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#ad Readers of The Iceberg unite!Join other indie podcasters like you, get Mark's take on relevant news as it happens, and read the feature piece the day before it hits inboxes. It's all free, fun, and friendly.Happy June! Here's issue #13 of The Iceberg, my continuing effort to bring you useful news and insight to make your podcast go vroom.Speaking of, I have some thoughts this week about refuelling your podcast; some things you can try to keep the spark alive, or to introduce a new element to your workflow.But first, here's what's happening in PodcastTown.The latest Gene Munster and David Stokman of Loup Ventures have a piece examining Apple and Spotify's relationship with podcasting, stating podcasts are a hobby for Apple, but a career for Spotify. It compares both companies' strategies, revenue estimates and growth margins, to see who stands to gain from and contribute to podcasting the most. Read more  As a recovering web developer, APIs get me excited. Podchaser, the IMDb of podcasting has now got its own public-facing API – importantly with a free tier – so developers can tap into the knowledge graph it's creating. I like the Podchaser team but have never really understood who it serves, as a standalone website. Now app developers have the opportunity to integrate Podchaser recommendations, reviews and other goodies into their players, helping to complete the podcast discovery circle. Read more  Podping – the tech that tells apps when a new episode of a podcast is available, without them constantly having to check – is now in use by Transistor, RSS.com, Captivate and Buzzsprout. This week Brian "of London" makes the case for why podcast apps need to implement the technology now. And incase it isn't clear, implementing the tech would dramatically cut down on the number of times the question "why isn't my episode appearing in x app" is asked. Read more  Last week the Guardian ran a piece about how celebs are ruining podcasting. This week, podcast numbers-man – and great writer – Tom Webster offered a rebuttal, offering the glut of failed celebrity-hosted talk shows as a justification for why big Hollywood names can't ruin the medium. He overlooks the halo effect that celebs have (in that their status is a big enough name to draw people in and get them to listen for the first time in a way none of us will ever be able to do, no matter how good our show is) but of course he's right that quality is what keeps people coming back. Read more  "Podcast Day 24 is probably the cheapest way to fill up you and your teams’ brains with knowledge and expertise", says Matt Deagon, one of the organisers, and co-founder of the British Podcast Awards. It's a 24-hour conference in person and online. Tickets are pricey but there are lots of speakers, and fewer of the usual suspects. It all kicks off June 7th. Read more #ad Record your next interview with RiversideRiverside makes it easy to record podcast interviews with high-quality audio recorded locally. No extra software, no need to sync tracks, and all your guest has to do is show up.11 things you can do to refuel your podcastThere are plenty of blog posts and newsletter pieces about ways to “take your podcast to the next level” 🤮, which all amount to scrabbling around for the same ground like so many Hungry, Hungry Hippos, so for this week’s feature piece I wanted to look at how we can find ways to nourish our creativity – not to stock back up on fuel you might have lost, but to feed an already roaring fire.1. Put your feet up and readTake time to read. I don’t just mean snatching a moment on the loo or in-between Zoom calls. Take time over a late morning, sit with a drink you enjoy, turn on your tablet, load up your Kindle, unlock your phone, or pick up something where the ink is printed fixedly on a piece of dead tree, and read... about podcasting, about the topics you cover in your show or your clients’ shows. Read articles whose headlines pose questions you already know the answer to, because maybe one of the “seven incredible things” they’re promising could be new to you.The intention is as important as the information you might glean from the act. It’s about carving out time for your creative fulfilment, but without the weight of expectation. It’s entirely possible you might come away learning nothing, but that’s not really the point... the point is that you took the time.2. Enjoy a story told in a different mediumPlay a narrative video game, listen to an audiobook or check out a concept album. Watch a film – fictional or documentary, as long as it tells a great story. Don’t feel like you have to consciously take notes or be aware of how tropes or techniques are deployed. Instead just enjoy the work with your whole heart, and let whatever droplets of relevant creativity drip through your filter and percolate.Equally important is giving time for the work to sink in, what writer Charlie Brooker once described as “letting your mental food go down”. I know I’m guilty of this; turning off the TV after an impactful hour-long TV drama and reaching for my earbuds to play an episode of a podcast. That’s probably why I have so many conversations with people about TV shows we both love and have just finished, in which I look blank when people reference a particularly hard-hitting moment that hasn’t had time to enter my long-term memory because it got wiped out by something about iOS 15.3. Do something unfamiliarEngaging your brain in an unfamiliar activity, or even doing a familiar activity but in a different way, can be really useful in helping you see what your brain is automatically editing out. Say you’re a guitarist, and you tried playing a solo further up the neck, so you produce the same notes but on different strings.The guitar teacher and flat-cap-rocking YouTube legend Justin Sandercoe taught himself to play the guitar left-handed so he could experience what it was like to learn an instrument he was an expert in, from scratch. You probably don’t need to go to that extreme, but switching up an unfamiliar task – whether it’s related to your podcast or not – puts you enough out of your comfort zone to open you back up to learning something new, without