On this PodOn episode, we chat with podcasting veteran Sage Levene, a broadcast manager and producer at Morey Creative Studios. In this episode, we’ll sit down to learn and discuss a widely unaddressed issue within podcasting: accessibility. Even though podcasting has transformed into a huge industry, it is far from being inclusive, especially for audiences with disabilities. The content we put out there should be available for everyone, and it is our responsibility as creators to be the first ones to reflect on our own accessibility. Listen now to learn how you, the curious scrappy podcaster, can become a part of a much-needed revolution of the industry, and transform it into a welcoming space for learning and entertainment.

Jump straight into:

(00:52) - A podcasting veteran: how trends have shifted in the industry through time - “The trend is that the bar has just been raised exponentially.”

(06:41) - Sage’s advice for branded podcasts - “Produce content that maybe isn’t’ going to get you the most leads but it does establish you.”

(09:42) - The unthought accessibility problem of the podcasting industry and Sage’s five-step guide to reverse it - “If every podcaster out there just said ‘Hey, I’m gonna learn how to make my podcast accessible’, it would be the norm.”

(18:09) - The need for an entire movement towards normalized accessibility: “If corporations like Spotify want to be an industry leader, they have a great chance here to set an example for every other app and company out there that is producing podcasts.”

(21:10) - The gray areas of inclusion: “A lot of people, when they think about podcasting, they think about it as ‘It’s an audio medium, why would someone who can’t hear want to listen to a podcast?’, but it’s not as black and white.”

(24:24) - It’s all about starting and attempting to make a change: “There are ways that help podcast discoverability and also help accessibility, so it’s kind of a no brainer for the creators out there.”

(27:38) - On Sage’s advice for the curious, scrappy podcaster - “The barrier to entry is low, but the barrier to discoverability is high. You want to make sure you’re doing it justice.”

Resources

Transcribed Episode

How to Create an Accessible Podcast by Sage Levene

Morey Creative Studios

Connect with Sage through LinkedIn

Inbound & Down Podcast

Grow for Good Podcast

News Beat Podcast

Usher 1F Collaborative

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