221; from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@PitchMeetings">Pitch Meeting</a> (series on YouTube, so it is not a podcast!)</li>



<li>&#8220;Mail Kimp&#8221; from <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/podcasts/serial-season-four-guantanamo.html#episode-1">Serial</a> (first season)</li>
</ul>



If you've been a loyal follower of any of these shows, then you probably know exactly what these jokes are about, or at least can laugh at them.



So where do these come from?



Some jokes will arise naturally as your audience essentially feeds their growth. That's what I've seen with inside jokes from That Story Show, No Agenda, and Serial. While other things become inside jokes because of how often the host(s) use them, such as the examples from Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend and Pitch Meeting.



It's the audience-feed jokes that I think you should work more to embrace because they will more deeply reward and engage your audience.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What about the new listeners?</h2>



There are three approaches I've seen and experienced with podcasts regarding inside jokes:



<ol>
<li>Letting your podcast audience eventually catch on with your inside jokes (even if they might not know their origins).</li>



<li>Occasionally explaining or pointing to the origins.</li>



<li>Making a glossary of inside jokes—this could even be a supporter-exclusive or email opt-in incentive.</li>
</ol>



Your goal should be to both engage your existing audience and make them feel special and to create an environment welcoming to your new audience. This comes from having a good balance so that your podcast is not overfilled with inside jokes, but it does mature with loyalty.



Think of inside jokes like extra seasonings for a meal. They can add something special, and especially be appreciated by your &#8220;insiders,&#8221; and celebrated when your new audience gets in on the jokes.



And I think there is something special, like a sort of &#8220;leveling up,&#8221; when your audience becomes familiar with your tropes, catchphrases, and inside jokes. Then, they'll feel like one of the &#8220;cool kids&#8221; when they can throw around the inside jokes, too. And that's a precious moment for them!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Turn inside jokes into swag</h2>



When your audience starts using your inside jokes too, or further feeding them, that's a great time to turn those jokes into swag you can sell or giveaway. Consider putting them on T-shirts, posters, stickers, and more (like <a href="https://store.nlcast.com/">That Story Show does with several of their inside jokes</a>). If you want to be on the cutting edge about it, maybe you could even turn those inside jokes into NFTs!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Community Corner</h2>



<ul>
<li>Thanks for the streaming satoshis from Dwev, <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/schoolofpodcasting" title="School of Podcasting" class="pretty-link-keyword"rel="" target="_blank">Dave Jackson</a>, and Bryan Entzminger!</li>



<li>5-star review by John Moore from June 14, 2021 on Podchaser: “I’ve listen to just about every episode of this show over the last year. Excellent content and advice. I particularly like his SEO episodes.” There will be more podcast SEO content in the future!</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Engage your audience and grow your podcast!</h2>



Do you ever feel like your podcast is stuck? Like you're pouring your heart into your podcast but it seems like no one is listening?



<a href="https://podgagement.com/">Try Podgagement to help you engage your audience and grow your podcast!</a>



Get speakable pages to simplify engaging with your audience, accept voicemail feedback (with automatic transcripts), track your ratings and reviews from nearly 200 places, and more! 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ask your questions or share your feedback</h2>



<ul><li>Comment on the show notes</li><li>Leave a voicemail at (903) 231-2221</li><li>Email fe&#101;&#100;&#98;&#x61;&#x63;&#x6b;&#x40;&#x54;he&#65;&#117;&#100;&#x61;&#x63;&#x69;&#x74;&#x79;to&#80;&#111;&#100;&#x63;&#x61;&#x73;&#x74;&#x2e;co&#109; (audio files welcome)</li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Follow The Audacity to Podcast</h2>



<ul>
<li><a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/applepodcasts">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/spotify">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/android">other Android apps</a>, or in your favorite podcast app.</li>



<li><a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/youtube">Subscribe on YouTube for Podcasting Videos by The Audacity to Podcast</a></li>



<li><a href="http://twitter.com/theDanielJLewis">Follow @theDanielJLewis</a> on X-Twitter</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Disclosure</h2>



This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship. I may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.

<description>Inside jokes can offer fun potential for your podcast, but also some potential costs. Here are some brief things for you to consider as you engage with your podcast audience.</description>

Inside jokes can offer fun potential for your podcast, but also some potential costs. Here are some brief things for you to consider as you engage with your podcast audience.

Inside jokes can offer fun potential for your podcast, but also some potential costs. Here are some brief things for you to consider as you engage with your podcast audience. 
 
Please share this episode from your podcast app or https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/insidejokes 
 
## Where inside jokes come from 
 
## What about the new listeners? 
 
## Turn inside jokes into swag 
 
## Community Corner 
 
——— 
 
Start and grow your own podcast for passion and PROFIT! Learn more and follow at https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/ 
 
Know, engage, and grow your audience with the power of podcast reviews! https://mypodcastreviews.com/ 
 
FEEDBACK 
Call (903) 231-2221 
Email feedback@theaudacitytopodcast.com 
Send a voice message from https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/ 
 
MAILING ADDRESS 
The Audacity to Podcast 
PO Box 739 
Burlington, KY 41005

Should Your Podcast Have Inside Jokes?

Monetization is not the only profit you can get from podcasting! And you shouldn't be the only one to profit, either! Nonetheless, here is why I think you should put P.R.O.F.I.T. first in every aspect of your podcast.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The order of podcasting cornerstones</h2>



Before we focus on podcasting P.R.O.F.I.T., I want to revisit how I've taught the 5 podcasting cornerstones for several years:



<ol>
<li>Content—What your podcast is about</li>



<li>Presentation—How you share your content</li>



<li>Production—The technical side to reduce distractions and increase understanding</li>



<li>Promotion—How you market and grow your podcast</li>



<li>P.R.O.F.I.T.—How you and your audience benefit from your podcast.</li>
</ol>



Despite the fact that these cornerstones have always had an alliteration problem with no suitable solution, I realized it had an even bigger problem while I was preparing to teach podcasting at the National Religious Broadcasters convention. The problem was the order: P.R.O.F.I.T. should not be last! It should actually be first!



But stick with me and don't click away because you think this doesn't apply to you! Before I can explain why P.R.O.F.I.T. should be first, I want you to understand what it is, and why I keep writing it like an over-obvious acronym (it's actually an acrostic).



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">The Podcast P.R.O.F.I.T. Paradigm™</h2>



Several years ago, I was inspired by a typo I let go to press in an advertisement for my now temporarily retired Podcaster's Society™. As a result of that typo, I wanted profit to stand for something! Not only in the metaphorical sense, but also literally as an acrostic. 



Now, it's my Podcast P.R.O.F.I.T. Paradigm, which is a list of whys you can benefit from your podcast:



<ul>
<li>Popularity—growing a following, being an influencer, becoming known</li>



<li>Relationships—gaining friendships, building community, and finding your &#8220;tribe&#8221;</li>



<li>Opportunities—opening doors for things like public speaking, travel, testing products before they're released, and such</li>



<li>Fun—simply having a good time, with or without laughter</li>



<li>Income—yes, earning money!</li>



<li>Tangibles—getting things you get to use or keep, which is especially profitable when they're relevant to your podcast topic!</li>
</ul>



While most people think &#8220;profit&#8221; means &#8220;money,&#8221; I challenge you to change your thinking and look at the much bigger ways you can profit from your podcast—especially if you don't even want to monetize your podcast.



