Podcasting seems unstoppable these days. Forrester Research reports the new medium will be a $1 billion media market by this time next year—pretty incredible when you consider that the Interactive Advertising Bureau placed that same market at “only” $400 million in 2018. The expected 150% increase is, of course, due to the fact that more people are listening to podcasts than ever before. For example, Spotify noted its customers’ podcast consumption in 2018 rose 250 percent year-over-year, and Forrester claims adult podcast listeners spend more than three hours a week listening to online content. With the audience only growing, you can expect the number of podcasts, podcasters and advertisers to likewise mushroom in the coming year.
Navigating a marketplace that’s exploding like that is another story, however, but it’s one that will be crucial for many audio pros. The medium is still in a “wild west” phase where indie podcasts can blow up overnight, but listeners’ expectations are ramping up, too—homegrown shows with amateur audio quality are increasingly a thing of the past. This represents a great opportunity, however, not only for audio manufacturers, but also recording studios, engineers and other audio pros to provide podcast production services—or to start their own shows.
So how do you break into podcasting, record a great series and get a massive following? That’s a question we’ve been mulling a lot recently at Pro Sound News, as we’ve been curating a day of top podcast professionals who will discuss those topics and more at The Video Show, taking place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., Dec. 4–5, 2019.
New Content Creation Event Set for Washington, D.C.
The podcasting sessions are designed for all kinds of audio pros, from those thinking of delving into podcasting to seasoned veterans looking to up their game. Speakers will include studio design legend John Storyk of Walters-Storyk Design Group; Tim Albright of AVNation; Melissa Monte, host of the hit podcast Mind Love; Frank Verderosa, engineer of Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast; Michael Goodman, president of CEntrance; Jill Olmsted, American University professor and author; and author/former NPR and Audient podcast guru Eric Nuzum. Presentations will include:
Tools for Podcasting: How, Why, Where—American University professor Jill Olmsted will explore podcasting, how it works and where to find tools and inspiration to create your own podcast. Olmsted will also gift attendees with free copies of her extensive ebook, Tools for Podcasting.
Podcasting: From Choosing Gear to Empowering Guests—Michael Goodman, audio product design engineer and Chief Podcaster at CEntrance, will delve into audio hardware, podcasting best practices, dealing with podcast guests and more.
Podcast Studio Design: Necessities, Variations and Options—John Storyk of Walters-Storyk Design Group provides a case study of creating professional facilities for top podcasters Stitcher and Spotify’s Gimlet Media.
Getting it Made: Content and Quality in Podcasting—commercial post and pro podcast engineer Frank Verderosa will explore ways to create audio content, weighing cost, purpose, audience and goals; discuss challenges and solutions; consider recording options; and show how scalable production can be.
Make Noise: A Creator’s Guide to Podcasting and Great Audio Storytelling—NPR/Audient veteran Eric Nuzum has helped launch over 130 podcasts; he’ll share real-world advice for creating a compelling podcast, and will additionally sign copies of his new podcasting book, Make Noise.
Pitches, Partners, & Placements, Oh, My: How to Get Over A Million Podcast Downloads Next Year—Mind Love podcaster Melissa Monte will share the exact strategies she used to grow her show from zero audience to over a million downloads in one year, with no paid advertisements.
Amplify Your Podcast with Social Media—AVNation’s Tim Albright will go through each of the major, and minor, social media networks and explore what each has to promote your podcast.
And that’s just the podcasting track. In all, The Video Show will feature more than 100 sessions on all kinds of content creation, as well as a screening room, demo areas, streaming studio and exhibit floor. You can find out more at www.thevideoshow.com, and if you’re already amped to go, psst—visit https://bit.ly/2qMnikb to get a heavily discounted registration. (Don’t say I never did anything for you.)
