The Podcast Superfriends

Podcast Predictions: Fair or Foul?

In this first 2026 episode of Podcast Super Friends, the friends discuss the rapidly changing podcast landscape and predict what lies ahead, including the ongoing tension between walled gardens and open platforms, with debate over whether platforms like Spotify and YouTube will be more creator-friendly. The friends explores emerging monetization models, such as subscriptions and Patreon, highlighting the need for niche content and subscriber engagement. Panelists stress the rising importance of optimizing podcasts for YouTube, professionalizing video and audio production, and leveraging AI for creative assets—while remaining cautious about AI-generated voices. The discussion underscores host-read ads’ increasing value and the shift from simple download metrics to deeper audience analytics. The team also predicts more focused, regional industry events, anticipates a blend of audio and video content (“liquid content”), and foresees podcasting’s pop culture crossover. ⁠Check out Steve Goldstein's blog post on Liquid Content here.⁠ And follow his work if you want to stay in the game. Ultimately, authentic voices and creative, audience-driven strategies are seen as vital for success in the evolving industry. Work With the Superfriends below: Johnny Peterson - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Johnny Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.johnnypodcasts.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Catherine O’Brien -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Branch Out Programs ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.branchoutprograms.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Jon Gay: Jag in Detroit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.jagindetroit.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ David Yas: Pod 617 -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Boston Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.pod617.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Matt Cundill - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Sound Off Media Company⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundoff.network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's Get Social

The Podcast Super Friends unpsck the intricacies of social media strategies for podcast promotion. They explore effective uses of platforms like LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), Blue Sky, and Threads, sharing various tips and anecdotes. The conversation highlights the importance of video clips and consistency in social media posting, despite some challenges posed by AI tools and changing algorithms. Johnny Podcasts shares a detailed weekly social media schedule for LinkedIn, emphasizing on the importance of medium-sized and short video clips. The discussion also touches on the potential of paid advertising versus organic social media efforts. The episode concludes with thoughts on leveraging AI tools for creating social media assets and the reliability issues encountered with these technologies. Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny Peterson - ⁠⁠⁠⁠Johnny Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.johnnypodcasts.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Catherine O’Brien -⁠⁠⁠⁠ Branch Out Programs ⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.branchoutprograms.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠  Jon Gay: Jag in Detroit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.jagindetroit.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ David Yas: Pod 617 -⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Boston Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.pod617.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Matt Cundill - ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Sound Off Media Company⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundoff.network⁠⁠⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Planning For The Unplanned

The Podcast Superfriends discuss the recent AWS outage and its widespread impact on digital services and podcasting tools. The group shares personal experiences of how the outage disrupted their workflow, affecting platforms like Riverside, Descript, and Streamyard. They emphasize the importance of having backup strategies for podcast production, including maintaining multiple copies of recordings, using alternative recording methods like Google Meet, returning to the days of "double-enders" and having pre-recorded episodes ready. The conversation explores practical solutions for potential technical disasters, such as using external hard drives, cloud storage, and backup internet options like Starlink. They stress the value of being prepared with contingency plans, having episodes recorded in advance, and maintaining flexibility during unexpected technical challenges. Work With the Superfriends below: Johnny Peterson - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Johnny Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.johnnypodcasts.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Catherine O’Brien -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Branch Out Programs ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.branchoutprograms.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Jon Gay: Jag in Detroit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.jagindetroit.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ David Yas: Pod 617 -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Boston Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.pod617.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Matt Cundill - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Sound Off Media Company⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundoff.network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

International Podcast Day with Kendall Breitman from Riverside

The Friends welcome Kendall Breitman on International Podcast Day. Kendall is Riverside's community lead, who announces the launch of chat-based editing, a new AI feature that allows users to make edits via text, enhancing video engagement. The feature, named "AI Co-Creator," and baptized as "Coco" unofficially, complements existing transcript and timeline editing. Breitman also discusses the importance of community feedback and the evolving nature of Riverside's tools, including live streaming capabilities and audio enhancements. The team also addresses the challenges of balancing creative work with AI tools and the importance of staying updated with platform features. Kendall is encouraging Riverside users to join the Facebook Community Group or the Riverside Community Hub. Chapters: (00:00:07) Intro & Host Roll Call (00:01:19) Guest: Kendall Breitman (Riverside) (00:01:31) Riverside’s Big Announcement (00:03:09) Podcast Movement & Competition (00:04:39) Origins of Chat-Based Editing (00:08:07) Naming the AI: “Coco” (00:08:56) Coco’s Early Journey (00:11:09) AI for Show Notes & Summaries (00:12:54) Advanced Editing with Coco (00:15:10) Magic Audio Features (00:20:27) Visual Enhancements & Feedback (00:23:09) Video Editing Tools (00:27:20) Browser Tips & Compatibility (00:31:12) Feature Rollouts & Adoption (00:34:21) Community Resources & Workshops (00:37:16) Repurposing Podcast Content (00:40:40) YouTube & Discoverability (00:43:14) Producer Link Feedback (00:47:37) Live Streaming on Riverside (00:55:00) Hosting on Riverside (00:56:53) Final Thoughts & Sign-Offs Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny Peterson - ⁠⁠⁠⁠Johnny Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.johnnypodcasts.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ Catherine O’Brien -⁠⁠⁠⁠ Branch Out Programs ⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.branchoutprograms.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠  Jon Gay: Jag in Detroit ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.jagindetroit.com⁠⁠⁠⁠ David Yas: Pod 617 -⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Boston Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.pod617.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠ Matt Cundill - ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Sound Off Media Company⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundoff.network⁠⁠⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

JAG's Trip to Podcast Movement

The Podcast Super Friends discussed Jag's experiences at Podcast Movement 2025. For most of this episode you will hear a takeaway from Jag followed by the group discussing and debating the issue at hand. We talked about Podcast Movement’s shift toward serving larger, corporate entities and its upcoming move to New York, raising concerns about the event’s accessibility and relevance for independent creators. The hosts debate the impact of this change, the corporatization of podcasting conferences, and suggested alternative events like Podfest for indie podcasters. Jag reminded us about the importance of optimizing podcasts for SEO and platform search, and the growing role of AI in podcast production. We also went in on social media and word-of-mouth for discoverability, the need for high-quality content, and the value of networking at conferences. The episode closes with practical tips for podcasters and plans to attend future industry events, emphasizing adaptability in the evolving podcast landscape. Chapters: (likely affected by Dynamic Audio Insertion) (00:00) – Intro & Host Intros (03:00) – Podcast Movement Recap (08:00) – Indie Creators vs. Corporates (14:30) – Podcast Movement in New York (19:30) – AI in Podcasting (23:30) – Exhibitors & Vendors (28:00) – First Impressions & Retention (38:00) – Reach: Video vs. Audio (48:00) – SEO & Search Optimization (54:00) – Discoverability & Social Media (59:00) – Final Thoughts & Events Check out more from the Superfriends below: Johnny Peterson - ⁠⁠⁠Johnny Podcasts⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.johnnypodcasts.com⁠⁠⁠ Catherine O’Brien -⁠⁠⁠ Branch Out Programs  ⁠⁠⁠https://www.branchoutprograms.com/⁠⁠⁠  Jon Gay: Jag in Detroit ⁠⁠⁠https://www.jagindetroit.com⁠⁠⁠ David Yas: Pod 617 -⁠⁠⁠ The Boston Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://www.pod617.com/⁠⁠⁠ Matt Cundill - ⁠⁠⁠The Sound Off Media Company⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://soundoff.network⁠⁠⁠  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices