Futur et Médias Podcast E03 – Podcasting: What’s behind Distorsion’s Widespread Success?
In 2017, friends Émile Gauthier and Sébastien Lévesque launched a podcast that explores their shared passion for the web’s weirdest mysteries. They had no idea that, a mere two years later, the show would have grown to the proportions that it did. Today, Distorsion is listened to throughout—and beyond—the French-speaking world and has built a cult following of internet sleuths trying to solve the digital age’s most enigmatic conundrums. What can other podcasters learn from its success? In this episode, Distorsion’s creators sit down with host Catherine Mathys and share some insights with her.
Listen on:
Distorsion and the path to podcasting success
Think there’s too much choice on your favourite podcatcher? We hate to break it to you, but podcast apps are about to get even more crowded. In 2018 alone, an average of 575 new podcasts were created each and every day. Lately, some of the biggest media deals have involved podcasts. Remember Spotify buying Gimlet and Anchor, Luminary raising $100 million and Vox Media expanding its multi-million dollar podcasting deal with Stitcher?
In the midst of all this, how can an indie show stand out in a sea of audio content? How can podcasters compete against the big guys? How must you proceed to have your series discovered and, ultimately, listened to?
Emile Gauthier and Sébastien Lévesque, the friends behind the French-language hit podcast Distorsion, have some lessons to share on these topics. Host Catherine Mathys welcomes the duo in studio to chat about:
- Why they chose podcasts over other digital distribution methods such as YouTube (4:26)
- How to build an international community around a show (9:12)
- How to monetize a podcast (13:29)
- How to be discovered and heard (16:50)
Access an English-language transcript of the episode here
Dig deeper
- The podcasting data mentioned by Catherine Mathys at the beginning of the episode originate from our 2019 Trends Report
- Read Here’s why we’re entering the golden age of podcasts, in 10 graphs on Chartable
- Check out Distorsion’s website
- Have a peek at Distorsion’s book
- Listen to the Canada Media Fund's English-language podcast's episode on podcasting: Now & Next: Pacific Content and the Audio Renaissance
Credits
- 2:33, 13:15 – Terreur dans la maison Final Fantasy
- 4:18 – Amanda Todd et la cyberintimidation
- 6:45, 9:03 – Les malédictions numériques
- 8:04 – L’affaire Dupont-de-Ligonnès
- 18:20 – Conversation avec The Night Time Podcast
- 18:51 – Épisode spécial avec le Bureau des mystères
- 19:50, 20:54 – L’histoire de Skylar Neese: Trois meilleures amies, Victoria Charlton on YouTube
About Futur et médias
Futur et médias is a podcast featuring in depth interviews with experts for a closer look at emerging trends and the digital transformation of the media and entertainment industries. Futur et médias is produced by the Canada Media Fund and hosted by the organization’s Director of Industry and Market Trends, Catherine Mathys.
