Back From Podfest 2026
A Great Time in a Freezing Hotel
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Podfest 2026 Was a Great Event
Every time I went to walk to another session, or lunch, etc I met someone new or caught up with old friends. I was lucky enough to speak on two panels, one solo session, and I inducted Mark Asquith from Captivate into the Podcast Hall of Fame. The networking is non-stop. I missed so many sessions cause I was having a blast in the hallway.
There was a different vibe for some of us. Last year both Todd Cochrane and Neil Guilarte died suddenly. It’s like Thanksgiving with the one empty chair except it was doubled. However, I think we all have a better understanding on how short life can be, and we need to make the best of it.
One night I was in the hotel restaurant freezing when I then understood where that cold breeze was coming from. Rob Walch (formerly of Libsyn and now with Podcast411) and James Cridland (of podnews.net) were at the same table. Not only were they civil to each other, but I might even say had fun trading stories about “back in the day.” As these two were never fans of each other, this lead me to believe that Hell had indeed frozen over and the breeze went straight to Florida.
We live. We learn. We grow.
Why Is Nobody Doing This?
Peanut butter and jelly are always together. Do you know what else is? These two sentences, “I need help growing my audience,” followed by, “I don’t need any help with my content.” For my solo talk I did a poll and asked how many people had surveyed their audience to see how their content was resonating. Only 32% of respondent had done a survey (and if you’re a Podpage user it’s built int!).
If you need help I strongly urge you to buy the book The Audience Is Listening: A Little Guide to Building a Big Podcast. It’s also available on Audible.
The Only Tool That Caught My Eye
Where was Shure? Riverside? Descript? (I’ve got an answer on that in a second). The one new thing that made me stop and go, “Hmmmm” was episodic.ai Their website says this:
Episonic brings you Lauralai—your AI-powered producer, researcher, showrunner, and content strategist, all dedicated to helping you grow your audience and delight your listeners.
Start with the Persona Builder (always free), then let Lauralai help you design and build your best episodes ever.
While I get that the name of their AI helper Laralai has oral and AI in the name (but it has a “Mildred” feel for me). You give it three episodes and it “listens” to them and then creates a target audience avatar. It was intriguing. It also tied guests to topics it came up with and then tied the topic to your audience.
These Do Seem Expensive
When it comes to pricing, you can’t blame the event organizer. I spoke with Nick Pavlidis the CEO and he explained that by the time you pay $135 for a gallon coffee, add 20% gratuity, and an additional 6% of tax, a cup of coffee cost about $14. It would be cheaper to leave his credit card at the nearest Starbucks and let people charge their next cup.
The LED screen behind the speakers at the Hall of Fame cost $10K to rent, and another $8K to plug it in. Yes, that’s a thing, and that’s why the tickets were $50/each.
So the hospitality industry is going to price themselves right out of customers.
A Great Time Was Had By All
I don’t drink or smoke, but had a great time with a group of about thirty people standing around a fire outside sharing stories and having a good laugh. New friendships were made, and old friendships were made stronger.
Many of us learned a great lesson: You’re not 22 anymore, and you don’t bounce back as fast as you used to after staying up until 3:30 am.
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The Media Roundtable Mentioned This Newsletter
Dan Granger on the Media Roundtable podcast mentioned that I had made a point about banner ads and how they went down the drain and are programmatic podcast ads going to go the same place? Nobody addressed it except to say I had sensationalized it, and it was a powerful metaphore (but they didn’t say I was wrong…). Listen.
A Frivolous Lawsuit for Me!
I received a lawsuit that is suing the School of Podcasting because my chat box didn’t warn them that if they entered their name and email address to talk to me that it would be stored (even if I don’t use it which I don’t). I will share more on that as a I can (expect a Gofundme in the future).
Rode Coming Out with Video Component for Rodecaster Pro and Duo
Later this year, if you’ve been thinking about in person video, this looks cool and affordable. See Video
What’s Coming In The Future
Per the lawsit, I’ll be talking about Podcaster Insurance, and other things to make sure you, your show, and your website are “troll free.”
Need Help With Your Podcast?
Whether you’re just starting or a seasoned podcaster, the School of Podcasting can help. Helping podcasters is what I do, and I’ve been doing it since 2005
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