My name is Dave Jackson and I founded the School of Podcasting in 2005 (www.schoolofpodcasting.com) I am 100% obsessed with podcasting. It allows me to be creative. It allows me to help people (I’ve been teaching people software for over 20 years). It allows me to play with technology. It scratches every itch I have. At the end of each year I ask my audience to pick ONE favorite podcast (it’s not easy, and some still submit two).
Why do I do this? Because I want to “reverse engineer” the answers and look at the WHY. If we know WHY people listen then we can focus on the content people are pursuing. We can take that information and tweak it, mold it, and use it in our shows.
This year I noticed the phrase “Deep” mentioned frequently. If you watch television, you rarely get a “Deep dive” into any subject. If you get more than 5 minutes of a topic, it’s interrupted with endless commercials.
Chemistry came up a fair amount this year. People tune into because they like the interaction between hosts. This doesn’t mean you HAVE to have multiple hosts. One review mentioned a single host as being “brilliant.”
As always, storytelling is another popular delivery method. We are born and raised with stories. We are fed a steady diet of fairy tales, books, movies, and TV. All media uses stories to deliver their content.
The bottom line is you will read how podcast producers know who their audience is, and are delivering content that they find valuable. When they do this it impacts their lives of their audience. It entertains them. It educates them. Many of the podcasts mentioned here do them all at the same time (value, entertain, educate).
I did something different this year. In the past I’ve asked people NOT to list my show. This year I did not (and some folks did). I realize this makes me look like a giant egomaniac. Who assembles a book filled with people telling the author how great he is? I get that, but I also need to see why people are listening and do more of that.
If you'd like to support the show, I've turned the transcripts of the show into a book. I've got it priced at the lowest amount that Amazon will allow at the moment ($2.99).
Here Are The Favorite Podcasts From My Listeners
(in no particular order)
01:25 Exponent – the nuances of tech strategy – Submitted by Max Flight of AirplaneGeeks.com, TheUAVDigest.com, and PaxExPodcast.com
2:48 Up In Your Business – brings in inspiration to help you to create a business – Submitted by Chris Lewis of www.dadspotlight.com
4:33 School of Podcasting – All Things Podcasting – Submitted by Craig from inglespodcast.com and 08:06 Kenn from blackmanwithagun.com
09:53 Ask the Podcast Coach – Your Podcast Questions Answered – Submitted by Dan Lovallo from http://headlinehistory.libsyn.com/podcast
11:18 We Choose Respect – Teaches kids to be respectful – Submitted by Erik K Johnson from www.podcasttalencoach.com
13:35 You Must Remember This – Golden Age of Hollywood – Submitted by Emily and James of www.classylittlepodcast.com
16:40 Canada Land – A deep dive into the media world in Canada – Submitted by Francis McGrogan from www.standcurious.com
19:10 The Mentee – surround yourself with heavy hitting mentors – Submitted by Gretchen from www.alwaysalesson.com
20:10 Learning Leader – focuses on leadership in every field – Submitted by Gretchen (Schultek) Bridgers from www.alwaysalesson.com
20:40 Duncan Trussell Family Hour – have a good laugh every once in a while – Submitted by Harry Duran of www.podcastjunkies.com
21:56 Mat Men – I love wrestling and this network – Jeff Bradburry from www.teachercast.net
22:30 The Morning Stream – a great mix of humor, news, music, pop culture – Submitted by Jeremy Dennis of transmissionspodcast.com
23:33 Bowery Boys – New York City history – Submitted by Jessica Bailey of www.funkyfitnessnow.com
24:34 Art of Manliness – Great advice for Men – Submitted by John Overall of WordPress Plugins A to Z
26:18 Finding Christ in Cinema – tease out the bits of movies that relate to Christ – John Wilkerson of www.thewiredhomeschool.com
28:10 Grit and Hustle – full of interviews with startups who've had overcome all kinds of obstacles – Submitted by John Livesay of www.sellingsecretsforfunding.com
28:47 The Ferderalist Radio Hour – They talk politics. They talk policy. The host is is absolutely brilliant – Submitted by John Tsarpalas of www.commonwealthy.com
30:38 48 Days to the Work You Love – shows tough love to his listeners and doesn't sugar coat things for them – Submitted by Judy Graph of www.farmandranchcountry.com
32:04 Snap Judgement – great stories, music behind it, the history, and other off the wall stuff – Submitted by Ken Kastler -of www.bountifulproductions.com
32:55 Steal the Show – the most unorthodox marketing program – Submitted by Kim Kracji of www.onthetablepodcasts.com
33:53 Mac Power Users – their recommendations have never steered me wrong – Laura McClellan of www.theproductivewoman.com
36:30 Mad at Dad – If you're married and if you have kids, you probably go through the same thing – Chiaki Hinohara of www.metalmoment.com
40:19 $100 MBA – – the perfect combination of book smarts and street smarts – Submitted by Michel Nelson 0f www.byhyu.com
41:35 Art of Likability – educational podcasts that are also entertaining – Submitted by Michel Nelson 0f www.byhyu.com
42:45 Stacking Benjamins – interesting stories around the finances – Submited by Steve Stewart of No Debt, No Credit, No Problems
44:44 Writing Excuses – really gets deep into the craft – Submitted by Maya Good of www.literaryroadhouse.com
45:50 Podcast Talent Coach – amazing information that has really helped me improve my show – Submitted by Steave Stearns of www.outsidehealthandfitness.com
47:43 Security Now! – information that comes out is very timely and relevant to my day job – Submitted by Rich Warfield of www.loudpipes.net
50:05 Tim Ferris Show – He interviews top performing people from all different categories – Submitted by Scott Johnson -of Computer Tutor and Ultrafinishers
52:03 99% Invisible – Talks about all the obscure, unique things – Submitted by Sharon Marrel of www.uuperspective.com
53:25 Daily Tech News – excellent technology information that I find extremely interesting – Submitted by Al Holtz of thelastshippodcast.com & learntoselfpub.com
55:01 Thomas Jefferson Hour – life through the eyes of Thomas Jefferson – Submitted by Terry Noorda of discoveringamerica-history.com
56:05 New Media Show – Great Content You Can't Get Anywhere Else – Submitted by Dave Jackson (me)
Have a Great 2016
Thanks to everyone for a great 2015. I look forward to watching the growth of podcasting in the future. If you'd like to have episodes of the School of Podcasting show up on your iPhone go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/itunes and subscribe today. If you're on an Android you can Subscribe on Android. If you'd like to get the show notes delivered to you for free, sign up for our newsletter.
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