Podcast Movement’s hope is that this piece will not be interpreted as comparing a podcast to the civil rights struggle that Dr. King fought for. Our desire is to honor Dr. King’s legacy in the best way we know how: by inspiring and encouraging today’s thought leaders to share their message around the world.
Greetings PM family,
Monday, January 15 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the US. This coming week we celebrate his life and achievements, and also try to take the lessons he taught and relate them to our daily lives today. This made us wonder what this profound and courageous leader would say to the podcast community if he were still living in 2018. While we can unfortunately only speculate, his life and legacy do give us perspective on what he valued that is still relevant today. We put together a short list of advice that we believe Dr. Martin Luther King Jr would share with today’s podcast community.
Liberty
It is no secret that Dr. King valued freedom, so much so that he was willing to successfully fight for it in the form of using the tactics of nonviolence and civil disobedience. Podcasting provides freedom to share your voice. It has the potential to foster a media landscape that lifts up the hidden stories and absent narratives of our diverse society. It gives the power of voice to all communities, and provides an open and accessible platform for innovation that can serve democracy’s future generations.
We are confident that Dr. King would love this form of new media. As a medium where the average individuals voice and views can be widely shared, we imagine that Dr. King would encourage all to use podcasting as a way to stand up for their convictions, and allow their messages to be heard by the masses. Podcasting is not just for a select few, it’s an outlet for anyone with a passion to freely express themselves.
Public Speaking
Dr. King wrote over 5 books, and delivered up to 450 speeches each year. His most famous speech was “I Have a Dream”. It is clear that Dr. King valued public speaking, and leveraged it to help launch the civil rights movement. Podcast Movement offers the opportunity every year for podcasters to share their knowledge and expertise through our open speaker submission process.
We are proud to announce that we are now accepting applications to speak at Podcast Movement 2018. If you’re interested in speaking at this year’s conference, we encourage you to put your best foot forward, and submit your ideas for a possible breakout session or panel at this year’s Podcast Movement.
Last year we had over 500 submissions, and only 50 were selected. This year will be no different. Since it is impossible for every submission to take the stage this year in Philadelphia, we want to remind you to take your time to put together your best submission. If you want to learn more about this process, and submit your presentation to PM18…you can do it here.
Embrace Challenges
Dr. King once said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” —from Strength to Love, 1963. Podcasting is not always easy. It isn’t easy to launch a show. It isn’t easy to edit. It isn’t easy to grow an audience. Dr. King would encourage podcasters to persevere through these challenges and continue to share what we are compelled to share.
Podcast Movement is kicking off the 28 Day Launch Your Podcast Challenge on February 1st. If you have been on the fence about starting a podcast (or have a friend who is wanting to launch)… we encourage you to join this free challenge. This opportunity not only provides bite-size baby steps each day toward launching your podcast, but also features a community element that allows every participant to share their journey and get feedback.
And did we mention that there will be fiver winners who will get free tickets to Podcast Movement, and the grand prize winner receives an all expenses paid trip to Philadelphia?
We invite you to learn more, and join the challenge: PodcastMovement.com/challenge
Serve Your Audience
“Everybody can be great … because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.” —“The Drum Major Instinct,” Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, GA, February 4, 1968.
This quote resonates with us as podcasters for a number of reasons, but the biggest reason is because it puts the servant mindset first. If you aren’t sure how you can best serve your audience, we encourage you to ask them. You can do this by sending a message through your e-mail list, creating a survey, or simply asking some of your listeners what their interests and challenges are, and finding unique ways through the podcast to address them.
Continued Learning
In “The Purpose of Education” from Morehouse College student newspaper, The Maroon Tiger (1947), Dr. King said, “Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” We know that he valued continued learning, and believe that he would encourage podcasters to continue building their knowledge and experience with podcasting.
One excellent way to do this is to commit to being involved in the podcast communities, one example being our Podcast Community Facebook Group. The group members share insights that are valuable and timely, plus it is a wide open forum to ask questions to your peers. Another way is to come together in-person with your fellow podcasting brothers and sisters at Podcast Movement in Philadelphia this July! Seriously, this event is a must attend every year, and most people will tell you their favorite part of the event is that it is the only time of the year that so many fellow podcasters gather in one place.
Be the Best that You can Be
“Be a bush if you can’t be a tree. If you can’t be a highway, just be a trail. If you can’t be a sun, be a star. For it isn’t by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.” —from a speech before a group of students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia, October 26, 1967.
Whether you are new to podcasting, or have been a podcaster for over 15 years, we can always continue to improve! It is a new year, and that means a new opportunity to put your best foot forward. Podcast Movement, and the PM Community, are here to help you!
What advice do you think Dr. King would share with podcasters? Please feel to share your thoughts with the Facebook group.
Podcast Articles, Happenings and Tips
- There have been rumblings for the past few months on what Google might do in the podcast space. Well two things have come out this week that make us think there is SOMETHING going on. Community member Dan Shure got this interesting email, followed by this announcement this week.
- 2017 was a year marked by unprecedented funding, acquisitions, analytics and TV deals. Content, too, continues to grow, commanding growing audiences, and setting new records. Corey Layton from Whooshkaa shares why he believes 2018 is the year that branded podcasts will finally go global.
- Did you know the religious podcasts make up a greater percentage of all podcasts than any other category? If you podcast in this niche, or are interested in it, this is an interesting article for you: How Podcasting Hurts Preaching: Sermons belong in church, not our earbuds.
- We’re going to be around town in the coming months, and would love to have you at one of our upcoming Podcast Movement Community Meetups. More info coming soon, but mark your calendars!
- Did you know that the weekly newsletter is not only sent out each week, but also done as a Facebook Live and podcast? Join us live every Wednesday at 12pm ET, or catch the replay whenever you can!
If you’ve not yet registered for Podcast Movement, we’ve got your back…check out the Super Early Bird Discount Registration Sale going on now!
Register for a low price, and don’t miss any of the fun.
Congratulations to everyone who is still keeping their new year’s resolutions. For those of you have fallen off the wagon, we hope that you will pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep working toward your goals!
“We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Team PM18
