Podmastery: podcasting insights and advice for indie creators

Afleveringen

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  Your Podcast Has A Second Name. Someone Else Might Own It. 17.08.2026 10min

  I typed my own podcasting agency's brand name into Google. Spelled wrong, completely on purpose, because transcription services keep hearing "Podknows" and writing "Podnose."Something was living there. A whole podcast network. Twenty-odd shows. Says it's been going since 2013.I was already writing the angry LinkedIn post. And then I did the thing I keep telling everybody else to do. And for a good few minutes back there, I was the villain in this story.Which is where the actually useful bit starts. Because the mistake I made wasn't the accusation. That was just ego pain. The mistake was made years earlier, and I suspect you have made exactly the same one without ever finding out.In this episode: why nobody discovers a podcast the way we imagine they do, what actually happens when a bloke at a barbecue in Fareham recommends your show out loud, and the reason you will never, ever see this problem in your analytics. And then one thing to go and do about it, which takes ninety seconds and costs nothing.Chapters 01:02 Obviously I checked the name 02:42 I was the villain in this story 03:36 Your brand has two names 04:31 How people actually hear about podcasts 05:23 The listener you'll never know you lost 07:26 What do you do about it? 08:17 Why a trademark won't save you from this 08:57 Podmastery Community Member trailer The bloke I accused of nothing: Podnose, an independent UK entertainment podcast network founded in 2013 by George Grimwood. A couple of the shows are genuinely good but the majority of them seem to no longer be publishing. podnose.comPodmastery goodies you can grab:Treat yourself to a Podmastery Audit - https://podmastery.co/podmasterauditFounding member doors for the Podmastery community open soon — podmastery.co/waitlistEverything else: podmastery.co
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  Opinion: Podcasters, You're The Landlord. The Platforms Are Just Tenants. 14.08.2026 11min

  Alex Cooper's company Unwell took its first outside investment, from Patrick Whitesell's WTSL, at a $500 million valuation. Every podcast expert on LinkedIn immediately pointed out that this is more than iHeartMedia. I went to check that, because I don't repeat numbers I haven't checked, and I got several different answers from several perfectly respectable financial sources on the same day. Turns out iHeart has multiple classes of share and the best part of $6 billion of debt strapped to its back, so depending which bit you measure you can have whichever number you fancy. It's less a valuation and more a horoscope.But here's what survives all of that, and it's the bit nobody's saying.The story doing the rounds is "creator wins, platforms lose." That's rubbish. I'll explain why.In this episode:— What a humming shed in a field had to do with your career for 100 years— Why "it's worth more than iHeart" is a number nobody quoting it has checked— Barstool, Spotify, SiriusXM: three tenancies, one landlord— The bit where I admit I didn't clock any of this for years— Why you've been feeling rubbish about yourself on the wrong scoreboard— One number to look at instead, todayNote:Unwell has been the subject of reporting this year, including a Vanity Fair investigation, alleging a difficult workplace culture. Cooper disputes it. Nothing in this episode is a comment on that either way — the point here is structural, about who owns what, and it would hold regardless of who the owner turned out to be.This is Podmastery: Podcasting Opinions — the spinoff from Podcasting Insights. Insights is where I think properly about something. Opinions is where something's happened in the industry and I've got a view.🎧 Join the Podmastery Community — https://podmastery.co/waitlist 💬 Work with me one-to-one — https://podmastery.coI'm Neal Veglio, the Podmaster — podcast producer and consultant, 25+ years in radio and audio, founder of Podknows Podcasting.
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  Podcasters, should we all boycott Spotify? 10.08.2026 14min

  Last week I suggested, in a LinkedIn comment, that podcasters should all walk off Spotify together and keep them honest.Then I went and looked into how you'd actually do it. And that's when the truth of the situation emerged. And OMFG is it a situation.So this episode was going to be the good news about organising a walkout. Instead it's the honest version of why we can't.In this episode:— Where's the button to leave Spotify— One tap to skip you, a support ticket to go— The free rider problem, and why strikes need strike funds— Why the trade bodies can't help with this one— What happened when Neil Young actually tried it— My own conflict of interest, stated plainly— The one call to action worth changing this weekGet on the community waitlist → podmastery.co/waitlist Work with me one-to-one → podmastery.co
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  Opinion: Spotify Now Decides Which Bits Of Your Show Are Worth Hearing 07.08.2026 15min

