Category: News

International Womens Day first occurred over a century ago. The first-ever gathering in 1911 was supported by over a million people. Today, IWD belongs to everyone, everywhere. This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #EmbraceEquity, something we live and breathe at Content is Queen.

So, we wanted to take the opportunity to catch up with some incredible women in the audio space. From exploring what equity means to them to a day in the life, this series will allow you to get to know them a little better and celebrate the work they are doing to help make podcasting more equitable. This week, we’re introducing you to Naomi Mellor.

Meet Naomi

Naomi is the co-founder of Everybody Media, a company founded to create positive change in the world through the medium of audio. Everybody Media produces podcasts and 360 content for purpose-driven brands and individuals, as well as looking after the International Women’s Podcast Awards and The Everybody Collective, a community dedicated to raising the voices of women and people of marginalised genders in podcasting.

Q. The theme for IWD 2023 is equity. What does equity mean to you?

A. It’s a little simplistic, but I find the “100m race” analogy clear when considering equity. If life were a 100m race, we don’t all start on the same starting line for multiple, often intersecting reasons. Some people begin further forward due to their privilege, whilst others are further back due to structures, systems and circumstances often out of their control. Equity, to me, means considering the chance we all have to line up together and how we can help people have the same opportunity as others to be successful.

Q. More specifically, what does equity in podcasting look like?

A. Constantly seeking ways to include people in the industry who wouldn’t otherwise feel welcomed or supported.
A. Increasing opportunities for people doing incredible work that isn’t currently being recognised or celebrated.
A. Doing everything we can to ensure that funding flows to all corners of the podcasting ecosystem, not just a few.

Q. What does a day in the life look like for you? Are there any rituals or routines you can’t live without?

A. We get up pretty early in our household, and I’m generally most productive first thing in the morning, so often, I go straight to my laptop with a cup of coffee and do a couple of hours of really good work before starting my day properly. I get my mental headspace by heading out running in the countryside with my dog, so I try to incorporate this into my life most days, and I also swim all year round in the rivers and lakes near where we live with a group of fantastic women aged from 18 to 80. My life is variable, and no two days are the same, but like everyone else, Zoom meetings feature heavily!

Q. Do you have a hack or favourite tool creators should know?

A. If you’re struggling for inspiration when marketing your podcast, look at Answer The Public. If you put in any keyword associated with the title or subject of your show, you’ll find the questions people are asking about that topic, allowing you to create content that people are looking for.

Q. Finally, do you have any golden advice for audio creators?

A. Don’t be afraid to ask people for help or introductions when needed. Most people are happy to pay it forward.

Here at Content is Queen, we’re committed to encouraging equity in podcasting. One thing that can help to achieve that is sharing the stories of creators killing it in the audio space. So, if you enjoyed this article, stay tuned for more like this coming your way. 

In the meantime, explore our affordable membership options here and join our supportive tribe of talent. 

International Women’s Day first occurred over a century ago. The first-ever gathering in 1911 was supported by over a million people. Today, IWD belongs to everyone, everywhere. This year’s International Women’s Day theme is #EmbraceEquity, something we live and breathe at Content is Queen.

In the coming weeks, we’ll spotlight women in the podcasting space who inspire us and are doing the work to make the podcasting industry a more equitable and inclusive space for marginalised and underrepresented voices. From exploring what equity means to them to a day in their life, this series will allow you to get to know them a little better and celebrate what they do. And who better to kick off the series with than our very own, Imriel Morgan.

Meet Imriel

Q. The theme for IWD 2023 is equity. What does equity mean to you?

A. Equity means providing fair and equal access to opportunities while recognising and acknowledging the unique challenges and obstacles that specific groups may face when trying to access said opportunities. When we can see the problem, equity means putting resources in place to circumvent the problem.

Q. More specifically, what does equity in podcasting look like?

A. In my line of work, equity means that creators have fair and equal access to opportunities and resources that help them overcome the unique challenges that prevent them from bringing their ideas to life. For me, that means a massive reduction in gatekeeping, top-down financial models for creators and a focus on super-serving micro and niche audiences currently starved of representation.

Q. What does a day in the life look like for you? Are there any rituals or routines you swear by?

A. I love this question for other people. Being the CEO is challenging but varied in that my days are never the same. I could be in a production meeting, back-to-back consultation meetings, recording content or sitting at my desk sending and responding to emails. I don’t have any rituals per se, but I find EFT (Emotional Freedom Tapping) immensely helpful when work is overwhelming. We have a weekly team meeting on a Monday, and I find that a great space to catch up with the team and stay on top of what’s happening for the week ahead.

