10 Tips to Survive the AI Slop War

I want to draw some parallels between what I’m seeing in the software and marketing industries and today’s podcast space.

I know, it’s a bit of a leap, but it makes sense in my head, and perhaps you’ll nod along — if not, let me know.

AI is shifting the software and marketing landscapes at breakneck speed.

The term "vibe coding", which might be synonymous with AI-generated podcasts, has exposed the cracks in the system.

My entire career has been rooted in web hosting, web development, and technology that enables everyone from individuals to larger organizations to do business. It could have been a simple website or a full-blown app. It wasn’t just a practice; it was an economic activity.

Profits were made and kept—well, until AI started leveling the playing field.

At the time of this writing, a skilled power user like myself can leverage AI to build systems that otherwise cost tens of thousands of dollars. If you’re in the services industry, you can no longer hide behind technical jargon and past accomplishments.

As agencies and freelancers all leverage similar tooling, the leverage shifts. If you’re not 100% invested in the solutions and the industry you service, constantly thinking + deploying new solutions to your problem alongside customer problems, you’re in for a short ride.

What does this mean for podcasting?

Podnews recently reported that the rise of AI podcasts is surpassing human-generated podcasts. This is a clear indication that there are “creators” exploiting the massive advantage AI gives us: slop factories.

These slop factories create competition for your handcrafted podcast, whether you like it or not. They create more noise (literally!) in the popular content categories. They flood social and promotional spaces to generate more traffic to sell ads. Most importantly, they risk burning out a potential listener of yours.

And there’s nothing you can do about it.

I’ll be blunt: Only the podcasters that care will survive.

Those stuck in the middle who don’t absolutely have a passion for the content they are creating, don’t have a strong promotional plan, and lack a connection to their audience — it’s time to wrap it up.

You’re not getting pushed out by the slop factories, you’re just going to have to be 10x better to stand out from the sheer volume and rise in competition doing the same.

It means you’ll have to get better in all areas for your podcast to survive. The late Todd Cochrane constantly reminded us to get our own .com and treat the podcast like a business. That rings true more than ever.

Well, there's something you can do.

1. Get more deliberate with your content.
2. Reframe your podcast premise if you have to.
3. Reshape the podcast to meet whatever time commitment challenges you have.
4. Find balance between content production and promotion.
5. Treat the podcast brand like you would a business.
6. Hire help to offload the parts of the business you don’t have time for.
7. Have a monetization plan if investing dollars back into the show is critical.
8. Leverage AI in the areas that can help you most, but don’t sacrifice content integrity.
9. Don’t be afraid to partner with others.
10. Don’t be afraid to throw it all away and reset.

Innovators are going to come out on top on the other side of this. I’m not saying it’s over or that you need to fully adopt AI across your stack, but that you are planning to compete with others who are.

The formula to growing a podcast hasn’t changed, it’s just more important than ever.