Podcasts have been around for the last decade, but they only began to take off in the previous five years. With the explosion of smartphones and other digital devices, audiences can listen to podcasts at work, while running, on the subway, and even when they’re out camping or hiking. With a community group chat, listeners can now share their insights. This allows two-way interaction in a show.

As podcast listeners have gone up, so has the demand for podcasts that are more than just someone talking into their microphone and sharing what they have to say. Audiences want interactive podcasts where they can be involved in discussions with people who share their interests and passions.

Check how GaS Digital continued to spur demand on their podcast shows by utilizing a community group chat within their channels.

The Client: Get to know GaS Digital Network

GaS Digital Network is a New York-based podcasting network. Their website houses 22+ podcast shows from a wide variety of topics ranging from comedy, sports, music, politics, and more. The company also produces 20 GaS Digital exclusive shows. 

GaS Digital started in 2016, when Luis J Gomez and Ralph Sutton, The G and the S of GaS Digital, decided to create a space for people to discuss their favorite topics online.

In 2020, when the pandemic hit, we were all forced to live our lives in front of our screens. In turn, the podcast industry instantly had a louder voice. GaS Digital benefited from this surge. Roughly 22% of U.S. adults said they’re listening to podcasts more due to social distancing and stay-at-home habits, according to a Morning Consult survey conducted March 23-26, 2021. In a way, the podcast shows offer respite from the omnipresent mobile devices, giving everyone time off to reflect on personal development and well-being. 

After 4 years in the business, the network has grown to 10s of thousands of subscribers now and around 1.4 million listeners per week.

The Problem: Low subscription and engagement during podcast shows

While this shift in consumer behavior benefitted GaS Digital, it comes with the challenge to retain and maintain the increase in listenership as we all prepare to go back to our lives. 

By early 2022, the company’s shows were slowly seeing a decline in the number of listeners and new subscribers. This is a nudge that allowed them to innovate and create something wonderful with an unexpected collaboration.

The Solution: Adding a community group chat room on every live show

In the same year, the founders decided to take things one step further by partnering with RumbleTalk group chat. Together, they embedded a community group chat beside every live podcast show.

This easily became a place where the listeners could, not only listen but be welcomed by a group chat room while watching their favorite podcast. It’s an exciting add-on to the already interesting topics discussed in the shows. 

With RumbleTalk, GaS Digital’s audiences can now participate in a community where they could have direct contact with other audiences – and the numbers will speak for themselves!

The Results: 10% increase in listenership and subscriptions nearly doubled

RumbleTalk was a way to have an open dialog with other viewers, fostering a sense of engagement, interaction, and a stronger GaS Digital community. This is one of the reasons why they’re able to fill up over 2000 seats several times a week.

Their subscription also nearly doubled since teaming up with a chat plugin, giving them 10s of thousands of subscribers now and around 1.4 million listeners per month, as of October 2022.

By switching to a chat-driven podcast format, GaS Digital has been able to spike up its listenership and subscriptions without any additional marketing spend.

RumbleTalk community group chat for podcasts

The GaS Digital team has been teaming up with the RumbleTalk community group chat for podcasts to stay relevant when the media industry is struggling to keep up with the market’s trends, competitors, and lifestyles.

To find out more about GaS Digital Network and their very interesting content, go to https://gasdigitalnetwork.com/high-octane-all-access/ and use coupon code TWB for $1.50 per month off the subscription cost.

If you’re interested in a collaboration like this, send us a message at support@rumbletalk.com. We’d be glad to give you a free demo!

Internet radio is still alive! Since 2008, the number of people listening to Internet radio has increased significantly. According to Nielsen Audio, the traditional AM/FM radio audiences declined in 2007. However, another study conducted by Triton Digital found that nearly half of America’s 124 million people, or 47 percent, still listen to Internet radio. Therefore, based on that, radio stations are still alive and booming. Now, they’ve delved into online mediums to give a modern and better radio listening experience.

How RumbleTalk gives a better online radio station experience

With an increasing number of audiences, the question becomes, “How can we create a better experience for our audiences?”

Based on data from the two leading research firms above, we must consider Internet radio stations as a serious digital medium for message delivery.

The power of Internet radio lies in its casual listening experience. This allows people to listen to it while doing other things. Chat rooms for radio stations will result in an interactive way of conversing between the radio DJ and the audience.

A statement from one of our happy clients

Take a look at RadioNOPE to see how their online radio show uses group chat. RadioNOPE is a rock ‘n roll radio station that has been a long-time RumbleTalk customer.

Their group chat is embedded throughout their website to engage listeners while they are on their homepage or the page of a specific show. Listeners can discuss the songs being played or interact directly with show hosts. One of their shows is Live from the Barrage, a popular Queens-based talk show.

Here’s what Conan, the founder of RadioNOPE had to say about RumbleTalk’s influence on the online radio station.

“RumbleTalk is an integral part of the RadioNOPE experience. As a 24/7/365 streaming radio station that is heavily curated, the dialogue between station and listener is vital.

