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What Does The End of Google Podcasts Mean For Me?

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Back in 2018, Google launched Google Podcasts.

This was their attempt to take on Apple and Spotify at their own game and become a major player in the podcasting world.

Yeah, that didn't really work.

In September 2023, Google announced that they would be closing Google Podcasts.

So - what does this mean for your podcast?

As with so many things, it depends on your perspective.

If you never really engaged with Google Podcasts, you might not even notice the closure of the platform. If you were a fervent supporter, you may have shed a tear.

With Google, though, as is so often the case, they close one thing to make something else even better.

In this case the 'something better' had been around since 2005.

YouTube.

Since buying the platform in 2006, Google have been expanding YouTube's offerings - and this has now moved over into podcasting.

Of course, there are plenty of podcasts that are already on YouTube, but they use the visual side of things as their primary way for people to connect with the podcast.

Here are MonkeyPants Productions, as much as we're all behind getting your podcast onto YouTube (and we have the facility to film podcasts), we are still firmly in the 'podcasts are an audio medium' camp. It's all in our background.

What YouTube have been doing since announcing the end of Google Podcasts is creating a place within YouTube for podcasts to exist.

Initially, they created a dedicated Playlist on your YouTube channel called, funnily enough, Podcasts. 

Then, with their existing podcasts on Google Podcasts, they created a way for people to easily transfer their audio podcasts onto YouTube, which would automatically create a visual representation of the podcast.

So - if you've got a podcast on Google Podcasts - get it onto YouTube.

If you don't have a podcast on YouTube - get it on there now. 

As of writing this, YouTube is the 3rd biggest way that people are finding podcasts. It's free to get an account and start a channel - so why wouldn't you?

If you want to talk more about the future of your podcast, or the start of your business podcasting journey - get in touch here

Why Have We Rebranded?

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So - if you're reading this, that means that the new branding for MonkeyPants Productions has been launched!

What do you think?

Obviously, we love it. Big thanks again to Kate Curry and the team at CUDOS for their incredible work and patience in somehow understanding what we meant when we just flail our arms around and say 'Make it, like, super brilliant - and stuff'

Why did we do it, though? What was behind the rebrand?

Well, it's something that we've had in our minds for some time. We wanted to update our branding as the business continues to grow.

And we are growing.

Now that the company is moving into creating independent podcasts, as well as working with global brands, we wanted the branding to go with it.

We also wanted a logo, and icon. Something that would make the business easily identifiable - without having to show the words MonkeyPants Productions.

Look at them there. Aren't they cute?

Watch out for the contest to Name The Monkey coming soon. That's why we've used the pronoun 'they'. We honestly don't know if it's a female or male monkey.

This monkey is cool. It's sophisticated. It's a professional monkey - with a real twinkle in their eye. Just like us.

We are good at what we do. (some would say very good - but not us. We're humble like that...) We're professional - but we also don't take ourselves too seriously.

What we do take seriously is helping businesses and brands get into the world of podcasting. Whether it's through training, or full podcast production.

We always bring our A-Game - we just make sure that we always create a smile along the way.

That's what this new branding is all about. 

That's what we think it does.

2024 is the Year Of The Monkey. When it comes to podcasting at least...


When Is Your Podcast?

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So, as you have probably gathered, we want to talk about time in this article.

(Quick aside - Did you know that there is no experiment that you can do that proves the existence of time? I'll let that one fester...)

This time, though, we want to talk about the timing of your podcast.

Not the frequency - that's your own business, and is dictated by the amount of time you can commit to creating the content that makes up your podcast.

We're talking about the timing of your podcast

No, not the length of the episode. Again, that's down to how good the content is, and how long you want your episodes to be.

We're talking about the place that the podcast has in time

Basically - when are people listening to it?

For a large part of a podcast audience, the first 7 days of release are the biggest. That's when over 75% of your downloads will occur.

But not all of the downloads...

What we're saying is - make sure that you're not placing your podcast episode in too small a place in time. Think about the people who might listen to that episode 12 months / 2 years after it's released!

A great cover-all phrase is 'at the time of recording'. Get used to using it. If you're giving out information, using a fact as the basis of an opinion.... they can all be viewed differently in a few months or years time. So '...at the time of recording' will be your friend to future listeners.

If the content of your podcast is universal, relatively speaking, and is unlikely to date - then don't date the podcast by talking about topical matters. Unless they're global events.

For instance, we know quite a lot of podcasts who talked about the pandemic. How could you not? It affected billions of people around the world - pretty much everyone was touched by it in some way.

Conversely, the refit that is going on at your local supermarket? Not so much.