  Spotify has secretly built a button that tells your listener which bits of your episode aren't worth hearing.It's called Skip Ahead. It's in testing, they haven't announced it, and the excellent podcast industry journalist James Cridland broke it on Podnews. One tap and you're past the entire ad break — not fifteen seconds, everything.The ad still gets delivered to the device, so the impression still counts and the advertiser still pays. They're just encouraging nobody to hear it. Including, in some cases, ads Spotify sold themselves.That's the industry story and it's been well covered.This episode is about the bit that hasn't.This isn't an advertising story. It's a platform applying editorial judgement to the stuff you made.And then there's the part where I have to be a little bit honest with you - you might have brought this on yourself.In this episode:— What Skip Ahead does, and why "you could always skip" doesn't hold up— Why "we're not affecting ad delivery" is technically true and completely dishonest— James Cridland on the terms and conditions nobody read— The membership pitch that got flagged as skippable— Why your intro is on the list too— The one thing a machine can never skipClip from Podnews Weekly Review with James Cridland and Sam Sethi, used with thanks. Subscribe at weekly.podnews.net — he does the reporting, I just have opinions about it.Want in on the Podmastery Community? We're opening the doors to the public soon. Founding members: podmastery.co/waitlistStuck on something specific? Get your next podcasting challenge solved one-to-one at podmastery.coGot your own opinion and want to share? Great! I love hearing from you. Here's where to do it - https://podmastery.co/get-in-touch/
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  You Only Ever Have To Make One More Episode 03.08.2026 12min

  It's stupid o'clock in the morning. You've just finished editing. And instead of feeling good about it, one horrible little thought is living rent free in your head where the zzzzzzs should be: do I have to do this forever?In this episode I troll the consistency doctrine which the gurus peddle. The show-up-every-week-forever commandment that gets drummed into you from day one, usually by someone whose whole business model is selling you the cure for the anxiety they just handed you.I also make the case that publishing in seasons is one of the worst ideas going for most indie shows. Not for the reason you'd expect.Seasons aren't a strategy, they're something else entirely.Want in on the Podmastery Community? We're opening the doors to the public soon. To join the founding members, go to podmastery.co/waitlist.Stuck on something specific? Come and get your next podcasting challenge solved one-to-one with me at podmastery.co.
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  I Use AI to Make This Show. Here’s the Line I Won’t Cross. 28.07.2026 14min

  Ninety seconds into another consultant’s podcast, I got the 'shiver'. it wasn't over the mic quality. It wasn't because of bad editing.It was the words. They were tidy, warm... and hauntingly empty, like a very confident ghost had written the lot.This episode's about the single line that decides whether AI sharpens your show or hollows it out. Plus a confession I fully expect to get grief for...
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  The Hidden Failure Around Podcasting Failure 22.07.2026 12min

  Here's the super uncomfortable truth this episode's built on: the day you publish makes not the slightest difference to a single download you receive. I will stake this whole show on it. And yet I still missed my Monday slot, published on a Wednesday, and felt like a failure anyway.That first feeling — the flicker of disappointment — is fine. It's just data. It's the second feeling that does the damage.In this one I'm being properly honest about the trap nobody warns you about when they tell you to "build your personal brand": you make the thing personal on purpose, and then every wobble in it feels personal too. So what do we do about it?...The Podmastery founding-members waitlist is open.Doors to the community open to the public soon — get in first at podmastery.co/waitlist.Got a podcasting thing you're quietly beating yourself up about? That's exactly the kind of problem I love to solve. Head to podmastery.co, click "Need Help", and book a 60-minute call. It's him on the other end — not a sales funnel.
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  Is "Be Everywhere" The WORST Podcasting Advice Now That YouTube 'Dominates'? 13.07.2026 12min

