Big if true: our new podcast industry newsletter arrives!
We're bursting with things to tell you!
At Vocal Fry, we've been shaking things up—with SEVEN new producers on the team. And I’m one of them!
I’m Michal, Vocal Fry producer, inbox maximalist & lover of newsletters.
Every Friday at brunch, I’ll be sharing:
Breaking (and broken) Canadian & US industry news
Exclusive interviews with your favourite podcasters
Must-listen recommendations to freshen up your feed
Freebies! Job Listings! Skills workshops!
We publish Vocal Fridays every week, straight to your inbox.
Subscribe below to get it straight outta the frying pan!
In issue 001, we’re introducing The Big Fry, interviews & analyses on stuff that’s moving & shaking in the podcast world.
Sunny weather in Toronto means we’re taking our podcasts on our stupid little walks… but this time, with extra vitamin D. For me, this means listening to fewer dark, investigative deep dives and more fun, bantery pop culture shows. I’m solar-powered, okay?
This week, we’re going to hear from Sam Oshins, community manager at Shuffle, a new podcast app.
I downloaded Shuffle when I first heard about it a few months ago, and I have to say, it’s pretty fun! Shuffle makes listening to podcasts more social—you can enter “rooms'' where other people are listening to the same episode, and you can post gifs and comments in response to what’s going on in the podcast. Kind of like a cumulative live thread.
It’s ideal for a show like Who Weekly, which has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments about gif-worthy “celebrities.” It hasn’t replaced my go-to podcast platform (Spotify, dkm), but if you’re looking to make the podcast-listening experience more interactive, Shuffle is a lot of fun.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. We are editors, after all!Hi Sam! Can you tell us a bit about what Shuffle is?
Shuffle is the podcast app for fandoms. Think: Discord meets Apple Podcasts.
What does Shuffle bring to the podcast-platform landscape that was missing?
Everyone at Shuffle joined because we love podcasts, but we agree it’s super annoying to have to jump from your podcast to Reddit, Twitter, or Facebook to talk about them. And even worse to try and pinpoint the exact moment of the podcast you want to talk about. With Shuffle, you can leave comments, drop reactions, add pictures or memes while listening instead of having to go to other apps.
Have you seen producers using Shuffle as part of their marketing strategy?
Absolutely! We’re working with a number of podcasts now, some of which have hundreds of thousands of weekly listeners. With Shuffle, podcasters are able to set up a community and can see fan engagement around their weekly podcast content. We hear from their fans that listening on Shuffle feels like a much more engaging experience, and that they love seeing fan memes, comments, GIF reactions fly past while they’re listening.
What role do you think Shuffle could have in a podcast social strategy? How does it interact with platforms like Instagram and Twitter?
Listeners are already using Shuffle to make the podcast experience more fun, by posting memes, explanatory images, or having discussions that spiral out from the conversations on the podcast, and to meet other like-minded fans. We’re also working on features that make it super easy to share these reactions out to various social platforms, which is a great way to encourage listeners to interact more and get new ears on episodes.
What's your favourite feature on Shuffle?
I want to say my favorite feature is the comments or the reactions, but as a true child of the internet, I love leaving GIF reactions. So the GIF keyboard is definitely my favourite.
What are you listening to right now?
What am I not listening to?! My weekly rotation includes Dear Hank and John, My Brother My Brother And Me, Who? Weekly, The Weirdest Thing I Learned This Week, Table Manners, Off-Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster, Popcast from the NYTimes, Switched on Pop, and Desert Island Discs—and more!
What's the best way to get in touch if people have questions?
You’re always welcome to follow us on Twitter (@getshuffleapp), or shoot me an email to sam@getshuffle.app.
Try it yourself, and download us from the app store!
Jobs hot from the fryer
Spotify is hiring an Editor to join their Toronto team. It’s more of a music programming job than podcasting, but still looks like a lot of fun!
Frequency is hiring a Podcast Producer!
For readers who are eligible to work in the U.S: Vox is hiring a Producer for Today, Explained!
Hey freelancer!
Matriarch Digital Media is conducting a survey about racialized women who work in the podcast industry. You can read more about it in this Twitter thread from founder Twila Dang.
Edison put out a webinar for The Infinite Dial 2021 about smart speaker ownership and podcast listening for Canadians. If you’ve ever made briefs, especially for smart speakers (raises hand), you’ll want to add this to your queue!
Pod People is hosting a free workshop on May 26 at 3 p.m. EST about how to set boundaries, negotiate contracts, and prevent burnout. For me, having solid boundaries between work and life is one of the hardest parts of freelancing. If that’s you, too—I’ll see you there!
Speaking of which… don’t forget that Monday is a holiday in Canada, and you can take the day off, too! This is me, giving you permission. Actually, I’m encouraging you. Bullying, even. Take the three-day weekend if you can.
What’s happening at Vocal Fry?
The third season finale of of No Little Plans is out now! In case you haven't heard, it's a show about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and this episode looks at policing in Canada’s eastern Arctic. Shout out to host Tokunbo Adegbuyi, senior producer Ellen Payne Smith, and associate producer Sabrina Brathwaite for putting together a knockout season.
Well Said is on a break, but while we’re in the midst of the Vaccine Hunger Games, may we humbly suggest the interview with Fareed Zakaria’s on post-pandemic life. And, the interview with Emily and Amelia Nagoski on burnout.
Ok that’s all for this week!
We want to hear from you! What are you looking for in your podcast news?
Joe has been waiting his whole life for this
Let us know on Twitter, Instagram, or by email at info@vocalfrystudios.com.
Thanks to Emily Latimer for editing this newsletter, and to Katie Jensen for designing it.
We’ll see you again on May 28.
Until then, here’s an update from producer Kattie Laur’s dog, Joe.
Yours in friends and fries,
Michal
