Will a Podcast Network Help You?

For many podcasters, working with a podcast network seems like a great opportunity. And it can be a great opportunity for the right podcast.

Just like getting a major book deal, a record deal, or movie production contract, there can be advantages to being associated with an established company. If nothing else, it looks good to be “chosen” by an established company and related social proof can help attract others to you.

But the inside of these “deals” isn’t always what you see on the outside.

A few years ago, CBS approached me about getting my podcast on its network …

On one hand, it was thrilling to be asked. I thought about how cool it would be to have the "CBS Eye" on my podcast artwork and how my mother would finally understand what I do for a living.

Then I saw the deal ... It had nothing I wasn't already doing on my own.

Beyond this, they also wanted exclusive distribution.

Taking it would have been a disruption for both me and listeners.

So I passed …

Still, it’s easy to ask “What if?” and think about the path you didn’t travel.

Don’t. Stick to the path you’re on.

We make the best decisions with the information we have. Sometimes these decisions work out, sometimes they don’t.

Since then, the podcasting industry has learned that it’s almost always better for podcast content to be freely available, not limited to a site or app and not behind a paywall.

Worth noting is this is something the recording industry has known since the 80s. What’s happening in media now (and will happen in the future) almost always has footprints established in the past.

Where things get tricky is that our current distribution landscape is a lot different from even just a few years ago—people have more “content options” than ever before.

It takes resources (and luck) to cut through these options and stand out from competing content.

A “network” might help you do that … or you may help a network do that.

In other words, you may already have what you’re seeking.

Know your power.