Everyone wants to be an award-winning podcaster and award shows know this. That is why you see an influx of new and existing awards shows including podcasting. Registration fees ranging from thirty to over five hundred dollars can make awards shows big business.
After receiving a flattering invite to participate in the Webby Awards, I have since received two other invites from awards shows I have never heard of. While it can be exhilarating to receive attention from these award shows, it appears to be no better than receiving a “buy my course” marketing email. How these companies source which podcasts to reach out to is outside the scope of my forte. However, I can say that they are not simply reaching out to every podcast that is active. Oftentimes, I will check with my fellow podcasting friends to see if they received the same letter in the mail or an email.
Much of what I’m about to say will come across as sour grapes; however, keep in mind that I have won a podcast award and I am not speaking from a position of having never won. In my opinion, I feel like these podcast awards shows cater to the big names. Big names mean validation for the awards, more eyeballs on the shows; therefore, all of these companies tend to make “exceptions” for the big guys. By exceptions, I mean extending registration deadlines, waiving fees and, in some cases, changing the rules.
When it comes to potential solutions, the age-old nonpartial panel should still hold true. Having a panel of people who are not all buddies pulling for another buddy’s podcast seems like a no-brainer. Instead of making these shows a popularity contest between the “who’s who” of the top charts in each category, a simple checklist of criteria should be used. Awarding points for audio quality, introduction, efficiency, charisma, calls-to-action and similar characteristics would be a fair way to judge shows. Instead, these shows grant awards to popular hosts who sound like they are sitting twenty feet away from the microphone.
As for my participation in these shows, I can tell you with certainty there are two awards shows that I participated in this year that I will avoid next year. As an independent podcaster, it is becoming increasingly obvious that these award shows just want our money. A truly independent podcast with hundreds, not thousands, of listeners has a snowball’s chance of beating out a widely recognized entrant. As time goes on, independent podcasters will realize we are small fish from the lake that are trying to swim in an ocean.
In sports they play every game on the field, court, etc… because maybe, just maybe, the underdog has a slight chance of pulling off the upset. Podcast awards shows need to shake things up and give small shows an honest opportunity to compete and potentially win. Otherwise, calls for registration will begin to fall on deaf ears along with the money they depend on.
