Is It Worth It?

Is It Worth It?

From The Podcast Superfriends by Matt Cundill, Jon Gay, Catherine O'Brien, David Yas, Johnny Peterson

June 3, 2026 · 55 min · Episode 53

About this episode

The episode discusses the evolving metrics of podcast success and compares various production tools.

Matt Cundill, Jon Gay, and Catherine O’Brien dig into the growing pile of tools, platforms, and metrics shaping podcast production today. The conversation starts with a key question for creators and clients: are downloads still the best measure of success, or is time spent listening becoming the more meaningful number? The group looks at the challenge of tracking audience behaviour across audio, video, Spotify, YouTube, and social platforms, where the old podcast measurement rules do not always apply. They also compare production tools including Riverside, Descript, Adobe, OneStream, and AI platforms, weighing features against cost, convenience, and workflow friction. Catherine highlights the importance of strong headlines and audience-first positioning, while Jon and Matt examine how subscription creep is forcing producers to rethink their software stack. It is a practical, candid episode about choosing tools that reduce hassle, improve output, and help podcasters focus on the work that actually matters. Both Johnny and David will be back next week. The Products we spoke about: Here’s a list of the products/services mentioned, with official links and approximate US prices (these…

People in this episode

Hosts: Matt Cundill, Jon Gay, Catherine O’Brien

Topics covered

  • podcast production tools
  • audience measurement
  • subscription models
  • content creation
  • workflow efficiency

Keywords

  • podcast metrics
  • downloads
  • time spent listening
  • production tools
  • audience behavior

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Riverside, StreamYard, OneStream Live, Descript, Adobe

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