This will be The Marketplace of Ideas' final year. That is, unless the show reaches 10,000 podcast subscribers by the end of 2011. I'm still figuring out how to properly interpret my statistics, but getting to 10,000 surely requires somewhere between a doubling and a quintupling of the current subscribership. If you're reading this, you may well subscribe already, but you can still help ensure the program enters 2012 and run well beyond. How, you ask?
Blog/tweet/Facebookify about the show. If you enjoy a particular interview, please don't hesitate to write a little something about it on whichever social media outlet you prefer. Most of the stuff I currently like came from recommendations found on blogs, in tweets and what have you — less so from Facebook status updates, but hey, they're still important — and I do hope others can come to like (or "Like") The Marketplace of Ideas in a similar fashion.
Review the show on iTunes. This seems like it wouldn't do anything at all, I realize, but the iTunes staff move in mysterious ways. Each new review raises the show's profile within the iTunes podcast directory, which sometimes leads to appearances in featured spots. This gives the old subscriber count a certain shot in the arm — not that most of 'em stick around. (Why is that, anyway?) All you have to do is pull up The Marketplace of Ideas' page in the iTunes store, click "Write a Review >", and leave a few choice words and (ugh) a star rating.
Recommend the show to a friend. Simple as that. A sharp listener like you certainly has plenty of friends who are looking for something engaging to pipe through their earphones, to play in the car, or to put on the stereo during afternoon tea. You — you! — can improve their lives by pointing them toward this one such engaging thing.
Wield your awesome media power. Write for a paper? Have a radio show? Do a podcast? Responsible toward any kind of media outlet that demands a flow of interesting stories? You might consider one about The Marketplace of Ideas. Some fascinating facts about the show include that (a) I do it on one seriously low budget, (b) I've nonetheless featured guests like New Yorker book critic James wood, marketing mastermind Seth Godin, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, critic Clive James, Wired co-founder Kevin Kelly, NPR's Peter Sagal, pop alternastar Momus, KCRW Bookworm host Michael Silverblatt, and public philosopher Alain de Botton, and (c) I'm, uh, gunning for 10,000 in order to bring cultural conversation of unparalleled depth to the airwaves and the iPods alike? (And if you do some kind of interview-y type thing, I'll almost certainly be on it.)
Tell me what you think. Anything you want to hear more of on the show? Anything you want to hear less of? Guests, subjects, sensibilities, formal quirks: I want to know what you think about every aspect of The Marketplace of Ideas. This information helps me tweak the formula in ways that help the show evolve into something even more enjoyable, informative, immersive, edutastational, etc.
Join the mailing list. I’ve just started a mailing list geared toward the truly elite Marketplace of Ideas listener. It delivers weekly updates on the program’s current and future broadcasts as well as related internet interestingness. I think you’ll find it the most efficient and entertaining possible way to stay on the vanguard of The Marketplace of Ideas’ grand quest to bring long-form cultural conversation to its proper place of prominence. Want to join? Simply let me know your preferred e-mail address to add at colinjmarshall at gmail. We will march on a road of bones.
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Why do you need 10,000 subscribers to continue it? I realize you want to spread ideas, and that's not a bad thing, but you seem so intent on ending it without reaching a larger subscriber base.
Do you need that many people to justify its existence? Is this a self-imposed decision or was it forced upon you? I understand you're probably a freelance journalist and are busy and broke, but if you enjoy it, and your listeners enjoy it, there's no reason to push the boundaries of that relationship. If it becomes a burden then you can scale it back or pander for donations, or even end it. But begging for subscribers has always gotten on my nerves, regardless of the cause.
The only justification I can see for this is that in order to get more high-profile guests, you need an established reputation, and for a podcast, subscriber statistics are the best way to show that.
Strongly encouraging listeners to "recommend" and "share" turns me away. Nevertheless, I wish you success. I just hope you can attain it without succumbing to tired tactics that I've seen too often.
(Oh, and hi from Metafilter!)
Posted by: Anthony | June 30, 2011 at 05:12 PM
The long and short of it: because I expected to reach 10,000 subscribers years ago. At the current rate of growth, I'll die of liver spots before I can make a sustainable career out of this.
Posted by: Colin Marshall | June 30, 2011 at 05:19 PM
I subscribed yesterday. I had previously listened to the episode with Scott Esposito, but then I went and listened to a few more and decided to subscribe.
Keep up the good work.
Damian
Posted by: Damian Kelleher | July 01, 2011 at 08:40 PM
"I understand you're probably a freelance journalist and are BUSY AND BROKE, but if you enjoy it, and your listeners enjoy it, there's NO REASON to push the boundaries of that relationship."
Does not compute.
Posted by: Kenneth Moe | July 15, 2011 at 03:10 AM
You make a fair point, although I've recently been pondering turning to a fruitful career of stealing, which may obviate all this.
Posted by: Colin Marshall | July 15, 2011 at 09:00 AM
I should have been clearer - I was QUOTING the earlier guy (Anthony) and saying that his complaint didn't make any sense. Complaining about subscription requests is incredibly ungrateful. I want to do this myself, and understand completely. Love-love-love your podcast, and I subscribed today!
Posted by: Kenneth Moe | July 15, 2011 at 09:17 AM
Hang in there! Good things don't spread easy. It took a while for me to learn about and appreciate the serious inquiry you undertake that's missing from todays quick snippets of mostly, rather worthless commentaries & investigations. My favorite so far Geoff Dyer, Tim Harford. My best wishes and good luck to you Colin!
Posted by: Michael E. | August 29, 2011 at 11:21 PM