Introducing the Uncut.fm MVP!
A first glimpse at our minimum viable product & how our conversations with 50+ podcasters inspired our product direction.
It's a hot MVP summer at Uncut.fm! We spent the past few weeks engaging in in-depth conversations with podcasters "on the ground." We're excited to share what we learned with you, along with a first glimpse of the MVP that was inspired by their feedback
First of all, one thing that's clear to us at Uncut.fm is we're on the verge of an audio revolution. Creators are turning to podcasting more and more for the freedom the format provides. We spoke to standup comics who use their podcasts as a way to sharpen their improv skills, to business coaches who use their shows as an inbound marketing tool, and to spiritual leaders who view podcasting as the most effective way to spread their message. One podcaster even uses her show for audio-based matchmaking.
Regardless of genre or format, there were a couple things we heard over and over. One is that a significant portion of podcasters view their shows as conversation starters, with the express goal of creating community around their content. And just as a new generation of audio talent is grappling with what it means to own their IP and rights to their show, they're also thinking about what it means to connect with and own an audience. Media brands that try to own the relationship of hosts to their audience are in trouble, as podcasters actively create their own communities on Discord, YouTube, or TikTok.
Another is a lot of podcasters are burnt out.
The more we heard this line from podcasters, we wanted to better understand the reasons for creative burnout. One obvious factor seems like it would be just how hard creators work. And it is — to an extent. Between research, recording, editing, post-production and sound design, most podcasters spend between 10 and 40 hours a week on a single episode! But podcasters also love the creation process. For the most part, they're not podcasting because they feel obliged so much as they live for the moment they hit "publish" and put something out into the world.
It's everything after that moment that feels exhausting.
Namely:
Emotionally fraught monetization. Most of the monetization options offered to podcasters today require even more of the time they don't have. When you've already burnt the midnight oil, putting an extra five hours into developing bonus content isn't always worth it for a cup of coffee. At worst, being asked to create premium content can feel like it devalues their show. (As one podcaster told us: **"**When I see premium content, I think of it two ways. One is that they're giving the rest of us sht. Or their premium content is sht, because it's just something they throw out there for people who give them money.")
Subscription-based models can also feel awkward (will my friend from high school ever feel like he can unsubscribe?)
Lack of feedback. There's a reason podcasters ask their audiences to rate and review their shows. It helps with their podcast's discovery in the Apple algorithm but it also gives hosts the validation they need to keep going. But no one platform exists to solicit or facilitate that feedback on an episode by episode level. While they try to build a community and connect with their listeners, podcasters end up spending hours upon hours on social media trying to connect with their audience, track conversations happening around their show and understand what's resonating and why.
In other words, unless podcasters spend hours upon hours promoting their show and soliciting episode-level feedback themselves, it can feel like they're speaking into a void. Platforms like Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee try to fill this void by substituting small monetary donations for social connection, but too often that misses the mark. Instead podcasters want to know who exactly is listening to them, what resonated about their content, and why. (One podcaster we spoke with in Brooklyn is presently surprised when listeners introduce themselves at her local coffee shop, because she didn't know they were listening at all!)
And so that's why we've created Uncut.
At Uncut.fm, we're on a mission to break down the walls that traditional podcasting platforms place between listeners and their audience. We're committed to deepening engagement with podcasts by connecting hosts directly with their listeners — and even encouraging listeners to become co-creators themselves. On our creative podcast player, podcasting becomes playful. Listeners can react and comment on creators' content using emojis, GIFs, text, images, or even their own voices.
We've put together a demo of the MVP here and we would love to hear your feedback:
For podcast hosts, Uncut.fm does the job of soliciting qualitative feedback from their audience in a playful and intuitive way. It makes content dynamic as listener reactions bring what was once a static medium back to life. It increases the lifetime value of podcast episodes and helps hosts put a face to their audience for the first time.
If you're a podcaster and interested in joining our beta, you can join the waitlist here.
LET'S GO!
To the future of audio,