being entirely in unfamiliar territory.4. Go behind-the-scenes on someone else’s podcastHopefully you’ve got a friend in podcasting (I mean someone you know within the medium who you count as a friend... not that podcasting is your friend... you get it), and if you worked your way up through podcasting differently, so much the better. It’s surprising how many things we do that we assume everyone else does, and you might find there are things you could be doing that hadn’t occurred to you.If you’re feeling brave, why not agree to produce an episode of each-other’s podcast? This doesn’t have to be signalled to the listener and doesn’t have to be about cross-promotion; it’s simply a way of trying on another podcaster’s shoes, to see how they fit. Or if you’ve got the time, you could document each-other’s processes – maybe just keep a screen recorder running while each of you is working on an episode – to see what differs.I know literally no-one will do this, but it’s a fun thought exercise at least!5. Stop listening to so many podcastsIt’s a good idea, at least in my humble opinion, to pick out the lint in your podcast subscriptions. What are you listening to out of habit? Are there podcasts in your app you feel obliged to listen to? Can you identify the podcasts that spark joy, and find more of those? I know that, if you need to listen to a particular show for your work, you might not have that luxury, but if you want more listeners to your podcast, you want to explain to non-listeners how podcast consumption is a joy, so you should be filling your ears with as much pod-joy as you can, right?Paring down your listening also gives you more time, and might enable you to listen at 1x speed instead of 1.5x, thus experiencing the podcast like most human beings – ie, non-power-listeners – do.6. Bring the real world into your podcastNarrative shows do this really well, and it’s an easy task to accomplish. You can add a sense of space and geography to your podcast, by weaving in sounds of the outside into your work. I mean, they needn’t actually be sounds from the local area you’re covering – I won’t tell if you don’t – but if you can spare 10 to 15 minutes to go out and sit with a portable recorder and a decent mic, you could capture an authentic piece of audio that captures the essence of where you’re recording from.We need to remember that listeners tend to drift off after a few minutes – I think it’s 7 without looking it up, but that might just be because 7 is always the number anyone gives about brain stuff – so anything that breaks the monotony of two people speaking could be welcome. It doesn’t have to be a jarring sound, it simply has to be different, so why not make that a bit of found sound from your area?7. Put a record onI’ll bang on to anyone who’ll listen about my love of the MiniDisc format, and the physical appeal of putting a disc in, hitting play and feeling the moving parts do their dance. That’s part of the appeal to vinyl... it’s the ceremony. Why not try bringing a little ceremony into your listening experience?The conscious, intentional act of putting a record on – or loading a cassette into a tape deck – informs the listening experience, because it now has a little more weight to it, since you did more than just press a virtual button on a slab of glass. When’s the last time you listened with real intention to a piece of spoken word audio? Give it a try, and make note of the thoughts that crop up as a result.8. Take a week off your podcastThey say a change is as good as a rest, but sometimes a rest is just what you need. Again, this doesn’t have to be a remedial measure, or a way of dealing with burnout. It could simply be an act of self-care, but also again a way to let your and your audience’s mental food go down, to give a bit of air-gapped space between output, and to be missed.There’s nothing like missing a show you produce to make you realise how important it is to you.9. Don’t post your next episode to social mediaIt's easy to get into a rut: you edit, publish, promote, then prep the next episode and the cycle continues. What would happen if you stepped off the social media treadmill for a week, and didn't push your latest episode to Twitter and Facebook?Doing this could give you a sense of how many subscribers or followers you actually have, but more importantly you may be able to gauge the kind of reaction you get to episodes. Does the number of mentions or comments you get go down if you skip a week of promotion?By taking a fresh look at the promotion cycle, you might be able to spot patterns you're falling into out of habit. Maybe it'll even give you some ideas for other ways to promote your episode, other than "Latest of the X Podcast is here: [url]".10. Find someone who would enjoy your show if they only listened to podcastsI've mentioned before that we need to appeal to people who don't consider themselves podcast listeners. It's so easy to listen to podcasts, but some people still feel like there's a technical barrier (I think it's the word "podcast", which may be a topic for next week's piece).If you have a hobby podcast, you probably know someone who would enjoy what you're putting out, but who doesn't listen to podcasts. How about picking an episode out for them, showing them what to search for on their phone, then saying "give it a listen the next time you walk the dog or do the dishes" etc. Ask them to listen as a favour to you, so you can get their feedback.This isn't about trying to gain them as as a listener, but about understanding how a non-podcast-native listens. You might find there are turns of phrase you use that just wash over someone who isn't familiar with the ecosystem. (For example, many of us say "rate and review us" but we don't explain that we mean they should do that on one specific app.)Find out what this person enjoyed and didn't, what they felt encouraged to do or were confused by. Re-assess the assumptions you're making about your content, how welcoming it is to new listeners or how heavily it relies on in-jokes. When you say "a link is in the show notes", what does that mean?It'll take time, but if you view this as a way of strengthening your output, not simply as an exercise to gain