The Future of Podcasting is here, pay attention:
In Tom Webster's latest Sounds Profitable post he shares his thoughts on the future of RSS and what it means for podcasting, especially in light of new updates from Spotify and YouTube.
In his book 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘓𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, which I recommend to all new podcasters, he writes about the MiniDisc. It was audio tech magic—better compression and swappable batteries. But MiniDisc’s story is a lesson about clinging too tightly to a single tech spec.
Here’s why this matters now:
Podcasting is evolving, moving beyond its RSS roots. Today, the big players are 𝗥𝗦𝗦, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆, and 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲. If you’re a purist, this might feel like a threat. But as a creator? It’s a time of 𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺.
🔑 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀:
1️⃣ 𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗦𝗦
RSS is magic for creators, but most listeners don’t care how their podcast reaches them. They just want it easy to find, consume, and share.
2️⃣ 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿
Dave Winer, the creator of RSS, is right: podcast clients need innovation. But not for creators—for audiences. YouTube wins because it’s easier to navigate, discover, and engage. Podcast apps? Too often they feel like empty rooms.
3️⃣ 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲
Don’t fear “rented land.” Louis Vuitton built its NYC flagship on land they don’t own because 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦. Spotify and YouTube may feel like walled gardens, but those gardens are vast, buzzing, and fruitful. Until you’re the IKEA of podcasts, you need to hustle where the audience already is.
4️⃣ 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 “𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁”
To the average listener, a podcast is simply a talk show. Live, recorded, audio, video—it’s the experience, not the delivery method. The audience has already defined it.
💡 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴 𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲: Stop limiting podcasting with rigid definitions or clinging to nostalgia. Instead, innovate, adapt, and focus on where the people are. That’s how you grow—whether it’s on YouTube, Spotify, or the next big thing.
Let’s build a future where podcasting thrives everywhere—because the walls? They’re all in our heads.
Read Tom's full post at soundsprofitable [dot] com
