Summary5 min read

Podcast Summary: "What is The Streisand Effect?"

Podcast: Your Podcast Consultant: Podcast Tips To Avoid Podcasting Mistakes
Host: Dave Jackson
Episode Date: December 5, 2025
Episode Length: ~9 minutes

Episode Overview

In this concise and insightful episode, Dave Jackson delves into "The Streisand Effect" and its implications for podcasters. Using the famous incident involving Barbra Streisand as a springboard, Dave explores how attempts to suppress information online can often have the opposite effect—drawing even more attention to the very thing one wants to hide. He offers practical advice for podcasters on when to hold back from public criticism or “calling out” competitors, platforms, or trolls, to avoid inadvertently amplifying issues or controversies.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. What is the Streisand Effect?

Definition: The Streisand Effect occurs when an attempt to hide, remove, or censor information has the unintended consequence of publicizing the information more widely.
Origin Story:
- [01:00] Dave recounts the original case:
  - In 2003, Barbra Streisand tried to suppress an aerial photograph of her Malibu home that was part of a coastal erosion documentation project.
  - Before her lawsuit, the image “had been downloaded, maybe a handful, you know, very few.”
  - Following media coverage of the legal action, “hundreds of thousands” of people viewed it.
  - Quote (Dave Jackson, 01:35):
    “By you saying, ‘don't look at it, don't know, that's mine,’ everybody goes, wait, what are they trying to hide? And it blows up.”

2. Applying the Streisand Effect to Podcasting

Why It Matters:
- With an influx of new podcasting services and platforms—especially around January when many people launch shows—Dave warns podcasters about inadvertently promoting dubious platforms by naming and criticizing them publicly.
- Quote (Dave Jackson, 03:45):
  “There's a company… I'm not going to mention them because that would enact the Streisand effect. And they're just saying, ‘start your podcast with us. You will make money. It's so easy, yada, yada, yada, fame, fortune…’”
Podcasting is Simple, Not Easy:
- While some services promise effortless fame and income, Dave reminds listeners:
  “Podcasting is simple—find out what your audience wants and give it to them in an entertaining and educational way. It is not easy because there's a lot of noise out there.” (04:01)

3. Handling Controversy and Trolls

Amplifying Negativity:
- Engaging with trolls or publicly feuding may serve their purpose rather than yours.
- Quote (Dave Jackson, 05:10):
  “If you get a troll… that is their goal, is to make you mad. And so when you do an episode and you basically go after the troll, they are happy as pigs in mud.”
Lesson From Experience:
- Dave shares a story from his days at Podshow, an early podcast network:
  - A podcaster breached an NDA by reading the contract aloud on their show.
  - Dave initially responded publicly but realized this gave the podcaster more exposure and attention.
  - The podcaster even suggested a “radio war,” which Dave declined.
  - Quote (Dave Jackson, 05:40):
    “What I ended up doing was giving more kind of spotlight to their show. And they actually contacted me and said, hey, we should do kind of like a radio war and we can just go at each other. And I was like, no.”

4. Historical & Cultural Reference: PMRC

Analogy:
- Dave draws a parallel to the “Parental Advisory” sticker era, where attempts to censor music only made it more popular.
- Quote (Dave Jackson, 06:05):
  “If that thing had a sticker that said parental advisory, everybody wanted to buy that album.”

5. When to Fight Back—Strategic Communication

Pick Your Battles:
- Sometimes, it is better to let things go to avoid giving them extra oxygen.
- Quote (Dave Jackson, 06:27):
  “There are some times when we just have to fight back. And I get that, but just realize you might be implementing the Streisand effect.”
Awareness as Communicators:
- As podcasters and communicators, it’s vital to recognize when magnifying a controversy might not serve your goals.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

On the heart of the Streisand Effect:
“By you saying, ‘don't look at it, don't know, that's mine,’ everybody goes, wait, what are they trying to hide? And it blows up.” (Dave Jackson, 01:35)
On not naming names:
“There's a company… I'm not going to mention them because that would enact the Streisand effect.” (Dave Jackson, 03:45)
On trolls and backlash:
“If you get a troll… when you do an episode and you basically go after the troll, they are happy as pigs in mud.” (Dave Jackson, 05:10)
On the PMRC and unintended consequences:
“If that thing had a sticker that said parental advisory, everybody wanted to buy that album.” (Dave Jackson, 06:05)
On knowing when to let things go:
“There are some times when we just have to fight back. And I get that, but just realize you might be implementing the Streisand effect.” (Dave Jackson, 06:27)

Key Takeaways

The Streisand Effect can intensify the attention given to something you're attempting to suppress—so be wise with your responses and public statements.
Think strategically before publicly criticizing platforms, companies, or individuals—you may unintentionally boost their visibility.
Sometimes ignoring or letting go is the best approach, particularly with trolls or minor controversies.
As communicators, always ask: Will this help my audience, or am I just amplifying noise?

Key Segment Timestamps

00:37 – 02:15: What is the Streisand Effect? The Barbra Streisand lawsuit story.
03:45 – 04:20: Modern examples in podcasting; why Dave won’t “name and shame.”
05:10 – 05:55: On trolls, early podcast drama, and learning when not to respond.
06:05 – 06:27: The PMRC parental advisory sticker as a cautionary historical example.
06:27 – 06:35: Final advice on picking your battles as a podcaster.

