Podcast Plunge Pivot: Introducing a User-Generated Podcast Reco Newsletter

I'm reworking this one. Here's how...

Hi Plungers,

It’s been more than a year since I’ve published something on this feed. Reasons include: I’ve been working on this newsletter, and this newsletter, and this Discord, and this podcast, running the community at SquadCast.fm, and more.

But also…I didn’t really know the *purpose* of this newsletter. Is it a recommendation engine? Is it advice? Is it networking? Who knows.

TL;DR: Scroll to the bottom and comment on this post with some of the podcasts you’ve been listening to.

So, I’ve decided to pivot🤿

Here’s my pivot proposal

I talk about this a lot, but I want more people to discover the perfect-for-them podcast. I want to help the industry grow. I want more people to listen to podcasts. Maybe even your podcast! So, from now on, the way this newsletter will work is that each issue is going to be 5-10 recommendations from the prior issue’s replies.

Basically, I will start it off right now by recommending a few episodes I’ve been loving lately. Then, if one of them speaks to you or reminds you of something you’ve listened to, you’ll reply in the comments with a recommendation of your own. Then, I’ll take those replies and use them to populate the next week’s issue of the newsletter. And so on and so forth.

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Anticipated FAQ:

1. Can I recommend my own podcast?

   1. Within reason. I.e. if it makes sense.

2. Can my recommendations be selected week after week?

   1. Honestly, yes. My goal would be to have many, many people replying to each issue, but if you’re a regular reply guy, then you’ll likely be selected a bunch.

3. What should I include in my recommendation?

   1. The name of the show, the name of the episode, a link to it, and 1-3 sentences about why you recommend it.

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This week’s recommendations

• Podcast Bodies

  • Episode “The Fourth Trimester”

  • Why This episode dives into a topic that I did not know enough about: post-partum psychosis; the signs, how to treat it, and the emotional impact it can have long-term on a family. Allison Behringer speaks with Jess about her personal story, which includes her eventual decision to have another child despite knowing the risks.

• Podcast Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso

  • Episode “Comedian and Actor Ramy Youssef Tells a Muslim American Story”

  • Why I just love Ramy. I am a pick-and-choose listener when it comes to Talk Easy, but I end up picking and choosing many of the episodes because Sam Fragoso is an incredible interviewer and his guest gets are off the charts. Ramy is a true delight.

    

• Podcast The Opportunist

  • Episode “GAYLE PALMER Part 7 of 7: Criminally Minded”

  • Why I am a huge fan of this show. I recommend listening to the whole season, which dove into the “troubled teen industry” and how corrupt it was / may still be.

• Podcast Unorthodox

  • Episode “All That Jazz”

  • Why It was recently announced that Joshua Malina (The West Wing, Scandal) has joined this show as a co-host. He’s such a delight. In this episode, there’s a special dispatch from New Orleans, in which producer Courtney Hazlett attends some Jewish events surrounding Jazz Fest at a New Orleans synagogue. The music captured is a beautiful, cross-cultural medley.

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I’ll stop there. Now, it’s your turn! Here’s what you can do:

1. Comment on this post with a recommendation of your own

2. Comment on this post with your thoughts on one of the episodes I recommended

3. Like this post

4. Share it with a friend

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Happy listening, y’all!

For more recommendations, subscribe to my weekly podcast recommendation newsletter in which each issue is curated by a different person. Anyone can curate a list. Even you! Bye!