Evo Terra

Podcasting’s philosopher. Professional contrarian. On a mission to make podcasting better.

Members only

Content Strategy

Breaking Free Of The Podcast Sandwich Paradigm

Listening to podcasts is like eating a submarine sandwich. Making a podcast is like making a submarine sandwich. But too many podcasters try to make one like they eat one. Let's fix that.

Growing Your Podcast

Podcast Growth & Monetization With Buzzsprout Ads

Growth and monetization are at the top of every podcaster's wish list. At least every podcaster who's yet to achieve those two things. Or perhaps not at the level said podcaster is happy with for their own show.

Members only

Future-Forward Thinking

3 Podcasting Trends To Take You Beyond 2023

Politicians get in trouble for flip-flopping on issues. But for podcasters, changing opinions and approaches is a survival tactic. Think about these three questions over the next few months to prep your show for 2023 & beyond.

Members only

Monetization Efforts

Creative Ways To Get More Ad Dollars For Your Smaller Podcast

Big Podcasting seems almost designed to collect advertising dollars, with very little left for small to mid-sized podcasts. Rather than fighting for table scraps, maybe the narrative needs to be changed.

Growing Your Podcast

Can You Still Make A Really Big Podcast In 2022?

Today's podcast landscape is busy. So is it still possible to grow a really big podcast? Yes, but you can't rely on just good content and luck. You have to address these five realities. (And get a little lucky.)

Members only

Perspective Shifts

Podcasting: Too Diverse To Fail?

The next few months are looking pretty rough for podcasting. And just about every other industry. Historically, podcasting has proven itself to be rather resilient. But there are lean times ahead. Are you prepared?

Members only

Future-Forward Thinking

Big Tech Doesn't Care About Your Podcast

Big tech provided podcasting's first shot in the arm in the early days. In fact, big tech often provided the catalyst for several inflection points in podcasting's history. But recently, the tide seems to be shifting.

Monetization Efforts

Host-Read Podcast Ads Aren't Always The Right Answer

Everyone agrees that pre-produced, lifted-from-radio ads suck on podcasts, and that host-read ads are the clear winner. But is that true for every podcast? More importantly, is it true for your podcast?

Members only

If You Work In The Business Of Podcasting, You Need A Podcast

Podcasting's purveyors of picks and shovels—the myriad service providers that make our space an actual industry—are filled with smart people. But smarts only gets you so far. What's needed is experience.

Growing Your Podcast

The Ugly Math Of Podcast Cross-Promotion

Fishing where the fish are is a solid strategy, so using similar podcasts to promote your podcast is obviously a good idea, right? You bet! But like any marketing effort, what you put in determines what you get out.

Evo Terra's Podcast Hall of Fame Speech (For Good!)

One of the ways we make podcasting better is by holding the people who work in podcasting accountable for doing better. I'm using my induction into the Podcast Hall of Fame to shine more light on that.

Podcaster Stories

Podcast Pontifications Season 5 Announcement

I give you, the serious podcaster, lots of things to think about. Not just about the future of podcasting, but how you can make podcasting better. Now I'm giving you another gift: some of your time back.

Members only

Listener Experience

Ways To Make Your Podcast More Memorable

When people complete your latest podcast episode, what do you want them to do? Reflect on your brilliance? Bask in a sense of satisfaction? Or would simply remembering what you said 5 minutes later be enough?

Members only

Listener Experience

A Glimpse of Podcasting's Voice-Only Future

Podcasting is an audio-first medium consumed on devices that have built-in microphones. Yet the listening experience is reliant on eyes and hands. What would a voice-only listener experience look like?

Members only

Monetization Efforts

Make Your Niche Podcast More Attractive To Advertisers

More ad dollars flowing into podcasting is generally seen as a good thing. Yet niche podcasters don't see very much of it. Yes, there are "riches in the niches," but only if your podcast is attractive enough.

Monetization Efforts

Vocalize For A Better Podcast Ad Experience

Podcast advertising has much greater recall than other forms of ads. But how many times have you forgotten a URL, a coupon code, or even the name of the advertiser when you were ready to take action?

Members only

Future-Forward Thinking

Keeping Your Podcast Distraction-Free

Sometimes the advancements we see in podcasting look pretty small compared to the hype we see and hear about in other forms of media. Would you be better off jumping ship to try the Next Big Thing?

Members only

Listener Experience

Where's The Churn Rate In Podcasting?

Podcasters love regular listeners. And regular listeners love their podcasts. Dependability on both sides has been a driving and differentiating factor for podcasting. But is that still a good thing?

Members only

Embracing Change

Who Is That Podcaster In The Mirror?

The tools podcasters use are constantly changing. But we tend to ignore changes to a critical piece of our podcasts: the podcaster. Has your podcast changed to keep up with changes in your own life?

Members only

Content Strategy

Less Is More: The Benefits of A Brief Podcast

Two decades and millions of podcasts later, it's likely what you want to talk about is already talked about. But if you're not afraid of doing things differently, you can still make a splash with your new show.

Members only

Growing Your Podcast

4 Questions To Becoming A Better Podcast Interviewee

Figuring out what type of podcaster you want to be is important to establishing your podcast. But have you thought about and established what kind of interviewee or guest you want to be on other podcasts?

Future-Forward Thinking

Can Podcasts Keep The Trust They've Earned?

Trust in podcasting extends beyond the host and the listener to a larger, overall trust in the idea of podcasting. Interestingly, podcasting enjoys a greater level of trust than other forms of media. But for how long?

Members only

Listener Experience

Building Reflecting Time Into Your Podcast

Everyone leads busy lives, and the smart podcaster doesn't waste their audiences' time. But in your quest to tighten things up, don't forget to build in time to let your audience reflect as they listen.

Content Strategy

Why You'll Never Get Ahead With Your Podcast

A lot of podcasters live episode-to-episode, dreaming of getting ahead so they aren't always rushing to get an episode produced and publish. For many, that's an achievable dream. The trick is staying there.

Embracing Change

All Your Podcast's Data Are Belong to Spotify

Data power the business world, and podcasting is no exception. Knowing what works and what doesn't across the whole of podcasting is a major competitive advantage. And guess who now owns it?