PodMov Daily: Thursday, July 15

Episode 462: Your Thursday Podthoughts

Cheers to 2 Years: A Thank-You Note from the Editor

Today marks two years since we hit ‘send’ on the very first issue of this newsletter. Now’s the time to introduce myself (in the first person, woah!) and express gratitude for all that’s come to pass. I’m Brennan Kathleen Tapp, 29, your passionate introvert editor/writer/curator down in Dallas, Texas. Here’s the deal.

When my outstanding boss, Dan Franks, reached out in the spring of 2019, I was skeptical. Build a daily newsletter? About podcasting? I never could have known how much I’d love my job. Podcasters, you impress me every single day. Your creativity, kindness, and determination have made me a better person. I mean that.

In the many responses from subscribers, I’m often asked “What’s with the animals?” The GIFs are my way of connecting this inherently digital medium to our fascinating, precious planet. Thank you for your curious comments and stories, and I’m so glad you look forward to a li’l something different with your morning coffee.

It’s been a privilege to read and share the thoughts of brilliant creators every weekday. People like Tom Webster, Tressie McMillan Cottom, and Sean Howard make it a pleasure to absorb this wild industry. A special thank you to my team: Dan, Kristy Scott, Shannon Poe, Jared Easley, Chris Harnett, and Jess Agostino. 

One more thing (you knew it was coming): My favorite podcast has always been The Memory Palace, followed by Criminal, Scam Goddess, and the immortal 2 Dope Queens. Thank you, readers, for growing this newsletter and supporting what we’re up to at Podcast Movement. Much love, and come say hi in Nashville.

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How Do Podcast Apps Search for Episodes?

If you want podcast apps to surface your episodes based on search terms, where should you focus your efforts? In a piece for Podnews, Mark Steadman of the podcast studio Origin has catalogued what’s indexed by 14 major apps. One takeaway: keyword-stuffing is not an effective growth strategy.

“Apps heavily weight podcast-level data over episode-level data,” Steadman confirms. That said, he recommends putting guests’ names in episode titles, especially if they’re well-known. Podcast descriptions, another key piece of metadata, are surprisingly not indexed by Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and Pocket Casts.

Steadman says that the goal should not be to attract new listeners through podcast apps. “Instead, make your podcast easy to find by name, so that when people read your insightful tweet, […] your helpful blog post or your conference talk slide, they know exactly what to search for, whichever app they use.”

Dynamic Content: A Powerful New Tool from Buzzsprout

With Buzzsprout, it’s faster than ever to keep your podcast fresh — and your listeners up-to-date. The new 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.

For podcasters, this new tool 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:

• Expert advice: The first-ever Black In Media Day Summit is tomorrow from 8:00 to 5:00 CT. The free virtual event will feature Podcasting 101, a panel with Savoy Jefferson ‎(Eat Pray Thot), Josh Gwynn (Pineapple Street Studios), Keisha “TK” Dutes (Spoke Media), and journalist Gerrick Kennedy.

• Ropes course: BBC Sounds’ Audio Lab, a new paid development program for podcasters, will accept applications until August 29. Five free masterclasses will stream before the deadline, starting with “They Said What? How To Be a Great Interviewer” on July 28. Open to the public.

• Mighty pen: Learning from podcasts is different than consuming them, says Srinivas Rao (The Unmistakable Creative). Effective notes are paraphrased, and ideally handwritten. “If you are not able to explain what you have learned in your own words, then you have not truly learned it.”

• Trophy case: “It’s terrific to see how many shows use a nomination, and any flavour of win, to promote their show, tour or other activity,” says Matt Deegan of the British Podcast Awards. If your show receives any kind of award recognition, getting the word out will help podcasting as a whole.