535. Have You Let AI Become Your Voice?
AI is making it easier than ever to create content, but it's also making it harder to sound like yourself. The morning show cast and crew discuss what happens when AI starts to become your voice, why authenticity is becoming more valuable in a sea of automated content, and how creators can stay relevant when everyone has access to the same tools. From podcast discovery and video consumption trends to the role of personal experience in building trust, the conversation keeps coming back to one question: what makes your content uniquely yours? In a world where AI can do more than ever, your perspective may be the one thing it can't replicate.
Episode Highlights:
[01:47] Podcasting by the Numbers
[04:48] Audacity 4 Update
[06:13] Business Bite: Ad Revenue Trends
[09:23] Netflix and Tubi Enter Podcasting
[11:54] Why Podcast Discovery Keeps Getting Harder
[13:46] Do We Really Need Video?
[20:05] Trailers That Convert Listeners
[23:46] When to Update Your Podcast Trailer
[26:24] Trailer Congruency Tips
[27:50] AI Exposed Marketing Work
[29:07] Using AI Without Burnout
[36:19] AI-Flooded SEO Content
[45:29] Disclosure and AI Policy
[49:28] Final Takeaways and Next Show
Links & Resources:
Indie Podcasters: A Roadmap to Your First $500:
https://www.contentcreatorsaccountant.com/blog/indie-podcasters-under-500/
Mike Teaches Audacity: Audacity 4 Training
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCinVymsMw5SfibkbOrdlaXQ
Podcast Index Podcast Statistics:
https://podcastindex.org/apps?appTypes=app
Feature Your Podcast on the Podcasting Morning Show:
https://PodcastingMorningShow.com/spotlight
The Podcasting Morning Show:
www.podcastingmorningshow.com
Ways to Watch or Listen: https://www.podcastingmorningshow.com/joinus/
Meet the PMS Cast and Crew:
https://podcastingmorningshow.com/people
Join The Empowered Podcasting Facebook Group:
www.facebook.com/groups/empoweredpodcasting
Book A Free Call With Marc:
https://calendly.com/ironickmedia/freestrategycall
Application To Submit Your Show For Evaluation:
https://podcastingmorningshow.com/eval
Join us every other Monday at 8 AM ET for the Obsession Worthy Podcasts:
http://podcastingmorningshow.com/owp/
Join us LIVE every weekday morning at 8 am ET (US) on Clubhouse:
https://podcastingmorningshow.com/clubhouse
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Send in your mailbag questions: https://www.podcastingmorningshow.com/contact/ or marc@ironickmedia.com
Want to be a guest on The Podcasting Morning Show? Send me a message on PodMatch, here:
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00:00:04,380 --> 00:00:05,734
Ralph Estep Jr.: Well, good
morning, podcasters.
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00:00:05,734 --> 00:00:09,255
Today is Wednesday, june 10,
2026 and
today we're going
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00:00:09,255 --> 00:00:11,370
deep on the news.
We're talking about what's
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00:00:11,378 --> 00:00:14,148
happening in the world of
podcasting and content creation
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00:00:14,148 --> 00:00:17,272
that every indie creator needs
to hear right now.
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00:00:17,272 --> 00:00:20,110
So, if you
listen to
Clubhouse, hit the share button,
7
00:00:20,110 --> 00:00:22,996
top right-hand
corner of your
screen, and share how the
8
00:00:22,996 --> 00:00:25,610
Clubhouse let you.
If
you want to join us live on
9
00:00:25,700 --> 00:00:30,236
video, you can go to Podcasting
Morning show.com/join us.
10
00:00:30,236 --> 00:00:33,620
And for catching us via podcast,
YouTube, LinkedIn, or anywhere
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00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:36,920
else, please share this episode
with a fellow podcaster.
12
00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:39,780
They'll thank you for it.
Now, give me
about 30 seconds,
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00:00:39,780 --> 00:00:42,286
and we'll get things going.
Thank you so much
for being
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00:00:42,286 --> 00:00:53,228
here today.
Audio Clip: The podcasting
15
00:00:53,236 --> 00:00:56,244
morning show is powered by
Ironick Media, helping
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00:00:56,252 --> 00:01:00,940
podcasters launch, polish, and
grow great shows, and by Content
17
00:01:00,940 --> 00:01:09,580
Creators Accountant, helping
creators build real business
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00:01:09,588 --> 00:01:22,345
behind their content.
Ralph Estep Jr.: Well, good
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00:01:22,353 --> 00:01:23,977
morning again, everybody.
Welcome to the podcasting
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00:01:23,985 --> 00:01:26,227
morning show.
Thank you so much for being
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00:01:26,227 --> 00:01:28,060
here.
As I continue
leading the
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00:01:28,060 --> 00:01:31,593
charge here with Mark away at
camp, doing some
volunteer
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00:01:31,593 --> 00:01:35,953
work, and currently on stage for
me right now we have
DR. Fay
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00:01:35,953 --> 00:01:38,870
and Sid Meadows.
We've also got Dan Schultz, and
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00:01:38,870 --> 00:01:41,428
thank
you for everybody
putting, putting me up with the
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00:01:41,428 --> 00:01:44,500
last
couple days, as I was on
the road, the technology became
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00:01:44,500 --> 00:01:47,386
an
interesting thing, but we
got through it.
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00:01:47,386 --> 00:01:50,938
So, today we're
going to get
into the news, but I want to
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00:01:50,938 --> 00:01:53,500
start by talking about
where
podcasting stands right now.
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00:01:53,500 --> 00:01:56,680
And because context
matters,
these numbers tell a story.
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So, let's take a look at
where
podcasting stands right now, and
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00:02:00,414 --> 00:02:03,715
here are the numbers
from
podcast index this week.
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00:02:03,715 --> 00:02:11,065
So, total podcast into
directory: 4,699,352 and total
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00:02:11,065 --> 00:02:13,373
episodes ever published.
Listen
to this number, I was
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00:02:13,373 --> 00:02:21,889
amazed by this: 162,628,581
average
episodes per show 34.6
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00:02:21,889 --> 00:02:25,779
Now let's talk about active
podcasts.
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00:02:25,779 --> 00:02:29,607
This
is your real competition.
Now here's the numbers that
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00:02:29,607 --> 00:02:34,453
actually
matter to you.
Updated in the last seven days
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00:02:34,453 --> 00:02:41,140
was 199,805
podcast, that's
down 1.6 from the previous week
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00:02:41,140 --> 00:02:46,988
of 203,023 now
update in the
last 30 days was 360,100 That's
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00:02:46,988 --> 00:02:53,941
actually down 3%
from last
month's 371,001 91 So, think
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00:02:53,941 --> 00:02:58,795
about this: out of nearly
4.7
million podcasts, only about
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00:02:58,795 --> 00:03:02,545
200,000 published something in
the last week, that's your real
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00:03:02,545 --> 00:03:07,765
competition, not 4.7 million,
but only about 200,000 and that
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00:03:07,765 --> 00:03:10,960
number is actually going down.
So, if you showed up this week,
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00:03:10,960 --> 00:03:12,994
you're already ahead of most
people.
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00:03:12,994 --> 00:03:16,709
So, let's get right.
DR: Did you see this other stat
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00:03:16,709 --> 00:03:22,258
where it says an average last
month there was a new podcast
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00:03:22,266 --> 00:03:25,660
episode posted every 0.9
seconds.
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00:03:25,660 --> 00:03:29,068
Audio Clip: Wow, that's amazing.
Ralph Estep Jr.: I wonder, how
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many of those are those AI
things that are going out all
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the time?
Audio Clip: That's a good
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00:03:33,348 --> 00:03:35,250
question.
Ralph Estep Jr.: That's a good
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question for sure.
All right, DR. Well, let's get
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00:03:38,047 --> 00:03:43,525
to our top
five for today.
Audio Clip: So, the first chart
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is Apple's top five for science
fiction.
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Okay, science fiction.
So number five is the biome,
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00:03:52,675 --> 00:03:58,660
number four is Welcome to Night
Vale, number three is Last
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00:03:58,660 --> 00:04:04,000
Resort, number two is the No
Sleep podcast, and the number
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00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:09,130
one podcast is Old Gods of
Appalachia.
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Ralph Estep Jr.: Well, that's
great.
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00:04:11,260 --> 00:04:13,096
Audio Clip: Yeah, Ralph Estep
Jr.: now, DR. I
think now
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00:04:13,096 --> 00:04:14,200
they've got another one.
Go ahead.
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Audio Clip: Yeah, the next one
is the top five podcasts from
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Good Pods, and it's the
educational top five.
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So, number five is, and this one
is right
in our wheelhouse
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00:04:27,850 --> 00:04:31,030
here, it's the Profit Podcast,
that's Crystal
Profit.
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Okay, so she has a podcast about
podcasting, same
as we do.
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Number four is the Mel Robbins
podcast, number three is
the
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00:04:39,637 --> 00:04:43,443
stupid history minute and number
two is that's
instinctating as
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number one, like it all Ralph
Estep Jr.: right.
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DR.
Well, let's go on.
DR had some news that she wanted
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to share,
so we're going to go
ahead and go to an announcement.
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Go ahead,
DR. Audio Clip:
Yeah, so as some of
you
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00:04:57,790 --> 00:04:59,640
Audacity users, the editing
program.
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00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:04,117
Audacity, as some of
you know,
there have been like update
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00:05:04,117 --> 00:05:07,865
after update after
update.
They're really, really trying to
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00:05:07,865 --> 00:05:10,865
make it a viable,
editable
DAW.
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00:05:10,865 --> 00:05:15,857
So, if you would like, like a
good look at what
Audacity
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00:05:15,857 --> 00:05:20,195
Four is like, then you want to
tune in to Mike Teaches
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00:05:20,203 --> 00:05:23,815
Audacity, it's a YouTube channel
that's the actual name.
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00:05:23,815 --> 00:05:28,714
Mike
teaches Audacity, and
this is where he gives you Mike
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00:05:28,714 --> 00:05:33,028
Adams
gives you a step-by-step
lesson on how to use this new
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00:05:33,028 --> 00:05:35,765
version,
which is still in
beta, by the way.
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00:05:35,765 --> 00:05:40,078
Mike Adams happens to be
one
of the nicest guys in podcasting
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00:05:40,078 --> 00:05:45,061
that I personally
know, he is
my go-to for anything having to
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00:05:45,061 --> 00:05:49,026
do with
Audacity.
By the way, this new Audacity
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00:05:49,026 --> 00:05:53,785
four, it reminds me a
little
bit more of Hindenburg.
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00:05:54,355 --> 00:05:55,471
Ralph Estep Jr.: Well, that's
interesting.
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00:05:55,471 --> 00:05:59,035
I never used either one.
DR: Well, I'm a heavy Audacity
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00:05:59,043 --> 00:06:02,893
user, and you know, change is
hard, so I'm gonna have a hard
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00:06:02,901 --> 00:06:06,425
time, but I know that I'm gonna
go through Mike Adams' channel,
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00:06:06,425 --> 00:06:09,985
and it's gonna make it a whole
heck of a lot easier for me.
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00:06:10,740 --> 00:06:11,781
Ralph Estep Jr.: Well, that's
fantastic.
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00:06:11,781 --> 00:06:13,224
Nothing wrong with that.
All right.
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Well, let's get
to the
business bite for this week.
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Audio Clip: Quick tip: Smart
Move Content creators business
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bite, Ralph Estep Jr.: all
right.
