Could live podcasting be the next frontier?

During the past decade, “content was king”. Today, “community is king”.

The web has become saturated with content and the average consumer is overwhelmed with newsletters, blogs, and podcasts. There is simply not enough time to sort through and digest the information, however valuable it might be.

Unlike written content, podcasting cannot be skimmed and requires more time to consume. The north-star KPI for almost all podcasters is “downloads”. But if you do the math, there’s no possible way for 95% of podcasters to find success.

1. A podcast must have a large audience to monetize (10k+/episode).
2. Listeners have a limited number of hours to consume podcasts.
3. Once the majority of consumers are overwhelmed, creators must reach new types of audiences or differentiate their content, both of which are incredibly difficult.

Listen App was created to offer a new vision of what it means to be successful as a podcaster.

Whether you have a large audience or just started, Listen App offers a better north-star for your podcast.

Instead of measuring downloads, start measuring impact; go deep when everyone else is going broad. Lean into your listeners by inviting them to join the conversation. This is the best strategy for all podcasters in the new era of social media.

The truth is, podcasts are the perfect context for meaningful communities. All the key ingredients are present, starting with the intimacy of the human voice, to storytelling, to open and honest conversations.

The missing piece is a place to meet — this is where Listen App comes in — a place where podcasters can invite their listeners into a conversation and meaningful community.

Everyone longs for community and most listeners will readily pay for access to a meaningful community of like-minded individuals.

Why traditional social networks are poor solutions for building community.

Podcasters who understand the value of community will instinctively invite their listeners to connect on traditional social media platforms. But if you do this, you don’t own your audience, the platforms do. They will decide how much access you have and the terms of engagement. Every podcaster must ask themselves if this is what they really want.

Their algorithm will become your new boss to dance around just to reach the audience you brought in. Moreover, as we’ve seen with Facebook, these platforms will soon be asking you to pay-to-play.

To make matters worse, traditional social media platforms have ill-defined and opaque content moderation policies which could get you shadow-banned, suspended, or booted entirely from accessing your community that your livelihood depends upon.

That’s without even mentioning the data collection and ethical questions behind the advertising practices these platforms use to monetize.

How Listen App stands out from other platforms:

1. Listen App allows podcasters to own their audience. When someone joins your events or club on the Listen App, you specify what personal information is required, such as name, email, and phone number.
2. Listen App enables you to grow your podcast audience. While social audio apps are sprouting like mushrooms after the rain, Listen App is the only platform designed exclusively for podcasters. When your listeners join your club, your podcast episodes are organically integrated into the entire experience.
3. Listen App is platform-agnostic. Inviting listeners to download an app is a big ask. Listen App makes reaching your audience easy by fully supporting your club and events on the web, iOS, and Android.
4. Listen App enables you to improve your content. By engaging with your listeners in live audio, you can feature listener voices on your episodes and gain insights into the kind of content that resonates best with your audience.
5. Listen App enables you to do live episode recordings. When hosting events, you can use the Listen App to record them and easily include the content in your weekly episode publications. This not only improves the content but also gives a unique edge to your content. Listeners love to hear other listeners on a show.
6. Listen App is the best way to monetize your core audience. By creating a premium club, you are creating unique value for your listeners that many will be willing to pay for. This doesn’t need to compete with an already existing ad or sponsor-supported revenue.
7. Listen App allows you to add a private RSS feed to your core offering. If you already have a private RSS feed that you’re offering elsewhere, Listen App easily integrates the feed into your exclusive offering for your podcast club members (coming soon!).
8. Listen App is the best way to retain new listeners. It’s not hard to get someone to listen to an episode once. The hard part is getting listeners to listen to each episode. By engaging with your listeners you’ll be able to retain their loyalty.
9. Listen App doesn’t collect data and sell ads. Because Listen App charges podcasters to use the platform, we do not collect, share, or use any personal data for marketing purposes.
10. Listen App has a ridiculously beautiful user interface. You can be proud to invite your listeners into an experience that is pleasant, intuitive, and simply stunning.

How does the Listen App work?

1. Claim your podcast. Go to app.listenapp.co and use the top-right menu dropdown to claim your podcast. Claiming your podcast validates that you’re the owner and links the podcast to your account giving you full privileges.
2. Create an event. Once you claim your podcast, you’ll see the ability in the app and on the dashboard to create a new event. When starting an event, you can invite speakers, set recording preferences, and schedule for future dates.
3. Promote and host the event. There are many different strategies you can use to get the word out. Post the event page on your social pages, talk about it on the podcast, and invite people 1–1 to join the conversation.

Once you experience what it’s like to host events on the Listen App, your podcasting experience will be revolutionized.

Welcome to the new era of live podcasting. If you’d like to parter or write us any feedback, please email: contact@listenapp.co and we’ll be happy to hear from you!