Over 155 million people have listened to a podcast while 104 million are listening to podcasts monthly according to the latest study from Infinite Dial. That’s in the US ALONE.
In other words, podcasts are the sh*t right now and pro wrestling is no exception when it comes to that audio realm.
There are many variables as to why podcasts are particularly popular in wrestling.
It is a way for the performers to engage with their audience, it is a way for people like myself that just wanna talk about wrestling because they’re bored, it is a way to be part of this industry, It’s easy content to produce and so many other factors.
I’m not a podcaster (I am as of December 12th) but I’ve asked some people about how pro wrestling podcasts have influenced their lives as well as the industry as a whole.
Frank Mandolini of The Last Minute Wrestling Podcast started his podcast last year in which he interviews people within the industry from an Italian wrestling fan standpoint.
Frank shared his thoughts on the marketing side of podcasts:
"In many people's eyes, 2020 has been the year of the podcasts.
I work in communication and marketing and I can assure you many advertising agencies are dying to find people who knows the podcasting world as it is the new frontier at the moment.
Countries like Italy (where the podcast market is still relatively new) have an enormous potential growth.
I don't know for sure about the UK and USA, but I won't say it has already saturated. There's still a margin."
He then went on to tell me that it was a blessing for him to produce audio content:
"As for me, it was a blessing. Not only because I had the chance to speak with some cool people and learn a lot, but also because it taught me the discipline to work every week to produce a new show, have a better schedule for my life and I acquired new skills in different fields."
You guys know who Chris Van Vliet is, right? You know, the guy that is in all of your favourite wrestling sites every time he posts an interview?
All lame jokes aside, he has developed a great success on his Youtube channel thanks to his insightful conversations with some of the best that the business has to offer.
Chris uploads the discussions on his podcast called “The Chris Van Vliet Show” but as of last week, CVV changed the name of his show to “Insight”. I asked him about how podcasting has changed his content process:
“Until I started my podcast "Insight with Chris Van Vliet", my interviews were usually 20-30 minutes max.
Now, I feel like I want to aim for the conversations to be closer to an hour in length.
I'm just really fascinated by reverse engineering what makes successful people so successful and the longer the guests have to talk, I feel like it's more of an opportunity for us to learn more”.
Chris then shared his perspective on where podcasting goes from here:
“The best and worst part about podcasting is that anyone can do it.
It's the best because it gives everyone an opportunity to create their own show and have their voice be heard.
It's the worst because it takes A LOT to stand out in a sea of options.
But if you create content that you love and that you are passionate about, other people will love it too and your audience will start to grow.
I think the future for wrestling podcasts and podcasting, in general, is incredibly bright.
More and more people are using podcasts as a way to stay informed and entertained.
Heck, I don't even listen to music at the gym anymore. I always have a podcast playing!”
Jeremy Lambert is more than the lead wrestling writer over at fightful.com.
He also hosts a podcast along with his buddy Joe Hulbert (aka the feature king) called “The Distraction” in which they don’t just limit themselves on talking about wrasslin.
They talk about basketball (shout out to NBA 2K11) and review critically acclaimed movies like “Ready To Rumble”, “Baywatch”, “Playing With Fire”, “The Chaperone”, “Wrong Side Of Town” and a whole lot more.
I asked Jeremy as well as Joe about what “The Distraction” means to them:
Jeremy: “It’s certainly changed my life. I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in or be as comfortable as I am without it.
It’s given me a lot of confidence and it’s connected me to a lot of different people and new friends.
It’s also just provided me with an escape from anything that might be going on in my personal life.
I know that I’ll always have that time with Joseph to forget about everything and just banter with my friend and the community”
Joe Hulbert: “Honestly, I don’t listen to nearly enough wrestling podcasts to truly grasp this topic. The appeal stuns me in general, let alone that of our own insanity.
With that being said, the sense of community seems important to me.
As someone that’s watched hours of wrestling alone for years, I do take some pride in the idea that once or twice a week, we provide people with a familiar voice.
My favourite content brings me in the room with them, it allows me to feel as though I’m filling the spare seat at the table.
That’s always been my goal with The Distraction. I don’t need this show to be huge or anything close to it.
I just want to give people a distraction, a chance to escape it all and listen to some wrestling talk from two people that ideally, they’ll learn to like.
I can’t promise good opinions or any insight whatsoever, but I’ll be honest and hopefully, that allows folks to enjoy my company for a few hours of their week.”
I wanted more thoughts from other different podcasters that I contacted but unfortunately, I was ignored.
Thank you so much for reading this. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
Follow me on the tweets @omartheplayaguy as well as my Facebook page "Playard Wrestling Post". Anyways, stay safe smarks.
Chris Van Vliet "Insight" Podcast: https://link.chtbl.com/chrisvanvliet
Last Minute Wrestling Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3L9xFGiYKSVJkpqGRknNU1
Fightful's The Distraction Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJxA1Qa_dIA&list=PLv1NxJtKc6JK1QAySWoK_lFKS3X6_zQrI
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