That's happening at a very specific time in history - and is unlikely to be of interest to anyone in your audience; unless you're doing a hyper-local podcast.

When you're making notes for your episode, or scripting your episode or just putting together your episode - bear the time in mind.

That also applies to greetings and intros. So many times we hear podcasters say 'Good morning, or Good evening everyone'. Good evening sounds wrong to us, because it's 6.30am and we're out walking the dog.

Just keep it to 'Hello...'. Brief your guests on this thinking too. Unless the point that they make is specifically about the time of day that you're recording - keep it general.

Always think of your listeners. Will they be listening to it at the same time as you're recording it? Almost certainly not, so why subconsciously distract them with an anachronistic comment?

And, on that big word - we'll sign off. Until next time!

What Can I Say In My Podcast?

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We're always impressed with the questions that we get asked about podcasts and podcasting - so surprising!

One that came in recently was "What can I say in my podcast?"

Now, they had a very specific reason for asking that question that was to do with the content of their podcast - but we thought that it was such an interesting point we should broaden it out and talk about it in an article.

So - just what can you say when it comes to your podcast?

Using many of the attitudes and approaches that we've picked up in our 35+ years in broadcasting, we would say that deciding just what you can say in your podcast should definitely form a part of the planning when you're starting out.

For instance, you might want to refer to competitors; other businesses or business owners in the same industry. 

Some people, though, want to pretend that other people within their industry just don't exist.

A quick word on talking about other people - competitors or not - you still have to abide by the laws around defamation, slander and libel. A podcast isn't some kind of lawless land where you can say exactly what you're thinking about other people. There are consequences.

You can also talk about brands.

Many people who listen to the radio, or watch the TV - especially the BBC - will have heard the phrase "...other <insert product here> are available, of course:

This refers to the fact that the BBC is a publicly-funded broadcasting corporation and so can't be seen to favour one brand over another. None of their programmes can be seen to be advertising a product or service. So, when a brand is mentioned, the line "....other <insert product here> are available" is said, to ensure fairness.

In podcast, however, there is no such problem. You can freely talk about products, brands or companies - again, bearing the libel and slander laws in mind - without having to remind the audience that other options are available.

A couple of things that we wouldn't necessarily say relate to just who is listening, and how they're listening.

In radio, we were always taught to speak to just one person. Try and avoid saying 'You all...' or "All of you listening..' as this infers a group - and many people listen to the radio (and YOUR podcast) on their own. So, who is this group that you're referring to?

Also - and we know that we sound like a broken record with this - but don't sell too much on your podcast. Avoid falling into a marketing line when welcoming us to the podcast, or this particular episode. The listener doesn't want to be sold to - they want to be educated or entertained.

What about bad language? Can you swear on your podcast?

You're absolutely @%*$£!^ right you can swear!

However, just bear these things in mind...

 - Who is your podcast aimed at? If your audience in any way includes families or children - maybe don't swear. If it comes up very occasionally - maybe put a slight warning in the intro to the episode, and be sure to mark your episode as 'Explicit'. It doesn't affect it's place in the search algorithm, but it makes people aware of what to expect from the content of that episode.

 - Is the language right for your brand? If you're running a counselling service, for instance, how would it sound to your clients (and prospective clients) if your business podcast had excessive bad language in it?

Swearing definitely has it's place - just make sure that it merits it's place on your podcast. 

If you have a guest, and you don't allow or like swearing on your podcast - make sure to let them know.

In reality, there are really only a small number of things when it comes to language that will cause a problem with your hosting site.

Hate Speech - it just won't be tolerated, and rightly so

Instructing The Overthrowing Of A Government - again, it's a big no-no for the podcasting platforms, so maybe just stick to making banners if that's your thing

So as you can see, you can say plenty when it comes to your podcast. The bigger question will be - should you say it?

Remember, if you'd like to talk about your current podcast - or maybe you're thinking about starting a new one - you can speak to us here

Is Sound Quality Important With My Podcast?

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So - this time around we want to talk about something which can be a little divisive, a little problematic: audio quality.

The thing with podcasts is that it's all about the ears. 

The connection with your audience is all linked to emotion. How do they feel when they take on your content? When they hear your voice? When the latest episode drops onto their device?

How do they feel when they play your episode, and it doesn't sound great? 

How do you feel when you listen to your favourite podcast, and it doesn't sound great?

The analogy that we normally give is the one about listening to the radio, and your favourite song in the world comes on (for us, it's Prince and Sexy MF. So - unlikely to be played on the radio. You get our meaning, though...). 