The other paradigm shift is that your podcast should not only give you P.R.O.F.I.T., but also offer it to your audience! I'll explain that more in a moment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">P.R.O.F.I.T. is for all podcasters, not only professionals</h2>



Lest you think P.R.O.F.I.T. is only for people who podcast for business purposes or to try earning a living, money is only one part of the Podcast P.R.O.F.I.T. Paradigm: the I for income. The other ways could complement income, but there's nothing wrong with podcasting simply for the fun of it!



When I hosted a clean-comedy podcast, the P.R.O.F.I.T. we were after was primarily to laugh and help others laugh, too! Along the way, we also formed relationships, were given fun tangibles from our audience, and we even made a little money on the side.



And if you are podcasting to build a business, don't neglect the other aspects of P.R.O.F.I.T.! It's okay to have fun with professional subjects! And always look for ways to position yourself for opportunities and more! 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Your podcast P.R.O.F.I.T. should power your decisions</h2>



Why should P.R.O.F.I.T. come first? Because it's actually more important than your content. Consider the cornerstones in this way:



<ul>
<li>Content is what attracts an audience</li>



<li>Presentation is what keeps the audience</li>



<li>Production is what makes your podcast stick</li>



<li>Promotion is what brings an audience to you</li>



<li>P.R.O.F.I.T. is the impact your podcast makes</li>
</ul>



<a class="aawp-link" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591846447?tag=theaudacitytopodcast-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1" title="Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener sponsored" data-aawp-product-asin="1591846447" data-aawp-product-id="2369" data-aawp-tracking-id="theaudacitytopodcast-20" data-aawp-product-title="Start with Why How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action">Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action</a>. And &#8220;why&#8221; is another way to think of P.R.O.F.I.T. with these two questions:



<ul>
<li>Why are you doing this podcast?</li>



<li>Why should anyone listen or watch?</li>
</ul>



When you start with P.R.O.F.I.T. in mind, then you can pick the right content to share. And the other cornerstones build from there. After you know your &#8220;why&#8221; and your content, then you can decide on the best way to present it. Then, the best way to produce that. Then you'll have things and methods to promote it.



But when you don't start with P.R.O.F.I.T., you won't know what content to share, and you won't know the best way to communicate it, and you certainly won't know how to produce it, and—frankly—you wouldn't offer much value worth promoting.



Here's a series of questions that follows the Podcast P.R.O.F.I.T. Paradigm to help you podcast the best way:



<ol>
<li>Why do you want to podcast? What value will your podcast give your audience?</li>



<li>What content best enables your P.R.O.F.I.T. goals?</li>



<li>What's the best way to present that content that moves you toward to your P.R.O.F.I.T. goals?</li>



<li>What's the best way to produce this that leads you and your audience in the right direction?</li>



<li>Whom should you promote your podcast to and what are the best ways to reach them?</li>
</ol>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Remember P.R.O.F.I.T. for your audience</h2>



I've heard some people say, &#8220;Podcast for yourself. If you're having fun, that's all that matters.&#8221; And I've also heard other people say, &#8220;You're podcasting for your audience, so focus on their needs first.&#8221;



While these might seem contrary, they're actually complementary and simply different sides of the same P.R.O.F.I.T. coin: both you and your audience need to get value from your podcast in order for your podcast, yourself, and your audience to improve and grow.



But the problem I see most often is that podcasters forget to focus on what value they offer their audience. Instead, they often fixate on the value they want from their audience, or on how they can essentially sell their audience to get value from someone else (like an advertiser).



As Jesus said, &#8220;Give and it will be given to you&#8221; (Luke 6:38).



Some podcasters also obsess over the production aspects of podcasting, without investing the same time and money into improving the more weight-bearing cornerstones.



It's fine if your podcast makes you popular, but how are you helping your audience to be popular, too?



It's great when you foster or form new relationships because of your podcast, but how are you helping your audience foster or form new relationships, too?



It's great when your podcast opens opportunities for you, but what opportunities do you help your audience find and pursue?



&#8220;It's fun to have fun,&#8221; as The Cat in the Hat said, but is your audience having fun, too?



Earning income is definitely rewarding! But how are you helping your audience earn more, spend less, save more, or be smarter with what they have?



And it can be exciting to get new tangibles, but what tangible benefits are you helping your audience gain, too?



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Podcasting P.R.O.F.I.T. in one word: why?</h2>



&#8220;Start with Why&#8221; indeed!



Why are you podcasting?



Why should your audience keep consuming your episodes?



It's all in what P.R.O.F.I.T. (popularity, relationships, opportunities, fun, income, or tangibles) you pursue and offer!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Community corner:</h2>



I just made things easier for me and you with <a href="https://podgagement.com/">Podgagement</a>! Now, we can easily copy all the text of a review with only two clicks! And you can copy it in plain text, markdown, HTML, or an iframe embed!



<ul>
<li>5-star review “Why and How Your Podcast Needs Loudness Normalization” by Marshy76 from November 23, 2022 on Apple Podcasts in the United States: “An excellent guide on the importance of Lufs with important links to related software in aiding one to create a well tuned podcast, which I incorporated into my latest “Mister Radio” podcast episode. Thanks for this excellent presentation! But, as I mentioned in my unedited review couldn't this also be done simply by listening and adjusting levels as one is recording, like I used to do when working the board in radio? Now I've got to check out my various DAWS to see if they have something to check my LUFS, besides the cans on my ears! And I did find a meter in Logic!” (<a href="https://podgagement.com/features/copy-and-paste-anywhere/">I pasted that podcast review with only two clicks and a Cmd-V, thanks to Podgagement!</a>)</li>



<li>Thanks to Allen C. Paul, Jason Pickel, Rich Bennett, D.R., and Julio Fernandez for all the great ratings on Goodpods (all discovered for me by Podgagement!)</li>



<li>Thanks for more streaming sats from <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/schoolofpodcasting" title="School of Podcasting" class="pretty-link-keyword"rel="" target="_blank">Dave Jackson</a>, Allen C. Paul, and Dwev! I believe that totals to 1,716§, which is currently worth about $1.15.</li>
</ul>



If The Audacity to Podcast gives value to you, I would be so grateful if you put that in a number to give back, either through a one-time gift or streaming sats back. You can do both with a modern podcast app like you can get from <a href="https://podcasting2.org/apps">Podcasting2.org/apps</a>!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Engage your audience and grow your podcast!</h2>



Do you ever feel like your podcast is stuck? Like you're pouring your heart into your podcast but it seems like no one is listening?



