The commercialization of podcasts

Fires and floods, burger crimes, novel lives, snacks, escaping familiarity, happiness data, Robin Williams.

Okay I’m not using commercialization properly in the title here, I’m using my own made-up definition of it. Because what I mean by the commercialization of podcasts is this trend of using podcasts in commercials. Since it’s becoming more common for podcasts to record video versions and upload clips to TikTok, I’ve noticed advertisers are taking advantage. They’re creating ads that are formatted exactly the same way! I’m assuming this is in hopes that people will accidentally watch it and not realize they’re watching a fake podcast that’s actually an ad. It’s nothing that groundbreaking to do, but maybe it says something about podcasts getting even more mainstream and how strongly they can capture people’s attention. And then there’s the commercials like the one below that are WAY TOO REAL and are basically me. Thank you Andreea for this one!

This week’s podstack

Future Ecologies - On Fire: Under Water

The production style of Future Ecologies can feel like a painting sometimes. It’s like you’re hearing something that’s made up of so many thoughtful and intentional pieces to create this powerful listening experience. I felt that a lot with the way this episode blends together the interviews with people impacted by fires and flooding in western Canada, and through the additional audio clips, music, and narration that expands on the effects of these climate events. “Fire and water were heads and tails of the same coin really. Because if you don't respect and honor fire, it will cause you great harm and danger, likewise with water. Water can be equally as destructive,” this quote from Ron Ignace is mixed in as a montage of news clips tell the headlines of damaging weather events throughout the summer. It got me absolutely hooked on the episode within the first five minutes. It’s part of their long running series on fire and it’s okay if this is the first of that series that you’re hearing. It’s pretty raw to hear Mendel and Adam talk about their feelings from living through these climate disaster days and wanting to know how we can recover. (transcript)

The Burger Files - EP:01 - The Lid that Lied

I guess Wendy’s UK was listening to my Crimes Against Food podcast because they’ve just released a hilarious true crime parody show about crimes against burgers. It features all the true crime and investigation tropes you can imagine and the show’s investigative investigator is very committed to getting justice for these incriminating burger incidents. You won’t necessarily learn new things about burgers, but you will hear a case that involves a plastic lid being found in someone’s burger instead of a tomato. Be careful out there! I’m such a sucker for a funny parody podcast.

Radiolab - The Secret to a Long Life

You know how the years always felt longer when you were younger? The common explanation for that is that it’s because each year was a larger fraction of your life and as you get older, that fraction gets smaller. But what time perception experts say, yes that’s a fascinating exerptise I just learned about, is that the actual reason your life feels longer when you’re younger is because you’re having more novel experiences. Novel experiences are what create memories and creating lots of memories are what makes days, weeks, and years feel longer. As Sindhu Gnanasambandan searches for the answer to what creates a long and fulfilling life, this is just one of the lessons she learns. What are all the ways we can add more novelty to our lives? Sindhu sets out on a week of nothing but novel experiences and it’s a fascinating adventure. And if this all sounds unrealistic or unreasonable to you, make sure to listen to the end for a plot twist to the theory.

Proof - Proof Presents: Snacks!

This is the snack-positive content we all need in our lives! From chip trivia, to international snacking histories and habits, this episode has me feeling so inspired to take snacking more seriously. It turns out that by exploring different snacks around the world, we actually learn about how North American work culture robs us of snack breaks that are engrained in life in other parts of the world, like Sweden. In order to really cover all aspects of snacking, they even explore the user experience, aka the packaging and how much better it is in Japan. This episode also made me realize what a reputation Canada has for chip flavours! I knew ketchup chips were a unique flavour, but that’s only one piece of our chip reputation. Also, ketchup chips are delicious! I hope this episode has everyone asking- could this meeting have been a snack? And if you’ve never tried Miss Vickie’s Spicy Dill Pickle chips, you need to! They’re delicious and I’m obsessed.

City of Women - Escape

Have you ever felt the relief of being anonymous in a different city? This episode tells the story of a two week trip to Jaipur. After feeling overwhelmed by emotions and some negative mental health, a woman decides that a trip is the escape she needs. To wander a city at her own pace, not drawing attention to herself, and letting the squirrels entertain her. It’s a sweet example of how a change of scenery can help us appreciate things that might seem too mundane in our regular setting. But her trip isn’t just about spending time to herself, eventually she meets up with a girl from Bumble and their fun date together helps her think more about her sexuality, feelings about gender, how she presents herself, and why she’s okay with not having all the answers to those questions. The episode ends up feeling like an intimate and honest diary entry from a travelogue and I loved the production.

Uncharted with Hannah Fry - 6. The Happiness Curve

When you think about a show that explores data, you might assume it’ll be overwhelming or too technical to really enjoy, but Hannah Fry turns data into engaging stories. Hannah is a mathematician whose specialty is realizing the stories and connections in numbers. The episodes are short, so you’re able to absorb the takeaways that each one explores. They centre around a question and the different studies and data that can explain why something is the way it is. Like how the ‘U-curve’ trend in our happiness levels throughout our lives isn’t necessarily unique to humans and the way society is structured. I listened to quite a few episodes and love how diverse the topics are! They’re much less by-the-numbers than you’d expect. Thank you to Arielle for telling me about this show!

Knowing: Robin Williams - The Comet

If you’re like me and you’ve been wanting to read Robin Williams’ biography, this is a great alternative! It’s basically a podcast version of his life story, told with the help of New York Times reporter Dave Itzkoff (who also wrote a biography of Robin) and host Kristy Westgard, along with additional interviews (some never-before-heard) and lots of clips from Robin’s performances. Just like any biography, this first episode covers his early life, including his childhood, school experiences, and the moments that solidified his decision to pursue comedy and acting. This is an easy, informative, and entertaining listen for anyone who loves a good biography or Robin Williams!

More sweet treats

• A great newsletter to highlight business and tech podcasts for women.

• A skeptical scientist learns how gratitude journaling and cold baths can be helpful forms of self-care.

• I loved this perspective on making podcasts personal.

Thank you for reading! If you listened to something this week that made your heart sing, your imagination wander, or your brain ponder, I’d love to hear about it!