In the decentralized and distributed world of podcasting, trust is paramount. How much do you trust the myriad service providers along the chain who get your episodes to your listener’s ears?
The impetus for yesterday’s episode, as it turns out, was inaccurate. Not the speculations and implications I discussed. Those are very real and of interest-if not importance-to all working podcasters.
So I’m leaving the content up, but I will be posting clarifications/corrections for the part that turned out to be nothing more than a bug in a beta release. Sometimes that happens when you (or in this case, I) try to get ahead of a story.
Even though the entire point of Podcast Pontifications is to explore wild speculations and bring up “what if” scenarios, making the correction is the trustworthy thing to do.
Trust Is Required In Podcasting
Podcasting has grown too big for any one person or company to have all figured out, no matter what they tell you. That means we podcasters have to trust others along the way.
You must trust me and my points of view on podcasting; else, you wouldn’t be reading my words right now. I don’t have all the answers and often leave you with even more questions, but that’s part of what keeps you coming back.
But I’m not your only source. There are other pundits, authors, consultants, experts, and (groan) self-described gurus helping you better understand podcasting, and you probably have one or more go-to people who you trust.
We all have to trust our podcast media hosting providers. Yes, the industry is rather commoditized, with most of the meaningful key differentiators only seen at the edges. When I think of trust here, it’s less about the present-they all do an adequate job-and more about the future. How much trust do you have that your chosen hosting provider will be able to adapt to changes in the future quickly? Do you trust that they are working to bring about a better podcasting landscape?
You and I have little choice but to trust the wide range of middle-level players, like podcast listening app and directories. Apart from establishing an account or submitting our show, we don’t have much personal contact with the people behind these services, and that requires a lot of trust. How much do you trust their ability to play nice with your podcast’s hosting provider? How much do you trust the data they provide? How much do you trust their ability to display your content properly to your listeners (and their users) the way you intended it to be displayed?
Looking a bit closer to home, how much do you trust the people that are a part of your podcasting team? Not just the audio engineers, writers, or designers that you may engage, but also the assistants, bookkeepers, and those who keep things running behind the scenes. My company, Simpler Media, has grown beyond my ability to run it as a solo effort, so I have to place great trust in the people who keep things running. I’ve little desire and even less ability to micromanage people, so it’s all about trust for me and mine.
How much trust do you have in your friends and peers in podcasting? Podcasting is getting so big and changing so fast that it’s nigh impossible to stay on top of everything. I’m putting out articles four days a week, and I’ll bet you don’t read each of them. So you probably rely on peers who also read my words (and, sure, others, I guess) to draw your attention to the concepts and questions I bring up. And making this less about me, having a good group of podcasting peers to use as a sounding board is incredibly important. So is the trust you place in those you invite to your inner sanctum.
How much trust do you place in the professional associations where you maintain membership? Do you trust the people who run or are in the network your podcast is a part of? Do you trust the people in your favorite social group?
Most importantly, how much trust do you place in yourself as a podcaster? Do you trust the fact that you are doing what’s right for you? Do you trust your ability to give yourself the freedom as a podcaster to do what’s right by you and therefore do what’s right by your audience?
It’s not just yesterday’s oopsie that weighs on my mind. Honestly, some of the trust I’ve placed in some of those people and services listed above has been eroded recently. And that’s the thing about trust; It’s far too easily lost, and it’s far too hard to win back.
Tomorrow, the Podcast Pontifications Experience returns to Clubhouse, where I’m sure the topic of trust will take center stage. Ostensibly, we’re there to discuss Apple’s big changes to podcasting. I’d love to hear your opinion and voice when we meet tomorrow, Friday, March 12, 2021, at 10:00 AM Los Angeles time / 1:00 PM New York City / 6:00 PM London.
If you can’t make that discussion, but you’d still like to show your trust for me is unwavering, please go to BuyMeACoffee.com/evoterra.
I hope to see-hear-you tomorrow, Friday, on Clubhouse. And if not, enjoy your weekend. I shall be back on Monday with yet another Podcast Pontifications.
Cheers!
Originally published at https://podcastpontifications.com, where it started life as an episode of my four-times-a-week short-form podcast called, oddly enough, Podcast Pontifications. It’s a podcast for working podcasters that’s focused on trends in our growing industry and ideas on ways to make podcasting not just easier, but better. Yes, you should listen. Here’s an easy way: 👇
Evo Terra (hey, that’s me!) has been podcasting since 2004, is the author of Podcasting For Dummies and Expert Podcasting Practices for Dummies, and is the CEO and founder of Simpler.Media, a strategic podcast consultancy working with businesses, brands, and professional service providers all around the world.
