Category: News

Do you want to be a speaker at podcast events and conferences? With The International Women’s Podcast Festival 2024 applications open from now until 13th March, we asked Kat Molesworth for some tips to make your speaker pitch successful.

When you’re pitching to speak at any event, you want your pitch to sparkle and catch the eyes of the conference organisers. We’re looking for a range of different ideas and skills to include in the International Women’s Podcast Festival (IWPF) line-up, and we have an open pitch policy so that we can book the best speakers for sessions. Here is the advice I would give if you want to be one of them.

Actually submit!

This first point should go without saying – if you aren’t sending pitches then it’s less likely that you will be asked to speak. We do reach out and invite people to talk, but the majority of our lineup comes from the pitches. The only sure fire way to get us to consider your chosen session is to pitch it. It’s way more effective than wishing and hoping.

And submit early…

Get in early with a strong pitch and you increase the odds of standing out from the crowd. Pitches may be open for six weeks but we start analysing their suitability as soon as they begin to arrive. For the last festival, we got more pitches on the final day than any other day. The pitches that start with “I saw it was the last day so I thought I’d throw something together…” do not go down well.

Equally, pitches submitted months after the process is closed are futile. You might try to chance your arm by pitching a day or two late, but like many organisations, we will already have more applications than they have slots. If we’ve just sent out a Final Speaker Announcement, we’re not going to consider you this year – and will likely forget you by the next pitching window.

Follow the instructions

Read the introduction, read the instructions and read the FAQs before writing your pitch – and then read them again before submitting. Working with a large number of people to bring an event together, we really appreciate the people who follow instructions when pitching. This is our first indicator of whether you are going to be wonderful to work with. If you hit every point we ask for and help us understand what our audience will take away from your session, we’re really happy.

Research the event

Make sure you understand the event you are pitching to, as well as the audience that attends. Find out who has spoken before, what kind of sessions they held and what the audience enjoyed in previous years. Events are unlikely to repeat large parts of content from the last programme.

With a knowledge of the type of session the organiser is looking for you can avoid pitching out of their interest zone. Our decisions will be driven by what benefits people in their careers as professional and indie podcasters. For instance, it’s unlikely IWPF would host a talk focussed on the history of your podcast, but we might be interested in specific insights or advice you have for newer podcasters. How can you take your knowledge and make it relevant for this event?

Be fresh and original

What do podcasters need in 2024? What has moved on since we last gathered? What new landscapes are emerging in podcasting? What advice did you need to hear in your early or mid career? People are coming to your session to learn things that they are unlikely to have heard before. The question to answer in most cases is not “what it is” or “why you should do it” but how to do something. Think about how to overcome the challenges you see in the industry right now, or ways we can use new technologies.

Originality is also important in what you present. If you care about speaking at an event known for originality don’t re-use a talk you’ve given elsewhere. Events want to be able to say they’ve got something unique from you. Give people something that has never been heard before and is going to be a one-off for this event.

Sell yourself

It may feel awkward (especially if you’re from the UK) but you need to embrace the fear and tell me why I should pick you. Why are you the only person that could do this talk?

Give me reasons to rave about you to people. We don’t need your CV – it doesn’t matter if you dropped out of Uni or have an armful of PhDs (unless it’s particularly relevant to your session). But do tell us what you have achieved in podcasting and audio. How did you build your pod / following / career / business to the point it’s at now? How do you support people? What are you doing that’s special?

When we are considering who might be the right fit for a session or panel we may have several people to choose between. If you stand out not just for your pitch but as a superb individual, the odds are in your favour.

But it’s not about you

There is very little that will turn an audience more quickly than being focused on pushing your agenda rather than their needs. People have invested their time and money, and they should come away with actionable advice that can be applied to their work or project tomorrow.

Speaking at events is a great way to build your profile and strengthen links, but if that’s your sole aim, I suggest you attend the festival and work the room instead. At IWPF we work to create an event packed with value for our attendees. Channel this into your pitch – tell me exactly how your session adds value to the schedule. Talking about your journey or the things I could read on your ‘about me’ page probably won’t achieve that objective. Focus on delivering exceptionally good advice, and you’ll find that people will flock to you because of it.

Stay connected if you’re not picked

You might be turned down as a speaker this time. This may be no reflection on you or the quality of your work but simply based on the confines of time and schedule. If it happens, stay connected.

People we chat to on social media, who share what we’re doing and contribute to the community, stand out (and conversely, so do those who don’t). You never know what will happen last minute – in the past we’ve had a speaker unable to make it with little notice. By submitting your pitch you are on my radar. Come and say hello to me at the event as well, because there is nothing like connecting in person to solidify that.

Be ready to say ‘yes’

You already know CiQ love speakers who are organised so here are a few quick tips you can get ready for when we’re booking people:

Plan out your session: At CiQ we always meet with our shortlist to get a sample of the proposed workshop or talk so having your main points planned out and ready will stand you in good stead to be booked. You don’t need to create a presentation or have every last detail written out but you do need the main sections of your session clear so our content team have a good understanding of what you’re planning.

Get your bio prepped: Tailor your bio to the event audience. This is great for two reasons: number one it tells the audience why you’re a great fit for them. Number two it means that your speaker page on the site will be different to other places your bio appears and so won’t get penalised by search engines for repetition.

Get your photos ready: Love or hate your own photos, every event you speak at is going to want one on their site. We highly recommend investing in a professional shoot to provide high resolution images that reflect the standard of your work. Make sure you have at least one photo that doesn’t crop your head or hair. Having a mix of very corporate to more relaxed imagery is good because events will be looking for different things. It also helps your brand stay fresh: if people attend lots of industry events and you have had the same profile picture for five years it stands out – but not in the good way.
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Pitching to speak at an event can be daunting but by nailing your submission you can stack the odds in your favour. Taking the time to make sure it meets the criteria and adds value to the event will give you the best opportunity.

Every year it is a joy to read well-crafted pitches for sessions we can’t wait to attend. Some of our greatest speakers have pitched us directly rather than waiting for us to notice them. So what are you waiting for? Send us a pitch.

Podcasting’s low barrier to entry has many amazing benefits for creators, but this grassroots approach to audio production can leave podcasters open to legal issues. We suggest some contracts that all podcasters could consider to avoid potential problems…

Creating your podcast as an individual or small team can be really tricky, especially if you don’t have a background in audio or broadcasting. Throw in the small or non-existent budgets and it’s no wonder that a large amount of podcasting ends up running on trust and goodwill.

For many podcasters, the dream is to get support from a production company or podcast platform. This help can come in many forms, from monetary grants to production and creative assistance. But when you start working with companies, it’s time to make sure you understand the relationship and legal implications of that dynamic.

So whether you are a solo-show or working with a team, if you want to cover yourself from potential problems these are some of the contracts that all podcasters should be considering. This is a list of suggestions and should not be taken as legal advice.

For individuals and independent podcasts

Disclaimers on Episodes

One small thing that many podcasters might forget about is that they can be very influential to their audience. This is especially worth keeping in mind when talking about subjects such as healthcare, law, money, illegal activities etc. I think most listeners are aware that podcasts should not be taken as personal advice, but from a legal standpoint, it can’t hurt to make that clear. Something as simple as “don’t try this at home” or “this is not legal advice” in the show notes can cover you against other people’s decisions after listening to your show.

