1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,799 Everyone. I'm Mike Dell, VP of customer relations 2 00:00:02,799 --> 00:00:05,440 here at Blueberry. And I'm Todd Cochran, founder 3 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:06,019 of Blueberry. 4 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:08,500 And I'm Mackenzie Bennett, marketing specialist. 5 00:00:08,800 --> 00:00:10,339 Welcome to Podcast Insider. 6 00:00:11,199 --> 00:00:13,359 And today, we're diving into a topic that's 7 00:00:13,359 --> 00:00:14,339 core to podcasting 8 00:00:15,255 --> 00:00:17,755 and to Blueberry's mission, keeping podcasting 9 00:00:18,135 --> 00:00:18,635 independent. 10 00:00:19,414 --> 00:00:22,155 And we're gonna explore why independence matters, 11 00:00:22,535 --> 00:00:25,015 what's at stake for creators today, and what 12 00:00:25,015 --> 00:00:26,714 technical and business decisions 13 00:00:27,175 --> 00:00:28,475 help you stay in control. 14 00:00:29,250 --> 00:00:31,089 And we'll also share how to market yourself 15 00:00:31,089 --> 00:00:33,250 as an independent voice in a space that's 16 00:00:33,250 --> 00:00:35,409 seeing more and more influence from big media 17 00:00:35,409 --> 00:00:35,909 companies. 18 00:00:37,490 --> 00:00:40,450 You're listening to Podcast Insider hosted by Mike 19 00:00:40,450 --> 00:00:43,685 Dell, Todd Cochran, and Mackenzie Bennett from the 20 00:00:43,685 --> 00:00:44,825 Blueberry team, 21 00:00:45,524 --> 00:00:48,884 bringing you weekly insights, advice, and insider tips 22 00:00:48,884 --> 00:00:52,005 and tricks to help you start, grow, and 23 00:00:52,005 --> 00:00:53,465 thrive through podcasting. 24 00:00:54,240 --> 00:00:56,079 With all the support of your team here 25 00:00:56,079 --> 00:00:57,380 at Blueberry Podcasting, 26 00:00:57,760 --> 00:00:59,460 welcome. Let's dive in. 27 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:01,600 You know, this is, 28 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:04,319 a topic I've been thinking about a lot 29 00:01:04,319 --> 00:01:04,819 lately, 30 00:01:05,439 --> 00:01:06,959 especially with the 31 00:01:07,575 --> 00:01:10,055 you know, everyone is just basically saying, oh, 32 00:01:10,055 --> 00:01:13,114 you have to do video. And the realization 33 00:01:13,415 --> 00:01:15,415 is that, no. You you don't have to 34 00:01:15,415 --> 00:01:16,635 do video. And 35 00:01:17,334 --> 00:01:20,314 I hear from our new clients and potential 36 00:01:20,375 --> 00:01:21,435 clients that, 37 00:01:21,880 --> 00:01:24,120 you know, they're concerned about this and, you 38 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:25,560 know, think they have to put in a 39 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:27,500 big production and be one of the 40 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:31,020 the big boys or girls. And, you know, 41 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:32,060 and, 42 00:01:32,920 --> 00:01:34,840 you know but I in my response to 43 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:36,939 those podcasters is, you know, 44 00:01:37,634 --> 00:01:40,134 this this has always been a space where 45 00:01:40,994 --> 00:01:43,474 where creators can find their own voice and 46 00:01:43,474 --> 00:01:45,414 an audience and share their 47 00:01:45,795 --> 00:01:46,295 message. 48 00:01:46,914 --> 00:01:49,015 But what a lot of the big media, 49 00:01:50,030 --> 00:01:51,810 you know, narrative is 50 00:01:53,310 --> 00:01:55,150 that, you know, you just it's they're trying 51 00:01:55,150 --> 00:01:57,549 to change a narrative and it's and then 52 00:01:57,549 --> 00:01:59,870 in effect is, in my opinion, kind of 53 00:01:59,870 --> 00:02:00,370 suppressing 54 00:02:01,549 --> 00:02:04,274 some folks considering becoming a creator. So I 55 00:02:04,274 --> 00:02:04,994 think that, 56 00:02:06,194 --> 00:02:08,935 we need to make folks understand what independence 57 00:02:09,074 --> 00:02:10,215 really looks like 58 00:02:11,314 --> 00:02:11,814 and 59 00:02:12,194 --> 00:02:13,414 why it's worth protecting. 60 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:15,020 And, 61 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:16,780 you know, we've been on 62 00:02:17,319 --> 00:02:17,979 this bandwagon 63 00:02:18,280 --> 00:02:20,060 for twenty years now, so 64 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:22,699 we can probably talk about a 100 things 65 00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:26,120 in this regard only. When the podcasting first 66 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:28,875 started, it was, hey. There's no more gatekeepers. 