Reflections: My First Semester Project at COS

Abridge between two buildings at FH Joanneum (Wikimedia).

As you may have noticed in the “About Me” section, I am a master’s student from the Class of 2025 in Content Strategy (COS) at FH Joanneum. During my first semester in the program, I had the opportunity to work on my second thesis‑like project, following my graduation project in 2016 from the Faculty of Engineering at JUST.

I recall how excited I felt while working on my graduation project, as it was not solely theoretical; it also involved practical and physical knowledge and effort. Happily, the first‑semester project at COS felt the same, combining scientific discipline with challenging yet enjoyable practical work.

(Left) me on my first day at FH Joanneum [2025], (right) me on my last day at JUST [2016].

My idea is to develop a comprehensive content strategy plan for a new couples‑focused, love and relationships podcast that I am creating over the four semesters of this program. Since students acquire a cluster of skills during each semester, I decided to focus this semester on the concept of content audit — taught by Paula Land — and use it as a market research tool.

In more detail, my project for the first semester had three goals:

1. Gain a deeper understanding of the love/relationships podcast market by conducting a competitive audit of three popular podcasts in Arabic and two podcasts in the US market under the same genre, identifying both strengths and gaps.

2. Develop a comprehensive understanding of how podcasts generate revenue, especially newborn podcasts, with reference to IAB standards that are related to the podcast industry.

3. Based on the findings of the competitive audit and a brief literature review, develop a set of recommendations outlining best practices for podcast content creation and optimal format.

To be honest, working on this project was not easy. At times, I felt that I had included too many goals for a project that spans only three months, especially while other courses were running in parallel with their own projects and assignments. Additionally, collecting and refining the data was a tiring process that I barely managed to complete, with some gaps remaining here and there (for example, data on Arabic podcasts is quite scarce).

Nonetheless, and with the help of my supervisor for this semester Carmen Außerhuber, I managed to finish my project and accomplish its goals. I started working on this project in early November 2025, presented my progress on 12 January 2026, presented my final results on 30 January 2026, and handed in my written report on 23 February 2026.

I believe the key element behind my success in this project was hardcore time management. I used every minute of my time and committed myself to a tight schedule that allowed me to work consistently on the project, plan ahead for setbacks and iterations, stay on top of my other courses, and still make a small (and honestly not enough) amount of time for my wife and for myself.

Additionally, I joined this program at a time when AI tools were becoming increasingly present. As students, we were encouraged to use AI mindfully, reflect on its usefulness, and clearly explain how we used it. In my case, I consider myself someone who is still cautious about AI, so I limited my use to small, supportive tasks. Even so, it helped me save a decent amount of time. These tasks mainly included calculating mathematical equations and checking for grammar issues.

If there is one thing I would change and apply to my upcoming projects, it would be to focus on fewer and more clearly defined goals. This would allow me to use my time more wisely and minimize setbacks as well as the number of failed tasks.

Also, It is worth noting that using Zotero to add citations and generate the bibliography was a life-saving tip generously shared with us by our instructors, Irene Michl and Robert Gutounig.

In conclusion, my first‑semester project was both a fun and challenging endeavor. I learned a great deal about podcasts and content audits, especially since this experience was hands‑on and connected to a real‑life project. I am looking forward to my second‑semester project and to working with a new supervisor, which will surely bring new insights, perspectives, and ideas.

Check the “About” section for information on the purpose of this blog and how it is structured.