Guest Release Form

A Guest Release can be a very short document but it just shows that your guests know what the recording is for and how it will be used. This is a good place to confirm if you are recording in audio or video, state which platforms the content will be used on, and that interviews will be edited. If you ask your guests for images to use in promotion, you should also include this in your guest release. You’ll want to check aspects such as whether an image needs to be credited, and if you can alter the image (such as taking the background away etc.). A Guest Release is something that can be added into your interview process quite easily, because it will be the same for each guest.

A Podcaster Prenup

Some of the best podcasts feature dynamic duos or multiple hosts, and their rapport and friendship is a big draw for listeners. However, when your podcast is started and run by two or more people, it can be difficult to split up responsibilities and give credit where it’s due. This is where a ‘podcaster prenup’ – or a Podcast Partnership Agreement – can be really handy. It’s just like a prenuptial agreement for marriage: you have something on paper that states aspects such as what your contribution to the show is, who owns what (including social channels and RSS feed), what happened if someone wants to leave as well, how to share profits, how to approach deals with sponsors and even things like how to decide which guests you have on.

Like any prenup, this might seem like an awkward conversation to start with your podcast partner, but disagreements do happen. Last year we witnessed some high-profile parting-of-ways in podcasts: in the USA, the hosts of Sounds Like A Cult? are going to court over the show, and in the UK, The Receipts is continuing as a duo after the unexpected departure of former co-host Milena Sanchez.

Hopefully you don’t have to deal with those scenarios, but a prenup-style contract can still help you stay on good terms with your podcast team. Getting this in place early saves big headaches later.

Retainer Fee Contract

If you are a small team or solo podcaster and you are working with paid freelancers – such as editors, producers or hosts – you might want to consider setting up some kind of Retainer Fee Contract. This is a small, regular payment to the freelancer so that they can put aside time to work on your show regularly, which means you can always work with the same people. The money is usually (but not always) treated as a prepayment for future services. This could be particularly helpful if you run seasonally, as it spreads the cost of producing your show. If you are looking for regular production support for your podcast without any hassle, don’t forget to check out the Content Is Queen membership options to see how our team can support you.

Podcasters working with companies

Podcast Production Agreement

If you start working with a company on a podcast you have created or pitched to them, you will need a full Podcast Production Agreement. This contract covers a lot of different aspects (including some of the above and below) and if you’ve never worked with a company on a podcast before it is worth getting advice on any documents put in place before you sign.

Intellectual Property Rights (IP Rights)

The Intellectual Property (IP) Rights are some of the most important aspects of creative contracts. This is the aspect that decides who owns which creative work, and any ‘spin-offs’ or derivatives of the main work. Who can make and profit from the board game or musical of your podcast? It might seem like longshot thinking, but this is where people ‘win’ and ‘lose’ big. George Lucas retained all merchandising rights and the rights to any sequels for his small 1975 film called Star Wars, whereas Hwang Dong-hyuk, the creator of the Squid Games, gets no royalties from Netflix’s biggest ever series (or the new game show spinoff). In podcasting, Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings pitched, hosted and created the popular show The Nod, but the production company Gimlet (and then Spotify after it bought out Gimlet) were the ones to claim ownership of the idea.

Restrictions on Generative AI

AI is another aspect that may be covered in the Podcast Production Agreement, but considering the new technologies in podcasting, it may need its own conversation. One of the big reasons for the labour disputes within the film and television industries last year was the lack of protections for actors and writers when it comes to generative AI. Hollywood has used AI to replicate actors who have died, and it leads to legal questions of whether this type of thing is IP infringement, or defamation of character. At the least, it is morally woolly. How much of yourself and your show would you be happy to see expanded or continued with AI replicas or ‘co-creators’?

Freelancer Agreement…

If you are a freelance podcast producer and work with production companies or clients on a regular basis, you might want to consider arranging a specific Freelancer Agreement for the project. This is a document that lays out what deliverables are expected of you (i.e. what are you working on and when) and your remuneration, such as the agreed day/project rate. It is also useful to confirm you aren’t exclusive to that company and do work elsewhere, and it can include things like payment timescales and aspects of liability.

…OR an Employee Contract

On the flipside, if you are only working for one company on a long-term basis, and don’t have multiple clients or sources of income throughout a year, this should really be a salaried job. Salaried jobs have many benefits, such as being entitled to annual leave and pension schemes. You will also be signed up to PAYE (pay as you earn) which means you won’t have to do a tax return at the end of the year.

If you do take on a salaried job but still want to do freelance work as well, this should be fine – but check the contract as some jobs don’t like employees who work for rival companies or in conflicting roles.

DISCLAIMER: Get advice and read the fine print

This is just an introduction to the types of legal documents podcasters might want to think about. Whatever contracts you work with, always check the fine print. Some production companies have an umbrella organisation that runs the legal contracts – is the second party on the contract the one you’ve been dealing with? What length of time does the contract cover? Some will be for the length of a project, whilst others will be a rolling agreement. Is there anything in there about exclusivity? And what happens if you breach the contract?

A final thing to consider is joining a workers union or industry association such as Radio Academy or AudioUK. These types of organisations offer support and discounts to members who need legal advice.

We are not lawyers or a law firm and we recommend you consult an appropriate advisor with any questions about contracts for your podcast. But we do believe that podcasters should be considering these contracts and others to protect themselves, their guests, and their shows.

The International Women’s Podcast Festival (IWPF) is returning in 2024, and we’re working with partners to bring it back bigger and better than before!

Brought to you by Content Is Queen, the International Women’s Podcast Festival will be live in London and streamed worldwide this October, with a *very special* event on the evening of Thursday 3rd October.

The IWPF is a day of workshops and panels designed to give podcasters the skills, knowledge and advice they need to make their show a success. It’s also a chance for our community to come together and celebrate and learn from women in the podcast industry.

At the heart of the event is the programme of workshops and panels delivered by talented and skilled women from all areas of podcasting. Once again we are inviting speaker applications, and our pitching process is open to give the widest range of podcasters the chance to be heard. We’re searching for speakers who will deliver innovative and interesting workshops and panels.

To pitch yourself as a speaker simply head to the festival website to find out more. Pitches close at 23:59 GMT on Wednesday 13th March 2024.

Sign-up to our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss more news as it’s released, including when we reveal more about the special event on the 3rd October.

Listeners can rest assured that 2024 is already looking to be a year of fantastic podcasts. With press releases for big new shows, projects we’re proud to support and old favourites due to return, we’re recommending some podcasts to listen out for this year…

There seems to be two ways people act in January: they either come hot out the gates, filling their days with new projects, and getting their diaries booked for the year ahead – or they take a slow start to the year, resting in the winter month.

Either way, you might not be in the space to add new listening to your queue at the moment. You’ll either be sad you can’t fit the new shows into your days, or seeking comfort in your good old favourite shows.

So rather than bombarding you with a list of shows you must listen to right away, we’ve chosen some shows to listen out for later in 2024. These are a mix of new podcasts that we know are in the works, and podcasts that have been around for a while but might be doing something a bit different this year.

So bookmark this page, follow these shows and rest assured that 2024 should be a fabulous year for podcasts.

More content that is good for us

*This suggestion was updated on 26th January 2024 following the news of Broccoli Productions’ closure*

When this article first went out, we suggested ANTHEMS as a show from Broccoli Productions that always delivers. After ten series of daily monologues, last year saw a change in format to an in-depth conversation show and we were excited to see if more changes would follow. Early this week, Broccoli Productions announced it would close at the end of January, and we’ve had to reassess our hopes. As mentioned in the announcement, “while Broccoli is closing, the people who have been doing that work aren’t going anywhere”. We hope that as the producers and team move into other roles, they can spread their passion and skill for creating “bold, creative and inclusive shows that break through industry barriers” into other companies.