a new listener, you could come away with some valuable insight.11. Listen to a podcast you’ve already decided you won’t likeIt might not even be a show you don't think you'll like, but maybe one you assumed wouldn't be for you, because it's from a publication you don't follow, or it's a top 10 show and you don't listen to top 10 shows, and so on.There is a reason certain shows are popular, and it's not all down to celebrity (as Mr Webster has already pointed out this week). And while you might not be able to compete with a full-time production crew, you can probably weave an interesting story and tell it in a compelling way, if that's what you want to do... it just might not sound quite as NPR-ish, and that's in your favour.There's also an outside chance you'll find a new show you enjoy, and there's no harm in that. I recently started listening to West Cork, and surprise surprise, it's really good. I'm not currently working on any narrative shows, but being connected to what's popular in the podcast space is good for me, not just as someone who writes weekly about podcasting, but as someone who makes podcasts.Give these a tryI'm sure not all of these will float your boat, but if you fancy giving one or two of them a go, let me know how it went. I'm helping a few people start or relaunch shows at the moment, and that's giving me an option to look again at the work I'm doing with them, to gain perspective on the patterns we're falling into and the assumptions we're making, and ultimately make more interesting, enjoyable, and impactful work.New podcastsTwo new podcasts launched recently that might be worth a listen. Podcasting in 2021 is all about the niche, and this one knows its niche well. Kvikmyndapod – wish me luck pronouncing that on the podcast – is dedicated to 21st century Icelandic cinema. Each week, Icelandophile Rob Watts introduces newcomer Elie to a new Icelandic film. Now, I list these podcasts in the hope that you the reader might find something in common so that you can collaborate. If that happens, I want to hear about it. Listen now  If you're ready for a post-apocalyptic fantasy story, delivered in serialised audiobook form – complete with score and sound effects – check out Tales of Sada Emedu, by Kier Zhou. Listen now  And that's your lot. If you find this newsletter useful, please point people to theiceberg.news. We cracked 1,040 opens last week – courtesy of my cheeky headline – so I'd love us to get to 1,100.Oh, and you can find the newsletter on Twitter too and, as I mentioned, in podcast form. I'm always looking for ways to improve and optimise the newsletter so it's as useful as it can be – let me know what more I can be doing, or what you don't like.Take care, and I'll check back in next week.★ Support this podcast ★

#ad Readers of The Iceberg unite!Join other indie podcasters like you, get Mark's take on relevant news as it happens, and read the feature piece the day before it hits inboxes. It's all free, fun, and friendly.Hey! How's your week been treating you so far? Here's another issue, packed full of news and insight curated just for indie podcasters like you.Forgive the aggressive subject line – this week's piece is a little more sedate, but does allow me to get some things off my chest that have been sat there for a good while.But we'll get to that. First, let's see what's happening in the world of indie podcasting.The latest Alison Osborne, blogging for Squadcast reveals her top tips for recording at hone… who outside of one of those NPRs doesn’t record at home!? Anyway, good stuff here on noise reduction IRL and in plugin form. Read more  Audio researcher Jeff Vidler has some thoughts on what listeners will pay for. He suggests “exclusive content, not an ad-free experience, is the best bet to bring in paid podcast subscriptions”. He’s an old-media guy so he’s still thinking about how many ads can be stitched into content, but he has a take on including commercial content in paid feeds. We’re going to bear more of this so I’d be keen to get your take. Should paid podcast audio carry ads? Read more  Google look to be bringing RSS back to the web, by allowing users to subscribe to website updates in Chrome. It’s an experiment they’re rolling out into their development kit, and I’m excited to see how this rolls out, and which other browsers follow suit. Given that a surprising number of people listen to podcasts on their computers — surprising to me anyway — this feels like it could be a good move for us, but we’ll see what happens when it’s rolled out, and what media playback tools it ships with. Read more  Picture the scene: you’ve landed a great guest for an episode, you’ve recorded with them and everything’s gone great. Then you publish the episode, sure in the knowledge it’ll spread like wildfire through your host’s network. Maybe you get a retweet on your latest-episode post, and maybe there’s a tiny nipple-sized bump, but what more can you do? Jared Easley writing for Podcast Movement has some ideas, and a little tough love to boot. Read more  Google is updating its podcast player, improving the UI and ultimately making it look and feel more like a player habitual podcast listeners can make use of. 9to5Google has the full breakdown. Read more  #ad Support The Iceberg for $5Show your support by buying me a one-off virtual coffee, or signing up for a membership. As more people sign up for membership, I'll start adding rewards.FeatureTop 5 podcast intro turn-offsGrowing up, I never really got traditional punk music. I liked pop punk from the 2000s with all its edges sanded off and the vocals, if not autotuned, then on point, but the real, raw stuff from the 70s, made by people who didn’t know how to play music, was never something I could see the point in.Like with music, I think everyone should get a shot at podcasting if they want to, but I think you should do the work first to learn the theory before diving into the practise. That doesn’t mean everyone should train as an audio engineer, but there are some basics people should learn.In my five years working full-time in podcasting, my 12 years as a producer-for-hire, and my 38 years of being somewhere on the detail-orientated end of the autistic spectrum, I’ve