Beware: Monsters Haunting Podcasters on Halloween
We all know that Halloween is a time when ghosts and monsters roam our neighborhoods freely, but did you know that as a podcaster, you have to deal with these monsters every day of the year? Here are some to watch out for:
Beware the vampires, who will bleed you dry
By now you probably understand that having a podcast requires hard work, and you may be seeing that hard work start to pay off for you with a following and perhaps some income. However, there are those out there that will always seek to take advantage of you and the work you’ve put in to grow your show. They will convince you that you have far less value than you do, and will come in many forms:
the sponsor looking for a free advertisement;
the guest who is unwilling to promote their appearance;
the acquaintance looking to use your platform as a favor to them.
Never forget that according to a recent Cumulus Media survey¹, podcast listeners were more likely to be listening to advertisements versus other streaming platforms, more than half of heavy listeners said they searched for something they heard about on a podcast, and about a quarter actually purchased something from a podcast.
“Your audience trusts you, and that trust means something. Don’t let someone take that for granted”
This goes double for those of you who find yourselves producing shows for others. Your skills took time to learn, and your ear or eye for this business is invaluable to those whose shows you produce. Keep your wits, and don’t fall under their spell of free work.
Beware the zombie audience, which can turn on you
A few years ago, New York Magazine found that up to 40% of activity on the internet is fake².
This can take many forms:
bots scouring fake websites meant to deceive advertisers,
fake social media accounts,
manufactured reviews on Amazon and other storefronts,
and click farms generating activity on ads or content.
The zombie uprising is all around us when we log on.
The desire to harness this power is certainly tempting. How nice would it be to shortcut the growth process and have that new video get a ton of views in the first 24 hours, or have that podcast promo you just posted get like, after like, after like? But please resist that urge, because social media sites have learned that they don’t really like zombies hanging out in their space.
First, most platforms now can recognize when something seems out of whack. Sudden engagement in one metric on a post can trigger a red flag on your account. And purchasing views is expressly prohibited in YouTube’s terms of service³. This can lead to a content or account ban, which can be costly if you’ve spent time trying to build a following.
The best policy is to learn about how advertising on these platforms works, and try to play within that system rather than thinking you can tame a zombie.
Beware the werewolf, which has an oversized impact
You’d think knowing that there are werewolves around would be easy to deal with. Full moons are predictable, and when there’s one out, just stay inside. But we’ve seen enough movies to understand that the threat of the werewolf greatly outweighs the relative ease with which you should be able to avoid it.
Negative reviews can feel the same way.
They live on in your head far after they were sent. They stand out more than the vast majority of non-werewolves that are around you. We’ve heard that people who had a negative experience are more likely to talk about it than if they had a positive one (which isn’t necessarily true: Amazon once stated that fewer than 5% of reviews with a verified purchase were one star, compared to nearly 60% that were five stars⁴), however these interactions still take hold in a way that compliments just do not.
“What is true is that you likely will never hear one way or another from the vast majority of your audience. Comments are wonderful, but good or bad, they only represent a very small portion of people who are following your content.”
Don’t allow the one or two werewolves in your community to occupy space in your head, and if you find yourself unable to healthily engage with them, then there’s nothing wrong with locking your doors on those full moons and just ignoring them.
Seek criticism from sources you trust.
Beware Jekyll and Hyde, because they may be you
One day you're hot, the next you're cold.
One day you're churning out content, the next you’re on a two-month dry spell. It may seem ok to you that you can put out your podcast whenever you like - after all, the beauty of this medium is that there is no set schedule. But that’s not what listeners are really looking for, and if your aims are to grow, you’re going to have to pick a persona and stick to it.
Three-quarters of podcast listeners are consuming podcasts weekly, but less than half of the existing shows are publishing at that rate, according to a survey done by Acast⁵. People are looking to fill those slots in their weekly listening rotation, and a show that refuses to fit in will have a hard time finding adoption.
There are, of course, exceptions to this rule.
“Truly outstanding content will find an audience no matter what.”
But why not try to give yourself the best chance at success and find a regular schedule that works for you. It doesn’t have to be every week if you can’t commit to that; find something that you CAN commit to and then stick to it. Employ different strategies to make this happen - batch episode recordings, make evergreen content, do shorter episodes that fit into your schedule. Don’t let the monster of inconsistency appear and wreck your podcast lab.
Beware Frankenstein’s Monster, because your podcast didn’t ask to be made
Finally, don’t just release your podcast out to the community on its own with no support. Your podcast didn’t create itself. You spent time and energy on bringing this entity to life, and thinking you can just turn it loose and have it grow and live on its own is asking for tragedy.
Just as you have to commit to a consistent release schedule, you also have to commit to supporting your show once it has been released. Think about your promotional content plan so you’re not leaving episodes out to die on their own. Think about how you can revive old content that you might have released when you had a smaller following. Think about how many pieces of an episode you can use on their own to promote your podcast. If you shun your creation once you release it, you won’t be dealing with a mob of angry villagers at your door - they simply won’t care at all.
Hopefully, you can keep these in mind as you continue on your podcast journey and perhaps you can better deal with monsters in your path. Happy Halloween!
2 How Much of the Internet Is Fake? (nymag.com)
3 Fake engagement policy - YouTube Help (google.com)
4 Why You Can’t Really Trust Negative Online Reviews - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
About Matt Stoker:
Matt is one of the editors of the Webby Award-winner (Best New True Crime Podcast) ‘True Crime Reporter’.
If you’re looking for support with your serialized podcast, contact Matt at mbstoker@gmail.com.