Pilot Season 2024

Pilot Season was an interesting new show from Unedited in 2023 that brought something new to the way podcasts are produced. Borrowing from the ‘pilot episode’ concept that is common in television, the series was a format showcase of new audio ideas. Each episode of the four-episode series had a different producer, host, and format that covered a wide range of topics – from hidden statistics of curry houses, to Reading Festival, and sneakers. We’ve yet to hear if any of the shows were optioned for a full series, so we can hope for that in 2024, but can we also hope for another Pilot Season? It would be great to hear more ideas from more producers. Listen to Pilot Season 2023. 

Heavyweight (and other cancelled shows)

There were several high-profile shows that were cancelled in 2023, to the surprise of many. The ‘podcast heavyweight’ Death, Sex & Money was one of them – it was cancelled by New York Public Radio after running for nearly ten years. This week, we’ve heard that the show has found a new home with Slate. Given the big support of listeners, it’s no surprise that it was picked up elsewhere, and there are several shows we expect to see in new homes soon. Heavyweight in particular is a beloved show, and we know that the creators were free to shop the show elsewhere after season eight finished. Based on the timeline of Death, Sex & Money being cancelled in October, we might hear about that by March… Listen to Heavyweight here. 

Audible Original – 1984

George Orwell’s cautionary tale has made the number 1984 shorthand for dystopian, dictatorial societies and policies. Now Audible is creating a new dramatised version to be released on the 40th anniversary of the infamous year. The cast includes Cynthia Erivo, Andrew Garfield and Tom Hardy, and the score is composed by Matthew Bellamy from The Muse and Ilan Eshkeri (known for films such as Layer Cake and Stardust) so we can expect epic scale. It seems somewhat relevant to also point out that 2024 is also set to be ‘democracy’s biggest year ever’ with more than 4 billion people going to the polls around the world. It will be interesting to see how and if this production references current affairs. Find out more here.

More shows from Hannah Ajala (Love, Janessa)

One of the great successes in 2023 was the first cross-continent podcast collaboration between BBC World Service and CBC. Love, Janessa was a story about catfishing and the stolen images used in scams. Hannah Ajala’s insight as a journalist based partly in West Africa added a much-needed new layer to these catfish stories. Her show was very close to being a ‘best podcast’ across the board, and it won a number of awards – including Hannah herself receiving the silver award for Rising Star at the British Podcast Awards 2023. After similar success with 28-ish Days Later, India Rakusen produced two more podcasts for the BBC. We’re excited to see what Hannah Ajala will be doing next. Catch up on Love, Janessa here. 

The Content Is Queen 2022 micro-grant winners!

It’s all under embargo at the moment as to how, but in 2024 we are going to start hearing more from the winners of the 2022 Micro-Grant! We’ve already heard a little bit of the fruits from the last cohort. Part of Talia Augustidis’ story Dead Ends was featured on the BBC Radio Four’s Lights Out series, and the Content Is Queen curation at the London Podcast Festival last September gave us an exciting teaser for some of the shows.

In particular, we got to see a live reading for the pilot episode of Emma Tindall’s comedy-drama Bin Juice. It’s a show that is akin to television and stage in a lot of ways – a cross between Fresh Meat and Fleabag would be my description – and we’re excited to hear the final result soon.

Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative

We’re ending with a new four-part series from Radiotopia that you can start listening to right now. Shocking, Heartbreaking, Transformative is a documentary about creating documentaries – and more precisely, about the ethics of it all. Should we be turning people’s lives into a piece of media for consumption? Jess Shane is the writer, host and producer of the show and brings in her own questions as a documentary maker. Jess actually started exploring this topic for the Lights Out episode ‘Accounts and Accountability’, so we’re excited to hear her able to expand on it, with expanded sound design and music to boot. Falling Tree Radio (who produced Lights Out) said on Twitter, this is a “must-listen for doc-enthusiasts”. Listen here.

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If you’d like people to be listening to your new show in 2024, get in touch! We’d love to see you in the studio some time.

A lot of commentators have described 2023 as podcasting’s ‘year from hell’, where we witnessed a ‘market-correction’ from the business side of the audio industry. Francesca Turauskis argues that 2024 is an opportunity for course-correction of the industry’s values and priorities…

I have personally found it difficult to say for certain that 2023 was a particularly bad year in the audio industry. I came into ‘the industry’ during the pandemic period, so my years of reference to compare to are limited, but I can say for sure that the last year has been turbulent.

The predictions Content Is Queen made last January came to pass: there has been downsizing in several high-profile companies including Spotify, Pushkin Industries, Acast and NPR. Despite that, we are still seeing other companies expand into audio. We have seen a drop in monetary support within audio, as marketing and production budgets are tightened. However, we also saw an injection of funds in the form of advertising revenue, particularly as advertisers move away from linear forms of media.

Listeners will have noticed an impact this past year as well, whether that’s because they listened to shows on a now-defunct podcast app or because their favourite high-profile shows have been cancelled in 2023. Awards and high praise from journalists couldn’t save shows widely considered some of the best.

From a business perspective, these decisions can be explained away as a ‘market-correction’ as the focus on profit margins was tightened. But from a community perspective, this turbulence has been felt by some whilst others appear to be on a different plane that landed in 2024 safely.

The events and initiatives affected were often the ones by diverse founders and leaders (including our International Women’s Podcast Festival) and when the results of the UKAN State of the Audio Industry revealed that women and BIPOC audio professionals are earning less than they were three years ago, it was frustrating to see that white men’s average earnings had actually increased somehow. It should be said, there are likely many people within the demographic wondering how that happened as they see their own pay stagnate.

So if 2023 was the year the industry chose market-correction, 2024 is an opportunity for course-correction with the industry’s values and priorities. Here’s what I think the audio industry can do in 2024 to encourage both equity and growth.

Stop saying “the podcast boom is over”!

I could go into how people have different definitions of ‘boom’, but my point here is that we need to stop giving air to the phrase itself. If the ‘boom’ is over, too many people think “well it must be bust” – which just isn’t true. Podcasting is a medium of growth. The growth is decelerating, but listener numbers, advertising revenue, and the amount of shows are all growing. With so much pointing to the continued success of podcasting as a whole, I’m starting to hear ‘the boom is over’ as code for “actually, I don’t understand podcasting” and that’s perhaps because it appeals to people that traditional media doesn’t usually reach.

Distribute money more equally

As pointed out in the open letter to the audio industry last May (for which Content Is Queen Founder Imriel Morgan was Lead Author) “How does a sector seeing continued growth in advertising revenue openly and honestly say there’s no funding for events or activities explicitly targeting underrepresented groups…”. It would be easy to say this is just the responsibility of those in charge of big budgets and commissioners, but this is something individuals can affect as well. The highest absolute day rate for a male audio professional in 2023 was £2000 – imagine if that individual pushed for (at least) less disparity in all his projects…

More (relevant and representative) podcast events

2023 was something of a Jekyll and Hyde year for podcast events. We saw new podcast events, lots of live podcast shows and conferences with a business-focus getting larger. But there was also a re-wording of the Equality In Audio Pact because some established organisations weren’t prioritising accurate representation, and of course we saw valuable events cancelled.

The challenge in 2024 is to make sure the audio events that are being supported are the ones pushing the industry forward, rather than those happy with the status quo. Just last month, Emma Vaughn (head of advertising business development and partnerships at Spotify) wrote that podcasts are at the centre of cultural movements, and this gives me hope for industry support.

