Find Great New Or Lesser-known Pods Every Week

My podcast is called "The Pod Spotter." My name is Jim Price, I am one of the show's producers and a long-time radio commercial writer and producer. Our host is Zack Robidas, an actor and podcast-lover who lives in NYC. The Pod Spotter is a weekly show that recommends new and lesser-known podcasts. We've listened to tons of podcasts and we are often surprised to find one that is very good but has surprisingly few reviews and subscribers. So we interview the host, play some clips and introduce our listeners to a great podcast option they likely hadn't heard of before. Our listeners are fellow pod-lovers who are looking for some new pod options that aren't necessarily mainstream.

We started our pod because we found a need. We are pod-lovers who were tired of the same ol', same ol' podcasts and were having trouble finding the next great show. We wanted to give the smaller shows, the next-big-things, an independent platform to have their work showcased, to talk about their pod and invite current and future fans "behind the scenes." We had the initial idea in late summer/early fall of 2019 and released (...drumroll...) August 31 of this year. Beyond our normal day jobs, we spent that time finding the perfect host, (Zack), plotting the format and finding guests. Additionally, to identify each pod we feature, we listen to dozens of podcasts - so it requires a ton of work hours just to find a pod we like enough to endorse. Additionally, we wanted to have a handful of episodes "in the can" so that we could ensure we'd be able to release weekly without fail. So far, so good.

Really this podcast wouldn't be as far as long as it is if it weren't for Covid. We make our living as audio commercial creatives and producers. Business slowed a bit with the pandemic and our social lives were non-existent being trapped inside all Spring and into Summer. We launched on 8/31 with 3 episodes and have released every Monday since then, (with the exception of Thanksgiving week). The typical episode takes a lot of time from beginning to end. Several of us each spend hours screening podcasts to find one worthy of being featured. Once we find a "winner," we schedule the interview with that pod's host about 3 weeks down the line. Leading up to the record, we listen to every episode of their show. For some shows that have been around for a while, that's quite a task. Additionally, we conduct pre-interviews mainly for tech reasons so that the day of the interview we can hit the ground running. The average interview runs about an hour-and-a-half and we edit that down, usually to about an hour. The edit and production process is off-and-on for about 10 days after each record. And each of our episodes is also edited for a video version which we release on YouTube. Budgeting comes out of our production company. Each episode requires about 20 hours in studio and then we employ freelance art and video folks. If I were to put an exact number on it, I might start sobbing, so...

So far there hasn't been much financial gain as we try to build our numbers. To this point, it's a passion project for all involved. We have total creative freedom, we enjoy the podcasts we've "discovered" and have formed relationships with some of the hosts. It's fun publishing each week even with all the work and it's become a show we are all very proud of.

As I've touched on, we find our guests by screening many, many lesser-known podcasts. Once we find one we like, we reach out to the host. Tech-preparation involves a pre-interview via Zoom. Interview-prep requires listening to as many episodes as humanly possible. Additionally, we edit some "best-of" clips from every show to play during the interview and get "behind-the-scenes" info and stories from the host. The interview itself is conducted via Zoom with both our host, Zack, and the guest also recording locally. Those files are imported into ProTools for the edit.

Our show is on every podcast directory we could find. The very first listeners were family and friends, but we grow each week as we also appeal to the guest's fanbase. Each guest (obviously) has their own pod with their own listeners, so as they promote to their listeners we benefit by attracting some of those fans. We post daily to Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Our post on Friday is a video trailer promoting that Monday's show. About 40% of our downloads are Apple Podcasts, next is Overcast (18%), Stitcher (5%) and all the other directories are less than 5%. We've had some recent success advertising directly on the directories and have been steady on the socials.

There is so much to learn and you never stop. I do wish that before we launched I knew at least as much as I do now...which isn't much but it's more than it was 4 months ago. I think we were prepared to handle publishing the show, putting out the product, but what we weren't prepared for were the marketing and promotion. There are so many options...socials, directories, blogs, PR, newsletters, word of mouth, paid, un-paid, etc, etc. I watch and read experts in the field, people who have grown from 0 to 100,000's of listeners and they don't know everything about every possible avenue of promotion. All you can do is keep learning and try not to make the same mistake twice. Because there will be mistakes. You can see where we are now at thepodspotter.com...always happy to have another subscriber...or 10. :)

thepodspotter.com is the pod site. oinkcreative.com is the site for our production company. @ThePodSpotter My email is jim@oinkradio.com, linked in linkedin.com/in/jimpr