67 00:02:29,175 --> 00:02:30,935 There's no more you know, you don't have 68 00:02:30,935 --> 00:02:34,055 to be with a radio or TV to 69 00:02:34,055 --> 00:02:37,115 get on you know, to broadcast your show, 70 00:02:37,175 --> 00:02:37,675 your 71 00:02:37,974 --> 00:02:39,355 thoughts, your whatever. 72 00:02:40,830 --> 00:02:43,310 And now they're trying to get it back 73 00:02:43,310 --> 00:02:44,530 to having gatekeepers, 74 00:02:44,909 --> 00:02:48,110 and that just isn't what podcasting is all 75 00:02:48,110 --> 00:02:50,430 about or at least in my opinion, it 76 00:02:50,430 --> 00:02:52,450 shouldn't be. You know, being independent 77 00:02:52,915 --> 00:02:55,235 lets you control what you say. You don't 78 00:02:55,235 --> 00:02:57,635 have to ask permission. You just do it. 79 00:02:57,635 --> 00:02:59,314 And if it takes off, it takes off. 80 00:02:59,314 --> 00:03:01,235 If it doesn't, it doesn't, but it's on 81 00:03:01,235 --> 00:03:03,474 you. It's your thing. It's you're not a 82 00:03:03,474 --> 00:03:07,280 broadcaster on Spotify. You're a podcaster that can 83 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:09,840 also distribute to Spotify and all these other 84 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:11,759 places. And I think a lot of those 85 00:03:11,759 --> 00:03:12,259 platforms 86 00:03:12,799 --> 00:03:14,819 are people are very cognizant. 87 00:03:15,439 --> 00:03:17,599 They're very careful in what they say because 88 00:03:17,599 --> 00:03:20,294 of the, you know, the the moderation constraints. 89 00:03:20,294 --> 00:03:22,915 Constraints. And this is one of the beauties 90 00:03:22,935 --> 00:03:25,114 of podcasting is there's really no moderation constraints. 91 00:03:25,254 --> 00:03:27,495 Now, you know, this not very many shows 92 00:03:27,495 --> 00:03:29,194 have ever been deplatformed 93 00:03:29,574 --> 00:03:31,655 in the podcast sphere because they can't be 94 00:03:31,655 --> 00:03:33,750 because they go into some things we're gonna 95 00:03:33,750 --> 00:03:35,449 talk about here in a minute. But, 96 00:03:35,909 --> 00:03:38,469 again, I think it's important that you understand 97 00:03:38,469 --> 00:03:41,510 as a potential listener that, again, as Mike 98 00:03:41,510 --> 00:03:43,750 said, you control your content and message. My 99 00:03:43,750 --> 00:03:45,689 biggest thing is the way that you monetize 100 00:03:46,014 --> 00:03:47,775 Because when you are deciding how you're gonna 101 00:03:47,775 --> 00:03:50,254 monetize, whether that is, you know, with with 102 00:03:50,254 --> 00:03:52,414 traditional ads that we're used to hearing at 103 00:03:52,414 --> 00:03:55,375 this point, doing premium content that a select 104 00:03:55,375 --> 00:03:57,074 user group is paying for, 105 00:03:57,534 --> 00:03:58,834 asking for listener 106 00:03:59,134 --> 00:04:02,389 donated support or all of the above, Signing 107 00:04:02,449 --> 00:04:04,689 with specific companies will limit what you are 108 00:04:04,689 --> 00:04:07,569 allowed to say. That's just that's just how 109 00:04:07,569 --> 00:04:08,870 some advertising goes. 110 00:04:09,489 --> 00:04:11,810 You know, you're not gonna gel with every 111 00:04:11,810 --> 00:04:13,650 company out there that is looking to do 112 00:04:13,650 --> 00:04:16,745 an ad deal specifically with podcasting too. There's 113 00:04:16,805 --> 00:04:19,205 dozens of companies I wouldn't go near or 114 00:04:19,205 --> 00:04:19,705 touch, 115 00:04:20,084 --> 00:04:21,524 and there are companies that would do the 116 00:04:21,524 --> 00:04:22,964 same to me if I was putting out 117 00:04:22,964 --> 00:04:24,964 my own podcast with my own content. And 118 00:04:24,964 --> 00:04:26,665 that is one of the things that is 119 00:04:27,045 --> 00:04:29,509 solely your choice. And even if you are 120 00:04:29,509 --> 00:04:30,889 joining something like a network, 121 00:04:31,350 --> 00:04:33,370 that is also something that you are 122 00:04:34,069 --> 00:04:35,129 letting go. 123 00:04:35,750 --> 00:04:37,430 You can still be in control of it 124 00:04:37,430 --> 00:04:39,670 somewhat if that's unprivileged enough to be able 125 00:04:39,670 --> 00:04:41,670 to to negotiate in your own contract for 126 00:04:41,670 --> 00:04:43,430 your show. But if not, that is something 127 00:04:43,430 --> 00:04:45,404 that you were just acknowledging that this is 128 00:04:45,404 --> 00:04:47,425 gonna be different. You know, for me, 129 00:04:48,044 --> 00:04:49,745 having done this for