However, wherever you are is just on the edge of the radio station's transmission area and, if you're listening on FM, the signal gets very fuzzy and hissy or, if you're listening on DAB, it just keeps disappearing and reappearing.

Either way - very irritating.

How long would you keep listening to it? Not very long, we would guess.

And this is your favourite song in the whole wide world! Imagine if it was a song that you didn't like anywhere near as much?

Imagine if it was a podcast that you're interested in, but haven't yet made a firm connection with? How long would you listen for then?

Not very long at all. That could be your podcast.

Now, there are times when circumstance and technology fails us and the quality of the audio is a little bit lower than you would, or should, expect.

As and when that is the case - explain to the listener. Tell them what has happened.

Here's an example from our boss' former podcast, The Puppy Podcast...

The situation was less than ideal - but Pete explained it, and gave that choice to the listener. They would know that what they're hearing - or about to hear - isn't the norm, so they won't make a judgement about the podcast as a whole.

So - audio quality matters a great deal. If you're having to record your podcast on the phone - and wondering why your download numbers aren't going up - this could be why.

We get it, though. You don't have the time / resources / budget to buy a Shure sm7b microphone and install soundproofing in your spare bedroom, or book out a podcast studio - so what should you do?

At the very least, make sure that you're using an external microphone. Make sure that you're recording in a small space, preferably one with clothes or coats hanging up, or lots of fabric on the walls. Make sure that you're not sat too close to the microphone - or too far away. Do a test recording and listen back.

If you're doing a solo podcast, make sure that you have the commitment and willingness to re-record the episode if you feel that it doesn't sound as good as it could.

Your audience - the one you've got now, and the one that will find your podcast in the future - deserves it.

Fancy A Chat?

Remember, if you want to talk more about your podcast - changes you'd like to make, how we think it should be changed (if at all!) or any aspect of your podcasting journey; book in for a call today here

Is My Podcast Successful?

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We love your podcast. Probably not as much as you love it - but that's a given. You've got one podcast to love - we've got a fair few more than that, and we love each one of them equally.

One of the questions that we get asked a lot is 'What makes a podcast successful?'. Like so many aspects of podcasting - the quick answer is 'It depends...'

When our boss Pete was working in Breakfast Radio full-time, he had a very simple gauge as to whether a show had been good. How did he feel after closing the microphone for the final time that morning? If he felt good, then it was a good show; if not, then it wasn't. It really was that simple.

So - you could have that yardstick - but we're guessing you probably want more.

For so many people it's all about the downloads. The number of downloads dictates just how successful a podcast is.

(Quick side reminder: If you're measuring the success of your podcast by the number of clients you get through it, then you're just setting yourself up for a fall. It just doesn't work that way)

The magic question is, though 'How many downloads does a successful podcast have?'

Wow - that is a wide-ranging question...

First of all, download numbers are not made public. If you wanted to say that you were getting 50,000 downloads per episode as part of your social media marketing, there is no-one that could prove otherwise. Apart from me, obviously...

This means that you should always take those social media posts with a pinch of salt, when people are saying that they're getting x number of downloads.

Same goes for chart positions. We've seen posts where people say 'My podcast is #1 in the Business Management charts!'. That sounds great, but what they're not telling you is that the Middle Piddle Village Chart - and it's #1 in Kuala Lumpur.

The thing we wanted to talk about is the title of this whole article - that you're podcast is far more successful than you think.

Look at your regular episode download numbers. What are you averaging, per episode?

If you're getting more than 25 downloads per episode - you're in the top 50% of podcasts

If you're getting more than 100 downloads per episode - you're in the top 20% of podcasts

If you're getting more than 550 downloads per episode - you're in the top 5% of podcasts

These figures apply to the first seven days after the release of an episode, when a large majority of your audience will listen to that episode.

Just let that sink in.

Spotify recently released figures, saying that their platform now has 5.2 million podcasts. Now think about the fact that you're in the top 50% of that. 

Well done!

There is a school of thinking, though, that says that you can't really use downloads as an accurate measure of success. There are 7.5 billion people on the planet - how many of them are in your potential audience? It's the Potential Audience that is the key to a successful podcast from a data point of view.

If your podcast is about Tarantula Ownership you've got a smaller potential audience than, say, someone podcasting about being a better business owner. 

If there are 10 people interested in owning a tarantula, and you're getting 7 downloads per episode - that's a pretty successful podcast isn't it?

In summary, then, you might need to think about the Potential Audience of your podcast before judging whether or not it's a successful one.

OR you could keep in mind that you're probably in the top 50% of podcasts

OR you could just go off how you feel when you finish recording it.

Either way - believe us when we say, you've got a successful podcast.

Links To Links To Links

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So, we just wanted to talk a little bit about links.

When you have an episode published you will normally be given a couples of links.

But, what are they - and when should you be using them? Let's get into it.

The first link is a Direct Download link. You can easily recognise this one because it has .mp3 at the end. This means that it doesn't link to a website, or app - it just plays the audio straightaway.

As I say, it doesn't go to a website, or Apple, Spotify, Google or YouTube - it just plays the podcast without any fuss.

When should you be using this kind of link?

From our point of view, you should be using Direct Download links in the first 6-12 months of your podcast, when posting about it on social media.

Your brand new podcast is really only of interest to you and a couple of close friends within your network - with everyone else, it's one of many podcasts that they could listen to.

So - don't put any barrier in the way of them listening to the podcast. One click (on the Direct Download link) and they're listening.

You may have heard us say that if you're asking a potential listener to click more than twice before listening to your podcast - then you're setting yourself up for disappointment.

Please don't do what we've seen one company do; post about their podcast with a link. Click on the link and it takes you to a webpage where the episodes are all listed (who the guests are, what they're talking about etc) and then instructions as to where we could listen to the podcast - not even a link to the podcasting platform!

In all, it was at least 4 clicks, along with loading an app, typing into the Search bar and scrolling down a page, before we were listening to the podcast. The casual listener will get bored way before that...

Listen, we understand that many of you are doing a podcast as part of your digital marketing strategy, so you want to send people to a specific website to listen. That's fine - just make sure that it's as easy as possible to do that!

Talking of links, that brings onto the next one that is normally included in your email - the embed code.

You can tell this by the fact that it looks like a chimpanzee has been banging away at a computer keyboard before giving up after a few lines.

The embed code is the one that lives on your website. When the code is put in the correct place, it creates a little podcast player especially for your episode.

If you're someone who uses your podcast as a part of your lead generation system, then you'll generally use the embed code. People click on the link to listen to the podcast, which lives on a page of your website with all of your wonderful bells and whistles on it - they get interested whilst listening, enter their email address into the available box and Hey Presto! they're a new client.

You don't put your embed code into your social media. The only place that it has any use is on a website.

What about the links to Apple, Spotify and Google Podcasts - should you ever use them in your social media posts?

As with so much in podcasting, the answer is "It depends..."

If you want to get higher in the search results on Apple, Spotify etc - you have to get people to listen to your podcast on those platforms.

As we've said in the past, Apple don't care how many downloads your podcast is getting; they only care how many listens you're getting through their platform. 

The same goes for Spotify, Google and YouTube.

So - if you want to become more popular and discoverable on those platforms, you need to use the links to those platforms in your posts.

We appreciate that a couple of the links are incredibly long, so it might be worth using a link shortening service before posting. That doesn't count as another click for a potential listener, as they aren't aware that they're being taken to one site, that will then take them to another.

In summary, the links that you are using in your posts should change depending on what you're trying to achieve. You should definitely mix them up too. For instance, when we're doing the marketing for a podcast, the majority of the posts (80%) have the Direct Download link on them, 10% point to Apple, the other 10% point to Spotify.

Hope this helps!


Take A Break….?

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So, this article was written on November 25th when we're starting to think about Christmas in all it's forms - including taking time off. 

So, we want to talk about taking a break from your podcast.

There are a lot of podcasts that don't make any new content during August, and again during December, and we get a lot of questions about whether this is the right course or not.

Now, you will have heard us say this on a couple of occasions, but there are no firm rules on this.

If you feel that creating content during the summer (and festive) months might be a little too hard with everything else in your life jostling for your time and attention - it's fine to take a break.

What's unclear is whether or not podcast listening declines during the summer. From personal research, there is certainly a drop in business podcasts over the festive period in December, when people reset and spend time away from work.

So - the decision to take a break is a very personal one

If you do decide to take a break with your podcast, there are a couple of things that we'd like you to bear in mind..

First of all, plan ahead. Let the audience know.

Use the intro of your final episode before the break to announce that the podcast is going to be taking a break. If you can, tell the listener the specific date when it's going to be coming back - at the very least, the rough part of the month "...we'll be back at the end of September"

By doing this, you are strengthening the bond between you and listener. You are showing that you are thinking about them when you take a break and, by announcing it it feels, to the listener at least, that they are included in the process - and that increases their trust in you, and your content.

Also - and so many podcasters don't do this - keep marketing your podcast whilst you're away.

If you're in a position to be taking a break from your podcast, that must mean that you've got some episodes already published.