Different business structures

Many audio productions are either publicly funded (like the BBC or NPR) or set-up and supported as profit-making entities, but as Martin Austwick pointed out on Twitter there is an alternative. Maximum Fun is a podcast network founded in 2005, and in June last year it became a worker-owned cooperative. Whilst the day-to-day is structured like a regular company, it now has a Board of Directors who are responsible for the company’s strategy and business decisions, and the monetary support comes largely from listeners. With this structure there is an emphasis on creators owning their work, which is something that will no doubt appeal to the podcast side of audio in particular.

More podcasts in global languages

Data from YouGov Global Profiles suggests that both the UK and USA are behind other global markets in regular podcast listening and yet English is the most widely used language for podcasts. Likewise, there are plenty of podcasts that English speakers are missing out on. We’ve seen some interesting projects in this area in the past: Ochenta Studios has been creating award-winning multilingual shows for nearly a decade, Spotify’s 2021 show The Last Days of Maradona was released in six languages simultaneously, and last year Mags Creative produced an English language version of the Spanish show Blum.

Multi-language productions do take a lot of resources, but there are other ways to appreciate global voices in podcasts. The International Women’s Podcast Awards introduced a category in 2023 for languages other than English (on the other hand, the British Podcast Awards quietly backpedalled when they removed the Welsh-language category last year). Another option that is more viable for small shows could be to automate translation – a survey from Acast showed that 80% of listeners were comfortable with AI being used to translate captions to various languages.

More accountability

It was announced last year that UK Audio Network and Content is Queen are grabbing the torch of the Equality in Audio initiative. Phase Two of EAP is about holding companies and individuals more accountable for the pledges they signed up to in 2020. There are plans to launch certification that will allow signees to display their promises for the diversity, equity and inclusion of the audio industry – and allow others to ask for transparency if those pledges don’t appear to be upheld.

Phase Two is a big project, and will take time to do properly. But regardless of when it goes live, there are many of us who will be hoping to look back on 2024 as audio’s ‘year of equity’.

 

 

Earlier this week we shared a list of the twelve podcasts that, according to everyone else, are the best podcasts of 2023. Those podcasts were the most widely lauded shows in 2023, being recommended in lists, winning awards, and hitting the podcast charts.

We think the shows on the list are great, and a couple in particular are favourites of our team: The Retrievals, If Books Could Kill and The Shamima Begum Story are all great examples of how podcasts can offer new perspectives, tell hidden stories and challenge the prevailing narratives.

But we were disappointed that the list as a whole does not reflect the range of the creators and listeners we know podcasting has. It seems there is still a bias in the types of shows being served to us by production companies and curators.

In an effort to rebalance this, we wanted to elevate some shows we think should be more widely celebrated! These podcasts that have been smashing it in 2023, whether it’s through winning awards, featuring on billboards or simply sharing stories that no-one else is.

So here’s the list of shows we think you should keep a close eye on next year – the Content Is Queen ‘Pick of the Podcasts’ in 2023

The ones that nearly made the top twelve

As mentioned in the article about the most-lauded shows, there were several shows that made it onto the long-list. Whether it was a couple of writers mentioning them, or the shows winning awards, it was great to see shows like these recognised, even if they didn’t quite make the shortlist of the top twelve.

Bitter/Sweet

A new show, Bitter/Sweet was mentioned in a couple of lists, including ‘Tink’s Audio Delicacies‘ and ‘The best podcasts of 2023: The ESSENTIAL list!’ on Pod Bible, and the show was also nominated for a few awards – host Natasha Miller actually won the Bronze ‘Best Narrator’ at the Audio Production Awards. The show explores the relationship between food and our deepest memories, and is really unique in its execution – Natasha’s vulnerability in talking about grief is very moving.  – listen here.

Where’s Home Really?

We have a soft spot for Jimi Famurewa’s show, because we did an episode swap on the Wanna Be feed earlier this year, but it’s not just us that like it. Where’s Home Really? won a Silver at the British Podcast Awards, and was suggested on a couple of lists. His simple question to guests opens up incredible conversations with public figures from different backgrounds. – listen here.

Normal Gossip

Normal Gossip is definitely a favourite among podcasters, and one of the first shows that came up in our team-talk about what to include. It actually featured on a number of lists including New Yorker and Tink’s Audio Delicacies (and also featured on some in 2022). We really like the show, which has host Kelsey McKinney discussing reader-submitted comedic gossip with her guests. – listen here.

Lights Out

A BBC Radio 4 production, Lights Out is a series of stand-alone documentaries that are always enlightening. As a show that has different producers every episode, it is a real showcase for some UK audio talent, and is particularly good at giving a platform to newer producers like our Micro Grants for Podcasters recipient, Talia Augustidis. It’s clearly not just us that appreciates this one – it always gets high praises when it does appear on lists and reviews. For such an innovative series, it’s sad that the BBC won’t be continuing it. We can only hope it returns in the future, in some capacity. – listen here.

Pod Save The UK

Pod Save The UK has had a great first year. It had a good starting point: the format and branding from the sister shows Pod Save America and Pod Save The World meant there was a pre-made audience. But as a new show, it has featured on the cover of magazines, been nominated in awards and made it high in the podcast charts. This was mentioned a few times on lists, and only just missed that top twelve. – listen here.

Where’s There A Will There’s A Wake

Kathy Burke is a beloved celebrity speaking to beloved celebrities, but the premise of asking people to describe their perfect funeral gives a really different insight to the guests. There’s an unexpected amount of laughs as well, and this might be why the show gained nominations at the 2023 ARIA Awards. It’s another great show that was recommended by a handful of individual writers. – listen here.

The ones quietly winning awards

It’s certainly not the only measure of success, but winning an award is an incredible achievement, and especially if you are new to podcasting, independent or telling stories not heard elsewhere. Our team members were particularly fond of two award-winners that haven’t been recommended on lists in the way we would expect.

Get Birding

Now in its third series, the Get Birding podcast has been quietly recognised in a few awards – it won the Climate Award at the 2022 British Podcast Awards, and the host of Season 3, Kwesia, won Best New Voice at the Audio Production Awards, and it was also a winner at the International Women’s Podcast Awards this year. Listening to Kwesia’s journey in Season 3 as a new birdwatcher, new podcast host, and new mum was particularly special. It’s a shame this wasn’t recommended more in lists, but we’ll recommend it as much as we can. – listen here.

Black Earth Podcast

Another show that quietly picked up an award, but hasn’t been picked up widely yet, is Black Earth Podcast. This is a passion-project show, and it won the Silver Award for Best New Show at the British Podcast Awards 2023. Hosted by Marion Atieno Osieyo, the show is an interview-based celebration of nature and black women leaders in the environmental movement. We’ve got our eye on where this might go. – listen here.

The ones speaking to the right people and making it BIG

We’re big believers in the fact that there are many different metrics for success, and some shows are unapologetically speaking to the right people. Listeners often seek podcasts that talk about their experience because they can’t find their stories represented elsewhere. These shows can also be a way of learning about other people’s lived realities, and a few of these made it big this year – literally – and were featured on billboards from London to New York.

Let’s Make It Rain

Davinia Tomlinson is a finance expert and the Founder of rainchq, and her podcast features weekly chats that will help women build their financial literacy, build wealth and ultimately live life entirely on their own terms. Let’s Make It Rain was featured on a billboard in Leicester Square and other UK locations (alongside two more shows below) as part of Spotify’s Black History Month offering. The theme was ‘Saluting Sisters’ and we think the feature was particularly fitting. – listen here.

