PodMov Daily: Tuesday, September 8

Episode 280: Testing, One Two-sday

Podcasts Have Always Been the Next Big Thing

“Podcast coverage has a peculiar history,” observes Becca James of Vulture. “Whether fueled by wishful thinking or impatience, the media’s takes on the format often come in fits and starts.” With 25 articles from the last 16 years, James illustrates the timeline. How have podcasts remained a perpetual “next big thing”?

Sometimes podcasts are the Wild West, others they’re the American gold rush. “When compiled, all of this breathless coverage reveals just how difficult it is to capture something with a community ethos through an industry lens,” James says. Between creation and market influence, there’s no one ‘growth’ in podcasting. 

Many of the time capsules lament a “seemingly never-ending stream of new shows.” The A.V. Club said it best in 2012: “If the podcast pool stopped growing today — if every comedian with a germ of a podcast idea decided to go in a different direction — nothing would suffer.” In 2020, that pool is more like an ocean.

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Podcasting Isn't Special: Tom Webster on Bad Advertising

Edison Research SVP Tom Webster recently had a tragic listening experience. You have too: “In the middle of the content, there was an absolutely screaming insurance commercial that was easily 50% louder than the podcast.” Ads are essentially part of the content, and there's no such thing as unconditional listening.

“We can tell ourselves that podcasting is a special environment and it reaches receptive audiences and blah blah blah, but those receptive audiences are listening to podcasts and watching Netflix precisely to avoid these kinds of ads,” Webster says. Why subject ourselves to disruption? No podcast is worth a YouTube-level ordeal.

Webster has seen the scourge from every angle. “Here’s the thing — we’ve ground through well over a hundred brand lift studies in podcasting over the past couple of years, and I can tell you this: crappy ads don’t work. They just don’t,” he says. “Anything can be ruined with advertising, and podcasts are by no means exempt.”

Data-Driven Insights: The 2020 State of Podcast Interview Study

Interview podcasts are growing faster than ever. Which platforms and styles are on the rise? Stay on top of key trends with The 2020 State of Podcast Interview Study, compiled from Interview Valet’s exclusive data. See the stats for 500+ guests on 20k+ interviews, reaching 50M+ downloads.

The category king of Podcast Interview Marketing, Interview Valet has the largest database of its kind. 2020 has brought massive change and new direction — find out just how much video has grown, the future of livestreams, and which major stat has risen 275%.

It’s smart to be prepared. This study was just released at the Podfest Global Summit, sharing expert insights with top industry voices. Platform competition is heating up (Preview: SquadCast has shot to the top) and talk trends are changing. Download for the inside view on interviews.

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Here's what else is going on:

• Reality check: Lore creator Aaron Mahnke is among the latest to speak out against Anchor’s pirated counterfeits. His new series (and, he points out, many smaller shows) are being exploited by “an unmonitored content platform, blindly allowing and monetizing IP theft.”

• Mixed drink: Spotify’s new global campaign hits both targets: audio integration and the celebrity pantheon. “Music, Meet Podcasts” begins with a digital video series about how the company “inspires and connects users around the world through the power of listening.”

• Late call: Despite the popularity of podcasts in Ireland, “their viability is threatened by lack of listener data.” According to Hugh Linehan of The Irish Times, persistent roadblocks to growth include “the apparent reluctance of sponsors and advertisers to get on board.”

• Body electric: A decade in, Kaiser Kuo's current-affairs podcast Sinica has grown into a network of 10 shows. Thomas Bird of Post Magazine speaks with Kuo about his start, leadership in China-focused podcasting, and playing in one of China’s first metal bands, Tang Dynasty.