School of Podcasting: "Behind the Scenes at Podfest: Lessons, Laughs, and Cold Coffee"

Host: Dave Jackson
Date: January 26, 2026

Episode Overview

In this special episode, Dave Jackson recaps his experience at Podfest 2026, offering behind-the-scenes insights, lessons learned, and candid reflections on trends, technology, and the state of podcasting. With his trademark humor and 20+ years of expertise, Dave addresses everything from podcast release timing and the realistic use of AI, to the economics of live events (and $14 hotel coffee). He also delivers updates on his own projects, shares conference anecdotes, and honors Podcasting Hall of Fame inductees, always circling back to his core message: serve your audience.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Myth of "Perfect" Release Times

[03:10–07:30]

• Podfest attendees debated minute-by-minute differences in episode release schedules to "maximize downloads."
• Dave challenges this:

  "When we start to focus on minutes, do I dare even say seconds of release time? That’s not why people tune in … It's time-shifted." (05:31)

• Consistency matters more than micro-optimizing drop times, except when you’re part of a listener’s routine (e.g., "my grocery shopping podcast on Fridays").

2. Chasing AI Solutions – and the Real Cost

[08:00–13:00]

• Some podcasters dream of AI doing their show and doing it for free—Dave calls this fantasy out:

  "AI can stand for Always Increase, because that's what’s going to happen to your prices. AI is not cheap to run." (10:39)

• Free tools are inherently unsustainable, and fully automated content just isn’t compelling or differentiated.
• AI is best used to "polish," not replace genuine creativity.

3. Video Peer Pressure and Content Fluidity

[13:05–17:00]

• Unlike in the past, there was less “you have to do video” pressure at Podfest compared to other conferences.
• Revisits Steve Goldstein’s "podcasting is fluid" theory:

  "It's not that podcasting is fluid, it's that content is fluid. You can write a book and turn it into a podcast … content is fluid." (16:13)

• The line between content formats continues to blur, but a “podcast” still needs an RSS feed, in Dave’s book.

4. Tech and Tools: Episonic AI and Event Economics

[17:05–24:05]

• Dave demos Episonic AI, which analyzes your show, profiles your target audience, and even suggests guests—he’s intrigued but skeptical until he tries it himself.
• Hardware vendors’ absence at Podfest prompted discussion about why events are so costly—everything from $10k LED screens to $14 cups of coffee:

  "It cost $8,000 to plug it in … When you get into hotels, they have union people." (20:19)

• The spiraling costs affect who shows up and what podcasters experience on site.

5. The Magic (and Strategy) of In-Person Networking

[24:07–25:40]

• Powerful hallway conversations with industry legends (Daniel J. Lewis, Rob Walch, Rob Greenlee, James Cridlin, Mark Johansson) are a unique value of events.
• Shout-out to James Cridlin for dinner and the ongoing "is a podcast a PDF?" inside joke:

  "If I say a podcast, no RSS feed…somebody will email me and say, 'You didn’t say PDF.'" (24:58)

6. Reflections from the Podcasting Hall of Fame

[25:42–32:10]

• Recap of the Hall of Fame induction, touching, humorous, and full of lessons:
  • Arielle Nissenblatt creatively interrupting her speech with an ad read.
  • The legacy:

    "All of them had one thing in common. They served their audience." (30:42)

  • Shout-out to key inductees, tech pioneers, and advocates like EFF’s Julie Samuels, who helped save podcasting from patent trolls.
  • Dave shares the pressure and satisfaction of delivering a concise, memorable induction speech for Mark Asquith.

7. Community, Loss, and Legacy

[32:11–34:30]

• Emotional reflection on the community—absent friends, honoring lives lost (e.g., Dan Miller, Todd Cochran), and how the medium’s history is “sprouting up.”

