Greetings PM Family,
Martin Luther King Jr Day is coming up in the United States on Monday, January 21. Our team is proud to take a moment in this newsletter to recognize the most critical voice in the history of American civil rights, and honor his leadership during the tumultuous times while he was striving for equality for all.
We will also share some podcast tidbits that you may have missed, as well as a short lesson from a classic hit song by The Temptations.
Onward March!
I (Jared) took my daughter to school on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr day two years ago. My Daughter’s elementary school is rather small, and has a daily morning general assembly in the hallway. I decided to stay for their morning meeting, as it’s always fun to see the students lined up for the announcements. They say the pledge of allegiance, get caught up on current events, and other things of the sort.
As a quick aside, If we don’t know each other personally, you might not know that I live in South Florida, and the diversity in this part of the country is tremendous. It truly is a melting pot of all backgrounds. My wife Rachel is Filipina, and I am half Asian (actually, just Caucasian, so it’s a technicality). Our daughter is a wonderful mix of the two of us, but thank goodness she favors her mother more than me!
This environment that we love in South Florida is very different from the where I grew up in Montgomery, Alabama, and truly makes me appreciate it even more than I otherwise would. (An interesting fact, though, is that Montgomery happens to be home of the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, where Dr. King was the pastor from 1954 to 1960).
Back to the school assembly, the principal asked the students if they knew why it was important to celebrate Dr. King’s birthday. There were various answers, and finally one young student spoke up and said confidently, “Because Dr. King fought against racism.” The entire student body stood, clapping and cheering in agreement, when they heard this.
I looked around at the students in the hallway that represented almost every color and ethnicity you could imagine, and it warmed my heart to see them all cheering in unison. It was a special moment for everyone to celebrate what Dr. King represented. It felt like, at least for that moment, the “symphony of brotherhood” that Dr. King desired to see some day, as stated in his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
What does a Movement require?
PM loves the idea of a movement, so much so that we included it in the name of our event. Dr. King had a strong belief in nonviolent protests that helped set the tone of the civil rights movement, which had a great deal of influence and impact on American society in the 1950s and 1960s.
A movement does not occur, and create change, without action. Dr. King had to take many direct actions, and make enormous sacrifices that we will likely never be able to fully comprehend, but ones that he felt were necessary.
While we in no way want to compare the current landscape of podcasting to what happened during the civil rights era, we are incredibly inspired by Dr. King, and think that podcasters truly can help change the world.
We believe that every man, woman, and child can realize that their voice matters through podcasting.
We aim to provide resources that allow everyone, regardless of category, geography, sexual orientation or ethnic background, the benefit found in the opportunities available through podcasting.
We dream that through our conferences, and day to day community interactions online, we can and will provide a peaceful and safe environment for everyone to learn, collaborate, share, be encouraged and grow.
We aim to assist new & existing podcast communities around the world to either start, or maintain, safe and fruitful meetups and events.
We plan to continue to build and collaborate with organizations to spread the word of the Launch Your Podcast Challenge class, that is available to everyone at no cost. It has already helped hundreds of podcasters launch their show, and our goal is to help thousands more.
We strive daily to keep (what we think is) the best online community of podcasters, our Facebook Group, a positive place for those active in, or interested in, podcasting.
We have several other initiatives in the works, and cannot wait for them to help this dream become even more reality.
We are dedicated to helping the podcast industry continue to grow into the most inclusive form of media, by promoting podcasters of color for consideration in new opportunities, creating careers and meaningful work in top industry organizations, and by supporting others with similar visions. We aim to help evolve podcasting into an industry that is viewed as an example that every other form of media aspires to be like.
We are proud to share more about our partnership with Simplecast that is already in place, and excited for future partnerships as well.
We look forward to members of the Radio and Broadcasting communities continuing to include podcasters in the discussion of audio media as a whole.
We are already seeing incredible examples of this through our collaborations with Jacob’s Media in the Broadcasters Meet Podcasters track at PM, and with the National Association of Broadcasters at their conventions in Las Vegas and New York.