Q. Do you have a hack or favourite tool creators should know about?

A. I’m a hack junkie, always looking for the next thing. I love what’s happening in AI (Chat GPT in particular) and how much time it saves with simple admin tasks, from drafting emails to developing meeting agendas and summarising big ideas. It’s excellent, and I’ll keep experimenting with the new tools that come out.

Q. Finally, do you have any golden advice for audio creators?

A. Start before you’re ready, create from a place of curiosity and joy and outsource the fiddly bits quickly. The admin of production *will* suck the joy out of the making and can often lead to burnout. Find the time or money to invest and get to the best version of your idea within your means and optimise when you get traction. Creating content is cheap. Creating *good* content requires a significant investment, so prepare for the long game.

As part of our IWD series, we’ll be introducing more incredible women in podcasting throughout the month, so watch this space!

Keen to hear from more of our community or work with Imriel? Explore our membership options to take your podcasting game to the next level.

Exciting news! Content is Queen, in collaboration with Audible, has announced the 5 winners of the 2022 Micro-Grants for Podcasters Programme. This programme aims to support podcasters who might face challenges in bringing their projects to life.

Each winner will receive a grant of £2500 or £5000 to bring their podcast project to life, as well as three months of production support from Content is Queen.

We’re thrilled to support these amazing podcast creators and can’t wait to see what they bring to the podcasting community. Congratulations to the winners.

Introducing the talented creators and their winning projects:

Bin Juice with Emma Tindall – a comedy-drama which follows the lives of four hopeless 20-somethings as they attempt to navigate love, sex, friendship and loss in a grubby London flat-share they call home. 

Redemption Man with Chris Mitchell – the story of the most known unknown legend from west London.

Dead Ends with Talia Augustidis – a true choose-your-own-adventure story, navigating the twists and turns of grief.

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From The Tree with Brodie Arthur and Julia Samuels – the story of Brodie’s family’s history of sex work in Liverpool – from the murder of their nan to their mum’s scandal with a high-profile football player and the links to the wider social, political and economic contexts of working women.

He Was Our Friend Saidata Sesay – the story of Jo, who when five years old, witnessed her family being massacred by Hutu extremists. Now she embarks on a journey to confront the man responsible for the murder of her family whilst learning how to heal from the past.

Take a peek behind the scenes with this video and watch this space as their stories unfold. 🎙

As you know, we live and breathe podcasting at Content is Queen. We like to keep a keen eye on the latest news, insights, and trends. So, it’s impossible to ignore the gloomy headlines we’ve seen this month around the podcasting industry. 

With outlets reporting that Spotify shares have plummeted and predicting the industry could be in for a rocky 2023, we can see why alarm bells might be ringing. So, we’ve spent lots of time weighing up reports so we can offer further insight into the podcasting market right now. 

What’s happening with podcasting right now?

In October last year, we wrote an article on podcasting and the creator economy, sharing statistics on the industry. Here’s what we wrote: 

Demand Sage predicted that there will be around 424 million podcast listeners globally by the end of 2022, increasing to 504.9 million by 2024. At the same time, the industry is currently worth approximately $2 billion, and it’s set to be worth $4 billion in 2024. 

Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that with hiring freezes, smaller upfront payments and fewer acquisitions, the podcast boom feels like a thing of the past. But what does that mean? 

We believe that while growth may slow, there is still plenty of opportunity in 2023. With talks of a global recession, podcasting isn’t the only industry forecasted to feel the pinch. Many businesses will approach spending cautiously, so there’s bound to be a trickle-down effect. However, that doesn’t mean podcasting and the opportunities to earn money from it will suddenly cease to exist. Instead, opportunities such as funding and sponsorship will become harder to secure but not impossible. 

In a nutshell, as global markets are facing uncertainty, the same goes for podcasting despite the mammoth growth in recent years. 

Is the market oversaturated?

One take we’ve seen cropping up is that the podcasting market is oversaturated. Yes, there are a lot of podcasters, but there are also a lot of listeners. In the UK alone, 10.5 million Brits are listening to podcasts for 69m hours every week! 

To put podcasting numbers into perspective, there are 2.4 million podcasts globally, versus 80 million Facebook pages, 1 billion active TikTok and Instagram users and 396 million Twitter profiles. The medium quickly seems less competitive and saturated than social media. 

There’s plenty of opportunity to carve out a niche on social media to reach the masses; the same goes for podcasting. 

Embracing an optimistic mindset

Thankfully, it’s not all doom and gloom. This week, Digiday reported that podcast teams are still growing as they hedge their bets on the medium in 2023. According to the report, companies including The New York Times, WSJ and iHeartMedia are expanding their podcast teams, and they’re confident the medium can grow, even during the economic uncertainty. 