Just like we mentioned in another article - don't let them die because they're not the 'new episode'

Schedule some social media posts (with links!) reminder people about the great episodes that they can still listen to, whilst getting excited about when the new episode drops.

So - in summary...

Taking a break is fine, but keep the listener (fans!) informed and make sure that your podcast isn't out of sight, out of mind. Keep talking about it!

Going Down The YouTube Tube

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We want to talk about YouTube.

"But wait!" we hear you say, "Isn't YouTube all about the looky-eye stuff, rather than the luggy-ears stuff?"

Well - yes and no.

YouTube is definitely the premier video sharing and social media platform. It has 2.1 billion active monthly users and there is 452,000 hours of content being uploaded every single day. Mainly videos of either cats doing funny things, or couples pranking one another.

So - where does podcasting come into all of this?

Well, when it comes to podcasting so many people know about Apple Podcasts and Spotify - but it might surprise you to know that YouTube is the 3rd most popular way for people to find podcasts.

A lot of this was down to when YouTube Premium came along, and people could lock their phones - and still listen to the audio on YouTube.

So, if you've ever asked the question 'Should I have my podcast on YouTube?' more and more the answer should be a resounding 'Yes!'

Now, this is where a lot of people go pale and start to shake, and begin to mumble about seeing themselves on camera...

We see you and we hear you.

Thankfully, putting your podcast onto YouTube doesn't mean having to appear in front of a camera, or be filmed - if you don't want.

I know that some of you are already on YouTube, and that some of you are also in-vision for your episodes - that's great, if it works for you.

If you want your podcast on YouTube, but don't want to appear on camera, or you think that your guests would balk at the idea of being on camera; there's plenty that you can do.

If you're using a Windows PC, you'll have Windows Movie Maker. If you have a Mac, you'll have iMovie.

Both of these are relatively intuitive programs to use. You import the audio of your podcast, drag in the cover image of your episode, and drag the image to last the length of your podcast - Hey Presto! Your podcast is now a video and can be uploaded to YouTube.

There is also the web app Headliner which allows you to create audiograms for your podcast. That's the free version. For just a few quid a month, you can create full-length audiograms. This is something that we can help with.

It genuinely is that easy.

To start your YouTube channel, all you need is an account - or a Gmail account -  and that's it. Doesn't cost you a thing.

So, for no cost, you can get your podcast onto Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. That's a huge potential audience.

It's a little bit more work, but it's definitely worth it if you're serious about growing your podcast.

If you want to talk about making sure that your podcast gets onto YouTube, we should talk. Get in touch here

Sometimes You Need To Live In The Past

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We just want to take a second and talk about the past. 

In particular, the past episodes of your podcast.

Hopefully, if you're a podcaster already, you will have quite the catalogue of episodes.

To be clear, anything over 5 we class as a 'catalogue'. Obviously, we're not talking about the Grattans catalogue that your Mum had when you were younger; we're referring to a back catalogue of content that you have created.

Anyway - many episodes in this back catalogue are quite sad.

Why? Because they're feeling unloved, that's why.

Too many times you become fixated on what's right in front of you; in podcasting terms that is your latest episode.

That means that when you're marketing your podcast, all you're talking about is the latest episode.

"Latest episode out now! Download it here!!!!!!"

Quick note - if you're using this many exclamation marks unironically in your social media posts, please stop...

The thing is, your past episodes need to feel the love too.

They're like your children; just because you've got a new baby, it doesn't mean that your older kids don't still need some attention.

Of course, if you have content which is any way time-specific then none of this applies - but so many podcasts aren't time specific. The content, guests and topics covered are incredibly universal - so what's wrong with talking about them months after they've come out?

Stop thinking like a podcast creator - and start thinking like a listener. They've not necessarily been with you since the very beginning of your podcast, so some episodes may have slipped past them. 

Why not let them know about the great episodes they've missed, through the medium of your social media posts?

The other thing you can do is keep an eye on the news too. 

Even if you're not doing a topical, current affairs or news-based podcast there could well be people, stories, issues or debates that are ongoing, or trending, which tie-in in some way with an episode of your podcast.

Don't miss that opportunity - tell people about it! All the while, of course, making sure that it's as easy as possible for people to listen to said episode. Don't bury it on some website, or just give me instructions on how to find it on Spotify - no more than two clicks, remember?

Now, that's not to say that you should ignore your latest episode - absolutely not - but just keep one eye on what's gone before, and how it could be linked to what's going on today.

Almost every episode that you've ever released will be of interest to a whole new audience - so why not give the archive a bit of love this week and tell everyone about it, as well as shouting about your current episode?