We are encouraged to see small businesses, large businesses, and independent podcasters alike seeing success in podcasting, and viewing the medium as a valuable place to invest their time and resources.
It is exciting to see organizations like Trader Joe’s, Dell, and Jack Daniels (to name a few) embracing the medium that we love. It brings new ears to the medium of podcasting, and in our opinion helps everyone else who is creating content as a result. And did you know that companies are even using podcasts as a way to communicate with and train their team of employees? Check out what uStudio is doing, as an example.
As we approach this important day of reflection, we felt it important to put some of our efforts, values, and beliefs into writing, and hope that you found it fruitful as well.
In Case You Missed It…
A lot happens each week in the Podcast Movement Community and the podcast industry as a whole. Here is an opportunity to catch up on a few items that you may have missed.
- PM19 Speaker Submissions are now Open!
Are you ready to share your podcasting experience and expertise from one of the stages at Podcast Movement (either as a panelist or a breakout speaker)? If so, you may want to consider submitting your presentation asap. The online portal for speaker submissions will not be open very long, so “carpe diem” my friends!
- PM Meetup in Seattle this Friday!
We will meet at Optimism Brewery from 7 pm to 10 pm PT. Please make plans to join us! You can learn more here.
- I’m a great guest for your podcast if you are interested in _______________
We know that some members of this community want to be guests on podcasts. This particular thread is for you to make that known to our community!
- How to Submit Your Podcast to Pandora – Travis Albritton created a great blog post that helps podcasters to follow the steps required to submit their podcasts to Pandora for consideration. The form does not guarantee that every podcast will be accepted, but this is a helpful start.
- Are you looking to collaborate with podcasters in your niche? You may want to consider referencing this link if you’re going to find some fellow podcasters in similar categories to team up with and help each other.
The PM19 Super Early Bird Sale ends soon!
Don’t miss the chance to participate in over 150 workshops, breakout sessions, and panel discussions…PLUS all the networking events and parties. AT THE LOWEST POSSIBLE PRICE.
REGISTER TODAY
We love sharing photos of podcast-related images that you may not see every day. Please share these with us so we can include them in the newsletter!
Just My Imagination…
The Temptations released their hit song “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)” in 1971. The lyrics share a line that say “But it was Just my imagination, once again runnin’ away with me.” Podcasters can let their imaginations run away and easily fall into delusions of grandeur about their show.
Don’t be like the pilot in the following story.
The four engines of the plane went out. The pilot went to grab the only parachute on the small plane. He then went to the main aircraft door. He unlocked it. He said to the passengers before opening the door and exiting the plane, ”Don’t worry, I’m just going to get some help.”
It was all about the pilot and not about the passengers.
We urge you not to end up in this situation, where your podcast is more about yourself than about your listeners. Podcasting allows the liberty and flexibility to make your show about whatever you want it to be. However if you want your podcast to grow, and you desire to serve your audience, then the podcast cannot be only about you.
What are some ways to get feedback from your podcast listeners to keep the engines from stalling? This article takes a deeper parachute dive into this, but the bullet points include:
- Make it easy for your audience to contact you (Social Media, Speakpipe Voicemail, E-mail).
- Ask for feedback during your show…and keep asking.
- Start the conversation with an icebreaker question that gets people talking.
PM Community member Jeremy Enns shares some ideas from this post that are also helpful.
We don’t want your imagination “running away with me” when it comes to your podcasting goals. The community is here to help you.
We hope that you have a great week and take the time to practice your freedom of speech. Take a moment to share kindness and fellowship with friends/podcasters of every background.
Let’s keep the dream alive, not only for the audiences that we encourage through our podcasts, but also to continue to embrace Dr. King’s vision for unity.
Let freedom ring,
Team PM19
“The time is always right to do what is right.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
PODCAST MOVEMENT 2019
August 13-16, 2019 | Orlando, Florida
Join nearly 3,000 podcasters and podcast industry professionals from over 30 countries for the world’s largest gathering of podcasters. Four days of workshops, panel discussions, breakout sessions, and keynote talks. Whether you’re a brand new podcaster, or have been in the industry for years, there is education and networking geared towards you. LEARN MORE HERE.