listened to a lot of new podcast intros, and even in my twelve weeks writing for The Iceberg and seeking out new indie shows, I’ve noticed some common elements that turn me off as a listener.Turnoff #1: Boilerplate audioTools like Alitu and whatever one Libsyn recently bought, are designed to allow complete novices to upload audio and arrange segments like building blocks. That, and the increasing pressure to “put out content” on a regular basis means DIY podcasters are resorting to opening each episode in exactly the same way. I don’t mean they’re reading the same script; I mean they record the intro once, then paste it at the beginning of their episode.Now the podcaster has become divorced from the flow of their content, which is evidenced by the fact you often hear the same greeting being given twice: once in the cut-and-pasted intro, then again once they’ve hit Record on the actual episode, forgetting they’ve already introduced the show. In one case I’ve heard exactly the same tagline being given twice.You can also always tell the episodes that have been compiled using one of those block audio editing tools, as there are multiple seconds of silence between the intro and the actual episode. Yuck.How to do this elegantlyI edit a podcast that has an identical intro, but it’s not the first thing the listener hears. Right before the opening theme music and the pre-recorded intro, there’s a cold open. In an ideal world this would contain some useful info about the episode – like the guest, the subject matter, or a hook to keep me listening – but in this case it’s just the episode number. However, because the audio is assembled professionally and not in a block audio editor, the music is introduced just as the host is finishing up their cold open, and fades away once the body of the episode is underway.Another way to make this more palatable is simply to be aware of the intro at all times: remember what information or greeting is being imparted to the listener, and what was said last, so when you come to he body of the episode, you’re not treading over old ground.Why does this matter?Repeating stuff that’s in the pre-recorded intro signals to your listener that you’re not really invested in the overall product, and that you haven’t paid the same attention you’re asking them to pay. Even though many of us use podcasting to serve an audience with a view to furthering our businesses, it is still a creative art form, and creativity does not come in flat-packed panels you snap together.Turnoff #2: Over-long musicI enjoy the process of matching music to a podcast host, when I’m working on a new project. I think about the host’s tone of voice, their energy level, the subject matter of the podcast, and the audience.But I’m putting all that work in for, at maximum, maybe 15 seconds of music, most of which is heard underneath the host’s voice (in radio this is called a bed).My favourite intros I ever put together were in Bitrate. Each episode opened with a snippet of conversation – like the outtake usually found at the end of an episode – which was punctuated by an aggressive “whoop-whoop” sound followed by our chiptune/dupbstep theme music (it was all part of the same track). This high-energy opening set the tone for the show, and communicated that it would be fun, wouldn’t take itself too seriously, and – accompanied by a robot announcer reading the episode title – that there would be a tech angle to the discussions.For Bitrate, it started with that music. Once I had that, I knew the shape of the intro. But while it was somewhat involved and highly-produced, it wasn’t over-indulgent, and that’s the important and sometimes difficult thing to consider: you might spend hours or even days trying to find the right piece of music, but if you’re doing it right, it should merely be seasoning, not the main flavour.Surely there are exceptionsOf course. Again, these aren’t rules to live and die by. My beloved Mission to Zyxx has a luxurious intro that I never skip. Penn’s Sunday School has a full-on custom intro sung by Penn and the wife of one of the co-hosts, but within the instrumental breaks is woven a rallying cry from co-host Michael Goudeau, so while the song is the same, the spoken-word intro is always different. We Got This! with Mark and Hal is a curious case, as it has a pre-made cinematic opening followed by a per-episode intro and then a goofy theme song.Turnoff #3: The pre-rollIf you’re opening your episode with an ad, you’re putting your listener last. If you have a contract that requires a pre-roll ad and you don’t feel you have the power to negotiate – first, try, because your listener relationship is more important than the $50 you’ll earn from that spot – you can still welcome the listener, let them know what they can expect from the episode, then jump into the ad spot if you have to. The Allusionist and ZigZag are two shows that have done this well.You can hear the “best” examples of bad pre-roll ads on, and for, Anchor. I think my main beef here is the idea that ads are somehow a podcast’s birthright. I’m sure this comes from a misplaced sense of legitimacy, that by having ads on your podcast you’re somehow “a real contender”, and hey, if Anchor will “let you advertise them”, it makes your show sound grown-up. Utter crap. What makes your show legitimate is you, and your commitment to your audience. Advertisement isn’t a metric of success, and chasing affiliate-based ads is a little needy. I know, I’ve run them on more than one podcast.Mark, why do you hate ads so much?I actually don’t. I dislike dynamically inserted ads from marketplaces, that are divorced from the style of the show I’m listening to. I skip over-long ads, and I like clean separation between ads and content. And no, ads aren’t content.I have lots of opinions about ads, some complex, but I listen to lots of shows with them and they keep those podcasters fed, so I’ve no problem with them. But one of the biggest preconceptions I have to fight is that you should begin any new podcasting project by asking how to monetise it. Monetisation is easy; building an audience that can be monetised without undue compromise is harder.Turn-off #4: The professional voice-overThere’s a