PodMov Daily: Wednesday, November 18

Episode 322: Your Midweek Update

Do Audiograms Really Lead to Higher Downloads?

When Caroline Crampton was using WNYC’s audiogram generator from 2016, audiograms were part of an all-media rush toward video. Now, she reassesses their role. “Where do things stand today, then, now that the promised land of video has dematerialised and there are so many more big players spending money in podcasting?”

Though tools like Headliner or Wavve have hit the mainstream, audiogram-to-download efficacy isn’t well documented. “To be honest, I’ve never seen them push traffic from social to the actual piece of content in any meaningful way,” producer Lisa Golden told Crampton. Golden has created audiograms for The Guardian and Al Jazeera.

Headliner founder Oliver Wellington says that the audiogram bump is indeed real, though “you need to put a bunch of stuff out there to figure out what will work, and this can take time.” Both takes are true, and whether audiograms are ‘worth it’ depends on your objective. Racing up the charts? Maybe not. Brand awareness? Absolutely.

Weekly Recap: We're Thankful for Podcasting

This week’s update is all about giving thanks to the podcasting community for enriching our lives. Members of the PM Facebook group shared their individual areas of gratitude, from building relationships with listeners to the confidence that comes with developing a new talent.

This season, we’re thanking you. Everyone in podcasting creates a small part of this world. Speaking of the world, we can’t wait to see everyone back out in it. Get ready to party in person and virtually for Podcast Movement 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. Stay tuned for Black Friday specials.

Looking for cozy festivities? Join the PM team and community members for the PM Home for the Holidays virtual meetup on Wednesday, December 9 at 2:00 pm EST. Take part in open forums for general discussion or small groups for niche topics. Kindly RSVP to let us know you're coming.

Riverside.fm: Remote Recording, Unmatched Quality

Now more than ever, quality comes first for remote recording. Welcome to Riverside.fm, the first platform that records up to 4k video and WAV audio from the browser. Recorded locally, separate audio and video tracks for each participant are crisp, clear, and perfectly in-sync. 

Riverside.fm has the unique ability to record uncompressed audio and 4k video tracks, independent of internet speeds. There’s nothing to install or download — up to 8 people can simply join and start creating. Even better, automatic backup for each recording means no lost files, ever. 

Ready to level up your live streams? Engage your audience on the platform, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, or Twitter. From progressive uploading to easy screen sharing, the Riverside experience is second to none. Check out the all-new redesign to discover recording done right.

Here's what else is going on:

• Build better: For British Chinese podcasters like Martin Chan, representation is “the hammer with which to smash the stereotyped ethnic monolith.” Anthony Cheng speaks with Chan (Talks with Martin Chan), Vivian Yau (But Where Are You From?) and others about the direct power of audio.

• Hot seat: Seth Resler’s Podcast Makeover session had an all-star panel this year. Watch and learn as The Moth GrandSLAM champion Shannon Cason, Radio Ranch creative director Lisa Orkin, and Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me! host Peter Sagal critique the first 30 seconds of several podcasts.

• Variety show: At launch, the “creator-first” audio streaming platform Vurbl “follows the YouTube framework — it is a centralized place any user can upload any content they own, Vurbl streams it, supports embeds and facilitates audience building and monetization via real-time programmatic ads.”

• Double click: Today at 6:00 pm, Podpage creator Brenden Mulligan will host a webinar focused on podcast website strategies. The free, twice-weekly series includes a presentation on the critical elements of a podcast website and an overview of launch options for creators, followed by a Q&A.