iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

At this point I genuinely can’t believe anyone actually reads these pages.

Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 13/09/2025

If I could go back in time this is what I would give myself: every tool I have learned to promote and grow your podcast 👇 open.substack.com/pub/podcasts...

open.substack.com

NEW: The Podcast Marketing Map

Use this to grow your show faster.

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 10/09/2025

So. Hard. I tried a Van Westendorp price sensitivity survey and even though I got the methodology wrong the results were v useful. Just launched - need to see if early free sign ups convert to paid to see if I got it right

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 02/09/2025

So funny - I had totally forgotten it’s there. I’ve just tuned it out.

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 04/07/2025

🔎 Social or YouTube = Discovery 🎧 Podcast = Engagement 📩 Newsletter = Conversion

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 29/06/2025

do this for everything and keep it consistent across content, ads and anything else. Audio Engineers - anything to add?

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 29/06/2025

1) mix your audio in the edit to peak at -6db 2) match loudness to -16LUFS (the Audio Engineering Society now recommends -18LUFS but I've been using -16 for years and it works) And importantly...

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 29/06/2025

Also - host read ads, delivered via dynamic ad insertion, vary wildly too. Sometimes the show is too quiet and the ad is way too loud, or vice-versa. So, here's my recommendation…

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 29/06/2025

I particularly notice this when I'm listening on my motorbike, where consistent volume is really important (wind is loud). Some of the top podcasts in the UK, mentioning no names, have some episodes which are simply too quiet to hear. 👇

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 29/06/2025

PSA for podcast editors: please do this (I promise your audience will thank you)... I listen to a LOT of podcasts and it's surprising how variable they are - not in quality, but in VOLUME. Here’s how to fix it 👇

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

Ok podcast people of BlueSky, where are you?

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 14/06/2025

I bumped into Stephen Fry in a corridor. “Sorry,” I said. “Sorry,” said Stephen Fry.

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 25/03/2025

This American remake of “Government by WhatsApp” is a bit over the top.

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

Jodie Comer. But with a sonic instead of a gun.

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

Post your favourite Doctor Who. Wrong answers only.

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

Why do bullies attack? Because they feel weak.

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 29/01/2025

My email newsletter, Podcast Strategy Weekly, hit 500 subscribers today! Every Monday I send you actionable tips to help you grow an audience, increase your influence and make money from podcasting. Join our growing gang at podcaststrategy.substack.com

podcaststrategy.substack.com

Podcast Strategy Weekly | Chris Stone | Substack

Helping you increase your influence, grow an audience and create revenue through podcasting. Click to read Podcast Strategy Weekly, by Chris Stone, a Substack publication with hundreds of subscribers.

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 25/01/2025

I think, given everything that’s going on in politics right now, I might give up social media entirely and just get really, really good at Call of Duty Mobile instead.

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

Freddie: “hang on, if you were a traitor, you backstabbed Minah…”

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Ooh interesting, what results did you get?

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 19/12/2024

My son's favourite podcast, Football for Kids, is a masterclass in community-building: Listener shoutouts. Patreon exclusives. Interactive content like quizzes. How are you engaging your podcast audience? Read more tips: open.substack.com/pub/podcasts...

open.substack.com

Strategy lessons from my 2024 podcast picks

Three of my most-listened podcasts reveal useful strategy nuggets

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

Indie podcasters, take a bow. 🎤 From Football for Kids to If Books Could Kill, some of the smartest formats come from bootstrapped creators. Learn from their lean, effective strategies: open.substack.com/pub/podcasts...

open.substack.com

Strategy lessons from my 2024 podcast picks

Three of my most-listened podcasts reveal useful strategy nuggets

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

Limited series can lose audiences fast. Not Kill List. They transitioned seamlessly from a contained story to an episodic format, keeping listeners hooked. It’s a strategy worth stealing. Details: open.substack.com/pub/podcasts...

open.substack.com

Strategy lessons from my 2024 podcast picks

Three of my most-listened podcasts reveal useful strategy nuggets

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

What makes Jedi cakes rise? Bicarbonate of Yoda.

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

Sometimes Adobe's generative expand nails it. Other times...

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 16/12/2024

How fast can your podcast intro grab attention? ⏱️ "If Books Could Kill" hooks listeners in 15 seconds flat. Hosts, topic, tone—all set instantly. Full breakdown here: open.substack.com/pub/podcasts...

open.substack.com

Strategy lessons from my 2024 podcast picks

Three of my most-listened podcasts reveal useful strategy nuggets

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

In this week's Podcast Strategy Weekly email I talk more about this, and get frighteningly personal about the secret reason I have fallen in love with podcasts. Read and subscribe for free, here: open.substack.com/pub/podcasts...

open.substack.com

The secret reason I love podcasting

What's yours?

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

In a very real way, producing content is now a form of hospitality. We are welcoming people into our spaces, making them feel included, and serving them. How are you hosting your community? 👇

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

☎️ Then it became a narrowcast: a one-directional delivery to a specific type of audience. 👋 With podcasting, and other Web 2.0 media forms like newsletters and YouTube, it becomes a conversation around which communities can grow. 👇

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

Content is hospitality. 📣 In the early years of my career everything I created was a broadcast: a one-directional transaction between the producers and a broad, amorphous and hard-to-measure audience. 👇

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

Interesting, I’ve been thinking about podfade recently. You think it’s down to overcommitment?

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 27/11/2024

Fascinating argument. I suspect that’s true: rogan et al skewing the data. But also there *is* real opportunity for pods on YouTube, for those who want to do video… if you make the most of the algorithmic discovery opportunities

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 26/11/2024

Yeah this is an excellent point

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

So in today's email I go into some detail about the techniques and metrics I've found that help communicate podcast success within a large, multi-stakeholder company. Do you relate? open.substack.com/pub/podcasts...

open.substack.com

Are you focusing on the right podcast metrics?

Avoid junk podcast data and measure what matters.

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Chris Stone @chrisstonetv.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

How does your podcast serve your "North Star" goal? I've run podcast teams in several large news organisations and it's always a challenge to get senior leaders to understand the return on investment. 1/2

open.substack.com

Are you focusing on the right podcast metrics?

Avoid junk podcast data and measure what matters.

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