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00:06:25,523 --> 00:06:27,270
Well, usually Mark introducing
me, so I'm going to introduce
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00:06:27,278 --> 00:06:28,810
myself and get right to the
content today.
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00:06:28,810 --> 00:06:31,788
So, I want to
give you your
business bite for the week, and
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00:06:31,788 --> 00:06:34,132
this one hits
close to home
for a lot of indie podcasters.
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Here's the bite for
today:
podcast ad revenue is at 2.5
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00:06:38,708 --> 00:06:43,740
billion, it's a big number,
so
why is the average indie
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00:06:43,740 --> 00:06:45,805
podcast?
They're still making
under
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00:06:45,805 --> 00:06:49,600
$500 a month, and here's the
number that should stop you
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00:06:49,608 --> 00:06:51,507
cold.
Like I said, podcast advertising
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00:06:51,507 --> 00:06:56,050
2.5 billion, that's
in 2026
Now, the IAB projects another
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00:06:56,050 --> 00:06:59,127
9.6% growth on top of
that
this year.
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00:06:59,127 --> 00:07:02,406
Brands are spending more on
podcast ads
than ever before,
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00:07:02,406 --> 00:07:06,267
but like I said, the average
independent
podcaster still
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00:07:06,267 --> 00:07:09,401
earns under $500 a month.
Now, if you like me,
you're
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00:07:09,401 --> 00:07:12,201
wondering, how's that possible?
Well, let me break
that down.
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00:07:12,201 --> 00:07:15,858
Here's what the ad market
actually looks like in
2026
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00:07:15,858 --> 00:07:19,792
mid-roll ad reads, those are the
ones in the middle of
your
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00:07:19,792 --> 00:07:23,604
show, the gold standard, those
run 25 to $40 CPM.
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00:07:23,604 --> 00:07:28,380
Now,
CPM is cost per 1000.
Now, if you're lucky to be in
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00:07:28,380 --> 00:07:30,911
finance
and business shows,
that can command anywhere from
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00:07:30,911 --> 00:07:33,999
50 to 100
CPM.
Now, if you're thinking about
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00:07:33,999 --> 00:07:35,583
that, you're like, that
sounds
great.
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00:07:35,583 --> 00:07:37,850
It sounds great until you do the
math.
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00:07:37,850 --> 00:07:41,767
Think
about this: a show with
10,000 downloads per episode at
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00:07:41,767 --> 00:07:45,873
$30 CPM
mid roll earns about
$300 per episode.
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00:07:45,873 --> 00:07:49,999
That's from one time
slot.
Here's the issue: most indie
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podcasters aren't at
10,000
downloads, and most ad networks
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00:07:53,952 --> 00:07:58,207
won't even look at you
until
you hit 5000 to 10,000 So then
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00:07:58,207 --> 00:08:00,900
we pivot into these
programmatic ads, the ones
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00:08:00,900 --> 00:08:02,970
smaller shows can actually get.
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00:08:02,978 --> 00:08:08,128
Here's the problem with those:
the CPM for those are $3 to $15
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00:08:08,128 --> 00:08:10,808
not 30.
So, here's the business lesson:
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00:08:10,808 --> 00:08:15,506
the ad money is real,
but it
flows to shows with scale, not
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00:08:15,506 --> 00:08:18,780
shows with passion.
So, what does that mean for you
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00:08:18,780 --> 00:08:21,643
as an indie creator?
It means
that ads are probably
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00:08:21,643 --> 00:08:24,645
not your first revenue stream,
as we
talked about on Monday.
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00:08:24,645 --> 00:08:28,782
It means direct monetization,
your own
products, your own
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00:08:28,782 --> 00:08:32,052
services, coaching, consulting,
your
memberships is where the
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00:08:32,052 --> 00:08:34,880
real money is for shows at your
stage.
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00:08:34,880 --> 00:08:39,885
A show with 500 loyal listeners
and a $500 coaching
officer
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00:08:39,885 --> 00:08:45,055
offer can earn up to 550 1000
downloads, and programming
ads
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00:08:45,055 --> 00:08:48,655
can actually make money.
If you think about it, the
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00:08:48,655 --> 00:08:50,700
industry
in general is chasing
scale.
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00:08:50,700 --> 00:08:53,970
Your edge as an indie
do-it-yourself podcaster is
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00:08:53,970 --> 00:08:55,524
depth.
So, let's talk about it.
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00:08:55,532 --> 00:08:59,050
Have you ever tried to land a
sponsor and hit a download count
145
00:08:59,050 --> 00:09:00,725
wall?
Does anybody want to comment
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00:09:00,725 --> 00:09:03,660
about that in the chat?
Have you ever tried to land a
147
00:09:03,660 --> 00:09:06,279
sponsor and hit that brick wall?
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00:09:06,287 --> 00:09:09,163
Does anybody want to comment on
that?
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00:09:09,163 --> 00:09:11,838
Well, anyway, we can get
right
back into today's news.
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00:09:11,838 --> 00:09:15,461
So that is your business bite
for
today, and DR. If you want
151
00:09:15,461 --> 00:09:23,655
to handle the next one, let me
hit
the news music here, I
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00:09:23,655 --> 00:09:27,495
Audio Clip: Edison Research says
Netflix and Tubi are already
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00:09:27,495 --> 00:09:31,080
showing up as podcast
destinations, but the numbers
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00:09:31,080 --> 00:09:33,582
are still early and a little bit
uneven.
155
00:09:33,582 --> 00:09:38,190
Now, in the first quarter of
2026 Edison added
both the
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00:09:38,190 --> 00:09:42,852
platforms to its podcast service
tracking among
weekly US
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00:09:42,852 --> 00:09:47,382
podcast consumers age 13 and
older. 14% said that
they'd
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00:09:47,382 --> 00:09:51,316
used Netflix to consume
podcasts, while only 4% said the
159
00:09:51,316 --> 00:09:55,231
same about Tubi.
And just as an aside, I went on
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00:09:55,231 --> 00:09:58,679
to be looking
for podcasts,
and I could not find them
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00:09:58,679 --> 00:09:59,555
anywhere.
I found.
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00:09:59,555 --> 00:10:03,495
All
over the place on Netflix,
Netflix couldn't find them on
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00:10:03,503 --> 00:10:05,775
duty.
Okay, those numbers are notable,
164
00:10:05,775 --> 00:10:10,095
but let's not start
printing
Netflix kill podcasting mugs
165
00:10:10,095 --> 00:10:12,975
just yet.
YouTube and
Spotify still
166
00:10:12,975 --> 00:10:18,989
dominate this space with 64% and
42%
respectively saying that
167
00:10:18,989 --> 00:10:23,310
these used those platforms for
podcast
consumption.
168
00:10:23,310 --> 00:10:29,108
The bigger story is that video
streamers are no
longer just
169
00:10:29,108 --> 00:10:33,084
flirting with podcasts, they're
buying it,
making deals, and
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00:10:33,084 --> 00:10:36,855
trying to turn podcast audiences
into platform
audiences.
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00:10:36,855 --> 00:10:41,556
So, some of the highlighted
points is Netflix
has already
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00:10:41,556 --> 00:10:45,560
made major podcast moves,
including a deal tied to
Jay
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00:10:45,560 --> 00:10:49,221
Shetties on purpose.
To be has lined up podcast
174
00:10:49,221 --> 00:10:53,665
content
through deals with
Audio Chuck and Sirius XM, and
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00:10:53,665 --> 00:10:58,279
Edison says
that the second
quarter of 2026 results will
176
00:10:58,279 --> 00:11:02,935
show whether these
early
numbers grow as more platform
177
00:11:02,935 --> 00:11:06,252
deals roll out.
I still
couldn't find anything
178
00:11:06,252 --> 00:11:08,894
on Tubi.
Have you, have you tried to look
179
00:11:08,894 --> 00:11:11,027
on Tubi for podcasts?
Ralph Estep Jr.: I have not, but
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00:11:11,027 --> 00:11:13,658
I didn't even know what to be
was until you put this in the
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00:11:13,666 --> 00:11:16,986
notes today.
Audio Clip: Oh, I like tubi.. to
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00:11:16,986 --> 00:11:19,140
be.. is like, are you familiar
with Pluto?
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00:11:19,740 --> 00:11:21,030
Ralph Estep Jr.: No, I'm not
familiar with that one either.
184
00:11:21,030 --> 00:11:23,323
Actually, Audio Clip: oh, I'm
sorry.
185
00:11:23,323 --> 00:11:28,125
There
are free services that
have a lot of shows on them, and
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00:11:28,125 --> 00:11:31,901
Tubi
has really updated itself
from when it first started, and,
187
00:11:31,901 --> 00:11:36,309
but,
like I said, I'm having a
hard time finding podcasts on
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00:11:36,309 --> 00:11:39,915
Tubi,
and oh, oh, big news,
everyone!
189
00:11:39,915 --> 00:11:43,995
I finally put down the money to
make a paid version of YouTube.
190
00:11:43,995 --> 00:11:47,094
I finally did it.
I took a look
at some of my
191
00:11:47,094 --> 00:11:51,150
subscriptions, I let go of some,
and I gained
YouTube.
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00:11:51,180 --> 00:11:53,778
Ralph Estep Jr.: Good job, DR.
That's fantastic.
193
00:11:53,778 --> 00:12:00,621
Well, let's go ahead and move
into our next
news segment.
194
00:12:00,621 --> 00:12:06,846
This one says podcast discovery
is now a full
time job, video
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00:12:06,846 --> 00:12:09,825
podcasting is giving creators
more places to
be seen, but
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00:12:09,825 --> 00:12:11,745
it's also making discovery more
complicated.
197
00:12:11,745 --> 00:12:14,605
Now,
this is a Reuters
Institute report, says
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00:12:14,605 --> 00:12:17,761
publishers are
moving more
shows on the platforms like
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00:12:17,761 --> 00:12:21,480
YouTube, Spotify,
Apple,
Netflix's audience spend more
200
00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:24,240
time watching podcasts, not
just listening to them.
201
00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:27,528
The shift is opening new doors
for
reach and revenue, but it
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00:12:27,528 --> 00:12:31,095
also means creators now have to
think
like podcasters, video
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00:12:31,095 --> 00:12:35,190
producers, social teams, and
yes, platform strategists all at
204
00:12:35,190 --> 00:12:36,180
once.
Delightful.
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00:12:36,180 --> 00:12:39,918
Another hat
for the already
exhausted creator closet.
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00:12:39,918 --> 00:12:43,778
Now, why this
matters.
Podcast growth is no longer just
207
00:12:43,778 --> 00:12:46,530
about getting into
Apple
Podcast or Spotify.
208
00:12:46,530 --> 00:12:50,340
Discovering discovery is
becoming more platform specific,
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00:12:50,340 --> 00:12:52,650
which means creators may need
different strategies for
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00:12:52,650 --> 00:12:57,255
YouTube, for clips, for
connected TVs, audio apps,
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00:12:57,285 --> 00:13:00,735
newsletters, and even search.
Now, here's some highlights from
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00:13:00,735 --> 00:13:02,929
this story.
The move towards
video is
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00:13:02,929 --> 00:13:04,930
strongest for conversational
stories, and you
think about
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00:13:04,930 --> 00:13:08,435
it, that makes a lot of sense,
especially
personality-led
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00:13:08,435 --> 00:13:10,785
formats.
Those narrative and documentary
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00:13:10,785 --> 00:13:13,719
podcasts are harder to
translate into video without
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00:13:13,719 --> 00:13:17,111
losing what
makes them work.
Now, video can help build
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00:13:17,111 --> 00:13:19,868
stronger
host-audience
connection, but it also raises
219
00:13:19,868 --> 00:13:22,920
production costs,
and
publishers are looking beyond
220
00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:26,319
ads, including
memberships,
events, merchandise, and bonus
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00:13:26,319 --> 00:13:28,980
content.
Now, if you'd like to comment on
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00:13:28,980 --> 00:13:33,270
any of these, please put a one
in the chat on Clubhouse, and I
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00:13:33,270 --> 00:13:35,760
will be happy to bring you up on
stage, and you can make a
224
00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:37,900
comment.
But here's my question
for the
225
00:13:37,900 --> 00:13:41,375
room: Does video make you feel
more connected to a
host, or
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00:13:41,375 --> 00:13:43,518
does it change the feel of the
show?
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00:13:43,518 --> 00:13:46,227
I really think
that's what we
need to decide on today.
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00:13:46,227 --> 00:13:50,055
So, go ahead, Dan.
Dan: Yeah, you know, the thing
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00:13:50,063 --> 00:13:53,235
about being connected to the
host, I truly, honestly think
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00:13:53,243 --> 00:13:57,600
audio is always going to be
having the win when it comes to
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00:13:57,600 --> 00:14:01,926
being connected, because it is
just so intimate and video, it's
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00:14:01,926 --> 00:14:06,528
neat because you can see the
people, but like right now, like
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00:14:06,528 --> 00:14:09,298
I've noticed even with you,
Ralph, like during the last
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00:14:09,306 --> 00:14:11,960
couple days, because obviously
we've been having some technical
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00:14:11,960 --> 00:14:15,828
issues here and there, and on
the video stream I could watch
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00:14:15,836 --> 00:14:20,090
you and I could tell, like, oh,
you know, Ralph is in the mode
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00:14:20,098 --> 00:14:22,790
where he's juggling too many
things here, trying to make the
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00:14:22,790 --> 00:14:26,640
show work right, so you're not,
and this is no cut to you,
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00:14:26,648 --> 00:14:29,990
because this is literally how
anyone, you know, the most
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00:14:29,998 --> 00:14:33,710
famous newscaster in the world
would be acting like that if
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00:14:33,718 --> 00:14:36,690
during his live show things were
not working and you couldn't
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00:14:36,698 --> 00:14:39,568
hear people and there was an
echo, and you know what I mean,
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00:14:39,568 --> 00:14:42,935
like, but on audio you can't
hear it, and it just.. that's
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00:14:42,943 --> 00:14:46,600
where the intimacy, I think,
happens with longer term audio.
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00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:48,970
That's just when we were talking
246
00:14:49,030 --> 00:14:52,450
about a little bit about
enhancement or engagement, and
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00:14:52,510 --> 00:14:54,574
you know, kind of connecting
with your audience.
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00:14:54,574 --> 00:14:57,952
The one thing I wanted to kind
of bring
up about this whole
249
00:14:57,952 --> 00:15:00,144
thing about discovery being a
full-time.
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00:15:00,152 --> 00:15:04,488
Job, I'd say about three seasons
ago, four seasons ago on our
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00:15:04,496 --> 00:15:09,682
podcast, we had a smallish team,
and one of the jobs - I wouldn't
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00:15:09,682 --> 00:15:13,340
say full time, but it was a
pretty big part of her job - was
253
00:15:13,340 --> 00:15:16,530
our one of our team members
was all about discovery, and I
254
00:15:16,530 --> 00:15:20,675
would
end up having to work
with her quite a bit, so it was
255
00:15:20,675 --> 00:15:24,704
like two
of us doing it, and I
noticed that our numbers kept
256
00:15:24,704 --> 00:15:28,932
going down
and down and down,
and I'm like, well, why are they
257
00:15:28,932 --> 00:15:32,798
going down,
why aren't they
going up, and finally I came to
258
00:15:32,798 --> 00:15:37,388
the
realization that the more
time I'm dicking around with
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00:15:37,396 --> 00:15:41,865
discovery and her helping her do
her thing, and me trying to
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00:15:41,873 --> 00:15:44,672
figure out how the different,
you know, channels work.
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00:15:44,672 --> 00:15:49,890
I was
not spending time on the
show, and as soon as we just did
262
00:15:49,890 --> 00:15:52,622
away
with that, and we made
our team smaller, and I just
263
00:15:52,622 --> 00:15:55,465
thought,
well, me and my
co-host can do all this stuff.
264
00:15:55,465 --> 00:15:59,919
Our numbers
started to go up
week after week after week, and
265
00:15:59,919 --> 00:16:02,866
then we just
double down
without, wow, if I can actually
266
00:16:02,866 --> 00:16:05,948
spend more time
doing this, so
I stopped doing a couple social
267
00:16:05,948 --> 00:16:09,578
media things,
still focused
primarily on one channel, one
268
00:16:09,578 --> 00:16:13,367
social media
channel.
Now our numbers are like
269
00:16:13,367 --> 00:16:18,134
drastically moving up, and
you
know, it's we are primarily an
270
00:16:18,134 --> 00:16:21,890
audio first podcast, but I do
record a video, have it ready.
271
00:16:21,980 --> 00:16:26,060
We're using our video for more
of a Patreon type of thing to
272
00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:29,090
get people into Patreon, but I
don't know, that's my take on
273
00:16:29,810 --> 00:16:30,560
it.
What are your thoughts?
274
00:16:31,370 --> 00:16:31,967
Ralph Estep Jr.: Thank you, Dan.
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00:16:31,975 --> 00:16:33,800
Oh, I think that's a very good
point, and I want to say
276
00:16:33,808 --> 00:16:35,624
something that Tim put in the
chat.
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00:16:35,624 --> 00:16:37,976
He says, first, he says
Netflix podcast sucks.
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00:16:37,976 --> 00:16:40,702
Well, that's a very strong
statement,
but I think that's
279
00:16:40,702 --> 00:16:42,580
fine, John.
I was listening to John's show
280
00:16:42,588 --> 00:16:45,790
this morning to record on
Monday, and he was talking about
281
00:16:45,790 --> 00:16:48,934
moving back to Apple Podcasts,
and I thought that was really
282
00:16:48,942 --> 00:16:50,630
interesting.
And the other thing that Tim
283
00:16:50,630 --> 00:16:53,960
said is it changes the
feel.
Most of my podcast listening is
284
00:16:53,960 --> 00:16:56,432
audio only.
A video
makes me feel like the
285
00:16:56,432 --> 00:16:59,817
host is playing to the camera
and not
talking to me.
286
00:16:59,817 --> 00:17:01,495
I thought that was really
interesting thought.
287
00:17:01,503 --> 00:17:03,780
Does anybody else want to
comment on this particular news
288
00:17:03,780 --> 00:17:05,864
story?
But Dan, I think you're right on
289
00:17:05,864 --> 00:17:07,800
point.
I think there is
an intimacy
290
00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:10,704
to the audio that it looks like
John wants to join us
on
291
00:17:10,704 --> 00:17:12,791
stage.
Let me go ahead and John, did
292
00:17:12,791 --> 00:17:13,920
you want to go ahead
and make
a comment?
293
00:17:14,789 --> 00:17:17,839
John: Yeah, so I have a love
hate with video.
294
00:17:17,839 --> 00:17:21,476
Video's harder.
The reason that I do video is
295
00:17:21,483 --> 00:17:23,545
for the audience interaction,
like right now.
296
00:17:23,545 --> 00:17:26,112
I wake up in the
morning, I
come listen to you guys.
297
00:17:26,112 --> 00:17:30,729
If I go back and I miss it
in
the morning, I listen to it as a
298
00:17:30,729 --> 00:17:33,109
podcast.
I don't go watch
the video,
299
00:17:33,109 --> 00:17:38,137
because I'm sorry, guys, video
doesn't add anything
to the
300
00:17:38,137 --> 00:17:41,463
program.
Watching you two guys, or all
301
00:17:41,463 --> 00:17:44,142
you on the screen,
doesn't add
anything to it.
302
00:17:44,142 --> 00:17:48,177
It so to me, I listen to
podcasts
in the car, or while
303
00:17:48,177 --> 00:17:51,969
I'm doing something else, and I
understand
that people think
304
00:17:51,969 --> 00:17:55,425
that this is, and kids watch
stuff today, but
I still think
305
00:17:55,425 --> 00:17:58,005
they put it in their pocket and
walk around,
and the reason
306
00:17:58,005 --> 00:18:00,545
that they're watching or using
YouTube is
because it's the
307
00:18:00,545 --> 00:18:03,214
only thing they know, it like
the olds with
Facebook.
308
00:18:03,214 --> 00:18:05,531
All the old people are on
Facebook because they don't
309
00:18:05,539 --> 00:18:08,369
know how to go anywhere else.
Ralph Estep Jr.: I think that's
310
00:18:08,369 --> 00:18:10,785
a very good point, my friend.
Dan: Can I comment on that?
311
00:18:10,793 --> 00:18:12,210
Because I, John, it's really
funny.
312
00:18:12,480 --> 00:18:15,056
DR: Did you just wait a minute?
313
00:18:15,064 --> 00:18:18,000
Did you just label us as the
olds?
314
00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:21,170
John: I'm part of it.
Yeah, I'm
the olds too.
315
00:18:21,170 --> 00:18:26,073
And my podcast is my podcast is
marketed to the
olds and the
316
00:18:26,073 --> 00:18:28,970
problem is they're all over on
Facebook.
317
00:18:29,450 --> 00:18:30,695
Audio Clip: I like the label,
though.
318
00:18:30,695 --> 00:18:35,030
I think I don't mind boomer, but
the old sure I like
that.
319
00:18:35,839 --> 00:18:40,309
Dan: I was gonna say real quick
what it's funny what John just
320
00:18:40,369 --> 00:18:43,822
said about like most people, he
thinks I kind of think this
321
00:18:43,822 --> 00:18:45,869
too.
People listening on YouTube or
322
00:18:45,877 --> 00:18:49,647
video are put the phone in their
pocket and walk around and are
323
00:18:49,655 --> 00:18:52,834
listening to audio, because
that's one of the true awesome
324
00:18:52,842 --> 00:18:56,974
things about podcasting, is that
you can multitask, and with
325
00:18:56,982 --> 00:18:59,884
video you really can't
multitask, you know, it's a
326
00:18:59,892 --> 00:19:03,473
design to sit there and keep
your eyes on the screen, but so
327
00:19:03,473 --> 00:19:07,814
I actually do agree with you,
John, about that, but I do think
328
00:19:07,814 --> 00:19:12,121
it's funny, like when somebody
on a podcast that I'm doing that
329
00:19:12,121 --> 00:19:16,454
with, and all of a sudden I
hear a stupid, you know, some
330
00:19:16,454 --> 00:19:20,707
kind of
thing that a noise,
like a sweeper noise, that pops
331
00:19:20,707 --> 00:19:25,179
up and
I get mad because it's
like, let me stop, pull my phone
332
00:19:25,179 --> 00:19:28,843
out, and
look at the screen,
just in case somebody put a
333
00:19:28,843 --> 00:19:32,929
graphic or an
overlay up that
I'm supposed to pay attention
334
00:19:32,929 --> 00:19:36,939
to, and it's like
you could
have just done that audio wise
335
00:19:36,939 --> 00:19:41,227
and like just be a
better
communicator and explain what
336
00:19:41,227 --> 00:19:43,842
the thing is that I'm
supposed
to look at, and then at that
337
00:19:43,842 --> 00:19:47,109
point I'm thinking, like,
why
are we spending so much time on
338
00:19:47,109 --> 00:19:48,820
video?
