Podcasting is an audio-first medium consumed on devices
Evo Terra:that have built-in microphones.
Evo Terra:Yet the listening experience is reliant on eyes and hands.
Evo Terra:What would a voice-only listener experience look like?
Evo Terra:Hello, and welcome to another Podcast Pontifications with me, Evo Terra.
Evo Terra:On Monday, I shared with you a company called Vocalize that replaces vanity
Evo Terra:URLs and coupon codes from podcast advertising with memorable spoken phrases.
Evo Terra:If you missed it, go back two episodes and listen to that one.
Evo Terra:It's a fascinating concept, but it's really one that just makes sense.
Evo Terra:And today I wanna drill down and explore that "what if" scenario if
Evo Terra:we'd put that into a wider practice, a world in which podcasters and podcast
Evo Terra:listeners live, where we are able to use voice commands to control the podcast
Evo Terra:experience, and only voice commands.
Evo Terra:But I wanna be clear that what I'm about talking about here
Evo Terra:is pure speculation on my part.
Evo Terra:I am not a humans factor engineering major.
Evo Terra:I'm not an expert in machine algorithms or artificial intelligences.
Evo Terra:I'm just a guy with an overactive imagination who also wants to
Evo Terra:help make podcasting better.
Evo Terra:So keep that in mind as you follow along this insanity here.
Evo Terra:I'm gonna first focus in on the idea of reserving or buying or leasing a memorable
Evo Terra:phrase for your podcast so that, when it's spoken aloud with intent or an activation
Evo Terra:phrase, takes people to your podcast.
Evo Terra:But it's even smarter than that.
Evo Terra:If the person who gave the voice command is already a listener of your show, they
Evo Terra:might experience your most recent episode or the episode where they left off.
Evo Terra:And of course, if they've already heard all of the episodes, then maybe
Evo Terra:the voice system is smart enough to let them know that there is not
Evo Terra:yet a new episode to listen to.
Evo Terra:Maybe it will suggest re-listening to a trending episode, or maybe it
Evo Terra:suggests a totally different show that's still in your network or a
Evo Terra:show where you, the host of this show, recently appeared as a guest.
Evo Terra:I mean, if we're gonna pretend this thing is smart, let's make it smart, shall we?
Evo Terra:And I know that seems fantastical, and I'll grant you that today it is.
Evo Terra:But I don't think it always will be.
Evo Terra:As CJ mentioned on Monday, domain names are already an early version of this
Evo Terra:where people snapped up clever domain names and memorable domain names.
Evo Terra:Things like wannagetaway.com.
Evo Terra:Or tires.com.
Evo Terra:Or maybe they got weirder, like whoownswhoinpodcasting.com
Evo Terra:or ihearthin.gs.
Evo Terra:Okay, all four of those things work, which will lead those who know the secret
Evo Terra:code to their appropriate destination, a destination they can get to without having
Evo Terra:to know the actual brand name or the people behind that particular destination.
Evo Terra:You type in the secret phrase, you get to the destination.
Evo Terra:It's not really a stretch to speak the secret phrase tomorrow and
Evo Terra:get to the destination, right?
Evo Terra:So I think it's fun to think about what secret phrase you
Evo Terra:might use for your podcast.
Evo Terra:I mean, beyond your podcast name, obviously, sure, sure.
Evo Terra:But like this show, for example, which the name of the podcast
Evo Terra:is already rather descriptive.
Evo Terra:But should I also register "make podcasting better?"
Evo Terra:Have I branded that phrase enough?
Evo Terra:And would I also need to buy "make podcasts better?"
Evo Terra:Sort of like buying common misspellings of a domain name.
Evo Terra:Should I also register "Evo Terra's podcast" and point it to this show?
Evo Terra:Or will the systems be smart enough to figure out whatever
Evo Terra:the phrase someone's looking for and then ask for clarifications?
Evo Terra:There's more to this future where voice assistants work really, really well
Evo Terra:but with podcasting and could really deliver a better podcast experience.
Evo Terra:A truly voice-enabled podcast listing experience should let you navigate
Evo Terra:through the episodes of the show, and even within the episodes of a show.
Evo Terra:Look, we've got some hurdles to overcome.
Evo Terra:I get it.
Evo Terra:As some of us are using incredibly long titles that are littered with junk
Evo Terra:information, like episode number and even the phrase "episode number," repeating
Evo Terra:the show name in the episode description.
Evo Terra:But look, this is about possibilities, not about problems.
Evo Terra:So let's just talk about how nice it would be to interact with some
Evo Terra:sort of AI interface to help you find the right episode to listen to.
Evo Terra:Though, I admit, you know, the reality is my imagination
Evo Terra:on this is somewhat limited.
Evo Terra:I've spent way too many years optimizing podcast RSS feeds and
Evo Terra:working with webpages and podcast players to get the right information
Evo Terra:for, again, eyes and hands.
Evo Terra:But I suppose that figuring out an audio-only way to get through all
Evo Terra:of this requires someone, well, with a more nimble mind than my own.
Evo Terra:But I can picture what navigating within a podcast episode would look
Evo Terra:like just using common voice commands.
Evo Terra:I mean, think about, "start," "stop," "skip."
Evo Terra:These all seem like low hanging fruit, along with "volume up," "rewind fifteen
Evo Terra:seconds," or even "get details."
Evo Terra:Implementing base level commands like that in voice-only mode would
Evo Terra:solve the sudsy hands or back pocket problem of podcasting.
Evo Terra:Or help ensure that I don't accidentally ride my bike into the canal when I'm
Evo Terra:trying to skip the post-roll and get to the next episode of the fiction
Evo Terra:podcast I'm listening to as I ride.
Evo Terra:Again, I'm just simply spitballing here.
Evo Terra:It is a lot of work to make this happen, I know.
Evo Terra:I also know we've had some early entrances in this space.
Evo Terra:Remember OttoRadio from like 2014?
Evo Terra:Services like that, that either couldn't make it or pivoted their
Evo Terra:tech into new areas, as often happens in the world of startups.
Evo Terra:But that doesn't mean this will never happen.
Evo Terra:In fact, I think the bet is it will happen.
Evo Terra:And when it does, I think it will certainly make podcasting better.
Evo Terra:Trademark Evo Terra!
Evo Terra:Just kidding.
Evo Terra:With that, I shall be back directly with yet another Podcast Pontifications.
Evo Terra:Cheers!
Evo Terra:Podcast Pontifications is written and narrated by Evo Terra.
Evo Terra:He's on a mission to make podcasting better.
Evo Terra:Links to everything mentioned in today's episode are in the notes
Evo Terra:section of your podcast listening app.
Evo Terra:A written-to-be-read article based on today's episode is available at
Evo Terra:podcastpontifications.com where you'll also find a video version and a corrected
Evo Terra:transcript, both created by Allie Press.
Evo Terra:Podcast Pontifications is a production of Simpler Media.