tradition in UK standup comedy that acts do their own intros. They literally stand in the wings with the mic they’ll use to deliver their set, and introduce themselves in the third person. When you think about it for a second, that’s a super-weird tradition. I mean, why do we do that? Anyway, I’m getting distracted... In podcasting, third-person bit aside, this is entirely the right fit.If you’re the host of a podcast, d’you know who should introduce it? You! Another mistake I see newcomers make is buying voiced intros on Fiverr or elsewhere, again with the idea of lending the show some legitimacy.To me, that indicates a combination of naivety and dressing for the wrong job: like turning up to an interview at a scrappy iOS games company in formal wear and handing out business cards to everyone you meet. Just, y’know, read the room, and dial it back a bit.I totally get the urge to do this, by the way. Getting a silky-voiced radio dude to say your name in a mid-Atlantic accent is cool. I spent about £50 18 years ago getting some guy in this States to record a few intros for my student radio show. “Live from the cupboard under the stairs, it’s Mark Steadman” is one I remember fondly. But just as my adolescent over-slick nasal and nerve-tinged presentational style didn’t reflect the presenter I would become, the Tony the Tiger impersonator I hired didn’t represent who I was either.Again, all the legitimacy you need is your dedication to your craft and your audience.Turn-off #5: Early calls-to-actionThis circles back to the advertising point above a little, in that podcasters need to deliver some value first before asking for stuff in return. When you do this – the call to subscribe, rate, review, etc – isn’t set in stone, but it shouldn’t be among the first things you do. If I’m a new listener, I haven’t built up that trust in your output yet, so I’m not ready to do you a solid when you’ve not shown me what you have to offer.Of course, the very real fear is that the listener might disengage from your episode before you’ve had the chance to ask them for a favour, so it’s sensible to think about when you deploy a call-to-action. For List Envy, my top-five list-building podcast, I did that after the guest and I had read our respective top fives, but before we’d combine our lists into one. That natural break created a tiny moment of suspense I could capitalise on. In Beware of the Leopard, my Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy podcast, the calls-to-action where right at the end of the episode but before any outtakes, which is more traditional.You should derive value out of your podcast just as your audience should, so you have a right to put your call-to-action where it’ll be the most effective. I just think you need to be aware of the bargain you’re making with your listener, and demonstrate value before asking for something in return, especially if you’re actively looking to attract new listeners.TakeawaysI’ve been accused before of trying to make all podcasts sound the same, so hopefully you can see here that I embrace the differences. I’m not saying what podcasters should do, but merely providing things I think we should look out for and avoid: Over-long, repetitive intros Lingering on the theme tune Pre-roll ads, especially for the podcast host you’re currently using Professional voice-overs Premature calls-to-action Whenever we’re presented with something that reads as a bit polemical or dogmatic, we instinctively reach for contradictory examples. I want to hear them! If you’ve read what I’ve said here and disagree or you’ve found exceptions I haven’t mentioned, let me know.And if you’ve read this and it’s put the fear of God into you and you’d like someone to check over your work to see if there are any potential pitfalls you can avoid, I’m open for drop-in sessions.New podcastsTwo new podcasts launched recently that might be worth a listen. When six fiction writers come together during a pandemic, they create Hell, California — well, at least these six did. It’s not your usual fiction podcast, as they’re not interested in world-building or immersion, but want to focus on the words on the page, which are essentially solo-narrated screenplays. Listen now  Best friends Erica Maity and Jason Hays bring you Antique Tea, an engaging two-headed history show in which two friends “throw shade at history”. It’s well recorded and highly researched. Have you got a figure from history that deserves the Antique Tea treatment? Listen now  Thanks for all your kind words of support over last week's announcement. I'm settling into my new role as podcast producer, consultant and coach, and having a blast.And to those who leant their financial support to me to help me keep going with The Iceberg while I'm in this transitional phase, a huge and hearty thank you. 🙏Enjoy the rest of your week!★ Support this podcast ★

Oh hey, thanks for clearing a space in your inbox for me. Here's another slice of indie podcast life delivered with a smile.As things begin to open up in the UK, I was able to write this week's feature piece – which is a little light and airy thing about remote podcast festivals – in my favourite café-bar. It felt good.I also have some big news to share with you, that you might already be aware of if you follow me elsewhere, but we'll get to that. For now, let's run through the stuff you need to know to make your podcast great this week.The latest Pacific Content's Dan Misener is back with some answers to the question "how often should I release new episodes?". I love how Dan's visualised the release schedules of popular podcasts, so you can really see what consistency looks like. I would not like to measure this against my own shows. Read more  The new "owners" (in as much as you can really "own" open source software) of Audacity haven't covered themselves in glory this week, after U-turning on a decision to add Google Analytics and other tracking into the Audacity app. The request to add the tracking code was not met with positivity, and has been described as a "communication/coordination blunder". 