so long, 130 00:04:50,444 --> 00:04:54,204 it's really truly about controlling my brand, controlling 131 00:04:54,204 --> 00:04:56,925 my not controlling, but building my audience on 132 00:04:56,925 --> 00:04:57,824 my own terms 133 00:04:58,379 --> 00:05:00,800 where no one can dictate to you the 134 00:05:01,100 --> 00:05:03,259 direction of the show, the content of the 135 00:05:03,259 --> 00:05:03,759 show. 136 00:05:04,139 --> 00:05:06,139 And I and I think that sometimes is 137 00:05:06,139 --> 00:05:07,040 often lost 138 00:05:08,139 --> 00:05:09,199 is that 139 00:05:10,060 --> 00:05:11,444 you you have have to be able to 140 00:05:11,444 --> 00:05:13,464 do that. If you're gonna put your creative 141 00:05:13,524 --> 00:05:15,544 effort, your blood, sweat, and tears 142 00:05:16,245 --> 00:05:17,064 into something, 143 00:05:17,685 --> 00:05:19,524 you know, you you wanna build your brand 144 00:05:19,524 --> 00:05:21,524 and you wanna build it your way and 145 00:05:21,524 --> 00:05:23,125 do it and do it as you so 146 00:05:23,125 --> 00:05:23,625 please. 147 00:05:24,149 --> 00:05:26,230 And I think that's the power of being 148 00:05:26,230 --> 00:05:29,449 independent, power of being a a true podcaster. 149 00:05:30,709 --> 00:05:33,129 And, you know, it goes a long ways 150 00:05:33,189 --> 00:05:34,649 when it comes to audience. 151 00:05:35,189 --> 00:05:38,264 They crave it. People wanna find independent creators, 152 00:05:38,964 --> 00:05:41,224 across all mediums at this point. 153 00:05:41,524 --> 00:05:42,664 And with podcasting, 154 00:05:43,365 --> 00:05:45,685 you know, that's something that they're absolutely used 155 00:05:45,685 --> 00:05:46,824 to and expecting 156 00:05:47,204 --> 00:05:49,044 that you might be an independent creator and 157 00:05:49,044 --> 00:05:50,485 not, you know, part of a news network. 158 00:05:50,485 --> 00:05:52,189 Because so often nowadays, it's 159 00:05:52,649 --> 00:05:53,870 these things are a monopoly, 160 00:05:54,170 --> 00:05:56,330 and there's the exact same rhetoric going from 161 00:05:56,330 --> 00:05:57,550 one thing to the other. 162 00:05:57,850 --> 00:06:00,990 So they are looking for something that is 163 00:06:01,050 --> 00:06:02,730 going to stand out to them. That is 164 00:06:02,730 --> 00:06:05,050 someone expressing and giving them, you know, what 165 00:06:05,050 --> 00:06:05,709 they want 166 00:06:06,170 --> 00:06:08,944 without just blending in. Yeah. I think listeners 167 00:06:08,944 --> 00:06:10,485 can detect when you're being 168 00:06:10,944 --> 00:06:11,764 non authentic 169 00:06:13,264 --> 00:06:14,805 and and not being transparent. 170 00:06:15,264 --> 00:06:17,524 I I think they can smell that a 171 00:06:17,824 --> 00:06:20,145 a mile away. So being able to be 172 00:06:20,145 --> 00:06:21,824 yourself and saying what you wanna say and 173 00:06:21,824 --> 00:06:23,040 how you wanna say it 174 00:06:23,439 --> 00:06:23,939 literally, 175 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:26,899 I think that is 176 00:06:27,199 --> 00:06:28,740 the power of this medium. 177 00:06:29,360 --> 00:06:31,600 And I go back to stories about different 178 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:34,500 organizations and stuff that started a podcast largely 179 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:35,060 because 180 00:06:35,954 --> 00:06:38,435 their words were being manipulated, and they wanted 181 00:06:38,435 --> 00:06:39,894 to make sure they put out media 182 00:06:40,915 --> 00:06:43,475 so that they heard their voice and that 183 00:06:43,475 --> 00:06:45,014 their message couldn't be 184 00:06:45,314 --> 00:06:45,814 misconstrued. 185 00:06:46,274 --> 00:06:48,750 So it's not just individuals, it can be 186 00:06:49,149 --> 00:06:51,810 companies or organizations too that are trying to, 187 00:06:52,990 --> 00:06:54,430 to put it out there. Mike, if there's 188 00:06:54,430 --> 00:06:56,029 a tip you can give someone, what would 189 00:06:56,029 --> 00:06:57,170 be the tip would be? 190 00:06:58,589 --> 00:07:00,050 Just be, you know, 191 00:07:00,750 --> 00:07:03,250 if a place that you're gonna be podcasting 192 00:07:03,470 --> 00:07:04,209 from limits 193 00:07:04,995 --> 00:07:08,035 where your podcast can appear, who can access 194 00:07:08,035 --> 00:07:10,435 it, or how you can monetize it, it 195 00:07:10,435 --> 00:07:13,555 may be undermining your independence. If they have 196 00:07:13,555 --> 00:07:14,055 rules 197 00:07:14,915 --> 00:07:17,620 that go against what you wanna do, or 198 00:07:17,620 --> 00:07:19,060 you may not wanna be there. Now if 199 00:07:19,060 --> 00:07:20,819 they write a big enough check, you might 200 00:07:20,819 --> 00:07:22,439 want to. But I think, 201 00:07:23,220 --> 00:07:25,300 I, you know, I think being independent isn't 202 00:07:25,300 --> 00:07:26,360 just about the 203 00:07:26,819 --> 00:07:29,699 AKA technical decisions, you know, control your feed, 204 00:07:29,699 --> 00:07:31,479 control your brand, all this. 205 00:07:31,875 --> 00:07:33,475 It's also anything that, 206 00:07:34,675 --> 00:07:37,154 that's gonna allow you to stand out in 207 00:07:37,154 --> 00:07:37,735 a crowd. 