*(Relate)able

The second podcast on the billboard as part of Spotify’s curation was the *(Relate)able podcast – a safe space for open and honest conversations created unapologetically for Black people. Fiona, Sherween, and Chantal have created an incredible platform to explore how we relate to one another – whether that’s intimate connections, friendships, family and/or everything in between. They believe that “a shared journey brings hope” and we couldn’t agree more. – listen here.

Wanna Be

Our own flagship show Wanna Be, hosted by CIQ founder Imriel, was the third show on the Spotify billboard, and what company to be in! Wanna Be is about helping listeners get to where they want to be, but we know that the audience for the show is wide. We can say for certain that it is a valuable resource to learn about incredible Black women, and our team’s children have been known to use it for their homework! – listen here.

Masala Podcast

Sangeeta Pillai’s self-titled ‘South Asian feminist podcast’ feels like it needs no introduction. It has won multiple British Podcast Awards, been featured in places like the Guardian, Cosmopolitan, and more. But it’s worth highlighting that this year has been big for the show, as Sangeeta went to the USA for an American series, Masala was featured on a billboard in Time Square, and Sangeeta spoke at the Birmingham Podcast Festival. – listen here.

The Content Is Queen Community!

The last podcasts we’d like to highlight are some shows from the Content Is Queen community and studio. We work hard all year round to elevate shows through our event curations, studio support and community spotlights. Make sure you check out these podcasts, and you can sign-up to our newsletter to get the latest recommendations directly to your inbox.

Sustainably Influenced
Surviving Society
Flight 1971
A Shared Gaze
Wonder Workers
It’s All Relative
Bookshelfie: Women’s Prize for Fiction Podcast
On the Outside
Clean Fashion
Comuzi: Next Billion Users Podcast
The Waffle Shop
Creativity Is

Do you want to join our community in 2024? Find out more here!

What are the best podcasts of 2023? It’s a question a lot of publications and podcast apps are trying to answer at the moment. We’ve asked our freelance writer, Francesca Turauskis, to try to make sense of the listicles for you…

Deciding what the best podcasts of the year are is so difficult! Or to be more accurate, this is difficult to do objectively. I could easily write about my personal favourite podcasts this year (my only difficulty would be limiting them to double figures). But my personal favourites are just that – personal.

It’s for this reason I think we need to take any list that uses the word ‘best’ with a pinch of salt, because it’s fairly arrogant to believe one writer or team can figure that out. It is more accurate to say that these end of year lists are the favourite shows of the people adding to the search results.

Speaking for myself, after reading more than twenty ‘best-of’ lists, scrolling through multiple apps, checking newsletters and award winners… all the recommendations start blurring into one.

That’s when I noticed it: how many shows were appearing on multiple lists, in multiple apps and winning awards. I realised that with a bit (a lot) of work, I might be able to figure out what the actual best podcasts of 2023 are – or at least, what we are being told the best shows are…

Methodology

I have created my list by cross-referencing the recommendations and nominations from four main sources of podcast curation:

• Lists released by some of the most influential podcast apps: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and Audible.
• High-profile ‘Best-of’ lists from 2023 (so far). I read more than twenty lists claiming to have found the best podcasts this year, found from the top twenty Google results plus some podcast-specific newsletters and websites.
• Winners and nominees in awards. I checked the ones featured in this article, as well as the new Independent Podcast Awards, the Irish Podcast Awards and the Pod Bible Polls.
• The Earworms articles from PodPod website. I looked at these recommendations because I wanted to get an idea of what audio professionals like, even if they aren’t writing about podcasts.

I found 50 shows that were in at least two places, and then narrowed it down to the twelve podcasts that were featured in at least five places.

This methodology is not going to be fault-proof. Algorithms will give me search results that are ‘relevant’ to me, there are gaps in my knowledge (particularly regarding the USA) and I will have missed something. None-the-less, this has revealed some frontrunners that a collection of influential people consider the best podcasts to listen to.

The 12 best podcasts of 2023

12. Huberman Lab

The show where Andrew Huberman, Ph.D discusses neuroscience is consistently in the charts for UK podcasts, and was among the most-listened podcasts for Spotify, Apple, the Edison Top 25, and is a ‘most viewed pod’ on Great Pods. Whilst it didn’t make any of the curated 2023 lists I read, it was one of the most recommended shows by industry professionals in Earworms this year. – Listen here

11. Scamanda

Scamanda investigates the story of Amanda – a woman blogging about her cancer journey – and the crowdfunding that she received from followers and her real-life acquaintances, supposedly for treatment. This one made curated lists for Apple, Mashable, Esquire and Great Pods, and there was one recommendation for it in Earworms. Scamanda was featured in a lot of publications and apps when it first came out, and I think if it had come out later in the year, it probably would have made it into more places. – Listen here

10. If Books Could Kill

From Michael Hobbes and Peter Shamshiri, this is a book podcast that analyses the type of ‘airport bestsellers’ that become a part of cultural and political conversation – for example Rich Dad, Poor Dad. Michael and Peter often highlight the problems in the premise of each book, bringing in fact-checking and examples of how the books have led to political policies and more. This made it onto four best-of lists, and Content Is Queen’s own Imriel Morgan was the one that recommended it in Earworms. (It is also one of my favourites!) – Listen here

9. Ghost Story

A show from Wondery that you may have heard advertised on other podcasts, this is an investigation about – surprisingly – a ghost. But the intrigue comes from the fact the investigation leads the host deep into his wife’s family history, and the murder of her great grandmother. Ghost Story also had five recommendations on lists – including from Fiona Sturges in The Financial Times. It launched in October, so has established itself as a favourite quite quickly. – Listen here

8. Filthy Ritual

A short-series that made an impression, Filthy Ritual comes from the makers of the hit show Redhanded. Hannah Maguire and Suruthi Bala are on the case of one of the most prolific con women in British history – Juliette D’Souza – whose scams at the turn of the 21st century made her one of the richest people in Hampstead. This is another show that Fiona Sturges recommended, and it also made it onto three other lists and an Earworms recommendation. – Listen here

7. The News Agents

An award-winning daily news podcast, The News Agents features Emily Maitlis (previously a lead anchor at BBC News), Jon Sopel (once the presenter on the Politics Show) and Lewis Goodall (previously a political correspondent for Sky News). This show has a wide spread of recognition: it won British Podcast Awards, featured in one list, it was recommended in Earworms and also made it into the Edison Top 25. This is an example of a podcast taking talent from other media, and finding the audience for a different type of show. – Listen here

6. The Girlfriends

iHeart Podcasts and Novel created this true-crime set in the 90s. It follows Carole Fisher who, after breaking up with her boyfriend, bands together with some of his other ex-girlfriends to uncover the truth about his wife’s death. With such a hook, it’s easy to see why this captured people’s attention and this featured six times in my calculations. Apple Podcasts recommended it as a new show, and The Week and Podcast Rex were among the lists recommending it. – Listen here

5. The Rest Is Politics

The Rest Is Politics can perhaps claim to be the most widely successful podcast on this list getting six nods from different places – Amazon Music recommended it in a curated list, it featured in three 2023 round-ups, and was recommended in Earworms more than once, so the industry clearly likes it. But it is also popular with listeners, making it onto the Edison Top 25 and Amazon Music most listened-to podcasts (Apple doesn’t release a UK-only list, but it is often in the Top 10 within the app). Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart’s analysis of politics across the political divide has clearly hit on something people are craving. – Listen here

