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The Podcast Superfriends

The Podcast Superfriends

By: Matt Cundill Jon Gay Catherine O'Brien David Yas Johnny Peterson
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Five podcast veterans hosting a monthly live-streamed roundtable about podcasting. If you want to evolve your podcast, or if you've got an idea for a show, there's no better place to start! The Superfriends dig deep on all the details you might not think about: Best practices for your show's website, streamlining your weekly workflow, marketing your podcast to the masses, and getting the most from your RSS feed. Join Jon Gay, David Yas, Johnny Peterson, Catherine O'Brien, and Matt Cundill as they get into the nitty-gritty about podcasting.

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Episodes
  • Is It Worth It?

    Is It Worth It?
    Jun 3 2026
    Matt Cundill, Jon Gay, and Catherine O’Brien dig into the growing pile of tools, platforms, and metrics shaping podcast production today. The conversation starts with a key question for creators and clients: are downloads still the best measure of success, or is time spent listening becoming the more meaningful number? The group looks at the challenge of tracking audience behaviour across audio, video, Spotify, YouTube, and social platforms, where the old podcast measurement rules do not always apply. They also compare production tools including Riverside, Descript, Adobe, OneStream, and AI platforms, weighing features against cost, convenience, and workflow friction. Catherine highlights the importance of strong headlines and audience-first positioning, while Jon and Matt examine how subscription creep is forcing producers to rethink their software stack. It is a practical, candid episode about choosing tools that reduce hassle, improve output, and help podcasters focus on the work that actually matters.Both Johnny and David will be back next week.The Products we spoke about: Here’s a list of the products/services mentioned, with official links and approximate US prices (these change frequently)Riverside – from approx. $19/month (paid plans, annual discounts available) StreamYard – https://streamyard.com – from approx. $25/month (Basic) and $49/month (Professional, annual billing) OneStream Live – from approx. $10–$39/month depending on plan Descript (incl. Rooms) – from approx. $15/month (Creator) and $30/month (Pro, annual billing) Spotify for Podcasters – free hosting Simplecast – from approx. $15/month (Basic) ART19 – enterprise/network pricing (contact Roddy or Andy) - Matt can connect you.Libsyn – from approx. $7/month Headliner – free tier; paid from approx. $8–$15/month Adobe Audition – included in Adobe Creative Cloud (All Apps approx. $60–$70/month) Adobe Premiere Pro – approx. $23–$35/month as a single app; also in All Apps Adobe Podcast Enhance – limited free use; paid around $9.99/month or $99/year iZotope RX – RX Elements often around $99; Standard/Advanced in the several‑hundred‑dollar range (frequent sales) Levelator – free ChatGPT Plus (OpenAI) – $20/month Claude – free tier; Claude Pro around $20/month Grok (via X) – included with some X Premium tiers; Premium/Premium+ roughly $8–$16/month CoSchedule Headline Analyzer / Headline Studio – free tier; Pro/Headline Studio around $9–$20/month or about $100/year Shure SM7B – street price around $399 Shure SM7dB – street price around $499 RØDE PodMic – https://rode.com – around $99 Focusrite Scarlett (e.g., 2i2) – common models around $130–$230 RØDECaster Duo – around $499 RØDECaster Pro II – around $699 Dropbox – personal plans from approx. $9.99–$11.99/month (annual billing) Google Drive (Google One) – https://one.google.com – from $1.99/month (100 GB) Starlink – hardware around $500+; service often $120–$150+/month depending on plan/region X Premium (Twitter) – https://x.com/premium – roughly $8–$16/month depending on tier Microsoft 365 – personal/family from approx. $6.99–$9.99/month (Copilot add‑ons extra) See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    55 mins
  • Questions We Don't Know The Answers To

    Questions We Don't Know The Answers To
    May 6 2026
    There is stuff in Podcasting that keeps us up at night. So we tried to answer our own questions the best we could.We discussed various aspects of podcasting, including audience engagement, analytics, and budgeting. Johnny Podcasts emphasized the importance of email lists and surveys for long-term data collection. David Yas highlighted the need for high-quality microphones, recommending the Samson Q2U and Rode PodMic. The group debated the value of podcast awards, with Catherine O'Brien suggesting they can be a marketing opportunity. They also discussed using AI for thumbnails and the importance of vetting podcast studios. The episode concluded with a discussion on the cost-effectiveness of starting a podcast, estimating a budget of around $100 for essential equipment.Here are the links to a number of the products we talked about:Johnny talked about a product he is using called Remini which is an AI photo enhancement tool. It solves the problem of getting hi-resolution photos from your guests.Here is our Microphone Recommendation list: Samson Q2U (USB/XLR dynamic microphone) RØDE PodMic (XLR dynamic broadcast mic) Shure MV7 (USB/XLR dynamic podcast mic) MOTU M2 (USB-C audio interface) FIFINE USB/XLR microphoneMAONO PD300x USB/XLR Dynamic MicUnder no circumstances should you be using a Blue Yeti.Interfaces: Focusrite Scarlett audio interfaces (e.g., 2i2, Solo, etc.) Work With Any of the Superfriends below:Johnny Peterson - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Johnny Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.johnnypodcasts.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Catherine O’Brien -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Branch Out Programs ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.branchoutprograms.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Jon Gay: Jag in Detroit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.jagindetroit.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠David Yas: Pod 617 -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Boston Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.pod617.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Matt Cundill - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Sound Off Media Company⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundoff.network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Make Your Podcast Listenable

    Make Your Podcast Listenable
    Apr 8 2026

    David Yas hosts with Johnny Podcasts, Matt Cundill, and Jon Gay (Jag) to dig into what makes podcast content truly compelling. Catherine is on vacation and we missed her dearly. They start with opening strategies, debating cold opens versus concise scripted intros. Johnny and Jag explain how they mine transcripts and use tools like Descript and Riverside to find strong teaser clips, while Matt argues for a tightly written 30–45 second intro that clearly explains why listeners should stay.

    The group then explores recurring segments—Jag in favor for structure and professionalism, Matt mostly against them unless they’re genuinely great, and Johnny suggesting they can help hosts “land the plane” at the end of an interview.

    They cover introducing guests without reading boring bios, prepping and calming guests technically and emotionally, and how to handle episodes that aren’t good enough to air. The episode closes with practical interview advice: listen deeply, avoid constant verbal tic responses, embrace silence, prep thoroughly so you can be spontaneous, and always protect your audience’s time and attention.

    Work With the Superfriends below:

    Johnny Peterson - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Johnny Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.johnnypodcasts.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Catherine O’Brien -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Branch Out Programs ⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.branchoutprograms.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Jon Gay: Jag in Detroit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.jagindetroit.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    David Yas: Pod 617 -⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ The Boston Podcast Network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.pod617.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Matt Cundill - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Sound Off Media Company⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://soundoff.network⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 hr and 1 min
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