PodMov Daily: Tuesday, October 12

Episode 518: Testing, One Two-sday

Facebook’s ‘Audio’ Hub Launched in the US

Officially launched on mobile, Facebook’s “Audio” destination gathers podcasts, Live Audio Rooms, and short-form audio in one place. It lives within Watch, the platform’s video hub. To Sarah Perez of TechCrunch, the design is “little incongruous, given that audio content is meant to be listened to, not ‘watched.’”

Podcasters have been able to add RSS feeds for a few months, but podcast listening will remain US-only for now. Facebook is expanding its Clubhouse clone, Live Audio Rooms, and will soon roll out Soundbites, “a sort of TikTok for audio offering short audio clips.” The recommendation algorithm must be working overtime.

What about content moderation? From Gizmodo’s Brianna Provenzano: “While the thought of Facebook’s potential to disseminate disinformation through new forms of easily corruptible content is enough to give anyone hives, the platform assures that it’s been developing a toolkit” to enforce Community Standards.

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Vanity Metrics vs. Long-Term Podcast Goals

Vanity metrics are a powerful trap. In podcasting, these surface-level figures (e.g., social followers, download records) sound impressive but usually don’t mean much. Writer, marketer, and developer Julian Shapiro explains how to spot empty trophies — and stop wasting time and energy on the chase.

While ‘vanity’ is necessary to build a business, it’s too easy to get hooked. “Your objective is to keep that vanity from leading you away from your real goals,” Shapiro says. “If you’re proud of how many hours you worked yesterday or how many likes your Tweet earned, ask yourself if you’re proud of the right metric.”

Say you’re determined to boost subscriber numbers. With a costly campaign, you reach a new high score that won’t last with underbaked content. Still, it’s natural for vanity metrics to feel hugely important (thanks, internet). Shapiro offers three questions to consider when you find yourself obsessing.

The Fine Print: Financial Confidence Starts Here

Let’s face it — you probably aren’t where you want to be financially. You don’t know what to do or who to trust. You’re listening to headlines, social media and broke friends to make major money decisions. Making the right choices shouldn’t be this complicated.

In every episode of The Fine Print, George Kamel does the research for you and breaks down money myths, trends, and traps that you need to know about. With expert information from Ramsey Network, you’ll make smarter decisions with your life and money.

From credit scores to the housing market, financial topics can be stressful. Ready for a clearer path forward? Confidence starts here. Listen and follow The Fine Print wherever you get your podcasts.

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Here's what else is going on:

• Upward, onward: Today at 12:00 pm CT/6:00 pm BST, a free Podcast Pay It Forward session will be led by Broccoli Productions founder Renay Richardson. The live Q&A series with expert audio producers is presented by Content is Queen, a London-based indie agency. RSVP to participate here.

• Real talk: As Hot Pod’s lead writer, Ashley Carman is focused on the creator experience. “The people who live the life of podcasting and are trying to navigate these platforms and ecosystems regularly are who I learn from the most,” she tells Lauren Passell in Podcast the Newsletter.

• Field goals: This Thursday, Audiotrain will host “Building Your Audio Documentary” with Diane Hope, PhD. The acclaimed producer will give tips and techniques for getting the best sound from the world around you, no matter where. 12:00 pm CT/6:00 pm BST. Tickets start at £5.00.

• Paper trail: This Is Ear Hustle, a book by the podcast’s creators, comes out next Tuesday. Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor share new stories about prison life, mass incarceration, and what drives their Pulitzer- and Peabody-nominated work. Pre-release orders include bonus material.