I received an email from a marketer who was shilling his services to help podcasts grow. He did no research on me beyond his templated email and let me know that he can help me grow to become one of the most listened to podcasts.
Bleh. Usually I just delete these emails on sight, but I decided to respond with a solid humble-brag-dig:
“I’m already a top 1% podcast on the planet and it doesn’t matter. Thanks for doing your research though. -ps”
I don’t remember when I crossed the threshold for being a “Top Podcast.” – It never really mattered. I simply post all of my long form (of anything I talk about) onto a podcast distribution app and all of my work flies all over the interwebs. I don’t actively monetize many of them as the work to do it is so painful and the payback is in the pennies that sometimes add up into dollars. Really, it’s just discipline to upload over many many years…
Here is my last month, 43,000 downloads. Not bad:
I even talked with AI about it:
I was struck with a stark realization that these numbers literally mean nothing at all.
- There is no monetization.
- There is no community around it.
- There are no feedback mechanisms.
- No understanding of user/listener base.
- No worthy demographics are available.
- Isn’t a funnel for deal generation.
- Isn’t a funnel for networking or relationship building.
- No idea around discovery.
- And more…
Podcasting for me has just become another data-dump like YouTube. A public place (unashamed) to just share all of my long form content. I’ve felt like YouTube is just a place for video repository for a long time. I think podcasting is the voice-version of this.
At the meta level, I think I’m just trying to fight my humanity. Fight my human-ness. Fight my mortality.
This is one of many ways to satiate the desire to “live-on,” live beyond my death, (ensure) some semblance of the infinite, sustain relevancy… or maybe it’s just my biology seeking to continue it’s existence.
I feel like it’s important somehow. For some reason. If anything, I hope it’s been useful or helpful for the listeners. I’ll never know who they are. Maybe it’s better that way.
Audio repository or free gift to an unknown audience?
Everyone wins when people are willing to share.
All the best,
ps