🙊 Read more  Sommath Basumatary has some tips for naming your next podcast. My favourite is “avoid the word ‘podcast’”. Also, if you are going to use the word “podcast”, can you please remember to put the word “The” at the beginning? Saying “Welcome to Foo Podcast” makes no sense – we have the word “the” for a reason people! OK, rant over. Read more  Writing in Sounds Profitable, Bryan Barletta suggests holding off on diving into Apple Podcasts or Spotify paid subscriptions just yet, suggesting that you "have your own solution that you push people towards, especially if you offer more than just podcast content". I agree, although I reckon we'll see in the next few months – if one doesn't already exist – a service that does the uploading to any and all major paid subscription platforms (that aren't based on RSS), for a nominal fee. Read more  If you've been recording substandard audio, James Marriott of Sound Media wants you to stop it please, saying that he makes a judgement about "the brand [the podcast] represents", and I for one concur. It's also something I teach when working with new podcasters. Read more #ad Record your next interview with RiversideRiverside makes it easy to record podcast interviews with high-quality audio recorded locally. No extra software, no need to sync tracks, and all your guest has to do is show up.#ad Support The Iceberg for $5Show your support by buying me a one-off virtual coffee, or signing up for a membership. As more people sign up for membership, I'll start adding rewards.In search of podcasting’s SundanceSundance is the largest independent film festival in the US, and it’s where films go to find distributors, and is arguably responsible for the careers of some of your favourite cult movie auteurs.Sunday saw the first annual Ambies awards ceremony, a night put on by the still relatively new Podcast Academy which, like many of its kind, celebrate the biggest names in podcasting. The Academy is a little ramshackle and of course, through no fault of their own this year, they weren’t able to put on quite the glitzy night they’d hoped for, however they did secure some big names to host.But you know my beat. You also know that podcasting over-indexes on indie creators, mostly due to what media professionals would call a “low barrier to entry”, a term I think we might need to retire, as it fails to take into account the high ceiling many of us are still trying to reach.Every medium has a low barrier to entry now. For heaven’s sake, there was a legit zombie film made on a £60 video camera before the explosion of the smartphone. Music has had a low barrier-to-entry since the days of mp3.com, which is where I used to distribute my awful juvenilia.So let’s move past the barrier to entry and accept that anyone can make a podcast, and we should celebrate the stuff that stands out. That said, as I mentioned above, I believe podcasting does have a higher proportion of indie creators than other mediums, and a great number of those are consistently making great content for their audiences.In the Ambies, we now have a means of celebrating the high quality work put out by the companies who employ people lucky enough to do it as a day job, along with one or two of the shows that crawled their way up from 10 listeners into the tens or hundreds of thousands. There are also countless “Podcast Awards” run by a plethora of stakeholders, that nominally champion indie shows, but really amount to answering the question “who has the biggest Filipino click farm?”I’m not as salty about this as you might imagine from the above. I’m finding myself less interested in #PodcastDrama – maybe my recent news has something to do with that? 🤷🏻‍♂️ – and more interested in what opportunities are available, that we could take advantage of.Lessons from old mediaWhile the Oscars and Sundance are different things – one is an awards ceremony, the other is a festival where deals get done – there’s room for an analogue in the podcasting space.Creativity in American TV is fuelled almost exclusively by advertising, so the idea of “upfronts”, where TV networks show off their upcoming slate of programming to potential ad buyers is crucial. The IAB now has an equivalent, as does Podnews’ ad tech arm, Sounds Profitable. So we’re well versed in adapting old media strategies and applying them to podcasting, so I would love to see some sort of festival of podcasting, where creators put up their best work – or even record live – for listeners and, perhaps, for industry people on the lookout for new talent or new content to add to their network.Yes of course – of course – podcast festivals are a thing. But so is SXSW, so is Tribeca, so are any number of other film festivals around the world. But Sundance is the one with the reputation as the place where stuff happens: not only a place for new films to be seen by discerning audiences, but also a place where you can shop your work around for wider distribution. Podcasts don’t need distribution deals, but they could benefit from financing, the opening of doors that might otherwise be closed, access to new gear... stuff that would allow those that wanted to remain independent to thrive, but with support of larger bodies with deeper pockets or less tightly-bound address books.So what would a festival like this look like?Even in a post-covid world – which we’re obviously not yet inhabiting – it would have to be remote, and I think it should feature prerecorded audio rather than live Zoom calls. When I think about a festival like this, I think of an app, not unlike Clubhouse, where you pair your headphones and go about your day, listening to everything that festival – or the track or room you’re in – has to offer.Podcast episodes would be “screened” in the same way films are, but played out live so you can duck out of, say, the Fiction room and pop into the True Crime room to see if that’s floating your boat. Maybe there are creator Q&A sessions after each playthrough, and the chance for podcasters to connect with people who might be in a position to help fuel a new season of work, or a planned expansion of the show.Now tell me that doesn’t sound like fun.Clubhouse has taught us that there is an appetite for participating in live conversations while keeping your hands free for other things, and the concept of “leaving quietly” gives us permission to dip in