Audioboom Acquires UK Podcast Leader Adelicious
British podcasting platform Audioboom has acquired Adelicious. The resulting combination is set to make one of the UK’s largest locally-produced podcast networks with an aggregate 125 million monthly downloads and video views. Adelicious CEO Andrew Goldsmith is set to become President of a consolidated UK division under the Adelicious brand, as well as joining the Audioboom executive team.
Selling The Podcast Mindset by Tom Webster
This week Tom Webster looks at some data from Unlock the Power of Purpose-Driven Podcasting, a study focusing on two fast-growing segments of the podcasting audience: people consuming Health & Fitness podcasts, and Self-Improvement consumers. In addition to their growth independent of each other, the report finds 45% of Health and Fitness listeners also consume Self-Improvement, and 44% vice-versa.
A collection of Webster’s favorite stats focusing on those two audience segments: Both value podcasting as something that “keeps them company” (72% of Health & Fitness, 73% of Self-Improvement audience agreement). 74% of Health & Fitness and 72% of Self-Improvement say they value podcasts as a way to “learn about new hobbies,” both of which are significantly higher scores than the average podcast consumer. And finally, 78% of Health & Fitness listeners and 73% of Self-Improvement listeners recommend podcasts to their social circles. A quote from the article:
“On that last data point, these audiences aren’t just consumers—they’re evangelists. They’re naturally inclined to share content that has improved their lives, which creates organic word-of-mouth amplification that most advertisers can only dream of. This recommendation behavior also speaks to something deeper about these audiences. They’re not just trying to improve themselves—they’re trying to improve their communities. They understand that wellness is contagious, and they want the people around them to benefit from the same insights and motivation they’ve found.“
Citing Carol Dweck’s book Mindset, Webster establishes two mindsets: fixed mindsets, and growth mindsets. The former being traditional advertising’s usual methodology: sell a product that will solve a consumer’s problem or make them feel better about how they already are. Growth mindset audiences, conversely, want to become someone better tomorrow. Instead of quick fixes, growth-mindset folks are investing in long-form transformation.
With that in mind, wellness content represents a politically neutral and unpolarized form of media, simply focusing on bettering health, habits, and mindset. And with that comes an audience who is familiar with and actively engaging in the practice of investing in something long-term. An audience not motivated by impulse purchases, who have higher household incomes than average, and are naturally inclined to evangelize discoveries to others. And with their healthy crossover rate, campaigns across both genres could achieve great message reinforcement with high-value prospective customers.
Speaking of podcasting data, a quick reminder that Wednesday, July 30th, Tom Webster will be debuting The Advertising Landscape: Driving to Action.A new report that examines how podcast audiences actually respond to advertising in comparison to other digital and traditional channels. Findings that challenge conventional assumptions about podcast ad performance, promo response rates, and word-of-mouth generation. Registration is open now.
After another shutout, do creators need the Emmys?
Back in March at a Variety SXSW event, YouTuber Rhett McLaughlin highlighted the disconnect between the traditional TV ecosystem and creator content, such as the disproportionate awards and advertiser attention paid to traditional TV vs. comparable (if not better-performing) YouTube content. A quote from McLaughlin at the event:
“If you look at where brands are putting their money and the way that they value a set of eyeballs watching ‘The Tonight Show’ versus watching ‘Good Mythical Morning,’ it still doesn’t make any sense. One of the reasons for that is brands and culture look to the Academy to know what they think is cool.”
Now Emmy nominations have been announced and for a second year running, despite energetic lobbying, content creators are not in the running. Hot Ones host Sean Evans, face of the massive YouTube celebrity interview series, was locked out of joining Colbert, Kimmel, and Stewart in nominations in Outstanding Talk Show.
Meanwhile Good Mythical Morning did not get into Outstanding Short Form Comedy, Drama, or Variety Series, a category dominated by web companions of unscripted TV shows. Even with McLaughlin’s sentiments about brands and culture looking to the Academy for where to take their cues, the fact remains some content creators have consistent audiences that rival, if not surpass that of their TV counterparts.
The question now becomes: has the Emmys reached the tipping point where possibly they need to bring content creators into the fold more than content creators need their approval?
The Power of Podcast Search Optimization – An Interview with Jennifer Han
Ausha CMO Jennifer Han recently recorded an interview with Sounds Profitable discussing what the platform does and the tools it provides to podcasters to make their shows discoverable. A quote from Han:
“Today, when people talk about growth, it’s mostly about ads or word of mouth. But on one side, ads are expensive, and once the spend stops, the effects quickly fades. Word of mouth is neither controllable nor predictable, and it requires already having a minimum level of audience. At Ausha, we believe podcasting should be treated like any serious brand strategy. As a marketer with over 15 years of experience, I see it clearly. Audience growth is a funnel with three main stages, awareness, acquisition, and retention. We are building the platform that gives podcast publishers real control through data and efficient actions at every stage of that funnel with advanced integrated tools that go far beyond hosting.”
With proper PSO (podcast search optimization), shows are more likely to actually pop up in search results for terms besides the exact title. Han points to a recent case study Ausha published about working with BBC Studios, during which PSO caused Spotify search to become the second-highest discovery channel for the podcast being optimized.
EarMax Media co-founder Andy Maxwell highlights a new update to Google search and the Gemini AI overviews. In a recent update, Google has started indexing and sourcing Instagram content. A move that could be a boon for podcast discoverability and advertising. Maxwell uses the example of a listener who remembers a NordVPN sponsorship a podcast did, but didn’t click the link in the description. Due to Instagram clips featuring that ad read, Google was able to quickly provide a result going directly to a source that has the link, facilitating a potentially lost customer to make it back to the promo code/link with ease.
This is the rare bright spot in a tough Hollywood job market by Wendy Lee and Kaitlyn Huamani
The LA Times covers the thriving industry of filming professional-grade YouTube videos, social media footage, and podcasts. YouTube channel-turned-production-company Dhar Mann Studios has a complement of 75 full-time employees with 15 more slated to be added this year. Pave Studios is looking to add 16 full-time workers to its staff of 67 contractors and employees. New jobs that are needed in the Hollywood area. A quote from the article:
“The growth in Southern California influencer businesses is a boon to the local production economy that is otherwise struggling. L.A. County saw a 27% decline to 108,564 employees from 2022 to 2024 in the motion picture and sound recording industries, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.”
As YouTube gains more traction on smart TVs and becomes “television” for many consumers, so too grows the production requirements and crews needed to make video podcasts/episodic video content happen at scale.
Finally, it’s time for Quick Hits. These are articles that didn’t quite make the cut for today’s episode, but are still worth including in your weekend reading. This week:
- Spreaker will now have scalable, programmatic host-read ad inventory read by a generative AI host thanks to a new partnership between parent company Triton Digital and ekoz.ai
- MowPod has announced some upgrades to charts.mowpod.com, including Spotify chart positions and a new partnership with Podnews to deliver editorial highlights directly on charts.mowpod as well as the ability to get Podnews alerts when signing up for chart updates.
- Acast has a new case study of their work with KFC Australia, in which Acast leveraged host-read podcast ads and social media clips to advertise KFC’s Hot and Spicy menu.
- Podcast production company Kaleidoscope has raised $5 million in Series A funding and aims to both produce more original podcasts and turn existing content into movie and TV adaptations.
