PodMov Daily: Monday, June 13

Episode 664: Your Monday Mix

Taking a New AI Podcast Discovery App for a Spin

The use of AI to search podcast content is developing fast. A recent example is Acast’s conversational targeting capability, which can place ads within relevant subject matter on an episode level. To try it out, we experimented with Fathom, a recently released app that uses AI to “comprehend entire podcasts.”

The idea is advanced discovery. “Users can ask natural language questions (via search) and get actual answers in the form of 30-second podcast highlights.” Our first search in the browser, ‘kayaking for beginners,’ returned one result: an episode called “Intro to Kiteboarding” from an interview show. Kayaks: 0. 

‘What is a dark pattern?’ surfaced 12 episode clips. While the first was adjacent to the topic, the expert Brainfluence clip that came next was right on the money. The other 10 results had nothing to do with deceptive web design. Plenty of ghost material, though, including a Lore episode about poltergeists.

The third question, ‘How do sharks sleep?,’ was the charm. The top clip from Science Friday provided the answer, and eight of the other 11 were at least shark-related. Now, this dip into AI search is as anecdotal as it gets. But as wild technology evolves into public-facing tools, it’s worth documenting the ride.

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Keep Episodes Fresh with Dynamic Content

With Buzzsprout, it’s faster than ever to keep your podcast fresh — and your listeners up-to-date. The Dynamic Content tool lets you easily add and remove short pre-roll (intro) and post-roll (outro) content to your episodes. It's the perfect solution for timely messaging.

Whether you’re promoting a virtual event or giving a special shout-out, Dynamic Content makes it simple to swap, automatically add content to new episodes, or apply it to your existing catalog with a click. Old files are removed and replaced, so there’s no clean-up.

This innovative feature offers more than flexibility. It benefits your audience in more ways than one: Buzzsprout respects your listeners’ privacy. Unlike most Dynamic Ad Insertion, the Dynamic Content tool includes no tracking or targeting. Ready to make the switch?

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Here's what else is going on:

• Triple scoop: Has Podnews cracked X, Y, and Z, Spotify’s new content areas mentioned to investors? At just the right moment, an executive said this: “There are additional markets and verticals that we believe are natural fits . . . There’s Audiobooks. There’s News, Sports and Education.”

• Data set: This Wednesday at 4:00 pm ET is “Sustainable and Scalable Audience Growth and Engagement Strategies” from Podcasting, Seriously. Quill CEO Fatima Zaidi will join the weekly Twitter Spaces to discuss steady podcast growth based on advertising and analytics. No account needed.

• Fast forward: NPR and Edison Research will present the Smart Audio Report 2022 this Thursday, June 16. The research explores how Americans’ use of smart speakers and voice assistant technology has evolved, including user vs. non-user attitudes toward voice tech. Free registration.

• Love song: “How to Use Music in Podcasting” from Radio Boot Camp is this Saturday, June 18. Award-winning composer Nina Perry (BBC, NPR) will help creators think about selecting music, how to blend it with speech to enhance storytelling, and how to achieve a professional feel. $75 registration.