4. The Shamima Begum Story

Part of BBC’s I’m Not A Monster series, this show investigates the true story and true motivations of Shamima Begum, who famously left the U.K. when she was 15 years old to join ISIS – and consequently lost her citizenship. This won at the British Podcast Awards, and also featured in five lists, including Spotify. Imriel was one of the recommenders for this show – and I trust her opinion! As she said, “[Shamima’s] story and her treatment to date still haunts me and I credit that to the phenomenal storytelling of this podcast.” – Listen here

3. Heavyweight

We saw the audio industry’s love for Heavyweight when it was recently cancelled, but this is further confirmation that it is one of the best podcasts of the year. Another one that scored six by my calculations, but because Heavyweight has been more prominent because of its cancellation, I have put this as the best of the sixes. Heavyweight started as a Gimlet show seven years ago, and host Jonathan Goldstein helps people each episode to revisit situations in their past – often leading to reconciliations and closure. – Listen here

2. Where Are You Going?

A show with a beautifully simple concept, Where Are You Going? is hosted by Catherine Carr, who goes around the world, stops them in the street and asks “where are you going?”. This podcast gets a score of seven and featured in some very prominent lists including The Week, The Financial Times and Esquire (although it should be said that two of the recommendations were by one person who writes in several places.) It also picked up a British Podcast Award, and secured a place in the Pod Bible Polls after being featured in their magazine. – Listen here 

1.The Retrievals

Any show from Serial Productions and The New York Times is going to be popular amongst both listeners and critics, but The Retrievals is the best podcast of 2023 by a long way. The narrative series explored shocking events that took place at a fertility clinic at Yale, and unravelled aspects of medical bias and the opioid crisis. There were only five episodes, but something clearly resonated – it featured on Spotify, Apple and Audible’s best-of lists, as well as half of the recommendation lists. Overall I have found a massive twelve recommendations for this show (and now thirteen). As an American production, it didn’t feature in any of the awards I checked – according to IMDB, it hasn’t received any awards to date. – Listen here

What does this selection of podcasts tell us?

Representative shows still aren’t being recognised as widely

This list does not reflect the demographics and range of the creators and listeners in the UK and USA. It might pass The Bechdel Test with women producers creating women-centric shows, but there is a noticeable lack of any demographic besides white – even when the subject is a person of colour. I can say the long-list was much more representative, but diverse shows are not being recognised as widely.

UK shows are as good as American shows

This list is split down the middle for American productions and UK productions, and I can say that shows from both countries were recommended widely, regardless of where the recommenders were based.

Both narrative and conversation shows are recommended

The wide popularity of The Retrievals goes to show that the Serial style of storytelling is still very popular. We can see narrative and short-series productions throughout the list, but we also see conversation shows like The Rest Is Politics are appreciated.

(Some) independent shows are making the lists

Shows from big companies like Serial Productions, BBC and Wondery featured strongly, but smaller production companies like Goalhanger and Loftus Media are there too. If Books Could Kill is listener supported. The smaller productions do have a good starting point though – Michael Hobbes and Peter Shamshiri have an established following and 39,803 paid supporters on Patreon, and a version of Where Are You Going? used to be a BBC World Service production, but it is now independent.

We are being recommended shows that are similar

It’s not just me. We are being recommended the same shows in multiple places and this is probably because they are good! But can we honestly say that they are better than some shows not being recommended?

The takeaway

As I said at the start, my methodology is not going to be fault-proof, but I hope this list can be a starting point to assess the type of podcasts we are being told are the best. It seems there is work to do, and I wonder if it’s time we start questioning why we are getting certain shows appearing again and again. After all, a lot of the writers have individually made their lists more diverse, but collectively there is a bias in the shows we are being served.

Perhaps it’s because these types of lists often are curated by similar writers, or a staff of similar-minded individuals with unconscious biases. That might be why the indie creators and voices that we support and champion at Content Is Queen rarely make it into such lists – and when they do, it is as a particular writer’s favourite. I did love to see some shows that we’ve previously mentioned pop up a few times: Bitter/Sweet, Weirdo’s Book Club, Pod Save The UK, Witch, Closet Confessions, Your Mama’s Kitchen and Lights Out. But none of these were mentioned enough to reach the top twelve.

We need wider recognition of the wide range of podcasts there are. That is why Content is Queen will continue to elevate the work we want to see recognised – our micro-grants, community spotlights, and event curations exist to bring these to a wider audience.

And knowing some of the exciting things that 2024 will bring, I’m already looking forward to seeing next year’s lists…

What does the life of a Managing Director and Consultant look like in practice? And what skills do you need to work in this type of senior role? As the Managing Director of AudioUK, Chloe Straw has many years’ experience in the audio industry and her role covers aspects of management that affect audio professionals at all levels.

Chloe also balances this role with her own freelance consultancy work, advising both established audio creators and businesses wanting to explore audio content for the first time.

To find out more, Francesca Turauskis jumped on a video call with Chloe to talk about her career journey, and to ask her advice for people wanting to work their way up in the audio industry.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

FT: I’d love to start by learning more about your role as Managing Director of AudioUK. What does a day-in-the-life actually consist of?

CS: With AudioUK, one of the things that really attracted me to the role was that it was two-and-a-half days a week and also a really great, really interesting job. I’ve been part-time in various roles for 11 years, since my oldest kid was born, so that I could see my kids. I think someone once said to me, “no one lies on their deathbed, wishing they’d worked more.”

There’s no typical day, they’re incredibly varied. A lot of emails, and I do a lot of talking to AudioUK members – I might refer them to our legal and business affairs partners, Mint & Co, or to our HR company, We Do HR. We also introduce members to each other and things like that.

There’s a lot of meetings: it could be the Department of Culture, Media and Sport, to talk about policy and regulation; last week I went into the Spotify offices to look around the studios and talk about opportunities with Spotify and the independent sector; next week I’m going into the BBC to talk about Terms of Trade and the negotiations that we’re having with them.

I also do a fair amount of talks. So there’s something called the Westminster Media Forum, which is all about policy and I’ll speak at that on behalf of the audio industry, or I’ll talk at things like The Podcast Show. On Monday I hosted a webinar with YouTube Podcasts all about YouTube podcasting.

And a lot of the work I do is also reporting to the AudioUK Board, who have governance over AudioUK.

So it can be really high level meetings – but sometimes I’m the one that brings the banners in my car!

FT: And as a consultant?

CS: Since my youngest started school, I also do consultancy and that really varies on the clients that I work with. But I do a lot of work around looking at audio strategy, either for people who already make audio content or people who have no idea about audio content and want to understand the benefits that that might have for them.

FT: Can you give us a quick oversight of your path into the industry?

CS: I always wanted to work in audio but it felt really difficult to get into. When I started you could work for the BBC – although it was impossible to get a job there – you could work in commercial radio, or there was ‘indies’. And I think that a lot of people who got into radio then had either studied it at university, or had done hospital and community radio, or had done university student radio.

I was lucky enough to go to university and studied Physics and Philosophy and did the university radio station. I had a horrible time at university if I’m honest, but enjoyed doing the radio. Then I tried to get a variety of jobs and I remember endlessly trying to get a job at the BBC. But I ended up going to college in Lewisham and doing a ‘DJ and Dance Music Production’ course.

Then I spent a lot of time working in a pub and a clothes shop, and managed to pick up some freelance shifts with 1Xtra when it just launched – I’d do overnight shifts at 1Xtra and then get up the next day to work in the shop. I was quite tired but I so wanted to do it.

