Four Years Strong by Bryan Barletta
At the beginning of the month, Sounds Profitable turned four years old. In light of the anniversary, Bryan Barletta looked back at what has been accomplished in podcasting over the past four years, and where the industry is heading and common sources of infighting. Looking at the shifting definition of ‘a podcast’ with the growing influence of social platforms and YouTube content creation, Barletta references a 2018 interview with then-President of Nintendo America Reggie Fils-Aime. When asked if he saw Sony and Microsoft as direct competitors, Fils-Aime said he’s focused on a bigger picture of competing for the limited entertainment time a person has each day. In that same vein, podcasting is better off focusing on entertainment time and ensuring people can get their podcasts wherever they want, however they want, instead of hyper-focusing on them getting podcasts in a particular way that fits a specific nomenclature.
When it comes to podcast audiences, quality trumps quantity By Alyssa Meyers
New data from Morning Consult, based on surveys of 68,000 respondents, finds weekly podcast listeners are slightly more likely than the genera U.S. population to make at least $100,000/year. They’re also more likely to have advanced degrees, full-time jobs, and high-ranking job titles like CEO or director. Morning Consult brand analyst Ellyn Briggs says the weekly podcast listener spends more on products and experiences than the general population, making them superconsumers. 72% of weekly listeners shop on mobile apps at least once a week, compared to the general population’s 57%.
Why podcast execs are making a play for advertisers’ influencer budgets by Kayleigh Barber
Three podcast executives tell Digiday that during Q2 their strategy shifted to trying to win ad dollars out of the influencer budgets of marketers instead of (often smaller) budgets earmarked just for audio. A viable pitch, too, as every podcast host is fundamentally an influencer. In some cases, moreso than traditional influencers on social platforms, as podcast audiences can be more engaged and support a given brand more than a sponsored TikTok or Instagram influencer.
Starting in November, all in-app purchases made on an iOS device will give 30% directly to Apple. While larger organizations like Patreon, Substack, and Spotify jump to the forefront of conversations about the fee structure, smaller platforms used by content creators (e.g.Kajabi or Mighty Networks) will also be impacted. Creators and platforms alike are attempting to circumvent the issue, such as encouraging new and existing followers to buy/donate using an internet browser instead of the app, avoiding any fees.
No More Midroll Mayhem by Dane Cardiel
Gumball VP of Creator Partnerships Dane Cardiel argues podcasting has a midroll ad problem: the industry has been scattershot to implementation of midrolls, both in deployment and in creatives. A formula for effective midrolls is provided, starting with the first ad break happening 15 minutes into an episode, with another break 15 minutes later as the length of the episode increases (with a cap of three breaks total). Putting hard numbers on how many midroll breaks a podcast should have, and how often they appear either gives a number other companies can agree with and embrace as a standard. If not, it causes others to challenge the number and start a conversation that leads to a more widely agreed-upon standard. Advertisements need not be placed on vibes alone.
As for the rest of the news…
- The Ambies are now taking submissions
- Triton Digital has released their U.S. Podcast Ranker for August, the top rank increase of the month going to Audacy’s Fantasy Football Today for jumping up 69 spots
- PAVE Studios’ Crime House has launched Money Crimes, a show about the dark side of finance
- Alex Goldman has released a new podcast, Hyperfixed, about the little problems in our life and the systems that create them
- Podchaser announces that its Collections+ program enables 24% more Acast creators to earn ad revenue
- Todd Spangler dives into why hosts like Alex Cooper and the Kelce brothers are landing all those big deals
Jobs in Podcasting
Head of International Content, Wondery at Wondery
Senior Manager, Digital Marketing Operations at AdsWizz
Podcast Video Editor at The Axis
