Episode 37 — What\'s It Like At Earwolf?

[admin 330]

The week Jeff once again breaks the mold of what The Wolf Den is by podcasting all by himself (and with a little help from our brilliant engineer Dustin and our financial miracle worker Dave). We'd like to give you a once over of where Earwolf is right now: What our problems are, how we're trying to fix them, and what that means for our future. We love all you listeners and always welcome feedback, so don't hesitate to emailthewolfden@earwolf.comand lay it all on us! Thanks

[B Naylor 3]

Interesting episode, Jeff I do enjoy these more personal episodes of The Wolf Den, so you shouldn't be afraid to do them.
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Just to throw out an idea for a potential pledge drive, maybe if you did some kind of bonus best of episodes for all your shows then that might be an appropriate time to pledge for money. Maybe even a podcast for the best of all of earwolf's shows - If you did that maybe someone who only listens to Comedy Bang Bang for example might be persuaded to listen to Who Charted or your show if they heard a clip they liked.
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Also pledge drives and telethons are often a good area for (I'm particularly thinking of a certain Mr Show sketch) So maybe if you worked with the hosts to come up with a funny conceit for the pledge drive podcast, you could find a way to ask for money in a way that's entertaining and doesn't feel like an advert.
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Whatever you do, I've donated and before and I'll be happy to drop a few more dollars your way if you did do a pledge drive.

[Julia 477]

Congratulations to you and your wife, Jeff!

[stk 2]

It sounds like the work atmosphere is fun and exciting. Jeff, would you be willing to give more information about the Funny or Die partnership? Do you receive additional sales/marketing personnel, audio equipment etc.? Any plans of becoming a subsidiary in the future?...Also, congrats on the baby! I trust that you will instill the same dry/sarcastic sense of humor IMMEDIATELY after birth. Good Luck!

[BenjaminNimmons 1]

Hi Jeff, thanks for the episode. I jump in on your show once in a while, which isn't often, but when I do it's always interesting to me that it's not about entertainment but about the process, and how interesting that actually is.

My regards for your recent family developments, across the board. I recognize everything you're responsible for is challenging. Thank you also for starting Earwolf and committing to continue running it. Your company turns out excellence in terms of content and delivery, e.g. the website and the applications.

In determining how to make Earwolf profitable I recommend doing what NPR does by signing advertisers where it makes sense and doing pledge drives. Further, the spots recorded for NPR by Alec Baldwin last drive were great ways to catch the ears of people who wanted to donate but never did. Getting creative with a pledge drive at Earwolf could have the same sparking effect.

Regardless, I really appreciate the work you do. I look forward to every Monday when I get a new Comedy Bang Bang, Who Charted? and Sklarboro Country. There are others I check in on too but I like what one of the Sklars said during one of their early shows, that Earwolf is a great place where "Maybe you don't like everything there is here, but you like something, and you can be part of the community," referencing different styles and content of comedy here.

You do great work and most of the time it is flawless (except when my Earwolf application acts up on my iPhone, which is not a complaint, just a baffling constant). However you choose to continue showcasing the shows at Earwolf, I will follow with headphones & wallet in-hand. Tell us what we need to do and let's do it.

[Barry G. 4]

Jeff, I am excited to hear about the Earwolf/Amazon connection. I listen to Adam Carolla's podcast on a somewhat regular basis as well, and I know he has stated many times that their arrangement with Amazon has been very lucrative for them. I am concerned, however, that you seem to be using the Wolf Den page to test it out. As much as I have enjoyed listening to the Wolf Den, I would suppose that it is one of Earwolf's podcasts with lower listenership. I hope that you don't take that comment personally. I think the Amazon partnership has worked so well for Ace Broadcasting because it was put forth and promoted by their flagship show and host. I got the impression that further expansion into other Earwolf shows would be in the works and I hope that is the case. If the listeners (such as myself) are made aware of a simple way to benefit the shows and hosts that they love by simply clicking through your site to Amazon, at no additional cost to them, it will prove beneficial for everyone.

Also, I have noticed that whenever Carolla has a guest on promoting a book or CD or DVD or what have you, he makes it a point to mention that you can click through their site and it benefits everybody: guest, network, host, and listener. Seamless integration!

Keep up the great work and congratulations on the baby!

[sdotconnelly 0]

Hey Jeff,
Just bought something through the great Amazon sponsorship link on the site and I hope that it worked. I also agree with Barry, while it is fine to have a test run I think perhaps something that is important to get out there is that this thing exists. It was super easy to use (so easy I am afraid i did something wrong) and I think you or each host should mention it in there little ad time they do in each episode. You could even just have them directed there and just put a short audio player under the amazon link in which you explain how it works and helps Earwolf. I am sure that would be a huge boost to the program.

[truthskull 109]

I am glad i listened to this morning, I have been planning on putting a good chunk of my paycheck into amazon today, glad i can add a little more worth to that.

[Podcast Pete 1]

I just bought my first year law books from amazon via earwolf, hope it keeps the lights on for at least a day.