Alex Blumberg, co-founder of Gimlet Media, discusses marketing strategies and audience discovery challenges in the podcasting industry.
Disclosure
Gimlet Media ignores data and analytics when greenlighting new podcast shows
“We don't do any kind of analytical process around it, and partly because it's not like, it's like we don't, right now the, sort of like the main, the capital that we need to start a show is Is, is human capital, right?”
Insight
Blumberg: Betting on talent is even more critical in podcasting than tech
“Like that's, it's like sort of like the startup equivalent is sort of you bet on the founder. I think that's even more the case in podcasting if that's possible”
Insight
Blumberg: Audio storytellers must prioritize curiosity and understanding over issue advocacy
“And empathy is like a big, big part of what we believe is important. Like you have to be motivated by a desire to understand you know, as much as a desire as any other desire, like sometimes like a lot of people get into sort of like this line of work for a va…”
Assertion Partly supported
Alex Blumberg estimates 30% to 40% of NPR listeners identify as conservative
“There was like, there was something like 30 to 40% of the listeners were identified as conservative, and it was a pretty big, you should check that number, but it's, it was, it's a, when people hear it, it's a surprising number to them.”
Insight
Blumberg: Top podcasts combine storytelling, companionship, and learning
“So we just try to figure out like, okay, what are we doing? And right now we've, we, and we try to do all of them. Like the big ones can sort of bring storytelling, bring that companionship and bring something that you learn.”
Insight
Blumberg: Audio only competes with other audio and music for attention
“You know, you're driving to work, whatever. You can't be looking at a screen. So all audio is competing with is other audio or music, basically.”