<a href="https://podgagement.com/">Try Podgagement to help you engage your audience and grow your podcast!</a>



Get speakable pages to simplify engaging with your audience, accept voicemail feedback (with automatic transcripts), track your ratings and reviews from nearly 200 places, and more! 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ask your questions or share your feedback</h2>



<ul><li>Comment on the show notes</li><li>Leave a voicemail at (903) 231-2221</li><li>Email &#x66;&#x65;&#x65;&#100;&#98;&#97;ck&#x40;&#x54;&#x68;&#x65;&#65;&#117;da&#x63;&#x69;&#x74;&#x79;&#116;&#111;Po&#x64;&#x63;&#x61;&#x73;&#116;&#46;&#99;om (audio files welcome)</li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Follow The Audacity to Podcast</h2>



<ul>
<li><a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/applepodcasts">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/spotify">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/android">other Android apps</a>, or in your favorite podcast app.</li>



<li><a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/youtube">Subscribe on YouTube for Podcasting Videos by The Audacity to Podcast</a></li>



<li><a href="http://twitter.com/theDanielJLewis">Follow @theDanielJLewis</a> on X-Twitter</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Disclosure</h2>



This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship. I may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.

<description>Monetization is not the only profit you can get from podcasting! Here's why I think you should put P.R.O.F.I.T. first in every aspect of your podcast.</description>

Monetization is not the only profit you can get from podcasting! Here's why I think you should put P.R.O.F.I.T. first in every aspect of your podcast.

Monetization is not the only profit you can get from podcasting! And you shouldn't be the only one to profit, either! Nonetheless, here is why I think you should put P.R.O.F.I.T. first in every aspect of your podcast. 
 
Please share this episode from your podcast app or https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/profitfirst 
 
 
## The order of podcasting cornerstones 
 
## The Podcast P.R.O.F.I.T. Paradigm™ 
 
## P.R.O.F.I.T. is for all podcasters, not only professionals 
 
## Your podcast P.R.O.F.I.T. should power your decisions 
 
- Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591846447?tag=theaudacitytopodcast-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1&psc=1 
 
## Remember P.R.O.F.I.T. for your audience 
 
## Podcasting P.R.O.F.I.T. in one word: why? 
 
——— 
 
Start and grow your own podcast for passion and PROFIT! Learn more and follow at https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/ 
 
Know, engage, and grow your audience with the power of podcast reviews! https://mypodcastreviews.com/ 
 
FEEDBACK 
Call (903) 231-2221 
Email feedback@theaudacitytopodcast.com 
Send a voice message from https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/ 
 
MAILING ADDRESS 
The Audacity to Podcast 
PO Box 739 
Burlington, KY 41005

Why You Should Put Podcasting P.R.O.F.I.T. First

Apple provides a portal for you to submit and manage your own podcast in Apple Podcasts. It's called Podcasts Connect. Plus, countless other podcast apps and podcasting tools rely on Apple's data through their free API. Whether your podcast has been in Apple Podcasts for years, or you're just starting out, I suggest you check these 8 things right away!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. Check that you have agreed to Apple's terms of service</h2>



Apple usually updates their terms of service when they launch major new features. For example, Apple started generating transcripts for all podcasts in February, 2024. And that requires your agreement to their terms of service so that they can make those transcripts, which they won't do until you agree.



Apple makes it easy to know whether you've agreed to the latest terms. Simply log into <a href="https://podcastsconnect.apple.com">podcastsconnect.apple.com</a>! If you're let into your account, then you've already agreed to the latest terms. If not, you will be prompted to read and agree to the terms before you're allowed to manage your podcast(s).



And if you're offering a paid subscription to your audience through Apple Podcasts, check the Business tab to see if there are any actions you need to take. <a href="https://podcasters.apple.com/support/883-agreements">There might be additional new terms you must agree to, or you might need to provide legal or financial information</a>. (This page will also display your invoices and tax information if you have any sales.)



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. Check that your podcast is in your Apple Podcasts Connect account</h2>



Many podcasters don't actually control their own catalog listing for their own podcast! This is because they either submitted their podcast before Podcasts Connect existed, or they allowed someone else to submit their podcast for them. This might have been a podcast-hosting provider or someone helping them with their podcast.



But at least the process to reclaim ownership is fairly easy!



<ol>
<li>Make sure you've checked all your possible Apple ID accounts.</li>



<li>Log into the account you want to hold your podcast(s) and <a href="https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/contact-us?content_type=podcasts&topic=missing-podcast-s&locale=en">contact Apple through this form</a> and select the &#8220;Missing podcast(s)&#8221; option (which should already be selected with this link).</li>



<li>Fill in all the other form fields completely.</li>



<li>Await and then follow Apple's instructions, which will have you enter a special code somewhere in your podcast RSS feed to verify your ownership or control of that feed.</li>
</ol>



This is crucial to do with all your podcasts, especially <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-fix-duplicate-listings-in-apple-podcasts-or-other-podcast-apps/">any duplicate podcast listings you might have</a> (which is probably more likely if you've ever switched podcast-hosting providers).



The rest of these items to check require that you have access to your podcast in your own Apple account.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. Check that your podcast information is correctly loaded in Apple Podcasts Connect</h2>



Click into your podcast(s) and look over your the &#8220;Show details&#8221; information. This includes your title, cover art, artist, descriptions, and more.



You can't change these details in Podcasts Connect! Instead, you would change these in the podcast-publishing tool that is creating your RSS feed. But viewing these details here lets you confirm that everything is properly loading from your feed into the Apple Podcasts system.



And if you're having trouble, the first thing I suggest doing is validating your podcast RSS feed through all of the following tools:



<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.castfeedvalidator.com/">Cast Feed Validator</a></li>



<li><a href="https://podba.se/validate/">Podbase Podcast Validator</a></li>



<li><a href="https://validator.truefans.fm/">TrueFans Podcast Validator</a></li>
</ul>



Especially watch for problems with your podcast cover art.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. Check the optional Apple Podcasts information fields</h2>



On this same &#8220;Show Information&#8221; page are several optional fields that you should populate or verify. Currently, these include:



<ul>
<li>Update frequency</li>



<li>Content rights</li>



<li>Show contact information (especially important if you've removed your email address from your RSS feed)</li>
</ul>



This information is proprietary to Apple Podcasts and thus—currently—not pulled from your RSS feed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. Check your Apple Podcasts distribution availability (affects other apps)</h2>



Switch to the &#8220;Availability&#8221; page and there are two important options to ensure your podcast can be discovered by as many people as possible:



<ul>
<li>Countries or Regions: I recommend setting this to &#8220;Make this show available in all countries or regions.&#8221; You can click into the Edit view to ensure all 175 countries are selected. Despite this option, some countries still block explicit content, and it seems like communist China blocks almost everything anyway.</li>



<li>Distribution: I recommend enabling &#8220;Make this show available for distribution.&#8221; This ensures that the countless other podcast apps and podcasting tools using the catalog API from Apple Podcasts will be able to see your podcast.</li>
</ul>



These are the default options for podcasts, but I suggest you verify they're set correctly anyway.



But if, for some odd reason, you do not want your podcast available to as many people as possible, then you can change these options to limit your reach.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">6. Switch the transcript default to use your provided transcripts</h2>



On this same &#8220;Availability&#8221; page is a third option that I feel defaults inappropriately. It's the Transcripts option.



