✊ The sneaky platform dynamics & psychology that enable (or inhibit) podcast growth
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Hi friends, Peel back the surface of our lived experience and it’s clear that our lives, world, and reality are governed by a hidden set of rules. Some rules, like gravity and friction, are laws of physics. Some, like speed limits and drinking age restrictions, are laws of society. And some, like X’s character limit and TikTok’s video length limit, are arbitrarily chosen to dictate and encourage a certain user experience. Whether we’re aware of them or not, these rules dictate how we navigate, interact with, and behave in the world. But in addition to hard and fast rules, there are also an infinite number of more malleable “suggestions” providing their own incentives for following them… and friction for resisting them. Some of these suggestions arise from the technical limitations and capabilities of a given tool or platform we might engage with. Some, from what users of a specific platform or medium expect from engaging with it. Others still are pure conditioning—ie. this is the way we’ve always done things. For any one platform, this combined set of rules, suggestions, and psychology creates the Platform Dynamics. As creators, understanding the Platform Dynamics of podcasting that we—and our audiences—are subject to is a crucial part of maximizing the effectiveness and efficiency of our work and marketing. Work with the platform dynamics and you’ll have an easier time creating a show that aligns with what people come to podcasting to get. Work against the platform dynamics and you’ll instead be adding unnecessary friction to your process. What's more, when you understand podcasting’s Platform Dynamics, it becomes clear where the handful of hard-to-solve bottlenecks are that keep shows from growing. When you understand where these bottlenecks are, you can attack them aggressively in order to solve them… Which opens the way for the unique (and substantial) advantages that podcasting has over every other medium. In this episode of Podcast Marketing Trends Explained, Justin and I break down the Platform Dynamics, constraints, and psychology that are baked into the medium of podcasting and explore how to navigate, mitigate, and leverage them as a creator. You can add the episode to your listening queue in your favourite podcast app or watch on YouTube. Want my help reconfiguring your show to work better with the baked-in dynamics, constraints, and psychology of podcasting, your industry, and your listeners? Hit reply with the words "Platform Psychology" and I'll send you all the info on how we can work together to design a show that is easier to make, easier to market, and systematically leads to clients and customers.
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