Before we get into the news proper, a quick reminder that the webinar debuting our latest study, The Ad Bargain, is this Wednesday at 3PM EST.
We’d love to see you there.
Shortcuts, shenanigans, and real audience growth by Dan Misener
Last week Bloomberg covered the existence of MowPod and their tools that deliver Apple Podcast followers through tactics like mobile game ad placements and incentivized clicks. Misener points to a sentiment from Casey Newton: anybody can get traffic, but it’s hard to build an audience. To put products like MowPod’s into perspective, an analog equivalent would be a new restaurant spending a boatload on mailing two-for-one fliers to local residents. The campaign will get people in the door, but if the restaurant itself sucks the increased foot traffic they bought won’t translate into monetizable clientele. [Source]
How The New York Times is using visuals to boost podcast discovery and grow listenership by Sara Guaglione
According to Nina Lassam, VP of business and head of audience growth for audio at The New York Times, the current strategy is to promote its podcasts through cross-promotion within their own network, and marketing in the core NYT news app. The NYT Audio app operates as a testbed where writers can experiment with audio formats that might not necessitate a full RSS release as a podcast. Lassam attributes NYT’s consistent listenership growth to writers promoting their content on social media, a focus on consistent weekly content, and regularly debuting new programs. [Source]
YouTube to host Creator Workshop
This Friday at Evolutions by Podcast Movement, YouTube announced an series of free webinar workshops. The first installment, YouTube Podcasting 101, is set for Friday, April 26th at 3 p.m. EST. The session will be hosted by YouTube’s Strategy Media Partner, Podcasts Stephanie Chan and Global Product Activation Manager, Music and Podcasts Emma Sweet. [Source]
Joe Rogan Hosted Musician Gary Clark Jr. on His Podcast — and the Blues Artist’s Streams on Spotify Shot Up 500% Among Rogan’s Listeners by Todd Spangler
Recently Gary Clark Jr. became the first musician to guest on The Joe Rogan Experience and play a song live in the studio. While the exposure bump from appearing on the podcast is nothing new, Clark Jr’s Spotify stats show in the three days following the episode’s release streams jumped 180% in the US and 150% globally. JRE is a particularly extreme case, given the show’s size, but it does serve as a reminder that podcasts are good at mobilizing audiences. [Source]
Podcasters explore diverse revenue streams in a bid for growth by Jessica Patterson
A thorough dive into various revenue streams in podcasting. Podcasting as an industry continues to grow, outpacing growth trends for overall internet ads according to IAB’s US Podcast Advertising Revenue Study for 2023. Steaming ads, paid podcast subscriptions, merchandise, and incorporating video workflow for better discovery are examined. [Source]
…as for the rest of the news:
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One current and two former Presidents guested on SmartLess in the lead-up to a New York campaign fundraiser.
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Edison Research debuted the latest edition of The Infinite Dial study.
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The Hollywood Reporter covers Wondery’s genre-defying podcast marketing plans,
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A Super PAC (Political Action Committee) affiliated with Senator Ted Cruz reports receiving $215,000 in “digital revenue” from iHeartMedia. Cruz’s staff has previously claimed he does not receive financial benefit from the iHeart-produced Verdict with Ted Cruz,
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Variety covers Jackass creator Johnny Knoxville’s first podcast Pretty Sure I Can Fly, produced by SmartLess Media, Campside, and Amplify Pictures.
April Fools’ Roundup
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Podnews reports a Spotify Facebook post promoting a dating service dubbed Spotify Matched, “an audio first dating app.”
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JAR Audio announced they’re ditching RSS feed podcast distribution for CassetteCast, a biweekly tape delivery service that costs just $4.99 per episode, shipping one cassette tape per episode.
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AccuRadio has announced a new user interface involving hand gestures given to cameras, including sticking fingers in one’s ears to turn volume down or skipping around the room to skip a song.