For some strange reason, Apple's (current) default is to use only their auto-generated transcripts for your podcast. So regardless of whether you already <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-use-podcast-transcripts/">using Podcasting 2.0 transcripts</a>, I suggest switching this option to &#8220;Display transcripts I provide, or auto-generated transcripts by Apple if one isn't provided.&#8221;



I think that's the way apps should behave anyway! They should use what you supply first and by default and generate their own transcripts only if you don't provide your own (through the Podcasting 2.0 transcript feature).



But you should also note that there is no way to disable all transcripts for your podcast. That's part of the terms of service you must accept for your podcast to remain in Apple Podcasts. If you really wanted to disable transcripts, you would have to either edit every episode in Podcasts Connect to use a custom episode-specific setting to not use any transcripts, or provide a nearly empty transcript file for all episodes through your RSS feed (you could share this same file for all episodes).



But because podcast transcripts are important for accessibility and usability, I highly recommend keeping them enabled. But just switch this setting so Apple will default to your transcripts if you provide them, and then fallback to their own transcripts if you haven't provided any. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">7. Check your Apple Podcasts ratings and reviews</h2>



<a href="https://podgagement.com/how-to-check-all-your-podcast-reviews-and-ratings-in-apple-podcasts/">There is also a &#8220;Ratings and Reviews&#8221; page that lets you see your Apple Podcasts (and only Apple Podcasts) ratings and reviews</a>. However, this requires you to switch between all 175 countries, before knowing if you even have any ratings or reviews in those 175 countries; it doesn't show your difference of ratings versus written reviews; and you can't search, sort, or filter your ratings and reviews. You also don't get notified whenever you get a new rating or review, so you would have to come back to check all 175 countries. You can download your reviews, but you would have to do that one country at a time.



Cumbersome, right?



That's why <a href="https://podgagement.com/">you should use Podgagement to engage your audience and grow your podcast</a>! Podgagement not only tracks all these 175 places automatically for you, it also tracks the non-Apple places. Plus, with Podgagement's &#8220;Constellation&#8221; plan, you can easily collect written or voicemail feedback from your audience, discover podcast-networking opportunities, receive direct reviews from your audience, and more!



I personally created Podgagement for you because I believe engagement with your audience is the most powerful thing you can have with your podcast.



<a href="https://podgagement.com/">Click here to try Podgagement free!</a>



(Or you can continue doing things the manual way, especially clicking thousands of times inside Podcasts Connect to <a href="https://podgagement.com/how-to-check-all-your-podcast-reviews-and-ratings-in-apple-podcasts/">see your ratings and reviews from Apple Podcasts</a>!) 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">8. Check your Apple Podcasts analytics</h2>



Lastly, but probably most exciting, are the podcast stats you can get from Apple Podcasts!



Remember that these stats measure consumption only in Apple Podcasts. So any numbers you see will be of a smaller subset of your audience. Nonetheless, since Apple Podcasts is the #1 podcast app, I suspect the percentages and engagement levels you see would be close to an accurate—albeit smaller—reflection of your whole audience.



Here are some of the handy (and potentially addictive) data points you can see!



<ul>
<li>Total followers</li>



<li>Engaged listeners</li>



<li>Average consumption / completion rates</li>



<li>Where your audience skipped or stopped listening within your episodes</li>



<li>Performance comparisons across your episodes</li>



<li>And more!</li>
</ul>



As I hope you can see, even if you don't use Apple products or dislike their ecosystem, there are still many advantages to keeping your Apple Podcasts account current and especially learning from its data!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Community Corner</h2>



<ul>
<li>Leslie Martin pointed out that 7,777§ is a Stryper boost, not a Rush boost (which would have been 2,112§). As I've said previously, hard rock is not actually my style, so I know nothing about these bands!</li>



<li>1,701§—a number I do recognize as the Star Trek Enterprise!—from Bryan Entzminger, saying, &#8220;Ugh! Mythinformation… wow.&#8221;</li>



<li>Streaming satoshis from Bryan Entzminger, <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/schoolofpodcasting" title="School of Podcasting" class="pretty-link-keyword"rel="" target="_blank">Dave Jackson</a>, and Dwev</li>



<li>5-star review from Josh Liston, in Australia, saying, &#8220;A Perfect Mix of Fun and Expertise in Podcasting. Daniel J Lewis delivers a concrete, and well thought out Podcast about Podcasting. He rarely if ever goes off topic, and always recommends products and gear that work …and not just the products and services that return the most in commissions! DJL also manages to do what many others can't &#8211; in making often dry technical subjects a lot of fun &#8211; without wasting peoples time. Finally, he is part of the Podcasters' Roundtable core trio, which is quickly becoming my number 1 show about Podcasting!&#8221;</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Engage your audience and grow your podcast!</h2>



Do you ever feel like your podcast is stuck? Like you're pouring your heart into your podcast but it seems like no one is listening?



<a href="https://podgagement.com/">Try Podgagement to help you engage your audience and grow your podcast!</a>



Get speakable pages to simplify engaging with your audience, accept voicemail feedback (with automatic transcripts), track your ratings and reviews from nearly 200 places, and more! 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ask your questions or share your feedback</h2>



<ul><li>Comment on the show notes</li><li>Leave a voicemail at (903) 231-2221</li><li>Email feed&#98;&#97;&#99;&#107;&#64;&#x54;&#x68;&#x65;&#x41;&#x75;&#x64;&#x61;city&#116;&#111;&#80;&#111;&#100;&#x63;&#x61;&#x73;&#x74;&#x2e;&#x63;&#x6f;&#x6d; (audio files welcome)</li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Follow The Audacity to Podcast</h2>



<ul>
<li><a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/applepodcasts">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/spotify">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/android">other Android apps</a>, or in your favorite podcast app.</li>



<li><a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/youtube">Subscribe on YouTube for Podcasting Videos by The Audacity to Podcast</a></li>



<li><a href="http://twitter.com/theDanielJLewis">Follow @theDanielJLewis</a> on X-Twitter</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Disclosure</h2>



This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship. I may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.

<description>Apple provides a portal for you to submit and manage your own podcast called Podcasts Connect. I suggest you check these 8 things right away!</description>

Apple provides a portal for you to submit and manage your own podcast called Podcasts Connect. I suggest you check these 8 things right away!

Apple provides a portal for you to submit and manage your own podcast in Apple Podcasts. It's called Podcasts Connect. Plus, countless other podcast apps and podcasting tools rely on Apple's data through their free API. Whether your podcast has been in Apple Podcasts for years, or you're just starting out, I suggest you check these 8 things right away! 
 