and out of rooms without making it a whole thing.Who’s it for, and who benefits?Just as with Sundance, SXSW or another film festival with an indie status, the majority of the audience would – I assume – be fans of the medium, or those that otherwise have a stake in it, like journalists, newsletter and community curators, facilitators and so on. There would also be sponsors who would pay to advertise their products or services, but also pledge support to a small number of podcasters they think might benefit from what they have to offer.New listeners benefit from being introduced to shows they otherwise might not have heard of. Existing fans of those shows benefit by being able to show support for the podcasts they love, and maybe hear exclusive stuff that wouldn’t be available on the prime feed. Podcasters obviously benefit from support given by sponsors or other festival backers, who in turn benefit from new advertising opportunities, and the chance to continue supporting the industry.So, when do we start?Ha! It’s a nice idea, huh? At least, I think so. I’m not the guy to make it happen, but that doesn’t mean it can’t or shouldn’t. I think there’s appetite to support indie podcasters in a grownup way that doesn’t have to be oppositional to the “big guys”. As my thinking and writing on the industry evolves, I believe there’s space for us to grow that doesn’t mean scrabbling over ground we see other people encroaching on.Of course, what I’ve proposed is fairly centralised, but there’s no reason it can’t be a semi-local affair, or even a franchised operation of sorts. Maybe the way to make it work in true grass-roots style is to set out a basic formula and format, TEDx style, and let individual chapters take the ball and run with it?If this has captured any part of your imagination, do get in touch. Likewise if you’re like “yeah Mark, this is already a thing, and it’s over here”, then I want to know about it!New podcastsFour new podcasts launched recently that might be worth a listen. This. This is why I do this. As Craig and Alix Malcolm started infertility treatment, the couple found a lack of support for men, and so started The Lunatics Do IVF as their way of helping, and telling their honest story. They're ten episodes in, so give them a listen and show your support. Listen now  Journalist Nicola Bardon brings us Tis Yourself, a series of chats with Irish celebs and people of note. This is an Anchor-ass podcast so bear with the first minute or so, but definitely stay for the charming host and, of course, for the craic. Listen now  Jessica and Dillon discuss two films that played at the Sundance Film Festival and one that didn't. Apt huh? Anyway, they've just hit episode six, so give Homedance Film Festival a listen, and show your support for their show so they make it to that tricky episode seven. Listen now  The naming's a bit muddled here, but Wanda Spahn's Behind the Soldier features conversations with US Army vets, all of whom so far are under 40, and have interesting stories and perspectives to share. Listen now  So that's your week in indie podcasting. And if I might be allowed to share a little personal news of my own: you might be aware that this week, my podcast hosting service Podiant was acquired by Castos. I'm hugely grateful to Craig and the team for planning and implementing such a smooth transition.Once I've helped ensure a seamless migration, I'll be focusing purely on working with independent podcasters like yourselves, and helping those at the beginning of their journey get to grips with podcasting.I've been a podcaster and producer since 2008 and have been getting paid to do it since 2016. If you'd like help with your podcast, I'm offering hour-long clinic sessions over Zoom – just pick a time, tell me how I can help, and we'll get to work.Meanwhile the work of delivering you relevant podcast news and insight each week continues, with no signs of slowing.★ Support this podcast ★

Hey look at us, we made it to issue 10! To celebrate, I've curated a list of useful and informative links to things relevant to the podcast industry, written a longer piece about a trending topic, and listed out some podcasts you might want to collaborate with... so, like always then.OK, that's enough Taskmaster-style preliminary banter, let's get to the news.The latest Becca James has put a piece together for Vulture in which she interviews 16 podcast producers about "the hardest episodes they have ever produced". Producers of WTF, Decoder Ring and many lesser-known podcasts lay bare their struggles for our edification. Read more  Last week I mentioned the acquisition of Wavve, by Calm Capital. The day after the newsletter dropped, Jeff Dolan blogged – rather charmingly – about his appointment as the new CEO, following a pursuit by Calm Capital. Read more  Writing for Discover Pods, Catherine Shuttleworth opens up about eating disorders, and how a podcast helped her through this most testing of times. I always think it's worth keeping up with stories like this, because they help us keep a sense of how impactful our work can be. Read more  Evo Terra wants you to share your podcasting work as a podcast. Stay with me... or him. If you make podcasts for others people, a podcast of your own could be a living, breathing portfolio you can refer listeners to. You could even weave a story around how you helped develop a podcast for someone, or how you took their show from 0 to 60. As I step more into consultancy work, this has given me something to consider, that isn't yet another podcast about podcast news. Read more  Spotify unveil new ways to share podcast audio on social media: including timestamped links – so you can jump your listeners straight to the good bit – and something called Canvas, for sharing to Instagram Stories. Read more  #ad Support The Iceberg for $5Show your support by buying me a one-off virtual coffee, or signing up for a membership. As more people sign up for membership, I'll start adding rewards.Making sense of Jacobs Media's Tech Survey 2021Radio research and strategic consultants Jacobs Media came out with their latest TechSurvey results this week, and while their findings were mainly around AM and FM radio and how podcasting is "eroding" radio listenership, there were some useful numbers we can use when thinking about how our work fits in with the wider podcasting ecosystem.Usual caveats for these sorts of things apply: it's a self-reported survey taken up by people inclined to take up these sorts of surveys, specifically in the States. But their sample sizes are quite large and they've been doing this sort of thing for a while, so I think they're useful in giving us a sense of the landscape.You can watch the webinar in which they walk through the findings for free.29% listen weekly or more often to podcasts21% of survey participants reported that they listened to podcasts in 2019. 