Ralph Estep Jr.: I think that's
339
00:19:48,820 --> 00:19:50,515
a legitimate point.
Dan, no, I think that's a
340
00:19:50,515 --> 00:19:52,990
legitimate point.
You know, I gotta play it, you
341
00:19:52,990 --> 00:19:55,960
know, because the truth is,
sometimes words are hard in the
342
00:19:56,050 --> 00:19:58,183
morning, and I just have to find
it here.
343
00:19:58,183 --> 00:20:00,678
There Audio Clip: it is.
Words are
hard in the.
344
00:20:00,678 --> 00:20:02,819
Morning.
Did I say that out loud?
345
00:20:03,759 --> 00:20:06,052
Ralph Estep Jr.: So I played it
for myself.
346
00:20:06,052 --> 00:20:10,160
Well, DR. we're gonna go on to
the next story,
if you'd like.
347
00:20:10,290 --> 00:20:14,874
Audio Clip: Sure.
Okay, I like
this story.
348
00:20:14,874 --> 00:20:19,664
Okay, the new Coleman Insight
Study, and
that's an
349
00:20:19,664 --> 00:20:23,024
organization that I have not
heard of before, but
the new
350
00:20:23,024 --> 00:20:26,540
Coleman Insight study says that
podcast trailers are
more
351
00:20:26,540 --> 00:20:31,025
likely to make people listen
when they sound clear,
352
00:20:31,033 --> 00:20:34,602
energetic, and authentic.
The research tested different
353
00:20:34,610 --> 00:20:39,036
trailer versions from four
shows, including Super Fan
354
00:20:39,044 --> 00:20:44,228
Diaries, Binge or cringe high
rollers and better than
355
00:20:44,236 --> 00:20:47,020
yesterday with 500 US podcast
listeners.
356
00:20:47,020 --> 00:20:51,340
The big takeaway is
not
exactly shocking, but still
357
00:20:51,460 --> 00:20:54,010
useful.
Listeners respond better
when
358
00:20:54,010 --> 00:20:59,654
a trailer quickly explains what
the show is, sounds like
the
359
00:20:59,654 --> 00:21:03,935
actual host or show, and gives
them a real reason to
care.
360
00:21:03,935 --> 00:21:07,757
In other words, a trailer should
not sound like a vague
movie
361
00:21:07,757 --> 00:21:10,982
promo written by a committee
tripped, trapped,
sorry,
362
00:21:10,982 --> 00:21:15,564
trapped in a conference room.
Now this matters, because
for
363
00:21:15,564 --> 00:21:19,346
creators, trailers are not
throwaway content, they are
364
00:21:19,354 --> 00:21:22,716
often a listener's first
impression, and this study
365
00:21:22,724 --> 00:21:26,675
suggests that clarity and
personality may matter more than
366
00:21:26,675 --> 00:21:31,232
slick production alone.
So, the highlighted points are
367
00:21:31,232 --> 00:21:35,540
the study
compared multiple
trailer styles across four
368
00:21:35,540 --> 00:21:38,480
different shows.
Listeners were asked what they
369
00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:43,090
remembered, and whether they
intended to listen, and hosted
370
00:21:43,750 --> 00:21:47,800
and authentic sounding trailers
appeared to create stronger
371
00:21:47,950 --> 00:21:52,057
interest and clear topic framing
helped listeners understand
372
00:21:52,057 --> 00:21:55,138
the show faster.
So, here's my
question: When
373
00:21:55,138 --> 00:21:59,080
you hear a trailer, what makes
you want to
keep listening?
374
00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:01,090
Ralph Estep Jr.: I think that's
a great question.
375
00:22:01,090 --> 00:22:04,336
What does everybody think?
Does anyone a
comment on DR.
376
00:22:04,336 --> 00:22:06,303
question?
Because what makes a trailer
377
00:22:06,303 --> 00:22:08,763
effective
for where you
actually want to listen?
378
00:22:08,763 --> 00:22:12,011
I can speak for myself.
I know if it's something that is
379
00:22:12,066 --> 00:22:14,815
engaging to me, if it's
something I have a genuine
380
00:22:14,870 --> 00:22:18,155
interest in, and to me I really
need them to sort of set a
381
00:22:18,155 --> 00:22:20,474
table for something that I don't
already know.
382
00:22:20,474 --> 00:22:22,938
So I think that's something that
works for me.
383
00:22:22,938 --> 00:22:25,681
I
know I see Yvonne put in the
chat here.
384
00:22:25,681 --> 00:22:27,759
I really don't listen
to
trailers.
385
00:22:27,759 --> 00:22:30,276
It's interesting, DR. because
I'm running an
experiment
386
00:22:30,276 --> 00:22:33,964
right now on my daily show.
I decided to do an ad buy
on
387
00:22:33,964 --> 00:22:36,919
Player FM, and rather than
posting a particular episode, I
388
00:22:36,919 --> 00:22:40,538
actually posted the trailer as
the episode, and the people from
389
00:22:40,538 --> 00:22:43,642
Player FM actually called me.
They're like, 'Wait a minute,
390
00:22:43,650 --> 00:22:46,850
nobody ever does this.
I said, 'Well, let's try it out,
391
00:22:46,850 --> 00:22:49,098
because
I think it would be
really effective.
392
00:22:49,098 --> 00:22:51,820
And it has been
amazing.
I am going really..
393
00:22:51,910 --> 00:22:53,834
Audio Clip: how long is it?
Can
I ask, how long is the
394
00:22:53,834 --> 00:22:55,648
length of it?
Ralph Estep Jr.: Yeah, it's the
395
00:22:55,648 --> 00:22:58,774
trailer is about one minute 30
seconds, and it's what's
396
00:22:58,782 --> 00:23:02,370
interesting is I thought, well,
this may just generate people
397
00:23:02,378 --> 00:23:06,054
listening to the trailer, but
what it's actually done is it's
398
00:23:06,054 --> 00:23:09,792
taken my downloads and five
times them in the last four
399
00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:14,865
within this is an ad by I did
from june 1 to june 15, and the
400
00:23:14,865 --> 00:23:18,408
numbers have been amazing.
A show that usually gets a small
401
00:23:18,408 --> 00:23:21,970
number was is now getting five
times that, and I thought, well,
402
00:23:21,970 --> 00:23:25,155
this would be interesting, if
because if the ad is only
403
00:23:25,163 --> 00:23:27,030
playing the trailer, then I
would say, well, that shouldn't
404
00:23:27,030 --> 00:23:29,925
dictate to the rest of the show
episodes, but it's not doing
405
00:23:29,933 --> 00:23:33,500
that, it's actually going out to
other episodes, so that's where
406
00:23:33,500 --> 00:23:36,870
I think effectively your
trailer works really well, and I
407
00:23:36,870 --> 00:23:39,748
see
Yvonne put here as an ad,
but I think the trailer makes
408
00:23:39,748 --> 00:23:40,958
great
sense.
Thank you, Yvonne.
409
00:23:40,958 --> 00:23:44,374
Does anybody else want to
comment on
this news story
410
00:23:44,374 --> 00:23:46,390
before we move on to the next
one?
411
00:23:47,050 --> 00:23:49,240
Audio Clip: Well, so the other
question about the trailers is,
412
00:23:49,390 --> 00:23:54,370
should a creator update their
trailer every year or only when
413
00:23:55,150 --> 00:23:58,285
the show changes?
Ralph Estep Jr.: Another great
414
00:23:58,293 --> 00:23:59,329
question.
Go ahead, Dan.
415
00:23:59,329 --> 00:24:03,270
Okay, Dan: so I know a ton about
trailers, because it's another
416
00:24:03,390 --> 00:24:06,600
thing that I actively like
changed, and as soon as I
417
00:24:06,720 --> 00:24:11,100
changed my, you know, we don't
get access to a lot of stats, as
418
00:24:11,160 --> 00:24:13,920
everyone knows in podcasting,
but when I looked at my Spotify
419
00:24:14,190 --> 00:24:17,700
Discovery Funnel, as soon as I
made this change in my trailer,
420
00:24:17,850 --> 00:24:20,990
like literally the day I made
the change in the trailer, it
421
00:24:21,170 --> 00:24:25,310
moved up my intent to listen, or
no, not the intent to listen,
422
00:24:25,550 --> 00:24:27,800
whatever the second part of the
funnel, like the people who
423
00:24:27,860 --> 00:24:32,315
actually saw my branding and the
thumbnail that actually
424
00:24:32,315 --> 00:24:36,896
listened and didn't bounce right
away,
was because I redid the
425
00:24:36,896 --> 00:24:40,308
trailer, number one, I do it for
each
season of our show, so
426
00:24:40,308 --> 00:24:43,620
whenever our show does a major
change, I
definitely change
427
00:24:43,620 --> 00:24:46,450
it, but ironically, it's mostly
the
same.
428
00:24:46,450 --> 00:24:51,330
I just changed one minor thing.
So, what the purpose of
the
429
00:24:51,330 --> 00:24:55,145
trailer is, I mean, if you're a
new show, it's how you
set up
430
00:24:55,145 --> 00:24:57,814
your podcast to get found in
the, you know, in the
431
00:24:57,822 --> 00:25:00,168
directories and everything you
want to have, you're.
432
00:25:00,168 --> 00:25:03,855
Trailer,
there, so the RSS
feed is built, and it's just
433
00:25:03,855 --> 00:25:08,082
there, but when
you have a
running show, like our show just
434
00:25:08,082 --> 00:25:12,510
started season 11
yesterday,
and what the trailer has to do,
435
00:25:12,510 --> 00:25:15,628
it's kind of a.. it's
in
advertising and marketing, it's
436
00:25:15,628 --> 00:25:19,668
all about congruency, so
when
you see an ad for something, you
437
00:25:19,668 --> 00:25:22,306
want to click the
ad, and you
don't want to freak people out.
438
00:25:22,306 --> 00:25:25,502
People click the ad,
and when
they land at your landing page,
439
00:25:25,502 --> 00:25:28,322
everything has to
be
congruent, or they're going to
440
00:25:28,322 --> 00:25:29,834
leave.
It doesn't matter if
you're
441
00:25:29,834 --> 00:25:33,210
selling t-shirts to grandmas or
you're to the
oldies, or, or
442
00:25:33,210 --> 00:25:37,814
if you have a podcast.
If you have a, if you
have a
443
00:25:37,814 --> 00:25:41,968
podcast, and the trailer sounds
like x, and then they
listen
444
00:25:41,968 --> 00:25:45,589
to the show, and the show sounds
like Y.
445
00:25:45,589 --> 00:25:50,368
That's a major
problem.
So our show, it's a banned book
446
00:25:50,368 --> 00:25:53,208
podcast where we
actually read
the banned books out loud, and
447
00:25:53,208 --> 00:25:55,552
then try to figure
out why
they were banned in the first
448
00:25:55,552 --> 00:25:58,286
place.
So we have a lot of
moving
449
00:25:58,286 --> 00:26:02,014
parts with our podcast.
So what our trailer does is
450
00:26:02,022 --> 00:26:04,956
explain what they're gonna get,
you know.
