Is Today's Controversy Tomorrow's Podcast Episode? [S3E69]

When controversy breaks, should you consider throwing your proverbial hat into the ring? If you don’t normally cover current events and have niched-down your focus, the decision to wade into controversy should be a considered one. 

1. Is the topic worth it? - If you’re going to interrupt your normally not-controversial production efforts to present your opinions of an argument, the controversy at hand probably needs to be a pretty big one. Minor annoyances and trivial matters (recognizing you have to define those terms for yourself) likely aren’t worth the risks, as you’re about to see. 

2. Is your podcast the right platform? - If your podcast is all about brass polishing, but you’re really passionate about the plight of bald eagles, is your podcast the right venue to raise the issue? If your opinion runs counter to conventional wisdom—and I’m all about opinions that run counter to conventional wisdom—are you the right messenger? 

3. Does your audience want you to be controversial? Some of your listeners appreciate the safe harbor your show offers them and may be taken aback by the shift in your tone as you veer out of your lane to cover a controversial topic.  But on the other side of that are those listeners who appreciate your engagement in an important topic who will appreciate knowing you’re an ally. Assuming you’re offering the opinion they want to hear, that is.

If you answered all three of those questions in the affirmative, you next need to decide how deeply to dive into the topic.

You may choose to go all in, dedicating an entire series of episodes to give maximum exposure to the controversy at hand, bringing in experts and flexing your latent journalistic skill set. 

More likely, you may decide to devote an entire episode to the topic.

You could opt for a simpler solution and dedicate a portion or segment of an episode to the controversy. 

Your best move may be to make your opinion a bonus episode. One that lives outside the flow of your normal episodes and is properly titled and tagged so that listeners can choose to listen or not. 

Whichever option you choose, you need to check back in. Because publishing a podcast has consequences. Set up a monitoring program for your name and the name of your podcast. Don’t assume that detractors or supporters will properly tag you. You have to seek it out. 

Personally, I'm not afraid of controversy, and I rarely shy away from it. 

But only you can decide whether or not to make today's controversy your next episode.

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Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/is-todays-controversy-tomorrows-podcast-episode

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting.

Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is designed to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right...

When controversy breaks, should you consider throwing your proverbial hat into the ring? If you don’t normally cover current events and have niched-down your focus, the decision to wade into controversy should be a considered one. 

1. Is the topic worth it? - If you’re going to interrupt your normally not-controversial production efforts to present your opinions of an argument, the controversy at hand probably needs to be a pretty big one. Minor annoyances and trivial matters (recognizing you have to define those terms for yourself) likely aren’t worth the risks, as you’re about to see. 

2. Is your podcast the right platform? - If your podcast is all about brass polishing, but you’re really passionate about the plight of bald eagles, is your podcast the right venue to raise the issue? If your opinion runs counter to conventional wisdom—and I’m all about opinions that run counter to conventional wisdom—are you the right messenger? 

3. Does your audience want you to be controversial? Some of your listeners appreciate the safe harbor your show offers them and may be taken aback by the shift in your tone as you veer out of your lane to cover a controversial topic.  But on the other side of that are those listeners who appreciate your engagement in an important topic who will appreciate knowing you’re an ally. Assuming you’re offering the opinion they want to hear, that is.

If you answered all three of those questions in the affirmative, you next need to decide how deeply to dive into the topic.

You may choose to go all in, dedicating an entire series of episodes to give maximum exposure to the controversy at hand, bringing in experts and flexing your latent journalistic skill set. 

More likely, you may decide to devote an entire episode to the topic.

You could opt for a simpler solution and dedicate a portion or segment of an episode to the controversy. 

Your best move may be to make your opinion a bonus episode. One that lives outside the flow of your normal episodes and is properly titled and tagged so that listeners can choose to listen or not. 

Whichever option you choose, you need to check back in. Because publishing a podcast has consequences. Set up a monitoring program for your name and the name of your podcast. Don’t assume that detractors or supporters will properly tag you. You have to seek it out. 

Personally, I'm not afraid of controversy, and I rarely shy away from it. 

But only you can decide whether or not to make today's controversy your next episode.

-----

Read the full article and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/is-todays-controversy-tomorrows-podcast-episode

Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

Buy him a virtual coffee to show your support.

And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit Simpler.Media to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting.

Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is designed to make podcasting better, not just easier.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.

Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.

You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.

If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:

1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.

We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy