Link to Previous Proposal
Link to Last Report
Wuipod website
tldr;
- Proposal to continue the Wuipod work.
- This proposal cover eight new podcasts - three in June, five in July.
- US$1,000 per podcast - total US$8,000
Introduction
Welcome to Wuipod, the ‘Joe Rogan of Crypto’ podcast within the NEAR ecosystem! We take pride in being an independent media channel that serves as a platform for emerging talents within the NEAR community. Our mission is to foster deep connections between our listeners and guests through unscripted, long-form conversations that delve beyond product discussions and explore the motivations driving their work. By being a driving force within the NEAR ecosystem, we aim to contribute to its growth and success.
Target Audience & Alignment
Wuipod caters to a diverse audience with varying levels of familiarity with the NEAR ecosystem. Our primary audience consists of existing NEAR community members seeking to expand their knowledge and engage with the stories of fellow community members.
In addition, our podcast appeals to individuals within the broader web3 space who are interested in learning more about NEAR. We offer an easily accessible medium that delivers friendly, light-hearted, yet informative content, making the NEAR ecosystem more approachable.
Furthermore, Wuipod acts as a bridge to introduce NEAR to those outside the web3 sphere. Our podcast reaches “normies” who may not be familiar with blockchain technology but are curious to learn more. These individuals often discover our podcast through word-of-mouth recommendations from current listeners, making it a welcoming entry point to the NEAR ecosystem.
Wuipod is not only dedicated to serving as a platform for knowledge expansion within the NEAR ecosystem but also aims to contribute to its decentralization. We strive to elevate numerous builders within the ecosystem to leadership status by providing them with a platform to share their insights and stories, enabling them to reach a wider audience. This approach empowers community members to become thought leaders, fostering a more decentralized and vibrant NEAR ecosystem.
Brand Recognition and Audience Growth:
Wuipod has experienced consistent growth and has established itself as a prominent brand within the NEAR ecosystem. By providing a platform for individuals to share their stories and insights, our podcast has served as a timestamp for the evolution of the NEAR ecosystem. This retrospective perspective has become increasingly valuable as it allows listeners to understand how the ecosystem has grown and developed over time.
The podcast’s brand has gained significant recognition within the NEAR community, and being invited as a guest is seen as a mark of validation and distinction. This elevation of guests to the status of OGs, along with their causes being perceived as important and worthy of attention and support, further strengthens the podcast’s brand.
Furthermore, the podcast’s brand contributes to the overall NEAR brand by serving as a source of proxy validation. As a new blockchain ecosystem, NEAR faces the challenge of capturing opportunities and momentum while inspiring others to join the movement. The podcast’s position as a strong, NEAR-native media brand signifies a mature ecosystem. Each story we tell adds to a narrative of excellence and showcases a small yet vibrant community of ambitious builders, reinforcing the overall NEAR brand.
Topics and Themes:
At Wuipod, every podcast episode begins with a question that sets the stage for an engaging conversation: “How did you make your way into the wonderful world of crypto?” By exploring the Origins Story of each guest, we delve into their early life and professional experiences that have shaped them, uncovering their motivations and providing a personal and accessible understanding of the core principles driving the web3 movement.
The unscripted nature of our conversations allows for a wide-ranging exploration of topics, including history, philosophy, economics, and technology. We seamlessly weave in insights about the NEAR tech stack and its role in bringing us closer to mass adoption. Our discussions touch on the broader web3 ecosystem while highlighting NEAR’s unique contributions and advancements.
By covering these diverse subjects, we provide our listeners with a holistic understanding of the crypto world and its implications, empowering them to engage in the NEAR ecosystem with knowledge and enthusiasm.
Guest Sourcing and Selection Process:
At Wuipod, we adopt an organic and dynamic approach to sourcing and scheduling guests. While we do consider inbound proposals and referrals, our primary focus is on actively engaging with the NEAR ecosystem. We immerse ourselves in the ecosystem, continuously monitoring various channels such as tweets, blog posts, and Town Hall meetings.
Whenever we come across projects or individuals working on something interesting that can have a meaningful impact on the NEAR ecosystem, we extend an invitation for them to join us on the podcast. This agile approach ensures that our guest selection process remains aligned with the strategic goals of NEAR, and that the content we provide is relevant and engaging for our audience.
By staying deeply connected to the NEAR ecosystem and proactively seeking out compelling stories, we ensure that Wuipod remains a platform for showcasing the diverse talents and projects that contribute to the growth and development of NEAR.
Promotion and Distribution Strategies
Wuipod employs a multi-faceted approach to promote and distribute our podcast episodes, aiming to reach a wider audience and engage with our target listeners.
Initially, we utilized Twitter as our main distribution channel, leveraging both the podcast’s official account and personal accounts with large and active followings. Additionally, we actively encouraged guests to share the podcast episode with their own communities, utilizing platforms such as Twitter, Discord servers, and Telegram groups associated with their projects. Collaborations with other individuals and projects within the NEAR ecosystem have also played a role in amplifying our podcast’s reach.
To expand our audience further, Wuipod is available on all major podcasting platforms and YouTube. We benefit from algorithm recommendations and increased visibility on YouTube. Recently, we have been experimenting with Shorts on YouTube and reactivating our Instagram presence to share punchy clips that attract new audiences.
To optimize our content and improve user experience, we have undertaken several initiatives:
- Repurposing content from recent episodes into Shorts and Clips for increased visibility.
- Enhancing YouTube thumbnails to capture viewer attention.
- Adding timestamps on YouTube to enable easy navigation within episodes.
- Investing in Linktree premium to allow listeners to start listening to the latest podcast directly from Linktree, saving time and providing a seamless listening experience without leaving their preferred platform.
- Refreshing the branding of our website to create a more vibrant and inviting visual experience (work in progress).
- Purchasing wuipod.com and preparing to migrate the website to a new custom domain.
- Growing our Near Social profile, engaging authentically and expanding our follower base (exposure to new users signing up at events such as Asia Buidl in Korea and Vietnam).
- Setting up a NEAR Horizon Contributor profile to contribute to the NEAR ecosystem.
- Adding transcripts to the website to improve SEO and accessibility.
- Creating community threads with podcast summaries to engage with the audience and provide concise summaries of episodes.
By leveraging these strategies and continually exploring new avenues, we aim to expand the reach of Wuipod, attract new listeners, and foster engagement within the NEAR ecosystem.
Measurement of Impact and Success
At Wuipod, we utilize a combination of qualitative and feedback-driven metrics to evaluate the impact and success of our podcast. By focusing on key indicators, we ensure that our podcast continues to provide value and engage with our target audience. The metrics we track include:
- Quality of Guests: We prioritize securing top-tier leaders and individuals in their respective fields as guests on our podcast. The caliber of our guests is a testament to the reputation and value of Wuipod within the NEAR ecosystem.
- Guest and Project Engagement: We measure the effectiveness of our podcast by the extent to which guests actively share their episodes and promote the podcast within their own communities. This serves as proxy validation, demonstrating that the podcast is recognized as a valuable asset within their project’s marketing strategy.
- Guest Feedback: We actively seek feedback from our guests and value their perspectives on the podcast experience. The fact that many guests express gratitude for the opportunity to engage in long-form, unscripted conversations beyond the usual talking points indicates the value they derive from the Wuipod platform.
- Community Feedback: We consider the feedback and responses from our broader community as an important measure of the impact and success of our podcast. Positive engagement, discussions sparked by episodes, and expressions of appreciation from our listeners indicate that the podcast resonates with the NEAR community and beyond.
By consistently scoring highly in these metrics, we aim to create evergreen content that remains relevant and valuable over time, even as the NEAR ecosystem continues to grow and evolve.