451
00:26:04,956 --> 00:26:07,692
We kind of explain it.
I do it like in a minute.
452
00:26:07,692 --> 00:26:11,098
It doesn't take all that long,
but
you just want to make sure
453
00:26:11,098 --> 00:26:14,481
that there's no, like,
everything
sounds the same.
454
00:26:14,481 --> 00:26:17,775
So this season we're reading The
Handmaid's
Tale.
455
00:26:17,775 --> 00:26:22,379
So the trailer that I'm just
putting up today is going
to
456
00:26:22,379 --> 00:26:25,622
be like, hey, we're Bandcamp, or
a comedy podcast, where we
457
00:26:25,630 --> 00:26:28,670
read band books out loud, try to
figure out why they were banned
458
00:26:28,670 --> 00:26:31,151
in the first place.
This season, we're reading The
459
00:26:31,151 --> 00:26:33,821
Handmaid's
Tale.
It's a really dark book, and
460
00:26:33,821 --> 00:26:36,130
we're a comedy show.
I'm not
exactly sure how it's
461
00:26:36,130 --> 00:26:39,332
going to work out, but you're
going to
hear us bumbling
462
00:26:39,332 --> 00:26:42,324
through it, because we've never
read the
book before, find us,
463
00:26:42,324 --> 00:26:45,334
you know, at blah blah blah.com
every
Tuesday and Thursday,
464
00:26:45,334 --> 00:26:48,446
blah blah blah, you know, like
you have,
and then it sounds
465
00:26:48,446 --> 00:26:51,794
like our show, like we're kind
of
bumbling through the
466
00:26:51,794 --> 00:26:55,144
trailer too, in a way, Audio
Clip: right, Dan: and it's all
467
00:26:55,144 --> 00:26:58,432
about
congruency, and then the
only thing we, you ask, like,
468
00:26:58,432 --> 00:27:01,759
should
you change it every
season or whenever your show
469
00:27:01,759 --> 00:27:05,464
changes,
exactly, you know,
next season or last season, it
470
00:27:05,464 --> 00:27:08,486
was basically
the same thing
with different music that
471
00:27:08,486 --> 00:27:11,955
matches our current
theme, and
we just said we're a comedy
472
00:27:11,955 --> 00:27:15,308
podcast where we read
blah
blah blah, this season we're
473
00:27:15,308 --> 00:27:18,824
reading The Catcher in the
Rye, right, so it's just like a
474
00:27:18,883 --> 00:27:22,396
different thing, but it's more
of a, here's how our podcast
475
00:27:22,455 --> 00:27:24,159
works.
Here's the kind of thing
476
00:27:24,167 --> 00:27:28,025
you're going to get out of it,
and here is the audience that
477
00:27:28,033 --> 00:27:30,776
should be listening to it.
Ralph Estep Jr.: So, let's go
478
00:27:30,784 --> 00:27:32,636
ahead and move on to our next
story.
479
00:27:32,636 --> 00:27:35,466
Words are hard in the
morning,
aren't they?
480
00:27:35,466 --> 00:27:38,927
Don't play that one.
All right, and our
next story
481
00:27:38,927 --> 00:27:42,274
is podcast metrics are getting a
reality check
finally, and
482
00:27:42,274 --> 00:27:46,661
that is a story that we're going
to skip,
because we covered it
483
00:27:46,661 --> 00:27:49,586
last time.
I told you I am off my game
484
00:27:49,594 --> 00:27:51,647
today.
Well, let's get into this next
485
00:27:51,647 --> 00:27:55,242
story, and it is your great
content isn't enough anymore,
486
00:27:55,305 --> 00:27:59,068
and that's actually good news.
And here's the headline: MIT
487
00:27:59,132 --> 00:28:01,950
says 65% of marketing work is
now AI exposed.
488
00:28:01,950 --> 00:28:06,098
Now, for podcasters and content
creators,
that's not a death
489
00:28:06,098 --> 00:28:08,101
sentence, it's actually a
filter.
490
00:28:08,101 --> 00:28:11,551
The
shows cutting through
right now aren't the most
491
00:28:11,551 --> 00:28:15,001
polished or
prolific, they're
the ones only one specific
492
00:28:15,001 --> 00:28:18,010
person could make.
They're the ones about your
493
00:28:18,074 --> 00:28:21,748
opinion, your voice, your actual
lived experience, and Google
494
00:28:21,748 --> 00:28:25,344
is actually moving towards
extracting content for AI
495
00:28:25,408 --> 00:28:27,596
answers.
Click-through traffic
is
496
00:28:27,596 --> 00:28:30,534
already shrinking.
Content creators rank fifth on
497
00:28:30,534 --> 00:28:33,549
the list
of jobs most exposed
to AI automation.
498
00:28:33,549 --> 00:28:37,471
Large agencies are
already
losing clients because generic
499
00:28:37,471 --> 00:28:41,289
high-volume content
stopped
working, and the real audience
500
00:28:41,289 --> 00:28:44,919
building platforms,
YouTube,
Reddit, Discord, Patreon, not
501
00:28:44,919 --> 00:28:47,355
your website.
So,
let's talk about this.
502
00:28:47,355 --> 00:28:51,090
Let me ask the room this
question: If
AI can handle 65%
503
00:28:51,090 --> 00:28:54,532
of your content tasks, what
would you
actually do with
504
00:28:54,532 --> 00:28:57,760
that freed up time?
And we've talked a lot
about
505
00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:01,774
AI here, so let's talk about
what you would do with
that
506
00:29:01,774 --> 00:29:03,878
content.
Does anybody want to comment
507
00:29:03,878 --> 00:29:05,175
here?
Go ahead,
Knikki.
508
00:29:05,175 --> 00:29:08,652
I see you want to comment.
Knikki: Yes, I was just going to
509
00:29:08,652 --> 00:29:11,299
say that for me.
I used to think I heard someone
510
00:29:11,299 --> 00:29:14,946
say this the
other day, they
said that AI, when it first came
511
00:29:14,946 --> 00:29:17,771
out, that it
made them 10
times more quote unquote
512
00:29:17,771 --> 00:29:21,101
productive, and I said
to
myself, "Wow, well, that sounds
513
00:29:21,101 --> 00:29:24,924
good on the surface, but
for
me, I tried to utilize AI to be
514
00:29:24,924 --> 00:29:28,330
super productive, super woman
posting all this stuff, using AI
515
00:29:28,387 --> 00:29:31,385
to generate this and that, and
it didn't work for me
516
00:29:31,442 --> 00:29:33,607
personally.
Now, it may work for
somebody
517
00:29:33,607 --> 00:29:37,538
else or for other people, so I'm
not knocking it,
but for me,
518
00:29:37,538 --> 00:29:40,688
it didn't produce like what I
thought that it was
going to
519
00:29:40,688 --> 00:29:43,046
do.
I thought that if I could be in
520
00:29:43,046 --> 00:29:46,570
50 different places
at once
and be posting all the time and
521
00:29:46,570 --> 00:29:49,427
generate all this
content,
then maybe something would
522
00:29:49,427 --> 00:29:53,226
catch, but that really was
for
me the exact wrong recipe to do,
523
00:29:53,226 --> 00:29:56,342
because it wasn't about the
volume, and I realized if I
524
00:29:56,400 --> 00:30:00,031
could produce a ton of volume.
So could everybody else, so then
525
00:30:00,089 --> 00:30:03,490
it just became more senseless
content in a sea of senseless
526
00:30:03,547 --> 00:30:07,006
content that no one actually
came up with themselves, and it
527
00:30:07,063 --> 00:30:10,260
was actually exhausting me.
It
was exhausting me to the
528
00:30:10,260 --> 00:30:13,477
point where I had to completely
stop,
because I thought, well,
529
00:30:13,477 --> 00:30:17,310
if I go on Chat GPT and I say,
okay,
generate all my content
530
00:30:17,310 --> 00:30:20,501
for the next month, for
LinkedIn, for
Instagram, for
531
00:30:20,501 --> 00:30:23,684
Facebook, for Pinterest, for
this, for that,
that I was
532
00:30:23,684 --> 00:30:27,405
just going to become this auto
machine and just be
like super
533
00:30:27,405 --> 00:30:30,328
successful, but it absolutely
wasn't that, it
wasn't freeing
534
00:30:30,328 --> 00:30:33,840
up my time, it wasn't freeing up
my energy, it
wasn't
535
00:30:33,840 --> 00:30:37,300
liberating me in any sense at
all, so I definitely
had to
536
00:30:37,300 --> 00:30:40,785
change things, and now I really
don't even use AI to post
my
537
00:30:40,785 --> 00:30:43,352
content.
What I will use AI for is if I
538
00:30:43,352 --> 00:30:46,691
am really busy, I
will write
out my own posts, but I will put
539
00:30:46,691 --> 00:30:49,774
it into AI, and I'm a
good
writer, so I don't need - I
540
00:30:49,832 --> 00:30:53,348
don't necessarily need a proof
reader, but I know that if I'm
541
00:30:53,405 --> 00:30:56,979
not 100% focused on what I am
writing, I know there's going to
542
00:30:57,037 --> 00:31:00,516
be a typo in there or something,
and so I'll put it into
543
00:31:00,516 --> 00:31:03,487
ChatGPT, and I'll say, "Hey,
just
proofread this for me
544
00:31:03,487 --> 00:31:06,956
real quick, just to make sure
that
it's okay to post online,
545
00:31:06,956 --> 00:31:10,467
and it'll do that for me, and it
makes the good suggestions,
546
00:31:10,467 --> 00:31:13,898
and so that way it's a tool,
it's
not the worker, it's not
547
00:31:13,898 --> 00:31:17,383
the worker bee doing the things
that
I should be doing, aka
548
00:31:17,441 --> 00:31:20,920
exercising my own mind, and it's
also helped me to avoid a lot
549
00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:24,703
of burnout by looking at it that
way, so for me it wasn't about
550
00:31:24,761 --> 00:31:26,779
productivity, it was about
quality.
551
00:31:26,779 --> 00:31:28,752
Ralph Estep Jr.: I think that's
a really good point.
552
00:31:28,752 --> 00:31:31,648
Because here's the next question
I had
to talk about, and Ty
553
00:31:31,648 --> 00:31:33,443
just goes along with what you're
saying.
554
00:31:33,451 --> 00:31:37,113
If AI can handle 65% of your,
excuse me, how much of your show
555
00:31:37,113 --> 00:31:39,928
could a stranger recreate with
Chat GPT and a decent mic?
556
00:31:39,936 --> 00:31:42,980
That's the thing I think we're
really battling against, and I
557
00:31:42,988 --> 00:31:46,192
think that's what we're, that's
what we're feeling right now, is
558
00:31:46,192 --> 00:31:48,814
there are so many content
creators that are just dialing
559
00:31:48,822 --> 00:31:51,979
it in with using Chat GPT to
write their content, to write
560
00:31:51,987 --> 00:31:55,543
their blog posts, and all that
sort of thing, and I think we're
561
00:31:55,543 --> 00:31:56,955
losing this connection of
people.
562
00:31:56,955 --> 00:31:59,635
Did anybody else want to
comment on this particular
563
00:31:59,686 --> 00:32:00,938
story?
It's really interesting
564
00:32:00,946 --> 00:32:03,371
thought, if you think about it.
All right.
565
00:32:03,371 --> 00:32:05,460
Well, oh, go ahead.
Ahmed Reza: hIt's Reza.