Whether it is as simple as a listener asking (for) information about the song that is playing, or just the shared experience of listening to things together, the chat takes RadioNOPE a cut above algorithm-driven experiences like Pandora and its ilk, and the interaction has an extra level of engagement and surprise behind throwing on a Spotify playlist or putting a library on “shuffle”.

This is true of the music shows, as well as the talk shows on the station, none more so than with the station’s flagship show “Live from the Barrage”, where listeners react to the hosts, guests, and each other with a special lexicon of in-jokes and phrases derived from the show itself.

RumbleTalk is how we elevate a simple website into one of the most carefully curated and awesome listening experiences on the Internet.”

Selecting a radio station group chat

While there are numerous live group chat options available, you should select one that can perform at the very least the following functions:

• CSS chat room customization
• Mobile responsive and friendly
• Can deal with a large number of viewers and chatters
• Powerful moderation tools
• Sending and downloading multimedia files
• Simple to incorporate into your website

The final point on that list is critical to your radio’s professional appearance. You don’t want to have to direct your customers to a third-party website or app to participate. Consider having your listeners call your station instead of a third-party app.

Because you’ll be including this chat on your website, you’ll want it to be customized to look good. RumbleTalk’s live group chat room provides options for both novice and experienced web designers.

Why radio stations should choose RumbleTalk

Radio stations chose us because of the platform’s simplicity and moderation tools. Now that we’ve added new features to our array, it’s a no-brainer that RumbleTalk is one of the best group chat rooms to use for your radio station.

Visit RumbleTalk’s website for more information, to try out a demo, and to begin a 7-day free trial. You may also send us a message at support@rumbletalk.com for a free live demo.

The increasingly popular hybrid wedding combines the best of a traditional ceremony with elements of your reception to make your day an unforgettable experience. It’s the best of both worlds, with all of the fun and none of the headache!

Although it seems simple, Elev8 Event Group knows that there are many aspects to consider when planning a hybrid wedding. This included choosing the right location, vendors, and platforms.

To really make this hybrid wedding special, they chose a communication software that will allow them to seamlessly integrate all of the different elements into one cohesive platform. See how it worked out in this case study.

What is a hybrid wedding?

A hybrid wedding is a face-to-face wedding ceremony and reception that’s also partially streamed online. With a technology like RumbleTalk virtual events chat, hybrid weddings allow online guests to join in on all wedding festivities from virtually anywhere.

The Problem

As an event organizer, Elev8 Event Group has been asked many times to look for quick and effecient solutions to every event-related problem. One of which is finding a tool to solve the barriers clients have during online events. In this case, a geographical and communication barrier.

Why should guests be forced to use a separate chat application to communicate with each other? They knew there had to be a better way. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for them to find the perfect solution.

Their search led them to RumbleTalk—the easiest-to-use live chat software on the market.

The Objective

Elev8 Event group wanted a new way to bring virtual wedding guests into their events. They have around 200 online guests looking forward to celebrating the special day with the couple and catching up with other guests – both in the comfort of their homes.

The Solution

They embedded a RumbleTalk Member’s Chat next to the wedding live stream. A Member’s Chat is a group chat with exclusive access to specific people.

It’s the best way to give their virtual guests a safe way to interact with each other in real-time while they’re watching the live stream. Here are some of the ways how they’ve been able to maximize the platform.

An exclusive Wedding Page

Create a wedding minisite for your guests! RumbleTalk Pages allow you to customize your own webpage complete with the guest log-in, event details, ceremony live stream, and group chat. You can even customize the design of the page to match your wedding theme.

Imagine having just one place with everything in it? Well, it’s possible with RumbleTalk Pages.

Log-in feature with the userbase

Since this is an invite-only event, the log-in feature of the Member’s Chat is perfect to limit the users to the couple’s guests only. With a userbase integrated into the chat, the chat will remain private and secure for the couples’ loved ones.

A warm welcome

After the guests log in, they are greeted with a warm welcome! With RumbleTalk, organizers can create a welcome message for the chat room. This is one of the unique experiences you can tailor to each wedding.

For example, with this announcement message, you can provide the program flow for your online guests, or add a message from the couple. This makes the chat room more inviting and inclusive for people who won’t be able to attend the event personally.

Polls and Moderated Q&A

These tools allow your audience to have fun and be a part of the party! As a chat moderator, you can send out polls, and host moderated question and answer sessions with online guests.

Moreover, the Moderated Q&A chat lets you screen the questions before it goes live, perfect for a Q&A session with the couple during the program.

The Result: A hybrid wedding like no other

It allowed me to communicate with viewers and help them troubleshoot access to the stream if necessary. Viewers could also leave comments for the bride and groom. It was very easy to use and customize. I would definitely use it again for future events as all I need is a simple chat room.

Everyone, from the couple, in-person guests, and online guests had their share of fun! It was made possible by using RumbleTalk to bridge the gap between families and friends.

If you are planning a hybrid event soon, talk to us at support@rumbletalk.com and we’ll help you set up!