If Thomas Jefferson Were a Podcaster...
Sure. He wrote the Declaration of Independence. But would he survive in podcasting? Here are key questions that needed to be asked.
With America enjoying the Fourth of July holiday, I turn my thoughts to our third president.
Thomas Jefferson is considered the primary author behind the Declaration of Independence, the guy who put words to parchment paper and told the British to go take a hike in 1776.
If he were around today, how would Jefferson fare as a podcaster?
Jefferson’s show pitch might look something like this:
Name of Podcast: Declare Your Independence with Thomas Jefferson
Hosting Service: Libsyn (as in Liberated Syndication)
Publishing Cadence: Once weekly (or until the British hang him for treason)
Category: Government
Show Description: Each week we hold these episodes to be self-evident. We are all created equal. We are all endowed by the Creator Economy, with certain publishing rights and a revenue share in our favor. Chief among these rights? Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Podcast Happiness.
First Guest: Ben Franklin (who wants to talk about kite-flying and electricity)
To stand a chance at succeeding in podcasting, you need certain foundational elements. So these are some important questions I would ask if considering Jefferson for a show on my network today:
Would Jefferson’s language come across as too stilted and too complicated to appeal to listeners who are becoming accustomed to short-form content in this age of TikTok?
Would he meander as a host and take too long to get to the guest?
Would he achieve high completion rates for his episodes?
Would he write proper headlines in a consistent, SEO-driven style?
Would he write proper episode descriptions?
Would he draw a large enough audience to stay committed?
Would he go on hiatus after ten episodes like Meghan Markle?
Would he attract large brand sponsors to generate meaningful revenue?
Would he do stellar copy reads? “When I need a good night’s sleep, I need my Purple Mattress…”
Honestly, if Jefferson were around today, he might just roll out the Declaration of Independence on Substack first.
Then, seeing a revenue opportunity, his agent at CAA (Colonial Artists Agency) would recommend posting audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. Doing so, his agent would say, would generate a higher minimum guarantee for any content deal.
As for publishing video, Jefferson would hold off on YouTube. Not because he’s an audio purist. Rather Jefferson was an agrarian, a grassroots kind of guy. He lived in a rural part of Virginia, where broadband would have been spotty and where it would have taken hours to upload his long-form video.
What’s more, Jefferson was an ideas guy. Something tells me he would have been an NPR listener, right down to the tote bag.
His favorite show? 1A.
MY RECOMMENDATION If ever in Washington, D.C., make sure you visit the Jefferson Memorial, where you will find the following inscribed on the wall:
Happy Fourth of July and enjoy your independence, America! Don’t take it for granted.
John Wordock runs his own podcast and media consulting firm John Wordock Media. He served as Executive Editor and SVP for Podcasting at Westwood One from 2019 to 2024, helping build Cumulus Podcast Network into a top ten network and top channel on Apple. He also served as Executive Producer for Podcasts at The Wall Street Journal until 2019. He started podcasting back in 2006. Wanna talk? Email John@JohnWordockMedia.com.