566
00:32:05,460 --> 00:32:06,354
Ralph Estep Jr.: Good morning,
Reza.
567
00:32:06,354 --> 00:32:07,620
Thank you for joining us this
morning.
568
00:32:07,620 --> 00:32:09,536
Ahmed Reza: Yeah, no, thanks for
having me.
569
00:32:09,536 --> 00:32:13,308
I wouldn't be able to do a lot
of things with, with
AI, to be
570
00:32:13,308 --> 00:32:15,652
honest.
Like, I just want to say, like,
571
00:32:15,652 --> 00:32:17,572
for me it's
more than
productivity.
572
00:32:17,572 --> 00:32:21,297
Like, for my daytime job, I work
in
tech, and for that, like, I
573
00:32:21,356 --> 00:32:25,054
don't even know how people used
to do the reporting that that I
574
00:32:25,113 --> 00:32:28,693
can do with Claude, so that's
just my comments, not much, but
575
00:32:28,752 --> 00:32:32,274
I'm just saying I wouldn't be
able to do what I do right now
576
00:32:32,333 --> 00:32:34,799
without AI.
I'm just very
dependent on AI,
577
00:32:34,799 --> 00:32:37,039
Ralph Estep Jr.: and Reza, let
me just say this: I'm right
578
00:32:37,094 --> 00:32:40,093
there with you, my friend.
AI is
a main part of the
579
00:32:40,093 --> 00:32:43,402
content that I do, because I do
so many
things, I can't even
580
00:32:43,402 --> 00:32:46,564
imagine trying to do that if I
wasn't
using AI to help me.
581
00:32:46,564 --> 00:32:49,480
That said, I think that what
this story is
really bringing
582
00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:52,670
out is it's all about our
experiences, the
things that
583
00:32:52,670 --> 00:32:55,805
we've, the stories that we've
had, the things that
we've
584
00:32:55,805 --> 00:32:59,086
lived, because if we don't lean
into that as content
creators,
585
00:32:59,086 --> 00:33:02,705
then I think we're going to lose
our place, and I
think that's
586
00:33:02,705 --> 00:33:06,032
the big concern, is if we don't
lean into that, and
we just
587
00:33:06,032 --> 00:33:09,335
let AI dictate it, then you're
going to get to a point
where
588
00:33:09,335 --> 00:33:11,588
100% of your content is going to
be AI.
589
00:33:11,588 --> 00:33:14,511
Well, let's go
ahead and move
on to our next new story.
590
00:33:14,511 --> 00:33:16,880
DR. I'm gonna have
you read
this next one.
591
00:33:16,980 --> 00:33:20,016
Audio Clip: Sure.
Okay.
592
00:33:20,016 --> 00:33:25,888
So,
video podcasting has
officially hit peak parody, and
593
00:33:25,888 --> 00:33:29,636
that
changes everything.
Now, the source for this is
594
00:33:29,636 --> 00:33:33,770
Edison
Research, which is the
gold standard when it comes to
595
00:33:33,778 --> 00:33:37,115
podcast research.
And here's the headline: for the
596
00:33:37,115 --> 00:33:42,164
first time
ever, as many
people watch podcasts as listen
597
00:33:42,164 --> 00:33:44,546
now.
We just
had a conversation
598
00:33:44,546 --> 00:33:48,040
about this, about people tuning
into YouTube
and putting the
599
00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:52,450
phone in their pocket.
About 82% of weekly
podcast
600
00:33:52,450 --> 00:33:57,996
listeners now watch the video,
78% listen to audio only,
601
00:33:58,004 --> 00:34:04,130
basically, you know, a tie, and
it happened all in under three
602
00:34:04,138 --> 00:34:07,368
years.
The audio versus video debate is
603
00:34:07,368 --> 00:34:09,851
over.
Your audience
isn't picking a
604
00:34:09,851 --> 00:34:12,875
side, they're doing both.
Daily podcast
listeners
605
00:34:12,875 --> 00:34:18,027
average five hours and 11
minutes of audio per day.
606
00:34:18,034 --> 00:34:23,797
Podcasts are 36% of that. 76% of
weekly listeners took action
607
00:34:23,806 --> 00:34:29,659
after hearing a podcast ad
shifting ad budget to podcasts
608
00:34:29,668 --> 00:34:34,652
lifted reach podcast sorry words
are hard in the morning.
609
00:34:34,652 --> 00:34:39,411
Okay,
shifting ad budgets to
podcast lifted reach among 18 to
610
00:34:39,411 --> 00:34:46,069
54 year
olds by 41% with no
extra spend, and 62% of
611
00:34:46,069 --> 00:34:50,812
listeners say AI
threatens
credibility. 59% worry that it
612
00:34:50,812 --> 00:34:53,975
kills creativity.
So,
let's talk about a little
613
00:34:53,975 --> 00:34:57,226
bit.
Do you actually know how your
614
00:34:57,234 --> 00:34:59,342
audience is watching or
listening or.
615
00:34:59,342 --> 00:35:01,830
Are you just
guessing about
the whole thing?
616
00:35:02,520 --> 00:35:04,470
Ralph Estep Jr.: No, that's a
really good question, isn't it?
617
00:35:04,530 --> 00:35:07,200
Does anybody else want to
comment about this parody now
618
00:35:07,350 --> 00:35:09,210
that we've reached this level of
parody?
619
00:35:10,170 --> 00:35:13,710
Audio Clip: And let me ask, if
you're not doing video yet, is
620
00:35:13,740 --> 00:35:15,536
there anyone here not doing
video yet?
621
00:35:15,536 --> 00:35:18,981
And why aren't you doing video?
Ralph Estep Jr.: I think that's
622
00:35:18,981 --> 00:35:21,985
a real good question, because I
switched to, I switched to video
623
00:35:21,985 --> 00:35:25,479
for mine, DR. and I think it's
really been an effective thing
624
00:35:25,487 --> 00:35:27,298
for me.
Now I'm still.. it's
625
00:35:27,354 --> 00:35:30,523
interesting, you want to talk
about HLS video, so I'm on
626
00:35:30,580 --> 00:35:34,088
Captivate, and I'm not throwing
Captivate under the bus, but I
627
00:35:34,144 --> 00:35:37,653
have three shows, four shows on
Captivate, and for some reason
628
00:35:37,709 --> 00:35:40,821
on my one weekly show they
cannot get this HLS video to
629
00:35:40,878 --> 00:35:42,895
work.
It's working on my daily
show,
630
00:35:42,895 --> 00:35:45,886
it's working on the content
creator show, but they
cannot
631
00:35:45,886 --> 00:35:49,395
seem to get this thing to work
on one of my shows.
632
00:35:49,395 --> 00:35:51,686
We've
been battling back and
forth with Apple.
633
00:35:51,686 --> 00:35:55,137
This stuff is so
new, I think
they're still struggling both on
634
00:35:55,137 --> 00:35:58,739
the Apple
side and on the
hosting side to make it work.
635
00:35:58,739 --> 00:36:00,400
It is really,
really
interesting.
636
00:36:00,430 --> 00:36:02,775
Audio Clip: Interesting, Ralph
Estep Jr.: I would agree.
637
00:36:02,783 --> 00:36:04,642
Well, let's go ahead.
If no one else, you Audio Clip:
638
00:36:04,642 --> 00:36:06,450
got for the next,
yeah, what
you got for the next story?
639
00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:08,340
Ralph Estep Jr.: And let me hit
the music stinger, because we
640
00:36:08,430 --> 00:36:09,570
got to play the music stingers,
right?
641
00:36:09,570 --> 00:36:11,069
We got to do that.
Audio Clip: That's right.
642
00:36:15,280 --> 00:36:18,028
Ralph Estep Jr.: Okay, so we're
going to move on to story
643
00:36:18,028 --> 00:36:21,514
number three in our list here.
AI
content flooded the
644
00:36:21,514 --> 00:36:24,771
internet, but expertise didn't
come along
for the ride.
645
00:36:24,771 --> 00:36:28,639
Here's the headline, and this is
from
Forbes, and something
646
00:36:28,639 --> 00:36:31,753
called Elevate IT.
Now it says 86.5% of
top
647
00:36:31,753 --> 00:36:34,459
ranking pages now involved
AI-generated content, and we
648
00:36:34,467 --> 00:36:37,140
just got to park there for a
second.
649
00:36:37,140 --> 00:36:41,190
Just think about what I
just
said there. 86.5% of top ranking
650
00:36:41,190 --> 00:36:44,293
pages now involved
AI-generated content, so what
651
00:36:44,357 --> 00:36:47,714
it's telling us is that
companies are publishing more
652
00:36:47,778 --> 00:36:51,642
than ever, but the problem with
it is it all sounds the same.
653
00:36:51,705 --> 00:36:55,379
The issue isn't that AI writes
badly, it's that everyone's
654
00:36:55,443 --> 00:36:57,809
using it.
The average became the
floor,
655
00:36:57,809 --> 00:37:01,036
not an edge.
Here's some more stats from this
656
00:37:01,036 --> 00:37:04,425
particular
story. 84% of
companies using AI in content
657
00:37:04,425 --> 00:37:07,885
don't disclose it,
but here's
the problem: audiences are
658
00:37:07,885 --> 00:37:12,128
already suspicious
about that.
87% of AI content goes into blog
659
00:37:12,128 --> 00:37:14,201
posts.
The top
complaint there is
660
00:37:14,201 --> 00:37:17,705
generic and flat output.
Creators winning
use AI for
661
00:37:17,705 --> 00:37:21,750
research and ideation is kind of
what Knikki talked
about a few
662
00:37:21,750 --> 00:37:24,090
minutes ago.
Then they add their actual
663
00:37:24,098 --> 00:37:28,425
perspective on top of that, but
brands pairing AI with genuine
664
00:37:28,433 --> 00:37:31,039
human insight consistently
outperform pure automation.
665
00:37:31,039 --> 00:37:35,080
So,
let's talk about this.
When you use AI for your
666
00:37:35,080 --> 00:37:38,198
content, how
much of the final
result is actually you?
667
00:37:38,198 --> 00:37:40,617
Does anyone want
to comment on
that?
668
00:37:40,617 --> 00:37:44,531
Knikki, I know you had made a
little bit
of a comment about
669
00:37:44,531 --> 00:37:47,158
that, so go ahead.
Knikki: Yeah, I was gonna say
670
00:37:47,166 --> 00:37:49,920
that for me, the blogs are where
I draw the line.
671
00:37:49,920 --> 00:37:53,742
I draw the line
at the blogs,
and I also draw the line at my
672
00:37:53,742 --> 00:37:57,228
podcast, and what
that means
is that I don't use AI for these
673
00:37:57,228 --> 00:37:59,252
things.
Now, when I
say I don't use
674
00:37:59,252 --> 00:38:03,060
AI, what I mean specifically by
that is, I do
not use AI to
675
00:38:03,060 --> 00:38:05,661
write scripts.
I do not use AI to write the
676
00:38:05,669 --> 00:38:09,247
blogs, and then I just post the
blogs, and then I tweak it a
677
00:38:09,255 --> 00:38:12,756
little bit to meet my, you know,
meet my standards, or put my
678
00:38:12,764 --> 00:38:16,421
personality or spin on it.
I do not use AI for any of those
679
00:38:16,421 --> 00:38:18,499
things on my podcast or on my
blogs.
680
00:38:18,499 --> 00:38:22,173
Now, will I have
proofread
something just to make sure that
681
00:38:22,173 --> 00:38:24,985
there's no typos or or
something major that I've
682
00:38:25,044 --> 00:38:27,156
missed?