Please share this episode from your podcast app or https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/checkapple 
 
## 1. Check that you have agreed to Apple's terms of service 
 
- podcastsconnect.apple.com: https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/ 
- There might be additional new terms you must agree to, or you might need to provide legal or financial information: https://podcasters.apple.com/support/883-agreements 
 
## 2. Check that your podcast is in your Apple Podcasts Connect account 
 
- Contact Apple through this form: https://podcastsconnect.apple.com/contact-us?content_type=podcasts&topic=missing-podcast-s&locale=en 
- This is crucial to do with all your podcasts, especially any duplicate podcast listings you might have: https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-fix-duplicate-listings-in-apple-podcasts-or-other-podcast-apps/ 
 
## 3. Check that your podcast information is correctly loaded in Apple Podcasts Connect 
 
- Cast Feed Validator: https://www.castfeedvalidator.com/ 
- Podbase Podcast Validator: https://podba.se/validate/ 
- TrueFans Podcast Validator: https://validator.truefans.fm/ 
 
## 4. Check the optional Apple Podcasts information fields 
 
## 5. Check your Apple Podcasts distribution availability (affects other apps) 
 
## 6. Switch the transcript default to use your provided transcripts 
 
- using Podcasting 2.0 transcripts: https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-use-podcast-transcripts/ 
 
## 7. Check your Apple Podcasts ratings and reviews 
 
- There is also a “Ratings and Reviews” page that lets you see your Apple Podcasts (and only Apple Podcasts) ratings and reviews: https://podgagement.com/how-to-check-all-your-podcast-reviews-and-ratings-in-apple-podcasts/ 
- You should use Podgagement to engage your audience and grow your podcast: https://podgagement.com/ 
- See your ratings and reviews from Apple Podcasts: https://podgagement.com/how-to-check-all-your-podcast-reviews-and-ratings-in-apple-podcasts/ 
 
## 8. Check your Apple Podcasts analytics 
 
——— 
 
Start and grow your own podcast for passion and PROFIT! Learn more and follow at https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/ 
 
Know, engage, and grow your audience with the power of podcast reviews! https://mypodcastreviews.com/ 
 
FEEDBACK 
Call (903) 231-2221 
Email feedback@theaudacitytopodcast.com 
Send a voice message from https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/ 
 
MAILING ADDRESS 
The Audacity to Podcast 
PO Box 739 
Burlington, KY 41005

8 Things You Should Check in Apple Podcasts Connect

You might have heard people talk about IAB podcast stats, measurement guidelines, compliance, and certification. Here's what all of that means, and whether it even matters!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Who is the IAB?</h2>



Once upon a time, podcast measurement was considered the &#8220;wild, wild west&#8221;: without standards. Everyone measured what was right in their own eyes.



But like most things that start with &#8220;Once upon a time,&#8221; that was only fairy tale. And yet a fairy tale that many corporate podcasting companies believed.



Many years ago, there was the Association of Downloadable Media (ADM) that included <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/blubrry" title="Blubrry &mdash; resource page" class="pretty-link-keyword"rel="" target="_blank">Blubrry</a>, <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/libsyn" title="Libsyn &mdash; resource page" class="pretty-link-keyword"rel="" target="_blank">Libsyn</a>, <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/podtrac" title="Podtrac - Premium Online Shows and Audiences" class="pretty-link-keyword"rel="" target="_blank">Podtrac</a>, and other podcasting companies. The ADM came up with standards for measuring podcast downloads still in the extremely early days of podcasting.



The ADM eventually dissolved and top podcasting companies improved on the measurement standards within their own proprietary systems. Then along came the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), involving many of those same original podcast-hosting providers but also large distribution networks like PodcastOne and more.



As its name implies, the IAB is all about internet advertising. And the podcasting industry needed a standard way to measure podcast ad impressions. And thus, the <a href="https://iabtechlab.com/standards/podcast-measurement-guidelines/">IAB podcast measurement guidelines</a> were born with version 1.0 in September 2016!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">What are IAB stats</h2>



IAB's podcast measurement guidelines are actually not rigid standards, but mere guidelines for podcast-analytics providers to use.



Like Elizabeth Swan said in Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl, &#8220;Hang the code and hang the rules! They're more like guidelines anyway!&#8221;



Without getting into the technical details, these guidelines are intended to filter out any kind of invalid podcast download in attempts to get an accurate count of how many people actually downloaded or streamed the episodes (and with the hopes, backed by survey data, that most of the people actually listen to most of those episodes).



(Sidenote: podcast &#8220;streams&#8221; are also downloads, simply not downloaded until the person presses play.)



These guidelines involve things like the following.



<ul>
<li>Ignoring all downloads from an IP address blacklist (such as data centers, bot farms, and such)</li>



<li>Ignoring all downloads from known invalid user agents (how a downloading app or service identifies itself)</li>



<li>Ignoring duplicate downloads that look exactly the same within a period of time (usually 24 hours)</li>



<li>Ignoring downloads that don't reach a threshold (one minute of audio)</li>



<li>Whitelisting some IP addresses known to have a lot of users—like public wi-fi, businesses, colleges, and such—and allowing such downloads to be counted separately with the reasonable assumption that it is separate people</li>
</ul>



The top goal is to count people, not simply downloads. Because it's only people who buy things from ads, engage with the podcaster, and listen to or watch the episodes.



These IAB guidelines get updated every few years. As of March 2024, <a href="https://iabtechlab.com/press-releases/iab-tech-labs-podcast-technical-working-group-announces-podcast-measurement-updates-for-public-comment/">the latest version is 2.2 still in proposal stage for public comment</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">IAB &#8220;compliance&#8221; versus &#8220;certification&#8221;</h2>



When the IAB guidelines were first released, many in the podcasting industry—including myself—expressed the importance that all podcasting companies that provide audience analytics should not only follow the IAB guidelines, but even get certified to be following them.



But there were also many others who disagreed with the guidelines—some people thought the guidelines were too conservative, others thought they were too liberal.



Because the guidelines are publicly accessible, anyone can build a tool that follows the guidelines. And that's where the term &#8220;IAB–compliant&#8221; came in. It was companies simply claiming compliance based on how they implemented the guidelines.



Then along came the certification program. This was a costly process—in both time and money—for a third-party organization to conduct tests and review code to ensure the companies were truly following the guidelines, and then certifying them.



<a href="https://iabtechlab.com/compliance-programs/compliant-companies/#">You can see the list of certified podcasting companies here.</a>



Not only does it cost to be certified, it also costs to be a member of the IAB. And it also costs to be recertified, which the IAB was pushing in 2023. And it costs to have updated access to the IAB's whitelists and blacklists of IP addresses. But with the high cost of these things, it seems that several companies are not so concerned about being &#8220;certified&#8221; anymore. And you can <a href="https://iabtechlab.com/compliance-programs/compliant-companies/#">see in the list of certified &#8220;podcast compliance&#8221;</a> that several companies are still certified only to version 2.0.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why IAB-certified podcast stats are good</h2>



I agree with the premise of the IAB podcast measurement guidelines: to have a consistent measurement &#8220;standard&#8221; across the podcast industry. The dream of this standard is that no matter who you use for podcast hosting and analytics, the statistics you get will be essentially the same. Put another way, 100 people downloading your latest episode would be counted as 100 downloads on <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/blubrry" title="Blubrry &mdash; resource page" class="pretty-link-keyword"rel="" target="_blank">Blubrry</a>, or 100 downloads on <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/captivate" title="Captivate - The Audacity to Podcast" class="pretty-link-keyword"rel="" target="_blank">Captivate</a>, or 100 downloads on <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/buzzsprout" title="Easy Podcast Hosting for Podcasters on Every Level" class="pretty-link-keyword"rel="" target="_blank">Buzzsprout</a>, or 100 downloads on any other provider.