208 00:07:38,194 --> 00:07:39,875 And there's a lot of podcasts out there, 209 00:07:39,875 --> 00:07:42,115 you know, probably around 400,000 210 00:07:42,115 --> 00:07:43,415 that are currently active. 211 00:07:44,330 --> 00:07:44,830 So, 212 00:07:45,449 --> 00:07:46,110 you know, 213 00:07:46,569 --> 00:07:48,750 you being that independent voice, 214 00:07:50,810 --> 00:07:52,750 again, it goes back to that transparency 215 00:07:53,129 --> 00:07:55,790 telling your audience you're an independent creator that, 216 00:07:55,850 --> 00:07:56,830 you know, you basically, 217 00:07:57,475 --> 00:07:59,394 even if you have a sponsor, you can 218 00:07:59,394 --> 00:08:01,475 even say how I am not my message 219 00:08:01,475 --> 00:08:04,295 is not controlled. And if it is controlled, 220 00:08:04,595 --> 00:08:06,754 make sure you divulge that. If your sponsor 221 00:08:06,754 --> 00:08:08,295 doesn't let you talk about 222 00:08:09,074 --> 00:08:11,154 someone else in your same category, then you 223 00:08:11,154 --> 00:08:13,439 say, hey. I'm kinda obligated not to talk 224 00:08:13,439 --> 00:08:14,879 about this. I'll let you guys make up 225 00:08:14,879 --> 00:08:17,279 your own mind on a specific topic that's 226 00:08:17,279 --> 00:08:18,879 come up for me even in my own 227 00:08:18,879 --> 00:08:21,300 show in the past where my sponsors 228 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,560 well, someone on my sponsors team did something 229 00:08:24,560 --> 00:08:25,699 really dumb and, 230 00:08:26,035 --> 00:08:28,214 you know, I kinda had to address it. 231 00:08:28,514 --> 00:08:30,355 And I had to be you know, find 232 00:08:30,355 --> 00:08:33,715 that line, but, again, that transparency is super, 233 00:08:33,715 --> 00:08:34,615 super powerful. 234 00:08:35,154 --> 00:08:37,095 Yeah. It did just you know, being independent 235 00:08:37,235 --> 00:08:39,700 also helps you, you know, build a direct 236 00:08:39,759 --> 00:08:43,200 relationship with your listeners, viewers, whatever, if you're 237 00:08:43,200 --> 00:08:44,019 doing video. 238 00:08:44,559 --> 00:08:47,920 And the beauty of that is that they 239 00:08:47,920 --> 00:08:48,660 know you. 240 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:50,799 They don't need to know that you're on, 241 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:53,920 ABC network, and I don't mean ABC the 242 00:08:53,920 --> 00:08:54,420 broadcaster, 243 00:08:55,095 --> 00:08:57,414 but, you know, just as a generic network 244 00:08:57,414 --> 00:09:00,615 or generic platform. I'm not speaking for say, 245 00:09:00,615 --> 00:09:03,195 you're on Spotify as your your platform. 246 00:09:03,975 --> 00:09:05,975 You know, you you don't speak for Spotify. 247 00:09:05,975 --> 00:09:07,894 You look at Joe Rogan. He was he's 248 00:09:07,894 --> 00:09:10,350 exclusive to to Spotify. I mean, now he's 249 00:09:10,350 --> 00:09:11,089 out there 250 00:09:11,470 --> 00:09:13,089 more open, which is good, 251 00:09:13,470 --> 00:09:15,070 and they don't mess with him as much 252 00:09:15,070 --> 00:09:17,570 as they would the the average person. But 253 00:09:17,709 --> 00:09:18,209 the 254 00:09:18,509 --> 00:09:19,309 the beauty of, 255 00:09:19,950 --> 00:09:22,669 of not being tied to one platform is 256 00:09:22,669 --> 00:09:24,404 you've got if you got something bad to 257 00:09:24,485 --> 00:09:26,965 say about a platform, well, you can say 258 00:09:26,965 --> 00:09:27,465 it. 259 00:09:27,925 --> 00:09:30,825 And, you know, but but keeping that relationship 260 00:09:30,965 --> 00:09:33,205 with your listeners directly helps. I I have 261 00:09:33,205 --> 00:09:35,045 listeners that have been listening to me for 262 00:09:35,045 --> 00:09:37,045 twenty years. I know them by name, you 263 00:09:37,045 --> 00:09:38,565 know, and sometimes I'll call them out on 264 00:09:38,565 --> 00:09:40,139 the show and say, what do you think 265 00:09:40,139 --> 00:09:41,799 of that, Wes? And, you know, 266 00:09:42,179 --> 00:09:44,179 I'll get an email back. And you you 267 00:09:44,179 --> 00:09:45,399 just can't get that 268 00:09:45,779 --> 00:09:48,600 if you're not truly independent. I think this 269 00:09:48,820 --> 00:09:50,980 this definition of independent needs to be a 270 00:09:50,980 --> 00:09:54,375 little more refined. I think independent means you 271 00:09:54,375 --> 00:09:56,535 are just not constrained by someone. You don't 272 00:09:56,535 --> 00:09:57,514 have to answer 273 00:09:58,455 --> 00:09:59,115 to someone. 