Future Plans and Expansion
Our vision for the future of Wuipod is to continue expanding its reach and impact within the NEAR ecosystem. We have outlined several key initiatives and strategies to achieve this goal:
- Consistent Weekly Cadence: We plan to establish a consistent release schedule, with new episodes being released every Sunday. By creating a habit among our listeners and fostering a sense of community around the podcast, we aim to increase engagement and build a loyal following.
- Scheduled Release and Community Engagement: We will explore the concept of scheduled releases, inviting the community to watch the podcast as it is released. This approach has already shown great success with the Alex Shevchenko, Aurora podcast, which has become our most popular episode to date. By involving the community in the release process, we aim to foster a sense of anticipation and shared experience.
- Repurposing Content: We recognize the value of repurposing our existing content into bite-sized Shorts and Clips. By leveraging platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, we will create engaging snippets that capture the essence of our conversations and attract new audiences. This strategy allows us to maximize the impact of our past episodes and increase their discoverability.
- Community Engagement Tools: We are excited to explore the use of tools such as ShardDog to further engage and grow our community. Possibilities include incentivizing listeners with free NFTs per episode or experimenting with Proof of Listen concepts. These initiatives aim to enhance community participation and foster a deeper connection between our podcast and its listeners. (Personal Shard Dog link is already among the top most used)
- Live Podcast Recordings and Conference Attendance: We will continue attending conferences in person and actively seek opportunities to host live podcast recordings. By offering to MC events and conducting on-site interviews, we can further amplify our podcast’s reach and establish meaningful connections with industry leaders and innovators.
- Merchandise: As a future endeavor, we aspire to create Wuipod merchandise. This would not only help promote the podcast but also provide an opportunity for our community to engage and support us directly. (We are sitting on extremely valuable branding, looking to collaborate with OG artist Zeitwarp)
By implementing these initiatives and strategies, we aim to elevate Wuipod’s influence and establish it as a cornerstone of the NEAR ecosystem, while continuously providing valuable content and fostering a thriving community.
Budget Breakdown
The grant proposal is for the months of June and July, covering a total of eight podcasts.
We are requesting a budget of $1,000 per podcast, reflecting a slight increase from our previous proposal to accommodate enhanced production quality and content optimization. The breakdown of the budget per podcast is as follows:
- Sourcing and Scheduling Guests: Active management of guest acquisition and scheduling to ensure high-quality interviews and diverse perspectives.
- Researching Guests and Topic, Notes + Agenda: Up to 2 hours dedicated to conducting in-depth research on guests and their projects, preparing detailed notes and agendas for engaging conversations.
- Recording Podcast: Up to 2 hours for recording each podcast episode, allowing ample time for in-depth discussions and capturing valuable insights.
- Editing Podcast: Approximately 4 to 6 hours dedicated to post-production editing, ensuring seamless audio quality, removing any unnecessary segments, and enhancing the overall listening experience.
- Distribution: direct messaging relevant parties for amplification, maximizing the reach and visibility of each podcast episode.
- Promotion (Clips): We have engaged freelancers to create engaging clips from the podcast episodes. This includes both promoting the current episodes as well as covering the backlog of previous episodes that have already been funded.
Proposal includes:
- June 06, Ep. 43 - Be Proud of the Work you Do w Alina Tustanovska
- June 12, Ep. 44 - Ancient Wisdom & Future of Web3 w. Agwn, Ludium
- June 25, Ep 45 - Didier Peroni, Pikespeak (Recording scheduled).
And five more episodes for each Sunday of July with some fantastic guests in the pipeline.
Disclosure Conflict of Interest: I have recently stepped down as a MDAO Council member. I am no longer involved in the decision making of this proposals and my communication with other Council members is limited only to the completion of MDAO migration to NDC (Trust, Charter).
Let me know if you have any questions or feedback,
AVB