8. Price of Ads and Ad Market Warnings

[34:35–38:30]

• Dave summarizes his controversial article comparing the bottoming out of podcast CPM ads to the collapse of banner ads, and shares feedback from the Media Roundtable show:

  "If I was making a living with programmatic ads, I’d be nervous right now … supply and demand kicked in and banner ads went down the toilet." (36:18)

• The growing flood of AI-produced content is driving rates down. Dave urges podcasters: don’t undersell your inventory.
• Dave’s reaction to hearing his name on another podcast:

  "I got giddy, giddy I tell you…" (37:20)

9. Project Update: "How to Pitch a Podcast" – Lessons Learned

[38:31–41:30]

• Dave’s experiment seeking audio submissions on podcast pitches met friction—too many fields in the submission form reduced responses. He explains simplification and offers new submission routes.

  "Every time you add a field...you're increasing the number of items they're filling out by 33%...that may be enough to kill this idea." (39:38)

10. Actionable Conference Follow-Ups

[41:31–42:30]

• Urges listeners to follow up with contacts made at events:

  "The most important thing you can do right now is take all those business cards you got and follow up with people." (41:49)

• Warns big, gimmicky business cards just end up in the trash.

11. Looking Forward—More Conferences, Crossovers, and Author Parallels

[42:33–44:45]

• Dave previews upcoming conference appearances (Novel Marketing Conference in Austin, NRB in Nashville).
• Notes similarities between authors and podcasters as content creators.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On AI Dreams:
  "They wanted AI to publish it and edit it and do your laundry and wash the car and walk your dog. Oh, and there was one other thing. They wanted to do it for free." (09:15)

• On Hotel Costs:
  "I could put a credit card at a Starbucks and just tell everybody, hey, if you need a cup of coffee, just go to Starbucks and put it on my card. Because a cup of coffee, you know, on the current pricing was about $14 a cup." (21:20)

• On Serving Audiences:
  "These are people that are solving problems. They are getting knowledge and bringing it back to their audience. They are serving their audience." (31:15)

• On Community Legacy:
  "We have a history now. We've been doing this over 20 years. And it's kind of interesting now to see the seeds that were planted that have now sprouted up." [Paraphrasing Tom Webster, (32:05)]

• On Pitch Experiment Fails:
  "The fact that I wanted an audio feedback or in an audio format, that may be enough to kill this idea because it's an audience participation show and it would be more impactful, I feel, if we heard it from you, not me reading your email." (39:10)

• On Networking:
  "If you’ve been thinking about it, put it on your calendar, make it happen... You’re going to miss out on some of the magic of attending a live event when you actually don’t follow up with people." (42:11)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–03:10 | Intro, context from Podfest, hotel woes
• 03:10–07:30 | Release time myths and time-shifting value
• 08:00–13:00 | AI tools: fantasy vs. reality, costs, and sustainable models
• 13:05–17:00 | Video trends and the "fluidity" of content
• 17:05–24:05 | Episonic AI demo; Event costs ($10k LED screen story)
• 24:07–25:40 | Conference networking and inside jokes
• 25:42–32:10 | Podcasting Hall of Fame induction stories and themes
• 32:11–34:30 | On legacy, community, and remembering the departed
• 34:35–38:30 | Ads in podcasting: Banner ad warning, programmatic ad cautions
• 38:31–41:30 | Update: "How to Pitch a Podcast" — Friction kills participation
• 41:31–42:30 | Follow up on conference contacts
• 42:33–44:45 | Upcoming conferences; final reflections

Tone & Style

Dave’s friendly, self-deprecating style shines through, blending practical advice with genuine, sometimes hard, truths. He doesn’t shy from industry critiques but always steers listeners back toward authenticity, serving their audience, and the joys and oddities of the podcasting community.

Final Takeaways

• Don’t get lost chasing marginal gains (like micro-optimizing release times); focus on making your content truly remarkable.
• There are no magic bullets in AI—good podcasts need real voices and creative direction. Be wary of "free" promises.
• Conferences and live events are invaluable for networking, but costly—understand the economics if you plan to attend or sponsor.
• The legacy and future of podcasting are in serving and elevating your audience.
• Don’t forget to follow up and build the relationships you start at events.

For more tips, stories, and advice, visit School of Podcasting or sign up for Dave’s newsletter at podcastingobservations.com
(For a distilled set of podcasting lessons from this episode, see Episode Links in the show notes.)