I’ve finally unpacked, done laundry and settled back in from Podcast Movement 2017. Josh, Ryan and I met with old friends and made some great new friends in Anaheim. #PM17 was a gathering of new and veteran podcasters all there to learn, share and have fun. We experienced mic tests, new products & software, Lego podcasters and of course, our main man, Dan Carlin from Hardcore History.
All that said, I came away from #PM17 learning three things (+ 1 bonus).
1. Podcasting is still in its infancy.* I know, I know…Podcasts aren’t exactly a new medium, but let’s just look through lens of podcasting today. There were a bunch of folks just starting their podcast, which is awesome! They’ve got plans, dreams and are making it happen! To those people: You’re taking yourself seriously by attending Podcast Movement. That speaks volumes (pun, I know) about your commitment to podcasting.
Also, although Podcast Movement drew 2k+ attendees from around the globe, think about some other conventions that you’re familiar with that draw tens of thousands of attendees. Podcast events aren’t there yet, but you and I are definitely on the earlier side of the bell curve and we’re certainly growing fast as an industry. Before long we’re going to see huge attendee numbers. You can count on that! (Annnnd another pun.)
2. *but...Podcasting is big, and it’s going to be HUGE. We’ve all seen large babies that grow up to be large adults, right? You and I know podcasting has taken hold but 40% of Americans still don’t know what a podcast is. Rewind with me…Remember when people didn’t know what YouTube was for? Or when Facebook’s only users were in college? I believe that time is now for podcasting.
The proof for me is: when walking the show floor I saw some very established brands, like Adobe, WordPress and Sennheiser, alongside start-up companies. This mash-up is the critical piece that will propel podcasting to exponential growth + mainstream adoption. It’s the blend of wild ideas, speed and innovation compounded by resources and experience with scale.
3. The sheer passion for podcasting is contagious. Podcasters recognize one another as being cut from the same cloth, as they say. Although no two podcasts are the same, we all share a comradery and bond. It truly is a community that is supportive and happy to help each other. Podcasters create and have fun while being inclusive of all.
Bonus lesson: #PM18 is in Philly so get ready!
Agree / Disagree? Post a comment and let’s discuss.
Author: Dan Russo can be reached at: dan@zencastr.com and @danrusso.
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