How Stephen Dubner Started Podcasting
It’s fascinating to learn the story of Stephen Dubner going from being an author to a podcaster. It’s pretty awesome to think that podcasting is such a great transition. There are very low barriers to entry, it’s much less complicated than TV and he could just bang it out.
Yeah, big thanks to the podcasting networks for making it so easy for people to make things and then test them with an audience.
Is The Podcast a Core Product?
“Editorially, yes. Financially, no.” – Stephen Dubner
The podcast is labor intensive, yet it’s a great way to communicate and serve the readership. This is the key to podcasting. It’s a lot of work, but it get real and deep exposure.
He also mentions that he gets a lot of creative control because the podcast is something he creates more than anything else.
This is the core of what podcasting does. It gets you mad exposure, though there is very little direct revenue from the work.
Is “Podcast” a Lame Term
Dubner explains that the word podcast sounds like it’s made in someone’s basement. I agree with this. When I talk about producing podcasts, people look at me like I just told them I’m a spaceship pilot.
Is Podcasting Coming into a New Era?
“iTunes is a fantastic distribution system for a guy like me.” -Stephen Dubner
Dubner says he does about 3 million downloads a month and it’s been growing dramatically over the last 3 years. That’s some massive exposure. That’s incredible.
What is the Hidden Side of Podcasting?
“They take so much longer than anyone could damn imagine…. podcasting is the maple syrup of media.” – Stephen Dubner
So yeah, podcasting is very time intensive. The Freakonomics podcast is highly polished. It’s an amazing show.