Episode Tone and Style

Dave Jackson’s delivery is conversational, relatable, and laced with wit and real-world experience. He speaks directly from the trenches, using personal stories and cultural references to bring complex ideas down to earth for new and seasoned podcasters alike.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in smarter podcast promotion, digital reputation management, and understanding how seemingly small actions can have amplified consequences in the public eye.

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Transcript5 lines

[00:01]
A
When it comes to social media and promotion, we can all learn a lot from the one, the only, Barbra Streisand. What?
[00:12]
B
Welcome to your podcast consultant. Small lessons with big value. With more than a decade of experience and millions of downloads, this hall of fame podcaster is a featured speaker, author, and mentor to thousands. Now he wants to work with you. He's your podcast consultant, Dave Jackson.
[00:38]
A
So what can podcasters learn from Barbra Streisand? I know, sounds weird, doesn't it? But there is a thing called the Streisand effect, and people will throw that out, and they assume you know what it is. And I thought, you know what? Some people don't. So what it is, it's basically you trying to hide something. And what happens is by you saying, don't look at it, don't know, that's mine. Everybody goes, wait, what are they trying to hide? And it blows up. This stems from a 2003 lawsuit where someone had an aerial photograph of her Malibu home, and it had been posted online as part of a large coastal erosion documentation project. So they're like, hey, look this. You know, the side of the mountain is falling off. And it just so happened that one of the houses was Barbra Streisand's. And before the lawsuit, the image had been downloaded. Maybe a handful, you know, very few. But the media coverage of the legal action led to hundreds of thousands of views in a short period and ensured the image became widely known. Right now, as I record this, it's December 2025, and January is a very active month in podcasting because everybody's like, this is the year I'm going to start a podcast. Okay, I get that. But that also means in December, everybody is coming out of the woodwork. There's a company. And here's the point. I'm not going to mention them because that would enact the Streisand effect. And they're just saying, you know, start your podcast with us. You will make money. It's so easy, yada, yada, yada, fame, fortune, all the way to just click this button. And while podcasting is simple, find out what your audience wants and give it to them in an entertaining and educational way. It is not easy because there's a lot of noise out there, and hence this company is adding to the noise. And so it's hard sometimes because I know me, I'm a people pleaser, and I want to help people. And I am always worried that somebody is going to go and, you know, use this product. And this is Partly due to the early days of Spotify. And I still don't like Spotify. But they would submit your show to Apple in giant quotation marks for you and then just kind of forget to tell you that you're not going to be able to see additional stats. And then I would explain to people, yeah, you shouldn't have done that. And they would get mad at me. And so my reaction was to run out to the world and go, don't use Spotify. And I still kind of do that. But I also wonder sometimes if I'm really just driving more traffic to Spotify. What I do now, like, look, if you need free, and I often explain how free is not a good business model, that means you're the product. So if you need free, then use either RSS.com or Red Circle. But Spotify has lots of things that I disagree with. But if you get a troll, trolls want you so much to get upset. That is their goal is to make you mad. And so when you do an episode and you, you basically go after the troll, they are happy as pigs in mud. There are times when you just have to let it go. In the early days of podcasting, I was working for a company called Pod show was one of the first. Well, it was the first podcast network. And we gave an invitation to a podcaster who read the kind of contract and they had to sign and NDA, so non disclosure agreement, meaning I can't talk about what's in this contract. And then they read the contract on their podcast. And it was one of those where I kind of said, hey, that, that wasn't cool. And what I ended up doing was giving more kind of spotlight to their show. And they actually contacted me and said, hey, we should do kind of like a radio war and we can just go at each other. And I was like, no. So just keep in mind, and I often say this to my fellow Christians, that when we try to ban stuff, that always backfires. I mean, the PMRC, if we go back to the 80s only, it, it, it hugely increased the sale of, like, if that thing had a sticker that said parental advisory, everybody wanted to buy that album. So as you are on the microphone and there are some times when we just have to fight back. And I get that, but just realize you might be implementing the Streisand effect. Maybe you think that, you know, everyone needs to know this or everybody does know it already and you need to chime in when in some cases people like, what are you talking about? You're like, Come on, don't you know about this? And then they go, no. And you're like, yeah, you shouldn't use it. And they go, what's the big deal? I got to go.
[06:34]
B
See?
[06:36]
A
So as people that live and breathe in communication, we should be aware of the Streisand effect. Now, if you need help with your podcast, I would love to help you. Simply go over to schoolofpodcasting.com start@schoolofpodcasting.com start, use the coupon code listnr when you sign up for either a monthly, quarterly or yearly subscription. And that does come with a 30 day money back guarantee along with five hours of consulting with you and me, one on one. Looking forward to it. Schoolofpodcasting.com start I'm Dave Jackson. I help podcasters. It's kind of what I do. Been doing it for 20 years and I can't wait to see what we're going to do together because I want to be your podcast consultant. Hey, it's Dave. And if you're thinking of starting a podcast, but you just have no idea where to start, I've got a free podcast launch checklist for you. It's super simple. Just go to SchoolOfPodcasting.com checklist. That's SchoolOfPodcasting.com Checklist.