Star Trek in the Basement: Why Podcasting Still Needs its Indie Creators

Reminder: Shows don’t need a million downloads to make an impact.

This week, in a podcast studio, somewhere on the final frontier, Dan Granger (CEO, Oxford Road) and John McDermott (Co-Founder, Caloroga Shark Media) boldly go where nobody’s gone before, to discuss how there’s plenty of space in podcasting for celebrities AND friends to talk Star Trek and beyond. This episode of “What’s a Podcast? – The Extended Interviews” is sponsored by Claritas.

“I’m not the anti-video guy. I just want to stick up for, hey, there’s nothing wrong with heading down to the basement and talking about Star Trek with your friends.” – John McDermott (Co-Founder, Caloroga Shark Media)

The team is talking: Jimmy Buffett’s Business Model, YouTube’s Numbers Game, Podcast Peer Pressure, and more. Let’s voyage in.
It’s Podcast O’Clock Somewhere – Remember: Anytime’s a good time to connect. “I subscribe to the Jimmy Buffett theory, which is: be everywhere. He used to stream his concerts for free, and then when he came to your town, you couldn’t wait to go see him. Anything that builds your fan base is a great thing.” CAOs, partner with podcast hosts who can reach their audience wherever, whenever. That way, you can do the same.

Is the YouTube Math Mathing? – YouTube claims to have 1B monthly podcast viewers. The platform’s a juggernaut, but John brings in some healthy skepticism. 

1. How many of those billion can you actually sell to (if your product is US-only)? 
2. What does a viewer actually mean for time spent with the show?Consider this our soapbox moment for both YouTube’s podcasting prowess and the need for transparency around metrics between platforms.

Keeping up with the Mr. Beasts – Don’t judge a podcast by its video quality. As more shows turn to highly-produced video and A-Listers get behind the mic, audience expectations shift. John: “Can you keep up with Mr. Beast? Most of us can’t.” But maybe indie podcasters don’t have to. What matters is the quality of the SHOW, not the visuals. Case in point, audio-only This American Life (hear from Ira Glass himself in a recent MRT episode). When we’re looking to find the right podcaster for our brand, we should focus on how they’ve built their audience, not how they’ve built their set.

Want more podcast insights you won’t find anywhere else? Tune into the full episode below.