Does the World Need Another Podcast?
How a scrappy group of indie broadcasters is building a better podcast network
Last July, The New York Times famously posed the question if the world had reached peak podcast.
The article featured two freelance writers (Morgan Mandriota and Lester Lee), who joined forces to create “The Advice Podcast”-a show where they dispensed out advice from their local library using their trusty iPhone 5.
They made a total of six episodes before they realized that advertisers weren’t beating a path to their door and decided to quit. Of course, there were many reasons why they chose to walk away. But according to Morgan, the main issue was they realized that they wouldn’t become the world’s next viral superstars.
Now, taking any possible sense of entitlement aside, the expectation that any podcast (with the exception of ones helmed by a well-known celebrity) would be rewarded with lots of advertisers and fame after six episodes is truly unrealistic. Especially since most podcasts only produce seven episodes before they are abandoned.
Seven.
There’s even a term for it. Podfade. That’s when a podcast will unexpectedly stop making new shows. And according to a 2018 review of the over 540,000 podcasts available through Apple Podcasts, only 25% survive after a year of shows.
So why get in the game? Especially when so many shows fail?
Simple. You do it because it’s a subject that you’re passionate about. You do it to have fun with your podcasting team. More importantly, you do it because you know that your content offers something different than the seemingly thousands of cookie-cutter shows.
That’s why Plum Goode Media was founded. As our bio says, we are a mobile-first distribution network delivering fun & bold content for all. But beyond that fancy talk, we are a tiny team of broadcasters who feel that the podcasting sphere should offer something different than what currently on the top ten lists. Instead of chasing millennials and fleeting trends, our content is geared towards Gen X and beyond. More importantly, we recognized that podcasting should be more than just ‘brocasting’. We understand representation comes in all different forms-be it age, gender, ability, race, etc. We are committed to centering our programming on voices that are historically marginalized because honestly, the world needs more of that.
Take our flagship program, The Gourmet Goober Podcast, for example. It’s hosted by Chicago-based podcasters/spouses/college BFFs JJ & T Outlaw, who started The Gourmet Goober blog in 2013 because they realized that there was a lack of prominent Black voices in food media. Since launching, the show was recently recognized by SoulPhoodie.com as one of the Black women-led Food & Beverage Podcasts that you should be listening to.
We’re pretty proud of that. Especially, as the article says, only 22 percent of podcasters are women, with even fewer podcasters being black women. So, perhaps the question shouldn’t be if the world needs another podcast. But rather, does the podcast world needs more robust representation to tap into a potential new market of listeners.
The answer, of course, is yes. And we’re not alone in recognizing this.
After 31 episodes, the Gourmet Goober is heard on more than 12 major streaming platforms in over 11 countries. So, we’re convinced that there’s a place for an irreverent podcast co-hosted by two food-loving soulmates of color. And with new shows in the works, we are just getting started. Because we know that these types of shows shouldn’t be an after-thought as many networks view them, but should be a central part of any successful programming. Programming that any sponsor would be proud to be a part of.
We are Plum Goode Media. We’re building a better indie podcast network one show at a time. Join us at Plumgoode.com.