  YouTube just overtook Spotify as the UK's most-used podcast platform. By one point. Everyone reported the crossover — almost nobody read the rest of the data, which says your podcast is effectively now a radio station, and you're broadcasting on every frequency at once.Hi, I'm Neal Veglio, founder of Podknows Podcasting and the Podmastery community.Edison Research's latest UK numbers gave the podcasting press its headline: YouTube 29%, Spotify 28%. Tectonic plates, apparently. One percentage point.I spent 25 years in radio before I ever touched a podcast, and the first thing that world drums into you is that a station is never for everyone. Which is exactly what this data is saying — if you read past the crossover.Different platforms. Different people. Different reasons. This is Radio 1 and Radio 4 all over again, just dressed up with an app icon instead of a frequency. And a lot of podcasters are currently trying to be all three stations at once.In this one:The four-year trend that matters far more than the 1% headline (YouTube 19 → 29; Spotify 33 → 28)BBC Sounds, the station that didn't panic — and what its flat 15% is quietly teaching everyoneWhy these aren't the same listeners switching apps: the age, gender and trust splits nobody quotedThe platform growing fastest is also the one people trust the least. Amazing.The Sheffield podcaster making three versions of one episode every week — while 80% of her downloads come from a platform she barely thinks aboutWhy “post everywhere equally” is busy work wearing a growth strategy's coat“But won't narrowing my focus lose me everyone else?” — no, and here's whyToday's tip: the five-minute hosting-dashboard check that tells you which radio station you already arePODMASTERY LINKSThe Podmastery community is opening its doors to the public soon. To join as a founding member with lifetime perks, go to podmastery.co/waitlist, fill in the form and ask me to add you to the list.Got a podcasting problem you'd rather just get solved? Go to podmastery.co and click “Get your podcasting challenge solved”.Just got a specific thing you need help to solve? You can pick my brain!Do that here - https://podknows.co.uk/pick-my-brain
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  What 5,000 Podcast Listeners Just Told Us About Indie Show Growth 07.07.2026 9min

  New research from Signal Hill Insights, presented by Tom Webster at Sounds Profitable, surveyed over 5,000 podcast listeners — and the findings are uncomfortable for most indie podcasters to hear. Probably the most uncomfortable for me to hear, considering they contradict everything I've ever told people around podcast growth. But, as with all things, this research is not gospel. It's, as usual, a soupçon of insight into a complex and wide challenge.It challenges what our audio is, what our newsletter does and why our video clips should be. So listen as I break down the Podcast Atlas findings and what they actually mean for indie shows without a publisher, PR team, or paid clip editor behind them.You’ll hear:— Why the 43% trust number matters — and why it’s useless until someone finds you first— What the data says about clips as a discovery engine (and my nuanced take on whether that shifts my position)— Why 61% of your potential audience is untapped and ownable — and what to do about it— The only two things in this whole system you actually own📊 Download the full Podcast Atlas report (free): https://soundsprofitable.com/research/the-podcast-atlas/Three ways to work with me:1. Start the free 7-day podcast makeover email course at podmastery.co2. Take the listener survey and receive a free download: podmastery.co/listener-survey/3. Ready to work directly? podmastery.co/need-podcasting-help/
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  I Added Video to My B2B Podcast Using Apple Podcasts’ HLS — Here’s What Actually Happened 30.06.2026 21min

  A couple of episodes back I made the case for Apple Podcasts’ new HLS video. Then I had to go and actually do it — because the theoretical version of podcasting-about-podcasting is slightly embarrassing, and I hold myself to a better standard than the people spouting expertise about things they’ve never tried.So I enabled video for B2B Podcasting Insights, my other show, in Captivate. A real show, in a crowded market, with real numbers. This episode is the field report.In this one:What HLS video actually is — and why it isn’t the old MP4-in-the-RSS-enclosure trick that nobody could seeWhat the listener experience really looks like (spoiler: “clean” is a Michelin star in podcast infrastructure)The hosting catch — it lives or dies on who you host withThree workflow changes nobody warns you about, including the upload time and editing for two audiences at onceWhat two weeks of data actually showed — told straight, no fake growth-hack victory lapThe honest verdict: who should switch it on now, and who should waitLINKSGot something about your show bugging you at half eleven at night? Go to podmastery.co and click get in touch. Let’s sort it rather than just theorise about it.Recorded on Boomcaster — free trial + 50% off your first three months (affiliate link): podmastery.co/boomcasterAnd go follow B2B Podcasting Insights if you want more on getting the most from a B2B show: podknows.co.uk/b2bpi
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  Why Your Podcast Episode Sounds Good But Feels Empty... And How To Fix That 22.06.2026 11min

  Your show sounds cleaner than it ever has. You've sorted the room, fixed the levels, maybe even brought in an editor. And when you listen back — nothing.No connection. No feeling. Just technically correct audio with nobody in it.Hi, I'm Neal Veglio, founder of the Podmastery community from Podknows Podcasting. And this week, I'm exploring why that hollow feeling has nothing to do with your equipment — and why the fix is simpler than you think.I share a story from my radio days about a presenter who went from compelling-but-rough to polished-and-forgettable, what broadcast training actually teaches about the difference between performing and talking, and the 30-second exercise I even use myself before every recording.If you'd like a proper look at what's sitting between your show and where you want it to be, head to podmastery.co, hit the Get In Touch page, and tell me what's going on.
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  They Just Changed What a 'Play' Means In Podcasting. Did You Notice? 16.06.2026 8min

  Somebody just moved the goalposts on podcast metrics. And most podcasters didn’t even notice.The Alliance for Measurement in Podcasting — AMP — has defined a new cross-platform standard for what counts as a ‘play.’ Spotify has already adopted it.In this episode, Neal breaks down what this actually means for indie podcasters — why your dashboard numbers are about to look fairly different, why that doesn’t mean your show is doing better, and why optimising for any play-count threshold is optimising for the wrong thing.You’ll hear:— What AMP is and why they’re trying to standardise this— What is ‘intentional consumption’ in Spotify’s words, and what that actually means— Why Apple’s definition is still extraordinary (and not in a good way)— The one metric that actually tells you if your show is working🔗 Listen to other episodes here: https://podmastery.co/📊 Free 7-day podcast makeover email course — one tip per day, no filler. Sign up at podmastery.co💡 Want to work through your specific show? podmastery.co/need-podcasting-help
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  Why podcast guest cross-promotion as a growth strategy is a fairytale 18.05.2026 9min

  Every podcaster who's ever had a guest on has felt it. You do the edit, write the show notes, create the clips, tag them everywhere — and hear absolutely nothing back. No share. No repost. Not even a like.So is it you? Is it them? Is this just how guests are?In this episode, I'm getting into why podcast guest cross-promotion is one of the most persistent myths in indie podcasting.If you're booking guests to borrow their audience, this episode is going to save you a lot of disappointment.Free 7-day podcast makeover: head to podmastery.co and sign up — one practical tip per day, straight to your inbox.
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  Apple Podcasts Video: The Benefits 12.05.2026 8min

  In the previous episode I explained why we need to be cautious around Apple Podcasts new video HLS streaming feature. Well, this podcast about podcasting is about balance. So now, it's important we look at all the good things about the feature.
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  Apple Podcasts Video: The Painful Truth 05.05.2026 5min

  With Apple Podcasts video now becoming a mainstream feature as the main hosting platforms roll it out, there are more and more creators leaning into creating this content.But should you be joining them?Well, before we can answer this question, we need to establish the answer to another one; do you understand the algorithmic differences surrounding video and audio?Click play.I'll explain.Companies mentioned in this episode:LinkedInYouTubeApple Podcasts
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  Your podcast audience may not be what you thought it was 21.04.2026 9min

  This episode will challenge a lot of assumptions you may have about your audience. If you’ve been losing sleep over whether you need to shift all your energy into video, or feel the pressure to keep up with multi-camera setups just to stay relevant, you’re going to want to pay attention to this one.We’re sharing new research from Tom Webster and the Sounds Profitable team that uncovers who your most valuable listeners really are — and it’s not who you think.Link to report: https://soundsprofitable.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Audio-Primes-2026-Webinar-Version.pdf
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  Is Beehiiv The Ideal New Platform For Indie Podcasters? 02.04.2026 4min