274 00:09:59,575 --> 00:10:01,754 I would say Rogan has to answer someone. 275 00:10:02,215 --> 00:10:03,835 Yeah. So he's not independent. 276 00:10:04,695 --> 00:10:07,274 So if you don't have to answer someone, 277 00:10:07,495 --> 00:10:09,835 this show, we're really not 278 00:10:10,190 --> 00:10:12,110 independent because what do we answer to? We 279 00:10:12,110 --> 00:10:14,669 answer to the company, but we also are 280 00:10:14,669 --> 00:10:15,169 pretty 281 00:10:15,710 --> 00:10:17,629 free flowing in our thoughts and ideas on 282 00:10:17,629 --> 00:10:20,529 here too. Yeah. So as as an independent 283 00:10:20,750 --> 00:10:21,250 creator, 284 00:10:22,164 --> 00:10:23,764 you you got that real like you said, 285 00:10:23,764 --> 00:10:25,705 you have that ability to build a relationship, 286 00:10:28,245 --> 00:10:30,485 and I think using you know, there's lots 287 00:10:30,485 --> 00:10:32,664 of language you can define yourself by. 288 00:10:33,285 --> 00:10:33,785 Yeah. 289 00:10:34,100 --> 00:10:36,500 Yeah. So much of that relationship that you 290 00:10:36,500 --> 00:10:37,000 are 291 00:10:37,379 --> 00:10:39,000 setting and really 292 00:10:39,540 --> 00:10:42,019 defining is saying that you are independent, you 293 00:10:42,019 --> 00:10:43,160 are listener supported. 294 00:10:43,540 --> 00:10:46,355 That that go goes across the board. That's 295 00:10:46,355 --> 00:10:48,674 on your website. That's on your social media. 296 00:10:48,674 --> 00:10:50,194 That's on your show that's in your show 297 00:10:50,194 --> 00:10:51,794 notes. That's in the content that you were 298 00:10:51,794 --> 00:10:53,954 speaking out into the world. It's it goes 299 00:10:53,954 --> 00:10:56,694 into the newsletters that you're putting out. The, 300 00:10:56,834 --> 00:10:59,629 you know, the Reddit channels that you're in, 301 00:10:59,629 --> 00:11:00,850 all it's everything. 302 00:11:02,029 --> 00:11:03,870 And, you know, I go back to the 303 00:11:03,870 --> 00:11:07,230 early days and, you know, there really wasn't 304 00:11:07,230 --> 00:11:09,970 this everyone was pretty independent in the beginning. 305 00:11:11,004 --> 00:11:13,085 And why did why did they choose independence? 306 00:11:13,085 --> 00:11:15,325 It was pretty simple because we could for 307 00:11:15,325 --> 00:11:16,225 the first time. 308 00:11:16,605 --> 00:11:18,684 We didn't have to get on a radio 309 00:11:18,684 --> 00:11:21,404 station very easily. No. Or or you couldn't 310 00:11:21,404 --> 00:11:24,125 be distributed. That was the thing. That's that's 311 00:11:24,125 --> 00:11:25,745 what I mean. You know, you couldn't 312 00:11:26,659 --> 00:11:28,600 you couldn't get on a a network, 313 00:11:29,139 --> 00:11:31,559 a a radio network or even a radio 314 00:11:31,620 --> 00:11:33,860 station without, you know, going through a whole 315 00:11:33,860 --> 00:11:35,799 bunch of stuff, and there's lots of rules. 316 00:11:36,019 --> 00:11:38,339 And when podcasting first came out, like I 317 00:11:38,339 --> 00:11:39,159 said before, 318 00:11:39,705 --> 00:11:41,465 the big thing was you don't have to 319 00:11:41,465 --> 00:11:43,865 worry about the gatekeepers. You don't have to 320 00:11:43,865 --> 00:11:46,585 worry about the FCC rules. And there was 321 00:11:46,585 --> 00:11:48,665 a a saying that that we won't say 322 00:11:48,665 --> 00:11:50,205 here about the FCC. 323 00:11:50,904 --> 00:11:52,504 But I think That was a big thing 324 00:11:52,504 --> 00:11:54,639 in podcasting back then. But I also think 325 00:11:54,639 --> 00:11:56,419 that most of us had no desire 326 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:57,779 to be on the radio. 327 00:11:58,399 --> 00:12:00,320 And but at the same time, if you 328 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:02,639 wanted to be on the Xbox or you 329 00:12:02,639 --> 00:12:04,799 wanted to be on the sites of the 330 00:12:04,799 --> 00:12:05,299 day, 331 00:12:05,679 --> 00:12:08,419 there was a gatekeeper there. And, you 332 00:12:08,904 --> 00:12:10,745 know, I think independent creators often have the 333 00:12:10,745 --> 00:12:12,684 strongest listener loyalty too. 334 00:12:13,384 --> 00:12:15,784 So lean into that and invite your audience 335 00:12:15,784 --> 00:12:17,884 to be part of that that journey. 