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A Glimpse of Podcasting's Voice-Only Future
Episode 10423rd March 2022 • Podcast Pontifications • Evo Terra
00:00:00 00:11:54

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Evo Terra:

Podcasting is an audio-first medium consumed on devices

Evo Terra:

that have built-in microphones.

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Yet the listening experience is reliant on eyes and hands.

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What would a voice-only listener experience look like?

Evo Terra:

Hello, and welcome to another Podcast Pontifications with me, Evo Terra.

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On Monday, I shared with you a company called Vocalize that replaces vanity

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URLs and coupon codes from podcast advertising with memorable spoken phrases.

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If you missed it, go back two episodes and listen to that one.

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It's a fascinating concept, but it's really one that just makes sense.

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And today I wanna drill down and explore that "what if" scenario if

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we'd put that into a wider practice, a world in which podcasters and podcast

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listeners live, where we are able to use voice commands to control the podcast

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experience, and only voice commands.

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But I wanna be clear that what I'm about talking about here

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is pure speculation on my part.

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I am not a humans factor engineering major.

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I'm not an expert in machine algorithms or artificial intelligences.

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I'm just a guy with an overactive imagination who also wants to

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help make podcasting better.

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So keep that in mind as you follow along this insanity here.

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I'm gonna first focus in on the idea of reserving or buying or leasing a memorable

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phrase for your podcast so that, when it's spoken aloud with intent or an activation

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phrase, takes people to your podcast.

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But it's even smarter than that.

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If the person who gave the voice command is already a listener of your show, they

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might experience your most recent episode or the episode where they left off.

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And of course, if they've already heard all of the episodes, then maybe

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the voice system is smart enough to let them know that there is not

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yet a new episode to listen to.

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Maybe it will suggest re-listening to a trending episode, or maybe it

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suggests a totally different show that's still in your network or a

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show where you, the host of this show, recently appeared as a guest.

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I mean, if we're gonna pretend this thing is smart, let's make it smart, shall we?

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And I know that seems fantastical, and I'll grant you that today it is.

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But I don't think it always will be.

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As CJ mentioned on Monday, domain names are already an early version of this

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where people snapped up clever domain names and memorable domain names.

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Things like wannagetaway.com.

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Or tires.com.

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Or maybe they got weirder, like whoownswhoinpodcasting.com

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or ihearthin.gs.

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Okay, all four of those things work, which will lead those who know the secret

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code to their appropriate destination, a destination they can get to without having

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to know the actual brand name or the people behind that particular destination.

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You type in the secret phrase, you get to the destination.

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It's not really a stretch to speak the secret phrase tomorrow and

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get to the destination, right?

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So I think it's fun to think about what secret phrase you

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might use for your podcast.

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I mean, beyond your podcast name, obviously, sure, sure.

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But like this show, for example, which the name of the podcast

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is already rather descriptive.

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But should I also register "make podcasting better?"

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Have I branded that phrase enough?

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And would I also need to buy "make podcasts better?"

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Sort of like buying common misspellings of a domain name.

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Should I also register "Evo Terra's podcast" and point it to this show?

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Or will the systems be smart enough to figure out whatever

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the phrase someone's looking for and then ask for clarifications?

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There's more to this future where voice assistants work really, really well

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but with podcasting and could really deliver a better podcast experience.

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A truly voice-enabled podcast listing experience should let you navigate

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through the episodes of the show, and even within the episodes of a show.

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Look, we've got some hurdles to overcome.

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I get it.

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As some of us are using incredibly long titles that are littered with junk

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information, like episode number and even the phrase "episode number," repeating

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the show name in the episode description.

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But look, this is about possibilities, not about problems.

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So let's just talk about how nice it would be to interact with some

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sort of AI interface to help you find the right episode to listen to.

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Though, I admit, you know, the reality is my imagination

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on this is somewhat limited.

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I've spent way too many years optimizing podcast RSS feeds and

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working with webpages and podcast players to get the right information

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for, again, eyes and hands.

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But I suppose that figuring out an audio-only way to get through all

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of this requires someone, well, with a more nimble mind than my own.

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But I can picture what navigating within a podcast episode would look

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like just using common voice commands.

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I mean, think about, "start," "stop," "skip."

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These all seem like low hanging fruit, along with "volume up," "rewind fifteen

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seconds," or even "get details."

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Implementing base level commands like that in voice-only mode would

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solve the sudsy hands or back pocket problem of podcasting.

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Or help ensure that I don't accidentally ride my bike into the canal when I'm

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trying to skip the post-roll and get to the next episode of the fiction

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podcast I'm listening to as I ride.

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Again, I'm just simply spitballing here.

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It is a lot of work to make this happen, I know.

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I also know we've had some early entrances in this space.

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Remember OttoRadio from like 2014?

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Services like that, that either couldn't make it or pivoted their

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tech into new areas, as often happens in the world of startups.

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But that doesn't mean this will never happen.

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In fact, I think the bet is it will happen.

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And when it does, I think it will certainly make podcasting better.

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Trademark Evo Terra!

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Just kidding.

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With that, I shall be back directly with yet another Podcast Pontifications.

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Cheers!

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Podcast Pontifications is written and narrated by Evo Terra.

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He's on a mission to make podcasting better.

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Links to everything mentioned in today's episode are in the notes

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section of your podcast listening app.

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A written-to-be-read article based on today's episode is available at

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podcastpontifications.com where you'll also find a video version and a corrected

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transcript, both created by Allie Press.

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Podcast Pontifications is a production of Simpler Media.