PodMov Daily: Thursday, December 3

Episode 329: Your Thursday Podthoughts

Bello Collective: 100 Outstanding Podcasts of 2020

Since 2016, Bello Collective has been “on a mission to gather the best voices and perspectives in the industry to curate, inspire, and dissect the world of audio.” With just a month left of 2020 to go, 27 members and friends present 100 outstanding podcasts. The list is diverse, multilingual, and sure to influence your queue.

Laura Ubaté of Podcaster@s picks a Spanish-language “cooking podcast with a detour” from Loro Podcast and HJCK radio. Every episode of Recetario sonoro de ingredientes en peligro starts with a charming recipe. Suddenly, you’re learning about the dangers of harvesting a particular ingredient. Et tu, “Poutine canadiense”? 

Bello Collective co-editor Ashley Lusk recommends “Insomnia Line,” an episode of Radiolab from WNYC Studios. Through listener stories, stress-related sleeplessness caused by the pandemic feels a little more human. Thanks to Lusk, Bello co-editor Galen Beebe, and Ricardo Osuna for editing this year’s best-of list.

Why Podcasting Needs an Open, Creator-First Approach

Open podcasting and a creator-first approach is the best way forward for the industry, writes Acast CEO Ross Adams. Since its invention of ‘true’ dynamic ad insertion for podcasting nearly seven years ago, Acast has grown into the world’s largest podcast company. For Adams, its responsibility hinges on these two principles.

Recent “big, platform-first moves” that limit distribution and monetization are not in creators’ best interests, Adams says, and ‘walled gardens’ lead to segmented, less engaged audiences. To counter exclusivity, Acast’s recent collaboration with Patreon allows creators to make money across all supporting platforms.

Podcasters need to be able to share (and earn) freely, Adams writes. “Maintaining this open approach is absolutely vital if the creator economy is to continue to thrive as it has up until this point. You can have all the ad dollars in the world, but without podcasters — and without listeners — there are no podcasts.”

Top-Tier Podcast Bookings, Made Easy

High-impact podcast interviews start with connections. Guestio is a software marketplace that turns dream guests into real conversations. It’s an all-in-one platform that makes it easy to find, book, and manage top-tier guests. Simply discover, schedule, and pay — all on one dashboard.

From Manny Pacquiao to Jordan Harbinger, Guestio’s growing catalog is packed with audience-engaging talent. Quickly find ideal guests with categories and tags, and schedule interviews on your integrated booking calendar. Best of all, say hello to built-in messaging and bye to cluttered email chains.

Guestio even streamlines your profile. Download a shareable press kit complete with bio, headshots, and links. Not yet ready for paid engagements? A free account lets you optimize your bookings in the meantime. Guestio is currently in beta and looking for more creators like you to help test the product and provide real feedback.

Your podcast is your passion. Let Guestio help you make it outstanding.

Here's what else is going on:

• Nifty find: Podnews highlights Spotifeed, “a clever piece of coding which turns an exclusive Spotify show into an RSS feed for you to listen to on your normal podcast player.” The audio still comes from Spotify’s servers, and the feeds can be used in any podcast app. To streaming and back again.

• Straight up: Podiant, a UK-based podcasting company, has asserted its ethical stance on causes like Black Lives Matter and trans rights. According to founder Mark Steadman, “[…] while our social views might not appear in our work, we won’t pass up on an opportunity to defend them.”

• Video games: The monetization platform cabana sums up “the wild, strange, and totally ridiculous year in podcasting” — as told in GIFs. From major trends like high-dollar acquisitions to podcast advertising growth, 2020 has been quite a ride. At least Liz Lemon of “30 Rock” knows how we feel.

• Spoken word: Grammar Girl creator Mignon Fogarty has been podcasting “quick and dirty” writing tips since 2006. She tells Timber.fm about her early partnership with MacMillan, the show’s expanded network, and what’s changed. “It was a whirlwind,” she says, built on two-minute episodes.