Indy Pod Summit 2023
On Thursday February 2, 2023 I attended a virtual podcast summit for Independent (Indy) podcasters, organized by The Podcast Host.
I loved it! I tuned in from the comforts of my cubicle, continued the work I’m paid for and learned new ways to accomplish the work I’m passionate about.
This summit was my first interaction with the Air Meet platform and while my mobile user experience felt a bit disadvantaged to those who were able to mingle in the “fluid space” from their desktops, it was a user friendly experience overall.
The summit opened up with one : one networking. I’m not sure if it was randomized matchmaking, but I found it to be a very cool & pressure free way to get familiar with other attendees. It removed the barrier of folks using networking time to catch up with those they already know, leaving others trying to Double Dutch their way into intimate conversations.
The networking was followed by a review of their IndyPod Census findings, with Collin Gray, founder of The Podcast Host. I learned of the census and the summit from the Afros & Audio newsletter, where I was encouraged to participate and make sure I was counted and my voice/experience were collected as a member of the independent podcast community. The findings will be made available to the public later this year, but what really stood out to me was that they were intentional about partnering with communities like Afros & Audio and She Podcasts because they were clear they wanted to account for as many independent podcasters as possible, and they knew that meant casting a net beyond their own reach.
The sessions that followed were insightful deep dives into the data filled with opportunities to interact via chat with guests as well as speakers.
The Round Table hosted by Community Manager at The Podcast Host, Allegra Sinclair, included the founders of She Podcasts, Elsie Escobar & Jessica Kupferman, Arielle Nissenblatt the head of community and content at Squadcast, and Collin Gray, founder of The Podcast Host, and collector of the Census data. It was such a rich conversation , they were allotted fifteen additional minutes to share responses to Q&A. They covered everything from what constitutes professionalism in podcasting, the ease of using the current version of Descript and the best method for seeking feedback from your listeners.
One of my biggest takes from this session was a key from Arielle Nissenblatt in response to a question about whether it’s weird to be a podcaster who doesn’t listen to podcasts. She shared a tip she uses to stay tuned in to topics that matter to her. Podchaser offers alerts that will notify you when podcasts or episodes including the keyword or phrase of your choice are released. This way you will know if other shows are covering the same topics as you, or if your local elected official has been interviewed about issues that you value. Podchaser.com/alerts
Another take from that session came from Elsie Escobar. Elsie says the best way to get feedback is to ask SPECIFIC questions “Let us know how you felt about Corey’s description of the Black Podcasters Association, would you join?” That’s useful for podcasters who may not be monetized, but want to encourage engagement audience.
Jeremy Enns, founder of Podcast Marketing Academy, followed up with his four quadrants of marketing and why all four parts should be working together for your show to be profitable. Essentially, you have four questions to ask yourself. 1. Are you in the right places to be discovered? 2. Is your content desirable to your target audience? 3. What are you doing to keep their attention once you have it and 4. How are you leveraging this attention to produce income? He has a cool acronym for it E.A.R.$ (Exposure, Attraction, Retention, $Money$) and he offers free audits to see if your marketing strategies address all four quadrants. podcastmarketingacademy.com/audit
Joe Casabona was next and he talked about the benefits of creating mini podcasts. Whether it’s to build confidence for the novice who just wants to get started, or to fill in the gaps between interviews for people like me who could ramble for an hour if not careful, mini podcasts are the solution. Mini podcasts are 20 minutes or less, should focus on your area of expertise to minimize time spent on research and are easily repurposed for platforms like LinkedIN or your newsletter. My favorite gem Joe dropped was to have your call to action in your intro, because all listeners start at the beginning, but not all of them make it to the end. He also suggested consolidating your ask into ONE meaningful action, giving your audience one destination and less to remember. For example: “Visit theblackpodcastersassociation.com to join our newsletter.” That destination can remind them to rate and review your show after they sign up for your newsletter.
Odile Beniflah from AUSHA, who did a wonderful intro to AUSHA for the BPA a few months ago, had the most interactive session. She had guests respond to polls related to her presentation, DURING her presentation. She highlighted 5/6 podcasting ecosystems, asked how we were currently utilizing them and tasked us to write down one concrete action we could commit to moving forward that would help improve listenership. It built upon Jeremy’s session.
Lindsay Harris-Friel closed out the day sharing why using narrative language can make even informative non-fiction podcasts more memorable to the listener. I liked this session because she demonstrated exactly what she meant by starting her session giving a reading about osteoporosis and asking what we remembered from what she read. Then, sharing the same information, but within a narrative about someone helping their parent move and taking boxes up & down the stairs, the pop of the knee, and the crunch of the hospital gown. Point being amp up your audio by making sure you’re giving details that make your audience feel like they’re experiencing what you are talking about.
Overall, this summit was a great one to have at the top of the new year. I made new connections, was debriefed on the results of a collection of data I contributed to, and left with small concrete steps to take to enhance my podcasting production that didn’t leave me feeling overwhelmed. I also learned about new tools, tips for my user experience with current tools, and the new ways certain tools have improved since I last interacted with them.
Shamiko Reid is an Independent Podcast Host/Producer & Voice Talent. She’s created a template for podcasters to track all their podcasting expenses. Get clear on where your funds are going, whether podcasting is a hobby or your business, and break down all you’ve invested just in time for Tax Season. Download it Here