  Beehiiv are targeting podcasters with offers to join their new creator platform. But is this the solution podcasters have been waiting for?Link to check out their teased offer: https://www.beehiiv.com/beehiiv-for/podcasters
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  Don’t Compare Your Podcast to “Diary of a CEO”. Here’s why 30.03.2026 20min

  Diary of a CEO is doing something genuinely damaging to indie podcasters. Not maliciously. The damage is the business model.Hi, I'm Neal Veglio, The Podmaster.In this episode, I'm breaking down exactly why comparing your show to mega-podcasts like Diary of a CEO, High Performance Podcast, and Young and Profiting isn't just unhelpful — it's statistically irrational.Using Phil Rosenzweig's Halo Effect, Nassim Taleb's Silent Graveyard, the Columbia Music Lab experiment, and Daniel Kahneman's narrative fallacy, I'll explain the intellectual architecture behind why these shows exist, who they're actually designed to serve, and why their 'success strategies' are largely retrospective fiction.You'll hear why the gap between what these shows promise and what they can actually deliver is not a flaw — it's the product.Also in this episode:Listener email: Do you actually need a trailer episode before you launch?Experiment: Listen back to your three most downloaded episodes and steal from yourself.If you've been measuring your show against something that was never real — head to podmastery.co and click 'Get your podcasting challenge solved'.Useful links:Phil Rosenzweig's The Halo Effect summarised: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klngdRa8nOINassim Taleb's Fooled by Randomness: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fooled-Randomness-Hidden-Chance-Markets/dp/0141031484The music lab study: https://www.princeton.edu/~mjs3/salganik_dodds_watts06_full.pdf
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  When Tools Make Bad Audio Sound ‘Good’, Who Loses? 03.02.2026 9min

  A lot of people are excited about AI tools that promise instant, studio-quality podcast audio.Record on your phone. Click a button. Sound professional.But that story deserves a closer look.Hi, I'm Neal Veglio, founder of Podknows Podcasting and the Podmastery community.In this episode of Podcasting Insights, I unpack what happens when technology starts erasing the difference between effort and outcome — and ask what podcasting quietly loses when “good sound” becomes a default instead of a craft.This isn’t an anti-AI rant.And it’s not about gatekeeping beginners.It’s about incentives.Standards.And what we’re rewarding at scale.You’ll learn:• Why AI audio tools raise standards and lower effort at the same time• How one-click fixes create a podcasting “house sound”• The difference between accessibility and erasing craft• Why effort still matters, even when listeners can’t hear it• The question creators should be asking before relying on AI cleanupLinks:Waves Voice Regen:https://www.waves.com/voice-regenI’d love YOUR feedback:https://www.podmastery.co/surveyI’ve been doing this for 20+ years and run a successful podcast marketing agency.Want me to audit your podcast?https://podmastery.co/lite
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  Is Edison Research Correct? Is Video Podcasting Creating New Podcast LISTENERS? 31.01.2026 6min

  A lot of people are saying video is the future of podcasting.That video is the gateway drug — the thing that creates new podcast listeners.But that story deserves a closer look.In this episode of Podcasting Insights, I question the growing narrative around video podcasting, discovery, and conversion — and ask whether we’re confusing reach with commitment, and visibility with attention.This isn’t about dismissing the data.It’s about questioning the story we’re telling around it.You’ll learn:• Why “discovery” is an incomplete metric• The difference between conversion and gravity• Why video often benefits from defaults, not desire• What podcasting’s real strength has always been• The question creators should be asking instead of “Should I do video?”Links:Podnews story on charting clips based podcast:https://podnews.net/update/complete-rankersEdison Research – The Evolving Ear:https://www.edisonresearch.com/how-new-consumers-are-shaping-podcastings-next-chapter-the-evolving-ear-webinar/I’d love YOUR feedback:https://www.podmastery.co/surveyI've been doing this 20+ years and run a successful podcast marketing agency. Want me to audit your podcast?https://podmastery.co/lite