What grant is being renewed?
The Weekly Orbit
What work from the previous proposal was completed?
The podcast has produced weekly episodes since the previous grant (63 episodes now in total).
What work from the previous proposal is ongoing or pending?
Work continues weekly as this is an ongoing project.
What work was not originally planned, but completed, if any?
N/A
What work is newly slated since the previous proposal?
There is currently no new work outside the original scope of producing weekly episodes.
Are the results of this project entirely open source (MIT, GPL, Apache, CC BY license or similar)? If not, which parts are not, and why not?
N/A. All episodes can be found on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Benefits - enter N/A where appropriate
What metrics can you share on the success of the project?
Across the crypto podcast industry, viewership has not rebounded to the highs seen in 2021.
Despite this trend and the decrease in TVL for Rocket Pool as a protocol, our YouTube views have increased by 7%, watch time has risen by 22%, and subscribers have grown by 30.
The Weekly Orbit has 126 YouTube subscribers.
Top viewed episodes
Weekly YouTube views
Spotify analytics
Apple Podcasts listeners per episode.
Social media interest in crypto hasn’t bounced back to the levels seen during the 2021 bull run, as seen in the chart below. Over the past six months, the decline in RPL price and generally low sentiment in the crypto market have posed challenges for the growth of The Weekly Orbit. This trend isn’t unique to our podcast; major crypto podcasts and news channels are also struggling in the current market. Once wider audience interest in crypto returns, we anticipate significant growth for The Weekly Orbit. Despite these challenges, The Weekly Orbit has still experienced growth since the last grant period.
In less specific terms, how has this project improved the Rocket Pool ecosystem or benefited the Ethereum ecosystem?
The Weekly Orbit provides weekly content for those interested in being a node operator, an rETH holder, or are interested in rETH or RPL DeFi integrations.
What sets our show apart from other Rocket Pool media is our unique approach. Instead of simply reporting the top stories each week, we engage in two-way conversations, allowing for in-depth discussions and the sharing of opinions on the most important topics. Our content caters to a diverse audience, ranging from beginners to advanced users, ensuring everyone finds value in our discussions.
The Weekly Orbit is essential in raising public awareness of Rocket Pool. In the fast-paced crypto world, where attention spans are short, it’s vital for Rocket Pool to maintain multiple media outlets. This ensures continued engagement and effective communication about the exciting developments within the Rocket Pool ecosystem. Over the next six months, we anticipate covering significant events such as the release of NodeSet’s Constellation, pre-Saturn protocol changes, and possibly Saturn 1. We will provide comprehensive coverage of these exciting tokenomics developments.
Team
The team consists of Pat and Waq.
Who has done the work, and have there been any changes to the team?
Pat and Waq produce the weekly show. There have been no changes to the team.
How have the individual constituents of the team been compensated?
The prior grant was split 80/20 between Pat and Waq, respectively.
How has maintenance been performed since the delivery of the project?
The podcast is maintained on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
Payment and Verification
Have the acceptance criteria been met?
The acceptance criteria have been met. We produced weekly episodes throughout this grant period, with the exception of one week off for vacation in May. The Weekly Orbit’s viewership and awareness have increased. However, we believe there’s still significant growth potential for The Weekly Orbit as Rocket Pool expands, the RPL token performs better, and the general sentiment in the crypto market improves.
What is the proposed payment schedule for the grant? How much RPL and over what period of time is the applicant requesting? Does this differ from the original approved amount?
Over the last six months, Rocket Pool has experienced a decline in interest and a reduction in mini-pools.
We understand that challenging times for the protocol require budget tightening. Therefore, we are requesting only $3,900 to produce approximately 26 episodes over the next six months. This amounts to $150 per episode, roughly half of the standard rate for Rocket Pool media production ($290-$300). We request that the grant be paid in LUSD, with an 80/20 split between Pat and Waq.
We are optimistic about Rocket Pool’s growth and the rising interest in crypto over the next six months. We will reassess the grant payment per episode during the next round.
Is there a measurable Return on Investment for the project?
Quantifying the return on investment for The Weekly Orbit, like many media and community engagement initiatives, poses a challenge. However, its impact can be gauged qualitatively by noting the considerable positive influence it has had on both the existing Rocket Pool community and newcomers. It’s a positive contribution to Rocket Pool.
What is the breakdown of spending on development for the original grant vs. maintenance?
N/A
Conflict of Interest
Does the person or persons proposing the grant have any conflicts of interest to disclose? (Please disclose here if you are a member of the GMC or if any member of the GMC would benefit directly financially from the grant).
Pat has no conflict of interests.
Waq is a member of the GMC and the IMC. He receives donations in the form of RPL from anonymous and non-anonymous members of the community. He also received money from a gitcoin grants round the majority of which was distributed to the community. The gifts and donations have no impact on the content of The Weekly Orbit.
Will the recipient of the grant, or any protocol or project in which the recipient has a vested interest (other than Rocket Pool), benefit financially if the grant is successful?
Rocket Pool’s success is our only passion. Like many, both Pat and Waq have received airdrops from other protocols which aren’t covered on The Weekly Orbit and which will eventually be sold.