What Sound Education Taught Me About Podcast Discovery
I like to think about podcast discovery and how to stumble upon the best shows possible. Over the years of curating my newsletter, I’ve found a method that I feel pretty good about. It looks a little something like this:
Between scrolling through various podcasts apps, subscribing to every podcast newsletter, and participating in online communities like the podcast subreddit or the Bello Collective Slack channel, I have a decent flow of good podcasts coming my way.
But I’ve recently realized there has been a huge piece missing in my podcast discovery life. It all started while at the second annual Sound Education podcast conference in Boston, a place for educational podcasters and the people who love them.
The unique discovery potential that comes with being surrounded by the biggest podcast fanatics out there can’t be understated.
Like talking to an actual podcaster:
It is just so great to talk to a podcaster you weren’t aware of about their show and adding it to the top of your queue. Hearing them talk about it is like getting your own personal podcast trailer.
Going out for dinner and drinks with other podcast writers/creators/fans was an ongoing education in discovery too. Of course the conversations were dominated by podcasts. We were all subscribing to shows on the spot and getting excited about some shows we had never heard of. If you appreciate someone’s taste and they are lighting up while describing a show, there is literally no way you aren’t going to immediately download it.
Talk about a nerds night out. I can imagine eavesdropping folks were completely confused, but hey, their loss.
So obviously attending a podcast conference isn’t the most accessible or efficient thing in the world, but if there is any way to be in a physical space with other podcast fanatics or podcasters, you’ll find the absolute best discovery experience. Besides doing everything you can to get to a podcast conference that fits your interests, finding local meetups or joining Podcast Brunch Club are two other great options.
All in all, my new method feels more complete.