Furthermore, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism surveyed over 300 media leaders, asking where they’ll be investing more resources in 2023. You’ll be glad to know 72% plan to focus on podcasts and digital audio more than any other category. 

As we researched the topic, we quickly found that for every gloomy headline, there’s an optimistic one, too. 

Our predictions for podcasting in 2023

While we wish we could tell you we’ve looked into our crystal ball and seen the future, no one can truly predict how things will play out this year. What we can say is indie podcasters who continue to show up despite hard times will reap the benefits in the long run. 

With that said, if we had to hedge our bets, here’s what we expect to see: 

• Funding and commercial opportunities will be harder to come by, but not impossible 
• Consumers will continue to listen to podcasts as much as they did in 2022 
• There will be less hiring within the industry, and we’ll see layoffs
• Bold marketers will continue to invest in audio, particularly those targeting Gen Z  
• Podcast episodes may get shorter as budgets decrease 

In November, we shared the latest podcast statistics and what they mean for creators; if you haven’t already read it, you should do. 

If you’d appreciate the support of our inclusive community right now, you can explore our affordable membership options here. We’d love to have you!

As we’re coming to the end of 2022, we’ve been thinking about how we can consume ethically this Christmas and beyond. During a time when we’re encouraged to overconsume and overspend, tuning into podcasts is an excellent way to switch your focus. So, we’re rounding up some of our favourite sustainable living and climate podcasts to tune into right now.

Sustainable(ish)

Bought to you by Jen Gale, the sustainable(ish) podcast drops a weekly episode on sustainable living minus austerity, deprivation, or the need to live off the grid in a yurt. Instead, you can expect engaging conversations, accessible and actionable tips and knowledgeable guests. Sustainable(ish) is the pod for you if you’re ready to make small tweaks to do your part. Not sure where to start? We’d recommend episode 163 – the Carbon Footprint of Christmas and what’s in your control.

Mothers of Invention

Feminism and sustainability? Yes, please! Mothers of Invention is a podcast sharing feminist solutions to the man-made climate change problem. Brought to you by Mary Robison, Maeve Higgins, and Thimali Kodikara, Mothers Of Invention, shifts the focus to the stories of black, brown and indigenous women innovating from the front lines. Packed full of love, laughter, and exceptional storytelling, this is the podcast to turn to for inspiration to live more sustainably.

Sustainababble

Fancy a good laugh and learn? Then, Sustainababble is the pod for you. Self-dubbed ‘a funny podcast about the environment, sustainability and all the guff people talk in the name of saving the planet’, the weekly episodes by Ol and Dave are as entertaining as they are educational. With 272 episodes and counting, you’ll be spoilt for choice on topics, but we’d recommend kicking off with episode 255 on Green Capitalism.

Drilled

What do you get when you pair climate change with true crime? Drilled. Reported and hosted by award-winning journalist Amy Westervelt, Drilled has been delving into the crimes against the climate since 2017. From fossil fuels and tar sands to greenwashing and accountability, Drilled is entertaining, informative and, at times, shocking. The best kind of podcast, right? To get a feel for the podcast, we’d recommend tuning into Introducing: Who Killed Daphne, which is just 6 minutes long.

The YIKES podcast

Mikaela Loach and Jo Becker are a dynamic duo leaning into the yikes of the world without overwhelming themselves or their listeners. From the climate crisis to activism and racism, the pair offer nuanced and accessible takes on everything that’s going on around us. In a recent instalment, Mikaela has returned from COP27 in Egypt and Jo’s returned from university occupations with the End Fossil Occupy movement, and it’s a must-listen! Listen to YIKES here. 

Outrage and Optimism

Outrage and Optimism focuses on solving the climate crisis and remaking the world. Hosts Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson get together weekly to delve into the issues at the forefront of the climate crisis and educate listeners on their power to help solve it. With special guests including David Attenborough, Lily Cole, and Vanessa Nakate, you’ll hear from experts and the activists on the frontline. In short, Outrage and Optimism is our go-to for a global perspective on climate change!

Sustainably Influenced

A permanent fixture in our podcast library is Sustainably Influenced. Hosts Bianca Foley & Charlotte Williams are on a mission to guide their listeners through the minefield of sustainability. From ethical and sustainable jewellery to eating meat, the duo chat with sustainability and ethical living experts to delve into various sustainable living practices. With 83 episodes to get through, we suspect Sustainably Influenced will become a firm favourite for you too!

To keep up with our top picks, the latest in podcasting and all things Content is Queen, connect with us on Instagram and Twitter.