Yes, I will do that,
because
683
00:38:27,156 --> 00:38:31,023
my brain is operating on all
cylinders all the time, and
so
684
00:38:31,023 --> 00:38:34,732
sometimes a little mistake like
that, I just need a little
bit
685
00:38:34,732 --> 00:38:37,971
of assistance to catch that.
So, before I go out and post,
686
00:38:37,979 --> 00:38:41,272
because I tend to be kind of
impetuous, a little bit like I
687
00:38:41,280 --> 00:38:45,292
want to get it out, I want to
get the content out, and if you,
688
00:38:45,292 --> 00:38:48,842
if you've ever been that type
of person in your life, where
689
00:38:48,850 --> 00:38:52,496
you're sending an email and you
hit send, and then you reread
690
00:38:52,504 --> 00:38:55,943
the email that you sent, and
you're like, "Damn it, like, why
691
00:38:55,943 --> 00:38:58,236
did I put this in there like
this?
692
00:38:58,236 --> 00:39:01,683
Why did I say like this?
or "This mistake could have been
693
00:39:01,742 --> 00:39:05,418
avoided, like that's that's me,
I do that all the time, and so
694
00:39:05,477 --> 00:39:07,691
now I just will, I'll type out
my email.
695
00:39:07,691 --> 00:39:11,240
I do write my own emails, and
I'll type out my
email.
696
00:39:11,240 --> 00:39:14,349
I'll say, "Hey, ChatGPT, can
you, can you either clean
this
697
00:39:14,349 --> 00:39:17,976
up for me or can you proofread
this, just to make
sure
698
00:39:17,976 --> 00:39:21,132
there's no mistakes?
And then I hit send, and then
699
00:39:21,132 --> 00:39:24,864
I'm
much more confident with
the with the message that I am
700
00:39:24,872 --> 00:39:28,038
sending, and that's, that's,
that's a good thing, but I do
701
00:39:28,046 --> 00:39:31,845
not use ChatGPT to write any or
create any of the content, so
702
00:39:31,853 --> 00:39:35,085
particularly for blogs.
If you go to my site, Turning
703
00:39:35,085 --> 00:39:38,388
the Tide
tutoring.com and you
click blogs, all of those blogs
704
00:39:38,388 --> 00:39:42,386
were
written 100% by me, 110%
I do not use AI to write those
705
00:39:42,386 --> 00:39:45,749
blogs,
because number one, I
have better ideas than than AI
706
00:39:45,749 --> 00:39:48,733
does,
because I'm coming up
with real personal experiences
707
00:39:48,733 --> 00:39:52,468
that I have
lived, real
stories, real real moments, and
708
00:39:52,468 --> 00:39:55,218
that's what is
going to
resonate with people.
709
00:39:55,278 --> 00:39:58,894
So, as an example, I just posted
a blog on LinkedIn the other
710
00:39:58,953 --> 00:40:02,688
day, and the outreach of it, the
impressions got like, was like
711
00:40:02,748 --> 00:40:06,246
451 Impressions, which for me
is, you know, is pretty high.
712
00:40:06,305 --> 00:40:08,253
451 impressions on one post is
good.
713
00:40:08,253 --> 00:40:12,184
And I also got a comment from a
lady who, you know, had a
714
00:40:12,192 --> 00:40:15,792
response, she had a reaction and
a response to the blog herself.
715
00:40:15,792 --> 00:40:17,688
And that's what I'm looking for.
716
00:40:17,747 --> 00:40:20,415
I'm looking for that
authenticity, those real
717
00:40:20,474 --> 00:40:22,738
reactions.
I'm not looking to
post a blog
718
00:40:22,738 --> 00:40:26,218
just for the sake of doing it.
Now, I do understand
why
719
00:40:26,218 --> 00:40:29,625
someone might use AI to write a
blog that comes from a
720
00:40:29,633 --> 00:40:31,971
podcast.
So, as an example to that, for
721
00:40:31,971 --> 00:40:35,498
some people, they'll
put -
they'll film a podcast, and then
722
00:40:35,498 --> 00:40:38,556
they'll go on Chat GPT,
or
whatever AI they use, and
723
00:40:38,616 --> 00:40:42,232
they'll utilize AI to write the
blog that's inspired by their
724
00:40:42,291 --> 00:40:44,297
podcast.
I personally don't do
that.
725
00:40:44,297 --> 00:40:47,895
I have nothing against it at
all, because at least you
took
726
00:40:47,895 --> 00:40:51,529
the time to make the podcast,
and the podcast was
you, and
727
00:40:51,529 --> 00:40:54,883
all you're doing essentially is
synthesizing and
condensing
728
00:40:54,883 --> 00:40:58,299
the information into a very
readable format for the
729
00:40:58,307 --> 00:41:01,472
reader, so ChatGPT isn't
creating the information and the
730
00:41:01,472 --> 00:41:05,362
message, you are, you're the
driver of that, but for me, I do
731
00:41:05,362 --> 00:41:08,486
draw the line at my own
podcast and my own, my own
732
00:41:08,486 --> 00:41:11,839
blogs, where
I will use AI for
the posting aspect is like
733
00:41:11,839 --> 00:41:15,375
specifically for
LinkedIn.What
I will do is I have my own
734
00:41:15,375 --> 00:41:18,392
LinkedIn newsletter
now, and I
will write my own blog.
735
00:41:18,392 --> 00:41:22,343
I'll post the blog into
Chat
GPT, and I'll say, "Hey, can you
736
00:41:22,343 --> 00:41:25,415
write an announcement
letter
for my LinkedIn newsletter based
737
00:41:25,415 --> 00:41:29,129
on this blog,
and then I'll
post that on LinkedIn, so that
738
00:41:29,129 --> 00:41:32,434
part is
written by AI on the
LinkedIn newsletter, but the
739
00:41:32,434 --> 00:41:36,006
blog itself
is written by me,
so I just draw the line
740
00:41:36,006 --> 00:41:38,080
completely on my
podcast on my
blog.
741
00:41:38,080 --> 00:41:40,176
Ralph Estep Jr.: Thank you,
Knikki Valid Point.
742
00:41:40,176 --> 00:41:43,300
Go ahead, DR. Audio Clip: Do you
put any kind
of disclaimer -
743
00:41:43,300 --> 00:41:47,699
is not the right word, but
claimer that this is
written
744
00:41:47,699 --> 00:41:51,410
by a human, no AI used or
anything like that?
745
00:41:51,410 --> 00:41:53,170
Do you do
like a little
something like that?
746
00:41:53,920 --> 00:41:56,851
Knikki: I have done that before,
especially in the beginning
747
00:41:56,851 --> 00:42:00,387
when ChatGPT was when it first
came
out, and I was like super
748
00:42:00,387 --> 00:42:03,750
anti AI at that time, and I was
like,
oh, not written by AI,
749
00:42:03,750 --> 00:42:07,268
not it written by AI, and I kind
of
wanted to be, to be proud
750
00:42:07,268 --> 00:42:10,836
of that, but when I started to
utilize AI, my position and my
751
00:42:10,892 --> 00:42:14,235
stance on AI certainly softened,
which I'm sure it did for a
752
00:42:14,235 --> 00:42:17,077
lot of people too.
So I don't put
that on the,
753
00:42:17,077 --> 00:42:20,473
the, the stuff now, because the
reason why I don't
put the
754
00:42:20,473 --> 00:42:23,650
disclaimer on there now that
this is written by AI, or
this
755
00:42:23,650 --> 00:42:27,049
is written by me, is because you
can totally tell
it's not
756
00:42:27,049 --> 00:42:30,292
hard, you can totally tell.
So, like, if you look at
my,
757
00:42:30,292 --> 00:42:33,715
my blog, you can 100% tell that
it was written by a human
758
00:42:33,723 --> 00:42:35,668
being.
Number one, I would say, because
759
00:42:35,668 --> 00:42:39,101
of the language, it
sounds
like me, it, it, it just has
760
00:42:39,101 --> 00:42:41,952
sentences and syntax and
verbiage that are just very
761
00:42:42,009 --> 00:42:44,751
human and very real.
I also have
my own little
762
00:42:44,751 --> 00:42:48,138
quirks and stuff when it comes
to using ellipses
and
763
00:42:48,138 --> 00:42:51,073
different grammatical structures
and in ways that I
personally
764
00:42:51,073 --> 00:42:54,556
write that are just very human.
And then the other
piece is
765
00:42:54,556 --> 00:42:57,597
that there's one of the ways
that you can tell that
766
00:42:57,605 --> 00:43:00,934
something is written by AI is
when somebody uses the word
767
00:43:00,942 --> 00:43:03,895
matters, like this matters.
You can always tell when
768
00:43:03,895 --> 00:43:07,320
somebody
uses AI because they
said this matters, because, or
769
00:43:07,320 --> 00:43:09,335
whatever.
That's a very AI-generated
770
00:43:09,391 --> 00:43:11,395
thing.
You can always tell
someone
771
00:43:11,395 --> 00:43:14,688
utilized AI when there's a
what's it called, a contrast
772
00:43:14,696 --> 00:43:16,618
statement.
So, a contrast statement might
773
00:43:16,618 --> 00:43:20,176
be it's not
this, it's that.
You can always tell there that
774
00:43:20,176 --> 00:43:23,365
they used AI for
that, you can
sniff it out pretty, pretty
775
00:43:23,365 --> 00:43:26,842
quickly, and like
I have a
friend who he's a huge, huge
776
00:43:26,842 --> 00:43:29,928
novel reader, pretty huge
novel reader, I mean, reads a
777
00:43:29,985 --> 00:43:33,040
novel like a week, and I'm
talking like a 400 500 page
778
00:43:33,096 --> 00:43:35,631
novel every week.
Well, anyway,
there's this
779
00:43:35,631 --> 00:43:39,113
sort of controversy about this
one book that he's
reading, he
780
00:43:39,113 --> 00:43:42,791
was telling me about where they
think that the author
may have
781
00:43:42,791 --> 00:43:46,176
utilized AI to generate at least
some parts of the book,
maybe
782
00:43:46,176 --> 00:43:49,619
a chapter or two, or maybe half
of the book, we don't know,
783
00:43:49,627 --> 00:43:53,212
and he said, "I'm going to read
this book because I want to be
784
00:43:53,220 --> 00:43:56,832
able to snuff out the AI usage
if there is any, and I will be
785
00:43:56,840 --> 00:44:00,537
able to tell if, if that's the
case, and you can always tell,
786
00:44:00,545 --> 00:44:03,408
because the same phraseology,
it's not about the em dash.
787
00:44:03,408 --> 00:44:07,183
A
lot of people talk about the
m dash, but it's not about the
788
00:44:07,183 --> 00:44:09,393
em
dash or a grammatical
structure specifically.
789
00:44:09,393 --> 00:44:11,619
It's more about
the language
patterns.
790
00:44:11,619 --> 00:44:15,268
AI has very distinct language
patterns,
and when you hear
791
00:44:15,268 --> 00:44:18,940
people using it or talk, you can
tell when
someone's reading
792
00:44:18,940 --> 00:44:21,870
something that's AI created.
You can tell
when somebody's
793
00:44:21,870 --> 00:44:24,179
writing it.
It has very distinct patterns
794
00:44:24,179 --> 00:44:26,123
that
you can follow and
predict.
