PodMov Daily: Monday, October 21

Episode 69: Your Monday Mix

Misener Demystifies: Marketing Origins of New Downloads

A question with a valuable yet elusive answer: “If 100 people click a link to my podcast, how many will actually download an episode?” As Dan Misener noted in May, “once you send a potential new listener into Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, or any other podcast ecosystem, you lose almost all visibility on them.”

There hasn’t been a reliable way to tell if an individual has “downloaded an episode, became a subscriber, or ever actually listened to your show.” Misener returns to the issue with a rundown of SmartLinks, a feature from Chartable that uses unique link tags to allow podcasters to “attribute podcast downloads to specific marketing channels or campaigns.”

Using several months of data from SmartLinks, Misener takes a “look at real-world performance across a large number of channels and campaigns.” Find out which social media channels had the highest click-to-download conversion rates.

Information Paralysis: Educating Brands on Podcasting's Possibilities

On Friday, Commercial Radio Australia’s Radio Alive event was held in Brisbane. During a panel discussion GroupM CEO Mark Lollback made an important point about brands’ podcasting awareness.

AdNews reports Lollback’s comments that while podcasting is ‘really attractive’ for brands, “there’s still a big education push that needs to happen.” Advertising channel options are constantly growing. “If you look at it from our clients’ point of view, at the moment most of their heads are spinning,” he says.

“Anything [podcast producers] can do to educate the agency-side and the client around what’s the right sort of content — should it be integration, should it be sponsorship — the better you get that, I think you’ll get more people.”

Grazi for the Real Talk: 5 Podcast Creation Experts

Madeleine Spencer, creator of the podcast Beauty Full Lives, believes that “the best podcasts make you feel like you’re listening in on someone’s conversation, like a peek behind a curtain.” Spencer should know — she’s one of 5 innovative and successful women podcasters profiled by Arianna Chatzidakis for Grazi.

Maria Williams, Bauer Media’s Podcast Editor, gives particularly standout advice. The former BBC executive producer explains why authenticity, personality, storytelling, and editing are the essential pillars of quality podcasting.

Happy Monday, readers, and heads up: There’s still time to register for this evening’s masterclass in audio storytelling from Dan Misener. The bell rings at 6:00 pm EDT.

Cheers,
Team PM

Here's what else is going on:

• Heavy medal: The early entry deadline for the 24th Annual Webby Awards is October 25. The event “recognizes the best audio work across Comedy, Documentary, News & Politics, Arts & Culture.” Submissions are open for “independent creator[s] or team[s] making great podcasts.”

• Listen here: Entrepreneur spoke with uStudio CEO Jen Grogono about the private podcast business and employee communication. uStudio has built “an enterprise-grade system” modeled on consumer applications for painless organizational transition to audio.

• The audiophiles: MusicTech covers equipment standouts from the weekend’s Audio Engineering Society Convention in NYC. Tune in for stats and video introducing gear from “multitrackers for podcasting to AI-powered mastering tools.” And to think, this was just Day 2.

• Pure imagination: Non-fiction may be “king in the rapidly expanding podcast universe,” but the rise of high-budget audio drama is undeniable. The Guardian points out the genre’s “symbiotic relationship with the golden age of TV.” Their best-of list includes The Horror of Dolores Roach.