I was really determined but still couldn’t get in. And then I saw a job advertised at Somethin’ Else for a Broadcast Assistant. It wasn’t the dream job, because it was for a chart show and I was very specialist music-knowledge wise but I really wanted a job in radio, and wanted to stop doing all the other stuff. It turned out to be a lot of fun, which shows that sometimes you don’t have to stick to a really specific idea of what you want to do. I was so laser focussed on work, I think back now and my hours were horrible, I did quite a lot of overnights. I just didn’t have much of a life. My friends would go for lovely weekends away and I’d be like “I can’t afford it and I’ve got to work.”

I spent quite a lot of years doing that, and just really worked my way up at Somethin’ Else.

FT: Can you tell me what sort of job roles you had as you worked your way up in the industry?

CS: Yeah, so the different job titles that I went through were Broadcast Assistant, Assistant Producer, Producer and Exec Producer [Executive Producer]. I think Broadcast Assistant was a really nice introduction, you learned to take a programme from the very start of ideas development all the way through to the music programme, the script writing, the talent management, the pre-production, the editing of packages. If it was pre-recorded, which is similar to podcasts now, you’d do the editing afterwards, you’d do the social media around it.

But I think something that was really nice about Somethin’ Else was the training that you’d get. We used Cubase at the time and my Producer was really good at training me up on Cubase. And the same with script writing, you started off with script research and then you started writing scripts. You assisted with studio production and then you got to studio produce.

And then where I got to was Exec Producer, which is much less hands-on, but about planning and looking at story structures. It is a really interesting role because you get to do absolutely everything. The editorial role that you have is really important in terms of how it sounds for the audience. You’re also responding to commissioning briefs or coming up with original ideas, and you’re running the teams to develop those ideas and the teams that pitch them to clients. That was probably one of the most interesting things for me.

After an Exec, I went to become Head of Content at We Are Grape, a brilliant indie. And it was very much around helping to expand the podcast side of the business. Less hands-on exec-ing, but running a team of people in terms of business development and pitching, negotiating contracts, working with new commercial partners and things like that. And I really enjoyed that.

But then the job at AudioUK came up and I think I was really interested in doing something different.

FT: In terms of people building up their CV to apply for a Managing Director role, would you give any advice on what they should work on?

CS: Something that I’ve found really useful in the role is just a huge amount of understanding around how the industry works. I think historically it’s been helpful knowing how radio works, but knowing how podcasting and audiobooks work and all of that.

I think partnerships are really key. One of the nice things about working at indies is that you get to work with everyone in the industry. So I know the BBC really well because I made programmes for them, I know Spotify really well for similar reasons, I know Audible really well. And I’m not a networker, I must say this. At the International Women’s Podcast Awards I was like, “oh God, I’ve got to go by myself and I don’t want to.” But I think getting your toe into as many different areas as possible is really important.

Knowing how to put strategy together. Not everyone can do an MBA – I can’t do an MBA – but there’s free mini courses you can do. Having access to courses is tricky because they ask for a certain amount of time, which a lot of us don’t have, and a certain amount of money, which a lot of us don’t have. But I think there’s often little things you can do just to give yourself the confidence to go, “oh I do know how to do X or Y really well.”

I think just making sure you’re happy talking to people quite a lot. I’m fairly introverted – but I know that it’s important that I talk to people as well.

FT: The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day was equity, and Content Is Queen has been asking people: what does equity within podcasting and audio look like for you?

CS: I think there’s been a movement from equality to equity, which I think it’s really important. And I think that equality was giving everyone the same opportunities, but equity, for me, means recognising those opportunities that some people had and other people didn’t, and building up space where that’s made up for.

I think something that’s really interesting for me to think about is how we look at equity at senior levels in the industry. I think that there’s a huge amount of work being done by Content is Queen and Multitrack and a lot of people around entering the industry, which is brilliant. But it’s thinking about how do you bring that to higher levels in the industry? And I think that over time that will come, but how do we make that happen more quickly? So that’s something for me to think about.

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Whether you want to take the next step in your career, master production or stay up to date with podcasting events, the Content is Queen community awaits. Explore our membership options here.

Even if you don’t listen to podcasts at all, you’ll probably be aware that ‘Subscribe and follow!’ ‘Rate and review!’ and ‘Share this podcast!’ are common requests from podcasters. They are meant to encourage listeners to take these actions, with the hope that it will help the podcast grow. But the problem is, these types of call to action (CTA) are so common they have become something of a cliché. At this year’s International Women’s Podcast Awards, host Deborah Francis-White even asked us to rate and review her hosting skills.

The result is that most listeners are likely to ignore generic CTAs at best, and at worst get annoyed at hearing them too often. But that doesn’t mean you need to stop asking your listeners to help you. Instead, you just need to think about how to craft an effective call to action, and pinpoint a unique way to use it in your show.

What is the purpose of your CTA?

Before you can nail down your call to action as a phrase, you need to understand the purpose of CTAs. Of course, literally speaking the point of asking listeners to “rate and review” is to get good ratings and reviews for your podcast. But did you stop to think why ratings and reviews are actually helpful to podcasters? (Or indeed, if they even are – according to Apple Podcasts, reviews and ratings are not even a factor in their charts and featured shows.)

To make sure you create a good call to action, you need to start by thinking about the reason for them in a broader sense. Generally speaking, most CTAs will fall under the umbrella of one of three reasons, and it’s worth thinking about what you want your audience to help with the most:

1. Money

Some calls to action are more directly about asking for financial support. Asking listeners for donations, subscriptions or directing them towards merchandise and paid-for content is one of the more obvious CTAs from podcasters.

2. Marketing

One of the best ways to grow your audience organically, without a marketing budget, is to use your audience. According to the latest MIDAS Survey from RAJAR, “Listeners claim that ‘Word of Mouth’ and ‘Social Media’ are their go to sources to find new Podcasts.” A good marketing-based call to action will encourage your listeners to recommend your podcast, and spread the word about your show for you.

3. Content

Asking your listeners for their stories or questions is a great way to build community, but it also provides you with content that can be used in future episodes. Closet Confessions is a great example of a podcast that does this – their ‘cousin confessions’ are stories from listeners that are shared in separate episodes. Their CTA is on-brand for the podcast format and style, speaking directly to the community of ‘cousins’.

Who are you asking?

When you’ve decided what you want your listeners’ help with, it’s good to think about who your listeners are. This will help you narrow down the types of things you can ask from them. For example, you could check your podcast-hosting platform to see where people are based or what app they use to listen to your show. If most of your listens are on Spotify, you can build this into your CTA.

And where are they when you ask?

Perhaps more important than who is listening is thinking about what they are doing when they listen. The MIDAS report also tells us that 94% of people listen to podcasts alone, and only 19% of people are ‘relaxing/doing nothing in particular’. That means that over 80% are doing something, such as driving, exercising, cooking, etc. Some standard CTAs might be difficult to do in these situations.

So what does a good CTA sound like?

Once you’ve started thinking about these specifics, you can start creating your own call to action that stands out from the crowd. You want to make it as easy as possible for listeners to do the action you suggest, and here are some things that can help encourage them:

1. Be realistic

When you’re deciding how people can help, think about what is reasonable to ask from the majority of your listeners. Asking your listeners to share the podcast with everyone they know isn’t realistic, so they may ignore the request entirely. But it is realistic to ask them to share it with one friend.