336 00:12:19,464 --> 00:12:20,764 There's also more reason 337 00:12:21,464 --> 00:12:22,445 to be independent 338 00:12:23,399 --> 00:12:25,959 as a business than just your own personal 339 00:12:25,959 --> 00:12:28,120 preference, maybe. You know, it it might be 340 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:28,919 best for your 341 00:12:30,039 --> 00:12:31,879 for you as a whole, for your podcast 342 00:12:31,879 --> 00:12:34,519 as a whole, if you're doing this, because 343 00:12:34,519 --> 00:12:36,940 you're in control of your revenue streams 344 00:12:37,245 --> 00:12:39,904 and how you're functioning and structuring and 345 00:12:40,285 --> 00:12:41,585 and overall the brand. 346 00:12:42,044 --> 00:12:44,865 Yeah. No forced ads, no revenue splits, 347 00:12:45,644 --> 00:12:47,264 all that kinda goes into 348 00:12:48,445 --> 00:12:49,745 into that play. 349 00:12:50,169 --> 00:12:51,690 And You are the you are the one 350 00:12:51,690 --> 00:12:54,350 designating whatever is in that contract. Whatever, 351 00:12:54,809 --> 00:12:57,049 you know, legal stuff is happening, you are 352 00:12:57,049 --> 00:12:59,710 the force behind it. Yeah. And a 100 353 00:13:00,009 --> 00:13:02,090 Go ahead. And as, you know, as you 354 00:13:02,090 --> 00:13:03,850 as you grow or something, you know, you 355 00:13:03,850 --> 00:13:04,590 could always, 356 00:13:04,944 --> 00:13:07,125 you know, flip it around, do do something 357 00:13:07,184 --> 00:13:09,204 different. You maintain that flexibility 358 00:13:10,144 --> 00:13:11,284 if you're not under 359 00:13:11,664 --> 00:13:12,644 some contract, 360 00:13:14,225 --> 00:13:16,544 you know, and remaining independent. You've got that 361 00:13:16,704 --> 00:13:19,024 you know, I look at, Dave Ramsey. Okay? 362 00:13:19,549 --> 00:13:21,470 It's a big company. He's a big company, 363 00:13:21,470 --> 00:13:23,169 but he is an independent 364 00:13:23,549 --> 00:13:24,850 podcaster creator. 365 00:13:26,269 --> 00:13:30,189 He's not beholden to these big companies. Now 366 00:13:30,189 --> 00:13:32,269 he does have an ad sales team and 367 00:13:32,269 --> 00:13:34,189 all that stuff, but a lot of that's 368 00:13:34,189 --> 00:13:34,929 in house. 369 00:13:35,414 --> 00:13:37,334 And so you can get really big and 370 00:13:37,334 --> 00:13:38,475 still be independent. 371 00:13:39,014 --> 00:13:41,414 You know, he protects his brand. He protects 372 00:13:41,414 --> 00:13:42,634 his company's name, 373 00:13:43,095 --> 00:13:44,315 protects his IP, 374 00:13:45,014 --> 00:13:45,995 and his audience 375 00:13:46,375 --> 00:13:46,875 remains 376 00:13:47,575 --> 00:13:48,714 under his umbrella. 377 00:13:49,820 --> 00:13:51,980 And, you know, and Dave has actually added 378 00:13:51,980 --> 00:13:54,540 shows to his network, so those shows that 379 00:13:54,540 --> 00:13:55,040 grow 380 00:13:55,420 --> 00:13:57,500 may have to follow the rules of Dave 381 00:13:57,500 --> 00:13:58,000 Ramsey. 382 00:13:58,300 --> 00:13:59,759 Yeah. But They own. 383 00:14:00,700 --> 00:14:02,160 But at the same time, 384 00:14:02,745 --> 00:14:05,225 that's a choice they made. And I think 385 00:14:05,225 --> 00:14:05,965 for most 386 00:14:06,504 --> 00:14:07,884 businesses out there, 387 00:14:08,345 --> 00:14:09,565 you know, by default, 388 00:14:09,945 --> 00:14:12,664 you're largely gonna be independent unless you're doing 389 00:14:12,664 --> 00:14:13,164 a 390 00:14:13,544 --> 00:14:16,745 legal, finance, some sort of showing you join 391 00:14:16,745 --> 00:14:19,620 some network that has that type of content, 392 00:14:19,679 --> 00:14:21,539 then you may not be as 393 00:14:22,159 --> 00:14:24,000 as independent because you have to follow the 394 00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:26,179 rules of whatever that network has set forth. 395 00:14:26,799 --> 00:14:29,039 And I think too there's the ability to 396 00:14:29,039 --> 00:14:29,539 diversify. 397 00:14:30,399 --> 00:14:32,355 You don't have to run ads. You can 398 00:14:32,355 --> 00:14:35,075 run ads. You can do premium content. You 399 00:14:35,075 --> 00:14:38,434 you really can do whatever you want. Value 400 00:14:38,434 --> 00:14:39,735 for value, you know. 401 00:14:40,514 --> 00:14:42,914 I'm treasure and talent, you know, that whole 402 00:14:42,914 --> 00:14:43,414 thing. 