26% said they listened last year, and now 29% of participants say they listen weekly or more often.Listening is still taking place largely in the home, but what I found interesting is that only 4% listen in the car and that number hasn't changed in the last four years. I guess it makes sense. If you're driving, do you want your attention split between the road and someone selling you a VPN? Millennials (25 to 40) and zoomers (24 and younger) are leading the way in podcast listening. 14% listen to a podcast daily. These are podcasting's hardcore listeners, or at least those who listen to daily podcasts. 15% listen weekly. This is what I think of as a typical podcast listener, at least in terms of frequency. 9% listen monthly. That doesn't necessarily mean they listen to a monthly podcast, but podcast listening is not necessarily a big part of their overall media consumption. 20% listen less frequently, and 42% don't listen at all. Where some might see these as unreachables, I like to think of them as potential converts to podcast listening, for whom your show could be their first listen. Ages ago I made a couple of videos showing how to subscribe to my podcast if you'd never done it before, and since I still know people in their 40s who think accessing podcasts is a techie thing, this is where I think we should focus on for growth. The state of ads35% of survey participants say they'd rather hear host-read ads than those injected from marketplaces. Apparently 11% would rather hear the opposite, which is a surprisingly high number for something that goes against received wisdom.The rest of the group – the majority – basically don't know or care, which is something to keep in mind if you're making a monetisation decision. Of course, every show and every audience is different, and while I would never recommend switching from host-read – either baked in or dynamic – to dynamically-inserted marketplace ads, any distaste some of us may have towards them could just be a byproduct of being in the industry.Since the last survey, 10% more said they would prefer host-read ads, and the younger you are, the more likely you are to want them to be host-read. Pure speculation on my part here, but I wonder if that's to do with millennials and zoomers feeling more closely connected to the people they listen to... call them "influencers" if you must.Now for the tricky bit, if you're relying on ads to bring in revenue. 51% of participants say they skip most or all of the ads. 13% don't listen to podcasts with ads, and the rest rarely or never skip. I don't have more detail on the kinds of ads that are skipped, or whether people are skipping ads they've already heard, but I wouldn't be surprised to learn that people are most-often skipping the ads they've heard a million times before... after all, there's only so many "personal anecdotes" you can hear about buying a suit for a wedding. I'm looking at you, Lex Friedman. 😉PrivacyThere's a bunch of noise being made about podcast privacy at the moment. I think a lot of it is just people churning up the waters looking for something to garner clicks, so take any long rants about "listener privacy" with a pinch of salt... keeping people's listening habits private is important, as is being able to opt in to tracking as opposed to opting out, but let's not lose our heads people. (I'm mainly casting a side-eye over to m'learned friends across the pond, in Perth and Texas.)Anyway, 47% of survey participants are concerned about personal data use by tech companies (mostly boomers, but it goes down the younger you get). It's a significant number, and there may be more to shake out in the coming months as "big tech" is examined ever more closely.ConclusionThis survey is biased towards radio and a little against podcasting, which it sees as taking listeners away, but the outlook for podcasting is positive. The key takeaway for me is the near-half of the US population that doesn't listen to podcasts – we don't have to convert them to podcast listeners, we just have to get them to listen to our work, and social media's increasing – and overdue – love affair with audio is, in my humble opinion, going to help a great deal.New podcastsFive new podcasts launched recently that might be worth a listen. If your nerddom spreads far and wide, check out The 'Verse, a slickly-produced, high energy pop-culture roundup from Norm, Bridget, Lucas, and Emilia. Listen now  Parker James presents his twist on the Jonathan Swift essay, A Modest Proposal. In A Modern Proposal, Parker aims to turn "at least few heads, and probably a few stomaches [sic]" with his suggested solutions to life's ugliest problems. Listen now Americans do love their "listener discretion is advised" don't they? Anyway, * Yes, That Actually Happened!* is a new podcast by Erin Cole that "explores the parts of history that are real head scratchers". Listen now  During the early 2000s, British holiday entertainers Mike and Steve wrote some scripts. 18 years later, and they've been dragged out of the attic – the scripts, not the writers – and are presented for your enjoyment in Bad Scripts. Listen now When did we start saying "spilling the tea" instead of "spilling the beans"? Anyway, designers Abi and Katie are spilling hot beverages all over the place in their podcast Off Air, which isn't about tea at all, but is in fact about what it's like to run a design business. Episodes include conversations around contracts, brands, and attracting your dream clients. Listen now  Until next time, happy podcasting!★ Support this podcast ★