In this episode, we explore the significant impact listener surveys can have on a podcast's success, especially during the holiday season. Listener surveys allow us to connect directly with our audience and understand their preferences, making it easier to create content that resonates. In the radio world, we called this “Hugging your P1s”—a term for our most loyal listeners. Providing incentives, like gift cards, can increase participation, especially during this time of year when engagement may naturally decline.

Listener surveys also serve as valuable content. By dedicating an episode to discussing survey questions and linking a Google form in the show notes, we can keep our audience engaged and gather data simultaneously. Credit for many of these survey strategies goes to Melissa Joy Dobbins of the Sound Bites podcast. Here are the ten questions we recommend asking:

1. How long have you been listening? This helps us gauge listener loyalty and the effectiveness of outreach over time.
2. How did you discover the show? Knowing whether it was through social media, a search engine, or word of mouth can refine our marketing strategies.
3. Where do you follow or subscribe? Asking this not only provides insight but also reminds listeners to follow or subscribe on platforms like Apple, Spotify, or YouTube.
4. How do you consume the show? Identifying whether listeners prefer audio, video, or both informs future production plans.
5. What topics or guests should we cover more? This ensures our content aligns with audience interests.
6. What topics should we cover less? Feedback on what isn’t working is just as valuable.
7. Have you shared an episode? Understanding how listeners share the show helps us improve its reach.
8. Would you leave a review? While not a primary call to action, reviews offer social proof and strengthen credibility.
9. Would you support the show financially? Options like listening to ads, Patreon subscriptions, or buying merchandise can diversify our revenue streams.
10. Demographic insights: Gathering age, gender, and other details respectfully helps us better understand our audience.

By using these questions, we gain actionable insights to refine our content, marketing, and engagement strategies for 2025

Find jag on social media @JAGinDetroit or online at JAGinDetroit.com

In this episode of The Jag Show, we dive into the lessons learned from the highly anticipated Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul fight and how these insights can be applied to podcasting and content creation. Join us as we explore the essential elements of creating buzz, the unpredictability of viral moments, and the critical importance of technology in delivering a seamless experience.

• Create Buzz and FOMO: Learn how to generate excitement and the fear of missing out to make your content irresistible, just like the buzz surrounding the Tyson vs. Paul fight.

• Embrace Viral Moments: Discover why you can't plan for virality but can prepare your content to seize the moment when it arises, illustrated by the unexpected viral moment from the fight.

• Ensure Reliable Technology: Understand why having robust tech is non-negotiable in 2024 and beyond, as seen with Netflix's buffering issues during the fight.

• Build Up vs. Payoff: Find out why the payoff must match the buildup, and how a lackluster main event can leave audiences disappointed, drawing parallels to the fight's outcome.

Whether you're a seasoned podcaster or just starting out, these insights will help you create compelling content that keeps your audience engaged and coming back for more.

If you have questions about content creation, especially in the podcast realm, reach out to us at jagindetroit.com.

Find jag on social media @JAGinDetroit or online at JAGinDetroit.com

SPOTIFY WILL NOW PAY FOR YOUR CONTENT

The world of podcasting is constantly evolving – and Spotify is now trying to keep up with YouTube.And that means PAYING its creators!

This week, Spotify announced they are rebranding their Spotify for Podcasters interface, now calling it Spotify for CREATORS. This comes on the heels of allowing all podcasters to upload video files of their podcast to the platform – regardless of whether you use Spotify as your host.

Now, one of the reasons YouTube has made such strides in podcasting, in addition to video of course, is how easy it is to monetize the platform. It’s way more turnkey than Apple or Spotify – with their subscription and advertising options. Well Spotify figured this out too.

According to PodNews and Sounds Profitable, the new Spotify for Creators program is open to creators who’ve published 12 episodes, had 2,000 unique Spotify users interact with your show in the last month, and have 10,000 streamed hours in the past month.

Now, those bars are much higher to clear than YouTube’s benchmarks of 1,000 all time subscribers and 4,000 streamed hours in the last year, but it’s a step in the right direction for Spotify.

Now, aside from the tougher requirements, here’s the million dollar question. How do you want to track your analytics? In the old days of podcasting, your host tracked downloads or streams via your audio host, and who grabbed your content from your RSS feed. To track metrics on VIDEO podcasts – be it Spotify OR YouTube, those views will NOT come from your RSS feed. So now you’re in a position where you have to take your downloads, then add your views from YouTube and/or Spotify. And of course, downloads, streams, and views are NOT apples to apples comparisons.

So you have to decide – is having your podcast on video important enough to you, to not have the same consistency in evaluating and reporting your numbers? Maybe the video presence and monetization opportunities say yes. Or maybe you have stakeholders that need consistent measurement and KPI’s, such as a corporate podcast, and audio is just fine.

These decisions are yours to make as a creator, as the world of podcasting continues to evolve. And as always, if you have any questions about the industry, or your specific podcast, find me at JAGinDetroit.com. Lata!

Find jag on social media @JAGinDetroit or online at JAGinDetroit.com