403 00:14:43,875 --> 00:14:45,495 One of the things that you can do 404 00:14:45,554 --> 00:14:48,009 by yourself as opposed to working for a 405 00:14:48,009 --> 00:14:50,509 network or a business or whatever the case, 406 00:14:50,889 --> 00:14:53,769 this allows you to be incredibly creative and 407 00:14:53,769 --> 00:14:55,929 try whatever it is that you want to 408 00:14:55,929 --> 00:14:56,429 monetize. 409 00:14:57,049 --> 00:14:59,209 It can be a little scary if you 410 00:14:59,209 --> 00:15:00,350 don't have that backup 411 00:15:00,985 --> 00:15:03,384 of, you know, whoever is finding this for 412 00:15:03,384 --> 00:15:05,865 you, finding ways to monetize, but it does 413 00:15:05,865 --> 00:15:08,024 mean that you are able to try whatever 414 00:15:08,024 --> 00:15:09,785 it is that you want. Some of the 415 00:15:09,785 --> 00:15:10,764 technical choices 416 00:15:11,225 --> 00:15:12,925 that, can support independence, 417 00:15:13,545 --> 00:15:15,884 and, you know, the technology behind your podcast 418 00:15:16,009 --> 00:15:18,350 plays a huge role in maintaining that independence. 419 00:15:19,049 --> 00:15:20,350 So you wanna make intentional 420 00:15:20,730 --> 00:15:23,929 choices about where and how you, host your 421 00:15:23,929 --> 00:15:24,429 show. 422 00:15:24,809 --> 00:15:26,330 And one of the big things here at 423 00:15:26,330 --> 00:15:29,745 Blueberry is owning your own RSS feed. You 424 00:15:29,745 --> 00:15:32,225 know, don't let a platform control it. Of 425 00:15:32,225 --> 00:15:34,225 course, here at Blueberry, we ensure that you 426 00:15:34,225 --> 00:15:34,884 can always 427 00:15:35,264 --> 00:15:37,105 take your feed with you. So that you 428 00:15:37,105 --> 00:15:39,365 know, that's one of the the biggest things. 429 00:15:39,504 --> 00:15:41,365 I just had one today where 430 00:15:42,370 --> 00:15:45,169 somebody was working with a consultant and, didn't 431 00:15:45,169 --> 00:15:46,769 own all her stuff. And, 432 00:15:47,329 --> 00:15:49,009 so there's a little bit of a fight 433 00:15:49,009 --> 00:15:50,069 going on there, and 434 00:15:50,370 --> 00:15:52,449 and you don't wanna get into that. Make 435 00:15:52,449 --> 00:15:54,449 sure you own the stuff. You you can 436 00:15:54,449 --> 00:15:55,909 hire people to help you, but 437 00:15:56,565 --> 00:15:59,605 you keep control of your RSS feed, your 438 00:15:59,605 --> 00:16:02,504 logins to the different accounts, and so on. 439 00:16:02,804 --> 00:16:04,325 At the same time, I think, you know, 440 00:16:04,325 --> 00:16:06,245 this you know, we've we've pushed this for 441 00:16:06,245 --> 00:16:08,024 years as, you know, having your own domain. 442 00:16:08,820 --> 00:16:09,300 And, 443 00:16:09,620 --> 00:16:12,100 that's ideally with a full site a full 444 00:16:12,100 --> 00:16:13,860 site that we offer, you know, either with 445 00:16:13,860 --> 00:16:15,960 the WordPress or or one of your own. 446 00:16:16,420 --> 00:16:18,420 So, you know, owning your website is super, 447 00:16:18,420 --> 00:16:21,080 super critical to having that origin of content. 448 00:16:21,779 --> 00:16:22,920 But, of course, 449 00:16:24,115 --> 00:16:25,735 you host your media independently, 450 00:16:26,434 --> 00:16:27,714 so you don't have to be on a 451 00:16:27,714 --> 00:16:30,195 platform that inserts ads or or locks your 452 00:16:30,195 --> 00:16:30,695 content. 453 00:16:31,154 --> 00:16:33,554 Hosts like Blueberry, it's your choice on what 454 00:16:33,554 --> 00:16:36,615 you what you participate in and do. 455 00:16:37,110 --> 00:16:39,269 So, you know, we're we're just kinda here 456 00:16:39,269 --> 00:16:41,269 to get that media up, get it hosted, 457 00:16:41,269 --> 00:16:42,409 get it delivered, 458 00:16:42,870 --> 00:16:44,870 but it's your decision then. Okay. Do I 459 00:16:44,870 --> 00:16:47,509 wanna run ads? Do I wanna run Go 460 00:16:47,509 --> 00:16:50,409 Premium? Do I wanna have, programmatic advertising? 461 00:16:51,195 --> 00:16:53,674 You know, we, we don't touch that audio 462 00:16:53,674 --> 00:16:55,134 file. You make that decision, 463 00:16:55,915 --> 00:16:56,415 independently. 464 00:16:57,274 --> 00:16:59,595 We stay a 100% out of your content 465 00:16:59,595 --> 00:17:01,134 unless you ask us to. 466 00:17:01,514 --> 00:17:02,154 And then, 467 00:17:02,795 --> 00:17:04,555 we don't touch your content, but we will 468 00:17:04,555 --> 00:17:06,095 analyze crap out of it. 469 00:17:06,509 --> 00:17:09,250 We will we have a lot of analytics 470 00:17:09,309 --> 00:17:12,109 going on, for your Blueberry stats that are 471 00:17:12,109 --> 00:17:14,609 gonna give you a actual real true picture 472 00:17:14,830 --> 00:17:15,730 of your audience. 