795
00:44:26,123 --> 00:44:29,667
You can predict these patterns,
and
so then you know it's AI.
796
00:44:29,667 --> 00:44:32,468
But with my blog, there's
nothing
like that.
797
00:44:32,468 --> 00:44:35,662
There's no predictive language,
there's no hypnotic
language,
798
00:44:35,662 --> 00:44:38,824
there's no contrast statements,
there's no nothing
like that,
799
00:44:38,824 --> 00:44:42,619
so I don't put the disclaimer on
there for that
reason, because
800
00:44:42,619 --> 00:44:45,819
I don't, I don't need to.
When somebody reads it,
they
801
00:44:45,819 --> 00:44:49,060
know that it's me, and I don't
try to sound like AI.
802
00:44:49,068 --> 00:44:52,511
Like, if I post on LinkedIn, for
example, this will be the last
803
00:44:52,519 --> 00:44:55,880
thing I'll say, but if I post
something on LinkedIn, I'll say,
804
00:44:55,880 --> 00:44:59,753
"Hey guys, this is this is me,
and I just wanted to let you
805
00:44:59,761 --> 00:45:02,176
guys know that.
This is what we're doing today,
806
00:45:02,176 --> 00:45:05,825
and blah blah
blah, 1215 you
know, and it's just it's me,
807
00:45:05,825 --> 00:45:09,039
it's very
informal, it's very
casual, that's how that's how
808
00:45:09,039 --> 00:45:12,199
people can
tell, and my
impressions on these posts go
809
00:45:12,199 --> 00:45:15,067
from like five
impressions
from the AI-generated ones to
810
00:45:15,067 --> 00:45:18,548
the ones
that I write to 60
impressions to 115 impressions,
811
00:45:18,548 --> 00:45:22,515
now to 405
100 impressions,
because of the way that I write
812
00:45:22,515 --> 00:45:25,739
that
immediately resonates
with someone, so I don't need to
813
00:45:25,739 --> 00:45:28,850
put
the disclaimer on there
anymore, because you just know.
814
00:45:28,850 --> 00:45:29,654
Ralph Estep Jr.: Thank you,
Knikki.
815
00:45:29,654 --> 00:45:32,093
I want to go to Dan, because Dan
wanted to make a
comment as
816
00:45:32,093 --> 00:45:33,920
well, but that's a very good
point, Knikki.
817
00:45:33,920 --> 00:45:37,501
Dan: Yeah, I ain't gonna top
what Knikki just said, like that
818
00:45:37,564 --> 00:45:41,029
was a master class in, you know,
that's just really good.
819
00:45:41,029 --> 00:45:44,861
I will add on one thing, just
like
Knikki just said, that
820
00:45:44,861 --> 00:45:48,435
she doesn't have to use a
disclaimer, because when you
821
00:45:48,499 --> 00:45:52,336
read her stuff, you know, well,
Google knows everything, and
822
00:45:52,400 --> 00:45:56,045
back before AI was a thing,
Google still knew everything,
823
00:45:56,109 --> 00:45:59,754
and it's just how SEO works is
just kind of fundamentally
824
00:45:59,818 --> 00:46:02,261
different now.
It seems that
Google is
825
00:46:02,261 --> 00:46:05,777
looking more for real people,
and if everyone is
writing
826
00:46:05,777 --> 00:46:10,036
content based on what AI tells
them, it's all - it's like
you
827
00:46:10,036 --> 00:46:14,155
said earlier, Ralph - it's all
going to be the same,
because
828
00:46:14,155 --> 00:46:17,496
nobody actually delves for a
deeper dive into the stuff
829
00:46:17,504 --> 00:46:21,115
they're asking AI, like if
you're asking a question or you
830
00:46:21,115 --> 00:46:25,070
want to answer a question like
how to blah blah blah blah, 90%
831
00:46:25,070 --> 00:46:29,394
of the people are going to go
to Chat GPT and say how do you
832
00:46:29,394 --> 00:46:33,097
blah
blah blah, okay, well,
turn that into an article for
833
00:46:33,097 --> 00:46:36,223
me, that's
just duplicate
different forms of duplicate
834
00:46:36,223 --> 00:46:40,522
content, when the
reality is
you know the answer, you can use
835
00:46:40,522 --> 00:46:44,534
AI maybe to find the
different
topics or questions you want to
836
00:46:44,534 --> 00:46:48,114
talk about, or that
maybe
people might be looking for, but
837
00:46:48,114 --> 00:46:51,688
if somebody asks me how
to
blah blah blah, I'm just going
838
00:46:51,688 --> 00:46:55,778
to say here's how I do it,
and
I just do my own version, and
839
00:46:55,778 --> 00:46:59,353
I'm not trying to impress
anyone with how clever my words
840
00:46:59,417 --> 00:47:01,721
are.
I always try to talk like
just
841
00:47:01,721 --> 00:47:05,429
a normal guy, because I'm a
normal guy, and I'm going to
842
00:47:05,437 --> 00:47:09,468
use, you know, this old instead
of this will, you know, like
843
00:47:09,476 --> 00:47:12,932
just contrite, like I'm just..
does it sound like a normal
844
00:47:12,940 --> 00:47:15,724
person?
And as soon as you do that, it
845
00:47:15,724 --> 00:47:19,697
just makes everything
better,
and Google, you stand out to
846
00:47:19,697 --> 00:47:22,630
Google, because well,
here's
somebody who's actually
847
00:47:22,694 --> 00:47:25,624
answering a question that isn't
like everyone else.
848
00:47:25,624 --> 00:47:29,752
You can use AI, then maybe if
you want to
clean it up a
849
00:47:29,752 --> 00:47:33,143
little bit, but because they are
also using AI,
their own
850
00:47:33,143 --> 00:47:35,827
version of AI, to, you know,
rank everyone.
851
00:47:35,827 --> 00:47:39,624
But I'm
just, and the other
thing, just because Dave
852
00:47:39,624 --> 00:47:42,878
mentioned, you
know,
responsibility on creator to
853
00:47:42,878 --> 00:47:45,042
disclose.
I just literally
wrote AI
854
00:47:45,042 --> 00:47:47,425
policy for our business and our
podcast.
855
00:47:47,425 --> 00:47:50,990
I didn't put it
up yet.
I just literally did it last
856
00:47:50,990 --> 00:47:53,294
night in bed.
I was
thinking about it.
857
00:47:53,294 --> 00:47:57,386
We use AI, and I just basically
say
something like this, you
858
00:47:57,386 --> 00:48:01,105
know, look, we use AI because
we're a
very small podcast.
859
00:48:01,105 --> 00:48:03,404
We've been doing it for 11
seasons.
860
00:48:03,404 --> 00:48:06,503
We
don't have the, you know,
staff to do this.
861
00:48:06,503 --> 00:48:10,387
We primarily use
what little
AI we use, we use it behind the
862
00:48:10,387 --> 00:48:14,068
scenes, like for
marketing or
outreach or things like that.
863
00:48:14,068 --> 00:48:17,368
And because we do use
that,
and we're trying to be
864
00:48:17,432 --> 00:48:20,630
responsible, we've made
donations to two different
865
00:48:20,694 --> 00:48:23,206
groups.
One is, believe it or
not, I
866
00:48:23,206 --> 00:48:26,341
mean, it's weird.
Greenpeace is one of the leading
867
00:48:26,341 --> 00:48:29,659
groups that are fighting the
ecological damage to AI.
868
00:48:29,659 --> 00:48:34,269
They
have an entire division,
and it's like, if you - I use
869
00:48:34,277 --> 00:48:37,610
perplexity, ironically, to look
it up - like, they're like the
870
00:48:37,618 --> 00:48:40,669
best at that.
And then we also make a donation
871
00:48:40,669 --> 00:48:44,279
to this thing
called the, this
sounds really funny, the
872
00:48:44,279 --> 00:48:47,772
Algorithmic League of
Justice,
no, the League of Algorithmic
873
00:48:47,772 --> 00:48:51,487
Justice, we're a
superhero
movie, but they are fighting,
874
00:48:51,487 --> 00:48:55,464
they're just making
sure
things are in place to not let
875
00:48:55,464 --> 00:48:59,126
people say they're doctors
when they're not doctors, or you
876
00:48:59,190 --> 00:49:02,941
know, not let big companies come
in and steamroll their way
877
00:49:02,941 --> 00:49:06,800
into everything and start making
policy for everyone, and we
878
00:49:06,800 --> 00:49:10,956
just say, look, we're doing that
because we're trying to offset
879
00:49:11,020 --> 00:49:14,509
our smallish footprint that
we're using, you know, AI for.
880
00:49:14,509 --> 00:49:18,088
I don't know if that helps
anyone,
but I think you want
881
00:49:18,088 --> 00:49:21,988
to be out front with that, you
know, so
because people are
882
00:49:21,988 --> 00:49:26,242
going to have comments on it, so
you might as
well address it
883
00:49:26,242 --> 00:49:27,959
in the beginning.
Ralph Estep Jr.: And absolutely,
884
00:49:27,959 --> 00:49:29,653
Dan, I agree.
I just want to tie this all
885
00:49:29,653 --> 00:49:30,838
together.
There's some
observations I
886
00:49:30,838 --> 00:49:33,367
had about all three of these
last three
stories.
887
00:49:33,367 --> 00:49:36,693
And here's the thing, I, here's
my takeaway on this:
the stuff
888
00:49:36,693 --> 00:49:40,939
AI can do at scale is becoming
worthless, the stuff
that only
889
00:49:40,939 --> 00:49:45,389
humans can do, real expertise,
genuine opinion,
authentic
890
00:49:45,389 --> 00:49:47,907
connection.
That's where we're starting to
891
00:49:47,907 --> 00:49:50,277
see
value.
And if you're already working in
892
00:49:50,277 --> 00:49:53,251
the only format where
that
translates, you're already doing
893
00:49:53,251 --> 00:49:57,159
that: audio, real
conversations, real personality,
894
00:49:57,459 --> 00:49:59,678
real stakes.
Stop trying to be
better.
895
00:49:59,678 --> 00:50:03,664
Better at what AI does, and get
better at being you, and
I
896
00:50:03,664 --> 00:50:06,491
really think that's the way that
we want to end this today.
897
00:50:06,499 --> 00:50:08,939
I just want to remind everybody
to make sure you join us
898
00:50:08,947 --> 00:50:10,699
tomorrow.
We are going to have second Hall
899
00:50:10,699 --> 00:50:12,814
of Famer of the week
on the
show tomorrow.
900
00:50:12,814 --> 00:50:14,819
Dave Jackson's going to join us
tomorrow from the School of
901
00:50:14,849 --> 00:50:17,729
Podcasting, and I've asked them
to come on to talk to us about
902
00:50:18,119 --> 00:50:23,059
how to prepare as a host to
build a remarkable interview, so
903
00:50:23,119 --> 00:50:24,757
make sure you join us tomorrow.
904
00:50:24,765 --> 00:50:27,391
I promise you, the technology, I
think we finally figured out
905
00:50:27,399 --> 00:50:29,887
what was causing some of that
echo and bleed through on the
906
00:50:29,895 --> 00:50:31,828
live stream.
So, make sure you come back and
907
00:50:31,828 --> 00:50:33,829
join us tomorrow.
And until that, I want to
908
00:50:33,829 --> 00:50:35,581
encourage everybody to have a
great day today.
909
00:50:35,581 --> 00:50:37,069
Thank you, everybody, for being
here today.