If everyone is following the same standard, then there wouldn't be the heartbreak and confusion if you switch from one provider to another and see a significant drop in your stats—because there shouldn't be much of a difference if everyone is measuring the same way!



So it's definitely a good thing for a podcasting company to follow the IAB guidelines, and being certified means that a neutral third party can confirm the guidelines are being followed correctly.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">But every standard will have loopholes</h2>



That dream is, unfortunately, not the reality. The biggest reason is that, going back to Miss. Elizabeth Swan, the IAB podcast measurement guidelines are exactly and only that: guidelines! 



As such, some companies will implement those guidelines differently. Or they use different whitelists and blacklists.



And over the years, there have been multiple loopholes found that some companies independently patch even though the IAB guidelines might not account for them, yet. For example, &#8220;Twitter bombing&#8221; was a problem several years ago. That's where someone would post a direct link to their podcast media file (like an MP3) on Twitter, and then repeatedly post that link all day, every day. Companies like <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/blubrry" title="Blubrry &mdash; resource page" class="pretty-link-keyword"rel="" target="_blank">Blubrry</a> and <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/libsyn" title="Libsyn &mdash; resource page" class="pretty-link-keyword"rel="" target="_blank">Libsyn</a> caught this behavior fairly quickly and were able to filter it out so those misled (or outright deceptive) podcasters wouldn't have fraudulent stats.



I even caught a podcaster guilty of such a &#8220;crime&#8221; when they were Twitter-bombing my own guest appearance on their podcast. When I politely tried to share the truth with them, they deleted my episode!



Or more recently, <a href="https://time.com/6217261/podcasters-buying-listeners-mobile-game-ads/">some podcast networks put ads in mobile games</a> where the podcast audio would start playing automatically and enough of the audio would pre-download (or &#8220;<a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/getbuffer" title="Social Media Management | Buffer" class="pretty-link-keyword"rel="" target="_blank">buffer</a>&#8221;) that it would actually get counted as a legitimate download, even for IAB-certified providers!



<a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/who-offers-the-fastest-podcast-hosting-tap335/">In my past research for testing the fastest podcast hosting</a>, I also discovered that some hosting providers counted some or even all of my bot downloads. And I didn't even attempt to disguise my bot downloads as real people using podcast apps! (Please note that some or—let's hope—all of those previously guilty companies have probably improved their measurement algorithms since that test in 2019! But probably not Soundcloud.) 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why you don't actually need IAB-certified podcast stats</h2>



Does it really matter anymore if your podcast-hosting provider has IAB-certified stats?



I think it's nice to know your numbers are certified, especially if you get paid by advertisers based on your downloads.



But at this point, I think it's safe to assume all the good podcast-hosting providers are following the guidelines and seek to filter out all non-person downloads. They could probably better invest the money it would cost to be certified instead into building better features for their customer: you!



And here is what I think is the even more important approach: do IAB-certified stats matter to your audience?



The answer is most likely a big fat &#8220;HUH?&#8221; Because your audience probably doesn't know or doesn't care, and they shouldn't have to know or care, either!



Your audience can celebrate milestones with you no matter whether those milestones are certified by an expensive neutral third party. Your audience cares much more about the value you deliver through your podcast than they care about how many downloads you are getting.



In other words, the answer to the audience's &#8220;What's in it for me?&#8221; is probably &#8220;nothing.&#8221;



Yes, more downloads could mean more P.R.O.F.I.T. (popularity, relationships, opportunities, fun, income, or tangibles) for both you and your audience, and it can mean a bigger community for your audience to engage with each other. But that comes with the actual people in your audience, not the standard by which you measure them!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">I've changed my mind about IAB certification</h2>



Thus, because IAB certification really doesn't matter to your audience, I've stopped considering it a requirement for any podcast-hosting provider or analytics tool I recommend. It's nice to have, but not mandatory.



Instead, I'm far more interested in the innovations podcasting companies are making, so that the whole experience can be better for you and your audience. That's why I consider support for Podcasting 2.0 to be my litmus test for podcast-publishing tools, and no longer IAB certification.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">New feature: The Community Corner</h2>



<ul>
<li>2,033 sats from &#8220;aqualith,&#8221; saying, &#8220;10k CAN be a lot for someone who doesn't feed their Fountain wallet, or equivalent, with outside funds and not currently podcasting themselves, despite engaging with the app daily. That said, thank you for this episode and this list. I immediately shared it with someone who's setting up their first podcast. Go podcasting!&#8221;</li>



<li>7,777 sats from Steve Web on &#8220;How to Use Podcast Transcripts,&#8221; saying, &#8220;GREAT episode, Daniel. While I have been using transcripts for some time on my shows, I wasn’t really sure I was doing it correctly. This episode will help me to make some changes going forward. Thank you, and may God bless you richly!&#8221;</li>



<li>333 from Allen C. Paul also on &#8220;How to Use Podcast Transcripts,&#8221; saying, &#8220;Couldn’t help but notice this episode doesn’t have a transcript! lol! but great info.&#8221; Allen has also been giving my episodes 5 stars on Goodpods!</li>



<li>&#8220;A.J.II&#8221; from the United States gave me a 5-star review in Apple Podcasts, saying, &#8220;Advice is stellar. His style and topics along with the way he speaks and communicates is terrific.Thanks!&#8221;</li>



<li>And <a href="https://castfeedback.com/6568ff490e90de09ac15f439/feedback/65e8bf6b409e6dd1d2c40a71">Dave Jackson responded to my &#8220;mythinformation&#8221; line with a voicemail</a> saying, &#8220;Daniel absolutely myth information and that is hard to say definitely made me chuckle.&#8221; (That voicemail and transcript were powered by Podgagement!)</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Engage your audience and grow your podcast!</h2>



Do you ever feel like your podcast is stuck? Like you're pouring your heart into your podcast but it seems like no one is listening?



<a href="https://podgagement.com/">Try Podgagement to help you engage your audience and grow your podcast!</a>



Get speakable pages to simplify engaging with your audience, accept voicemail feedback (with automatic transcripts), track your ratings and reviews from nearly 200 places, and more! 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ask your questions or share your feedback</h2>



<ul><li>Comment on the show notes</li><li>Leave a voicemail at (903) 231-2221</li><li>Email &#x66;&#101;e&#x64;&#98;a&#x63;&#107;&#64;&#x54;&#104;e&#x41;&#117;d&#x61;&#x63;i&#x74;&#x79;&#116;&#x6f;&#x50;&#111;&#x64;&#x63;&#97;s&#x74;&#46;c&#x6f;&#109; (audio files welcome)</li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Follow The Audacity to Podcast</h2>



<ul>
<li><a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/applepodcasts">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/spotify">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/android">other Android apps</a>, or in your favorite podcast app.</li>



<li><a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/youtube">Subscribe on YouTube for Podcasting Videos by The Audacity to Podcast</a></li>



<li><a href="http://twitter.com/theDanielJLewis">Follow @theDanielJLewis</a> on X-Twitter</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Disclosure</h2>



This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship. I may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.