2. Make it specific

A call to action that gives specific instructions is easier to follow and harder to ignore. For example, rather than the generic “leave a rating and review” you could tell listeners “if you’re listening in Apple Podcasts, tap to rate us 5 stars now”. Rather than “share this podcast” you could encourage listeners to “take a screenshot of this episode and share in your Instagram stories.” A specific call to action means people aren’t overwhelmed with options and they don’t have to think about it as much.

3. Make it real

Your call to action has to really come from you as a host or podcast team. Think back to the purpose of your CTA – what is the real reason you want people to do the action you’re asking them to? For example, in the Wanna Be podcast, Imriel does use a broad CTA, but there is a sincere reason why: “If Lirian’s story resonated with you, please do consider sharing this podcast with others. Let’s spread the word about the empowering journeys of trailblazers like Lirian”.

4. Give your listeners a reason

If you’re asking for their help, think about what you can offer listeners in return. It doesn’t have to be extra content or merchandise – listeners love to feel appreciated by the host, and hear their name on the show. A podcast that made listener shoutouts a big part of the production was Potterless, who thanked all the ‘Producer Level Patrons’ in the credits.

Pinpoint YOUR call to action

The last thing to think about when creating your CTA is whether there is something specific to your topic that you can bring in. Think about taking a standard call to action, and adding an addition or pun that is unique to your show. A good example of this is the Sticky Bun Boys podcast. The show is a watchalong of the Great British Bake Off, but with some conversations about dating and queer culture. With these themes in the show, the hosts have given their Patreon subscription the name ‘Only Flans’ to reference both the baking and the social platform with a similar name.

How many CTAs should you use and where should you do it?

It can be useful to think about your call to action like a good advert – you’re just advertising yourself! Adverts usually fall in three places (pre-roll before the episode begins, mid-roll like a commercial break and post-roll after the credits) and your call to action is likely to fit in similar places. Just like adverts, you can create stand-alone CTAs that can be inserted separately to the episode, or you can do it as part of your intro and outro. You want to limit the amount you ask of your audience so don’t have too many calls to action.

But there is no specific rule for where you place your call to action, and it comes back to making sure you are staying real to you. Try experimenting with where you feel most comfortable saying the phrase you have chosen.

Here are a few examples of CTAs:

“If you follow any of the advice in this episode, send us a voicenote on Whatsapp to tell us how it worked for you – 070-000-000 – we’ll share some of your messages in the next episode”

“If you like something a guest says, take a screenshot of your podcast app and share it on Instagram stories”

“Share this episode in your work group chat and tell them why you like it”

“Take a picture of where you are when you listen to this and share it on socials. Don’t forget to tag us and we’ll reshare as many as we can!”

“If you’re listening on Apple Podcasts, tap to rate us 5 stars now – it helps people decide whether to listen to us…”

“Before we start, I just wanted to let you know that you can become a paid subscriber on Substack, Patreon or Apple Podcasts, and you’ll get access to exclusive content. Subscriptions really help us, so if you are in a position to do so, head to ourpodcastwebsite.com/support to find out more.”

Many podcast apps file food podcasts under the umbrella of the ‘Arts’ category. But whilst it’s true that good cooking can be an art form, podcasts about food are often about so much more than that.

Food has strong social connections and often goes alongside the time we spend with friends and family. It can connect us to cultures, whether that is enjoying the meals of our heritage or a new dish on our travels. Yet at the same time, the ingredients we use are often bound up in complicated histories, from the spice routes across continents to the origin of our coffee.

With all these aspects to food, it is no wonder that food podcasts are so popular with listeners – and after all, the potential audience is very wide because eating is something we all have to do!

Whatever aspect of food you want to explore, these seven podcasts have the recipe for your next listen.

Bitter/Sweet

Created by Natasha Miller, Bitter/Sweet is an offshoot of her brand, Miller Libertine (which creates sensory food experiences). But this show goes well beyond any branded podcast. The guests are guided through telling the story of their most memorable meal, with gentle prompts from Natasha to describe aspects like the surroundings and atmosphere. As bookends to the guest’s story, Natasha gives us her own memories of her mother’s cooking, which are tied up with grief after her recent passing. What results is a beautiful buffet of episodes, all less than twenty minutes long, that you can graze on. – listen here.

Lecker

Named after the German word for ‘delicious’, ‘tasty’, or ‘mouth-watering’, Lecker is a podcast exploring what and how we eat. Lucy Dearlove has been producing and hosting the show since 2016, and the back-catalogue offers a range of interviews, documentary and audio-art. As well as standalone episodes, there are short series that dive into (often very) specific subjects in detail – for example, ‘Blasstal!’ explored the food and folklore on the Isle of Man (blasstal is the Manx word for ‘tasty’). If you’re a fan of more longform conversations, Lucy also talks to the authors of food-related books in the monthly Lecker Book Club episodes. – listen here.

Should You Really Eat That?

A fascinating new show from SBS in Australia, Should You Really Eat That? investigates cultural food trends and popular questions about diet in the modern world. Should you really add salt to your coffee because TikTok told you to? Do we need to avoid white rice, even when it’s a staple of many cultures? Food writer Lee Tran Lam untangles these questions by exploring the social, cultural and nutritional facts about the food and drinks we consume. With insights from chefs, dietitians and other experts, this helps listeners decipher the dietary headlines to make eating choices that are right for them – listen here. 

The Black Kitchen Series

A recent winner at The International Women’s Podcast Awards, The Black Kitchen Series is a podcast from the USA that explores food from the Black perspective. The most recent ‘Innovators’ series focused on unearthing people who are changing the face of food. What’s lovely is how host Jade Verette brings honesty and anecdotes that help global listeners understand the cultural significance of the topics: she leads us into the episode on Black veganism by telling us “When I hear the word ‘vegan’ it feels real white. And when I hear ‘soul food’ it feels real Black.” We get to explore with her why that distinction is inaccurate, as she meets a chef making vegan soul food popular – listen here. 

Your Mama’s Kitchen

In this podcast from Audible, journalist Michele Norris asks her guests to “tell me about your mama’s kitchen.” The question of course opens up conversations about meals, but also about identities – and because the show is produced by Higher Ground (Barack and Michelle Obama’s media company) we get to learn about some big guests. Michelle Obama’s episode lets us hear about her mother’s red rice cooked in a too-small apartment. Actor Andy Garcia’s episode starts with fried spam, but gives us an insight to his family’s exile from Cuba after the Bay of Pigs Invasion. This is a great one to listen to whilst making your own dinner tonight – listen here.

Whisky Sisters

A slight stretch on the ‘food’ theme, but whisky (and whiskey) has such historical and cultural significance that it lends itself to the theme of this list. The Whisky Sisters podcast really opens up the world of whisky, from helping newcomers learn how to taste, to exploring women’s role in the whisky industry. Hosts Inka Larissa and Jennifer Rose are based in Scotland, so there is an emphasis on Scotch, but they also travel via their tastebuds to other countries – a particularly unexpected one being the first ever whisky distillery in Italy. The rock theme music and stings also add some fun to the listening experience – listen here.

Sharing Plate

Lara Bishop speaks to people who have made the UK their home, and uses the subject of food to explore their sense of self and place. But the fact that every guest is either a refugee or started their life in the UK as a refugee adds an extra level of meaning to these conversations. We of course get to hear about the meals themselves, but we also get to hear the significance of finding a shop that sells the ingredients needed for that meal. Listening to these seemingly small aspects after first-hand accounts of life in a war zone helps listeners realise that even the smallest thing can be a big help in establishing yourself in a place – listen here.