Podcast findability is a real problem. Unfortunately, many in podcasting conflate findability with discovery, and while they are close cousins, they are not the same thing.

Discovery often has some serendipity to it. Maybe a friend tells you about a podcast, or the podcast is highlighted in an article or featured in an app.

Findability is more fundamental. If someone searches for a particular podcast, will they find it? With millions of podcasts out there, many sharing common words in the title or using arcane names that are difficult to spell or hard to recall, the problem of podcast findability is becoming more acute.

I ran across one recently, which prompted this post. I read an article about Brains, a new podcast by Julian Schapiro and Courtland Allen. The guest was Jason Calacanis, a well-known internet entrepreneur. I like Julian’s Twitter posts (he has 188k followers). Jason always brings it. So, with interest piqued, I went to find the podcast.

Podcast intros are way too long, and audiences are increasingly frustrated. In podcasting’s early days, there was something quaint and even charming about show starts with hosts and guests rambling about their pets, dinner, clothes, and which microphone they were ...

Podcast subscriptions are a hot topic with A LOT of speculation about what may happen. The reality is, it’s far too early to know how successful podcasts by subscription will be. The variables are considerable. Podcasts are abundant and free, thus asking people to pay ...

Last week’s announcement about Apple Podcasts subscriptions has everyone in the industry talking. Let’s break down what’s happening and answer some questions about what it means for listeners. Who is subscription podcasting for? There is one essential factor ...

Last week we demystified the commonly held belief that podcasters are fighting for share of ear in a sea of two million shows and that advertisers must sift through them all to find the right fit. The big headline? A remarkable 44% of podcasts have produced three or ...

Today’s post breaks down the numbers of how many podcasts you’re actually up against. It seems everyone has a podcast. Or do they? Recently Apple Podcasts rolled over the two million podcast title mark. Extraordinary, right? Daunting, even. But the “box ...

Everyday my inbox is loaded with numbers. Some are ephemeral, others seismic, but with so many numbers coming at us, it can be numbing. Here are a few that caught my eye and make a difference. 26% The number of podcasts in Apple Podcasts that have produced only one ...

With the upcoming release of Apple’s IOS 14.5, as noted in today’s Podnews.net, Apple joins other major apps using the term “follow” instead of the confusing and loaded word, “subscribe.” As we wrote about two years ago, “subscribe” is a bad word for ...

There is an odd notion among some in the industry that podcasts must run long, be unedited, and natural. Many say it’s part of the charm and authenticity of the medium. It is free-flowing and an antidote to our over-produced culture. I will be brief. That’s ...

Just a reminder that little stays the same (other than Tom Brady, apparently). Brady won his first Super Bowl in 2002. The iPod was just a year old, George W. Bush was President and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone topped the box office. U2 played halftime (sorry, ...