DEATH TO CHIT CHAT PODCASTS
Chasing vanity metrics instead of investing in the long tail game of producing dramatic podcast
Podcasts are at an inflection point. Because anyone with a phone and Anchor can start a podcast. Does that mean they should create a podcast? I’ve had this argument with myself for a while, and I crack myself up, so I figured I’d share those thoughts with you. I love audio, but I’m not too fond of idle chitchat. Nah, let me stop. That was Grammarly’s suggestion for me to sound more diplomatic-I hate idle chitchat.
Podcasters are flooding the market with what amounts to mumble rap. Now I sound like an old rapper taking a dump on new artists. I don’t want to sound like an old bitter Joe Budden, so I focus on what I like and don’t judge. I was never a fan of reality TV and neither was Issa Rae. Rae did not like how the networks portrayed black people on television. So, she created a web series and found her tribe.
Mediocrity is filling the podcast landscape
With no gatekeepers, the podcast landscape resembles the Wild Wild West, and everyone is staking their claim. It reminds me of Brooklyn with thousands of storefront churches. The barrier to enter the game was so low anyone could put up a shingle and call themselves Apostle Arch Bishop Jones. If you are still building in the same building and have not grown over the years, it’s your fault. It is a direct reflection of your leadership. Do podcasters have a responsibility to produce excellence? Yes!
You can learn a skill but you still have to put in the work to see results
“Errrybody and their Mama” is now an expert and they’re going to teach you how to produce a podcast, “join my master class if you want to learn how to monetize your podcast.” You’ve seen the ads., hell you might even be offering a master class. Paraphrasing the infamous words of Jay-Z “I can’t knock The Hustle.”
There is no get rich quick podcasting scheme
What I find hilarious is people will willingly pay for what I’ve been providing for free under the illusion of getting rich quick. The “get rich quick mentality” is part of the reason so many people lost money betting on GameStop. Here’s a free tip, there is no get rich quick scheme, you simply have to put the work. Don’t take my word for it listen to the “Sage of Omaha.”
Work doesn’t sound sexy, it does not sound attractive. Work is what occurs behind the scenes, in the gym late nights or on the track early mornings before the sunrises that makes you successful. Trust me. I know this is a hard pill to swallow. I’ve had to look myself in the mirror and ask, what’s up with you and your show? When you stop being honest with yourself you’ve lost, pull the plugs out of your microphone and headphones and binge what your favorite show on Netflix.
Your dreams will place demands on you
Excellence requires having hard conversations with yourself, and it demands growth. Over the years, I’ve become an expert on what I did not want, which is fine. We should have standards. But, I also needed focused attention, my dreams place demands on me, they require me grow. Once your mind expands it can not contract to its originally size, and this the problem many store front churches, rappers and podcasters face now.
Consumers want edutainment
The knowledge economy created savvy consumers, audience members and parishioners. In the case of store front churches, they started demanding more from their leaders and that gave birth to the megachurch. Your gift will make room for you. If you watched the trends, paid attention to the shifts occurring in the marketplace and delivered a message that addressed the needs of your members total being your audience would grow exponentially.
Location fallacy
New York rappers had an entitled mindset. They figured since rap originated NYC, somehow, they’d always have a corner on the market. CT Rappers suffer from what I call “location fallacy.” They believe that they need to go to New York in order to be successful. Trap Music dismissed that theory. Atlanta is now the epicenter for rap music.
Why do BIPOC produce the low hanging fruit
What does all this have to do with podcasting? I’m glad you asked some podcasters to go the lowest common denominator sex and ratchet relationship shows. Is it the revival of reality show all over again? Yes! Rappers rode the autotune wave trend until it died, or did Jay-Z kill it?
If it bleeds it leads, sensational headings grab your attention, news organization know this and they are in rating business, they are not in the business of uplifting BIPOC. Gangster rap ruled the day at one point and that’s all was on the airwaves. The glamorization of drugs alcohol and over sexualization of women is what dominated the market until Kanye West dropped “Jesus Walked.” The rise of Kanye marked the demise of 50 Cent.
Curtis Jackson would re-emerge on the scene with Power, another drug dealer tale. Are those the only stories we can produce? No! Low hanging fruit doesn’t require much creativity. We complain about having access and when we do gain access squander the opportunity by failing to prepare.
Dramatic Podcast are the future
In the podcast StartUp, Alex Bloomberg gave us a peek behind the scenes of how he built Gimlet. In 2019 Spotify purchased Gimlet $230 million. Herman Lopez founded Wondery and Amazon purchased Wondery for $300 million. Bloomberg’s experience at This American Life prepared him for the opportunity to create Gimlet.
Everything rises and falls on leadership. The vision of the leader has everything to do with the growth of the organization. We are at a critical point where we can produce meaningful content or we can produce chitchat reality shows. If you don’t see the podcast on a platform, create it.
Download a FREE Podcast Launch Checklist Be the first in line to receive a copy of Write Outta Hell: “Write Outta Hell!” Is the story of a man who wrote 104 running related raps/short stories over a two years by only using the notes app on his phone and a microphone. In the process he delivered inspirational messages of hope to thousands of people all over the world, discovered his voice and found peace.