<description>You might have heard people talk about IAB podcast stats, measurement guidelines, compliance, and certification. Here's what all of that means, and whether it even matters!</description>

You might have heard people talk about IAB podcast stats, measurement guidelines, compliance, and certification. Here's what all of that means, and whether it even matters!

You might have heard people talk about IAB podcast stats, measurement guidelines, compliance, and certification. Here's what all of that means, and whether it even matters! 
 
Please share this episode from your podcast app or https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/iabstats 
 
## Who is the IAB? 
 
## What are IAB stats 
 
- These IAB guidelines get updated every few years. As of March 2024, the latest version is 2.2 still in proposal stage for public comment.: https://iabtechlab.com/press-releases/iab-tech-labs-podcast-technical-working-group-announces-podcast-measurement-updates-for-public-comment/ 
 
## IAB "compliance" versus "certification" 
 
- You can see the list of certified podcasting companies here.: https://iabtechlab.com/compliance-programs/compliant-companies/# 
 
## Why IAB-certified podcast stats are good 
 
## But every standard will have loopholes 
 
- Some podcast networks put ads in mobile games: https://time.com/6217261/podcasters-buying-listeners-mobile-game-ads/ 
- In my past research for testing the fastest podcast hosting: https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/who-offers-the-fastest-podcast-hosting-tap335/ 
 
## Why you don't actually need IAB-certified podcast stats 
 
## I've changed my mind about IAB certification 
 
## New feature: The Community Corner 
 
- Dave Jackson responded to my “mythinformation” line with a voicemail: https://castfeedback.com/6568ff490e90de09ac15f439/feedback/65e8bf6b409e6dd1d2c40a71 
 
——— 
 
Start and grow your own podcast for passion and PROFIT! Learn more and follow at https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/ 
 
Know, engage, and grow your audience with the power of podcast reviews! https://mypodcastreviews.com/ 
 
FEEDBACK 
Call (903) 231-2221 
Email feedback@theaudacitytopodcast.com 
Send a voice message from https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/ 
 
MAILING ADDRESS 
The Audacity to Podcast 
PO Box 739 
Burlington, KY 41005

Do IAB-Certified Stats Matter for Your Podcast?

Podcasting 2.0 is revolutionizing podcasting for podcasters, audiences, and developers. Here are what I think are the best features you should try now, if you can.



For extra context, <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/what-is-podcasting-2-0-and-why-does-it-matter/">listen to my previous episode about Podcasting 2.0 and why it matters</a>.



Some of these features are still in development. <a href="https://podcasting2.org">Visit our new Podcasting2.org website to see the apps and publishing/hosting tools that support these features</a>. (In the near future, <a href="https://canipodcast.com">CanIPodcast.com</a> will let you see the complete overview of what features are supported where.)



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. Cross-app comments</h2>



When I recently attended Podfest Multimedia Expo, I was talking with a woman interested to know more about Podcasting 2.0. She lit up with excitement over two things: cross-app comments and live streaming.



The vision of cross-app comments is simple. Imagine being able to comment on an episode you're listening without leaving your podcast app! Even better, others can reply to you from their different podcast apps!



This is what cross-app comments will allow: audience comments from multiple podcast apps but all going into the same stream of activity so you and others can engage from preferred apps.



While I think this is the most exciting feature for everyone, it's also proving to be the most complicated to implement. Developers have to think about performance, data portability, authentication, and giving you moderation control. But when these features are all solved, this will be a dynamite feature!



And the best part is that this engagement can occur completely without leaving the podcast app! (But there will be other systems to let you monitor and engage with your audience. For example, I'll be building this into <a href="https://podgagement.com/">Podgagement</a> whenever the development issues are resolved.)



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. Live streaming</h2>



When I spoke with that woman at Podfest, the other thing she was most excited about was the ability to live-stream with live engagement directly into her audience's podcast apps.



That's what the &#8220;live item tag&#8221; (or sometimes called &#8220;LIT&#8221;) is designed to do!



Live-streaming isn't a good fit for all podcasts or podcasters. It presents a whole new layer of complexity and multiple distractions. But when you can manage it well, live-streaming is a fantastic way to engage your most loyal audience in real-time.



Podcasting 2.0's live feature will let you live-stream directly into the modern podcast apps. You start by scheduling your upcoming event, and your audience will see that in their apps. When you go live, you audience can receive push notifications and then jump to listening or watching live. There's even the potential to have your chat room there, too!



Best of all, this is all right inside your audience's podcast app! They won't have to leave to listen or watch on a separate page, they can engage without leaving their preferred podcast app!



Apps can even do smart things like automatically marking the later downloaded episode as played if the audience already played it live.



<a href="https://www.futureofpodcasting.net/going-lit-with-the-live-item-tag/">Learn more about the Podcasting 2.0 live streaming feature from Dave Jackson and me in The Future of Podcasting!</a>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3. Micropayments</h2>



Don't let the &#8220;micro&#8221; part of &#8220;micropayments&#8221; make you think they're small and worthless!



Podcasting 2.0 enables you to receive financial support in any amount from your audience by leveraging the power of Bitcoin, specifically through the faster and cheaper Lightning Network. This is most commonly measured in Satoshis (abbreviated &#8220;sats&#8221; or &#8220;§&#8221;), which are 100 millionth of a Bitcoin. Here's the quick hack (at least for US Dollars) to understand the value. Every 1,000§ is worth the current value of Bitcoin in cents. So if Bitcoin is $45,000, then 1,000§ is worth 45¢.



This allows your audience to give as little as a few pennies to as much as they value your podcast—thus why this feature is called &#8220;Value for Value&#8221; and uses the <code>&lt;podcast:value&gt;</code> RSS tag.



But it doesn't stop there! Your audience can set their podcast app to stream the payments to you for every minute they listen to your podcast! So even something that seems as small as 100§ per minute would be 3,000§ for a 30-minute podcast. If Bitcoin is worth $45,000, that streaming payment would convert to $1.35—and that's 54 times as much as that one listener would be worth to an advertiser paying the common $25 CPM!



These kinds of &#8220;micropayments&#8221; would be nearly worthless or even impossible with common payment methods like PayPal or credit cards, who usually take a flat fee around 50¢ plus around 3% of the transaction!



Listen to my past episode, &#8220;<a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/are-podcasting-2-0-micropayments-worth-it/">Are Podcasting 2.0 Micropayments Worth It?</a>&#8221; and <a href="https://value4value.info">read about &#8220;Value 4 Value&#8221;</a> to learn more!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. Super chapters</h2>



Shoutout to Dovydas from RSSBlue.com for coining the term &#8220;super chapters,&#8221; and I love it!