473 00:17:16,430 --> 00:17:18,509 And I think one thing that's really important 474 00:17:18,509 --> 00:17:20,450 too of free hosting solutions, 475 00:17:21,045 --> 00:17:22,184 If you're not paying, 476 00:17:23,365 --> 00:17:25,305 you're basically probably the product, 477 00:17:25,684 --> 00:17:27,924 and you may be paying with your content 478 00:17:27,924 --> 00:17:30,884 or audience success. And as we see here 479 00:17:30,884 --> 00:17:31,625 every day, 480 00:17:32,085 --> 00:17:35,365 we graduate podcast into Blueberry that have been 481 00:17:35,365 --> 00:17:38,980 on platforms that either limited their success, limited 482 00:17:39,039 --> 00:17:40,259 the amount of analytics, 483 00:17:41,519 --> 00:17:44,500 limited their freedom to be more diversified. 484 00:17:45,119 --> 00:17:47,700 It just runs the full gamut of decisions. 485 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:49,940 So as we kinda wrap this independent 486 00:17:51,125 --> 00:17:53,524 discussion up of being an independent podcaster, which 487 00:17:53,524 --> 00:17:56,264 I feel in my personal shows I am, 488 00:17:57,044 --> 00:17:58,105 any last thoughts? 489 00:17:58,565 --> 00:18:02,264 Again, just be careful of who you partner 490 00:18:02,325 --> 00:18:02,825 with 491 00:18:03,365 --> 00:18:04,264 for your podcast. 492 00:18:05,125 --> 00:18:05,625 Just, 493 00:18:06,039 --> 00:18:08,380 you know, the the the more you control 494 00:18:08,440 --> 00:18:10,440 yourself. And, yes, it's a little more work. 495 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:12,539 We do our best here to help 496 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:14,759 you, you know, get through the technical stuff, 497 00:18:14,759 --> 00:18:16,519 and then you create the content. You get 498 00:18:16,519 --> 00:18:18,839 to choose what you wanna say, when you 499 00:18:18,839 --> 00:18:20,920 wanna say it, how often you wanna podcast, 500 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:23,294 how long the episodes are. Everything about it 501 00:18:23,294 --> 00:18:24,035 is yours, 502 00:18:24,494 --> 00:18:26,174 and we stay out of your way. My 503 00:18:26,174 --> 00:18:28,755 last thing is there's really no podcast failure. 504 00:18:28,815 --> 00:18:30,255 You know, if you wanna start this up 505 00:18:30,255 --> 00:18:31,714 and remain a 100% 506 00:18:32,414 --> 00:18:34,575 independent and not move on to a big 507 00:18:34,575 --> 00:18:35,714 platform or network, 508 00:18:36,029 --> 00:18:38,590 then that is your choice, and there's there's 509 00:18:38,590 --> 00:18:40,590 really nothing that can go wrong. So that's 510 00:18:40,590 --> 00:18:42,910 a wrap on today's episode. I hope this 511 00:18:42,910 --> 00:18:45,070 gives you some practical ideas to keep your 512 00:18:45,070 --> 00:18:46,369 podcast truly 513 00:18:46,830 --> 00:18:47,330 independent. 514 00:18:48,045 --> 00:18:49,805 And we do want you to remember that 515 00:18:49,805 --> 00:18:52,684 independence isn't just about the technology itself, but 516 00:18:52,684 --> 00:18:54,525 it's about how you build your brand, your 517 00:18:54,525 --> 00:18:57,244 business, and the relationship that you have with 518 00:18:57,244 --> 00:18:57,904 your audiences. 519 00:18:58,285 --> 00:18:59,565 Yeah. Of course. We always have to put 520 00:18:59,565 --> 00:19:01,404 this in here. Don't forget to follow or 521 00:19:01,404 --> 00:19:01,680 subscribe 522 00:19:02,640 --> 00:19:05,519 Podcast Insider. Never miss anything that we put 523 00:19:05,519 --> 00:19:08,000 out here from the Blueberry team. We'll see 524 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:09,680 you next time. Go check us out at 525 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:11,779 podcastinsider.com. 526 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:15,605 Thanks for joining us. Come back next week. 527 00:19:15,605 --> 00:19:19,125 And in the meantime, head to podcastinsider.com 528 00:19:19,125 --> 00:19:20,105 for more information, 529 00:19:20,484 --> 00:19:21,224 to subscribe, 530 00:19:22,085 --> 00:19:24,024 share, and read our show notes. 531 00:19:24,404 --> 00:19:26,424 To check out our latest suite of services 532 00:19:26,644 --> 00:19:29,277 and learn how Blueberry can help you leverage 533 00:19:29,277 --> 00:19:29,430 your 534 00:19:30,309 --> 00:19:32,890 podcast, visit blueberry.com. 535 00:19:32,950 --> 00:19:34,890 That's Blueberry without the e's. 536 00:19:35,190 --> 00:19:36,730 We couldn't afford the e's.