Reflecting on the Podcasting Industry today, it’s easy to wonder how we got here. AI rollouts, Social App take-downs, video podcasting as the new-old trend… its easy to think we couldn’t have predicted it. And yet, we have experts like my guest today who has their finger on the pulse of podcasting to help give us a guiding light in times of uncertainty.

Welcome back to Rethinking Podcasting, and this week I’m joined by Richard Clark: Founder & Owner of Area Code Audio based in Chicago, Illinois, helping nonprofits and mission-driven organizations drive meaningful change through podcasting. He is (or was) the author and voice behind “Podcasting For Humans”: a newsletter/podcast that talked to podcasters about their podcasting goals, and shared his thoughts about podcasting - and, of course, I was an avid enjoyer at the time!

It’s currently on a hiatus, but back in March when I recorded this conversation with Richard, he had only months prior sent his last newsletter with his predictions for the podcasting industry in 2025 - which is why I brought him on for a chat.

Across this two episodes, we’ll be unpacking Richard’s Five Predictions for Podcasting this year and exploring the big changes that have rocked podcasting and marketing. In this Part 1 we’ll get Richard’s background in podcasting, his business and the first two predictions about AI replacing podcasts, and how people will find the human connection in podcasting.

Next week in Part 2, we’ll hear about podcast production funding, companies creating well-resourced, engaging podcasts and how marketing dollars will be spent differently.

Get in touch with Richard:

• Area Code Audio Website
• Area Code Batavia Podcast
• Podcasting For Humans Archive

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Chapters:

• (00:00) Industry Reset & Episode Setup
• (00:36) Meet Richard Clark & Area Code Audio
• (03:00) Podcasting for Humans: From Pod to Newsletter
• (05:01) Do Podcasters Care About Podcasting? (And Why That’s OK)
• (08:39) Producer vs Talent: The Film Analogy
• (11:02) Going Daily:...