We've had chapters in podcasting since 2005, but they've always been very limited. They could only contain a title, a optional link, and an optional image. They were also embedded in the media file, so updating your chapters would mean replacing your media file. And that limitation meant that none of your audience who already downloaded the episode would be able to see anything new in the chapters.



Podcasting 2.0's &#8220;super chapters&#8221; build on these legacy features and move the chapters into an external metadata file.



Simply by being in an external file, you can now update the chapters anytime. And modern podcast apps are smart enough to check for updated chapters when your audience engages with your episodes.



The optional chapter images are also external URLs, allowing you to swap out the images anytime, or even do cool things like dynamically generated images with promotions, countdowns, dates, and more!



At this time, Podcasting 2.0 chapters still support only the same title, URL, and image fields like legacy chapters. But that will change soon with support for image galleries, videos, blocks of text, polls, and more! 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. Transcripts</h2>



I've long seen that transcripts were mostly a waste in the podcasting space. Transcripts are usually low-quality written content and thus are difficult to read and perform very poorly for search-engine optimization (SEO). Some podcasters would even relegate their transcripts to a separate download through their website, making them even less accessible for anyone who might actually need the transcripts for accessibility!



But Podcasting 2.0 changed that! Now, you can link to your episode transcripts (best in SRT or VTT file formats) right from your podcast RSS feed, and smart podcast apps will see them and even give your audience to see your line-by-line transcript in real time with your spoken content! <a href="https://www.steno.fm/show/2eda53b6-23a1-59ae-8bb6-f960a2e76d3c">Check out Steno.fm to see how it can highlight portions of the transcript as those words are being spoken.</a>



It's &#8220;closed captions&#8221; for podcasts!



And the big surprise of 2024 was that <a href="https://podcasters.apple.com/support/5316-transcripts-on-apple-podcasts">Apple announced official support for Podcasting 2.0 transcripts starting with iOS 17.4</a>! This is huge because it's the first Podcasting 2.0 feature Apple has supported! And since Apple is still an industry leader and trendsetter in podcasting, you can expect to see a lot of other popular apps start to support the same podcast standard. And that could also open the floodgates to much broader Podcasting 2.0 support!



<a href="https://www.futureofpodcasting.net/apples-adoption-of-podcasting-20-spec-and-its-implications-for-the-industry/">Dave Jackson and I discussed the many implications of Apple's support for Podcasting 2.0 transcripts in this episode of The Future of Podcasting.</a>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How can you use Podcasting 2.0?</h2>



My ultimatum is this: if your current podcast-publishing tool doesn't deeply support Podcasting 2.0 by now, switch!



Your four best options right now are:



<ol>
<li><a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/blubrry">Blubrry with PowerPress on WordPress</a></li>



<li><a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/captivate">Captivate</a></li>



<li><a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/buzzsprout">Buzzsprout</a></li>



<li><a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/bhosting">Combine Podcast Mirror with your RSS feed from any legacy hosting provider</a></li>
</ol>



I spoke more about these hosting options in my previous episode/article, &#8220;<a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/best-podcast-hosting-providers-2024/">Best Podcast Hosting Providers (2024)</a>.&#8221;



And if you're wondering how to make and use transcripts, that's what I'll talk about in my next episode!



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Engage your audience and grow your podcast!</h2>



Do you ever feel like your podcast is stuck? Like you're pouring your heart into your podcast but it seems like no one is listening?



<a href="https://podgagement.com/">Try Podgagement to help you engage your audience and grow your podcast!</a>



Get speakable pages to simplify engaging with your audience, accept voicemail feedback (with automatic transcripts), track your ratings and reviews from nearly 200 places, and more! 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Ask your questions or share your feedback</h2>



<ul><li>Comment on the show notes</li><li>Leave a voicemail at (903) 231-2221</li><li>Email &#x66;&#101;&#101;&#x64;&#x62;&#97;&#99;&#x6b;&#x40;&#84;&#104;&#x65;&#x41;&#117;&#100;&#x61;&#x63;&#105;&#116;&#x79;&#x74;&#111;&#80;&#x6f;&#x64;&#99;&#97;&#x73;&#x74;&#46;&#99;&#x6f;&#x6d; (audio files welcome)</li></ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Follow The Audacity to Podcast</h2>



<ul>
<li><a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/applepodcasts">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/spotify">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/android">other Android apps</a>, or in your favorite podcast app.</li>



<li><a href="https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/youtube">Subscribe on YouTube for Podcasting Videos by The Audacity to Podcast</a></li>



<li><a href="http://twitter.com/theDanielJLewis">Follow @theDanielJLewis</a> on X-Twitter</li>
</ul>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Disclosure</h2>



This post may contain links to products or services with which I have an affiliate relationship. I may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, I don't let that corrupt my perspective and I don't recommend only affiliates.

<description>Podcasting 2.0 is revolutionizing podcasting for podcasters, audiences, and developers. Here are what I think are the best features you should be leveraging, if you can.</description>

Podcasting 2.0 is revolutionizing podcasting for podcasters, audiences, and developers. Here are what I think are the best features you should be leveraging, if you can.

Podcasting 2.0 is revolutionizing podcasting for podcasters, audiences, and developers. Here are what I think are the best features you should try now, if you can. 
 
Please share this episode from your podcast app or https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/top20features 
 
## 1. Cross-app comments 
 
- Podgagement: https://podgagement.com/ 
 
## 2. Live streaming 
 
- Learn more about the Podcasting 2.0 live streaming feature from Dave Jackson and me in The Future of Podcasting!: https://www.futureofpodcasting.net/going-lit-with-the-live-item-tag/ 
 
## 3. Micropayments 
 
- Are Podcasting 2.0 Micropayments Worth It?: https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/are-podcasting-2-0-micropayments-worth-it/ 
- “Value 4 Value”: https://value4value.info/ 
 
## 4. Super chapters 
## 5. Transcripts 
 
- Check out Steno.fm to see how it can highlight portions of the transcript as those words are being spoken.: https://www.steno.fm/show/2eda53b6-23a1-59ae-8bb6-f960a2e76d3c 
- Apple announced official support for Podcasting 2.0 transcripts starting with iOS 17.4: https://podcasters.apple.com/support/5316-transcripts-on-apple-podcasts 
 
## 6. How can you use Podcasting 2.0? 
 
- Blubrry with PowerPress on WordPress: https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/blubrry 
- Captivate: https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/captivate 
- Buzzsprout: https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/buzzsprout 
- Combine Podcast Mirror with your RSS feed from any legacy hosting provider: https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/bhosting 
 
——— 
 
Start and grow your own podcast for passion and PROFIT! Learn more and follow at https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/ 
 
Know, engage, and grow your audience with the power of podcast reviews! https://mypodcastreviews.com/ 
 
FEEDBACK 
Call (903) 231-2221 
Email feedback@theaudacitytopodcast.com 
Send a voice message from https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/ 
 
MAILING ADDRESS 
The Audacity to Podcast 
PO Box 739 
Burlington, KY 41005

Top 5 Podcasting 2.0 Features You Should Try

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