PodMov Daily: Wednesday, May 19

Episode 433: Your Midweek Update

Netflix is Pushing Ahead with Podcast Expansion

Netflix is expanding its podcast initiatives, report Anousha Sakoui and Wendy Lee of The Los Angeles Times. The company is “taking pitches from outside producers and is looking to hire an executive to lead its audio push.” Up since March, the posting for head of audio/podcast programming suggests big plans.

Now that the company is taking pitches for new podcast ideas, it seems that audio-first IP may be incubated into streaming content. The leadership role includes managing a small internal podcasting team. Still, “podcasts sit firmly within Netflix’s marketing division,” largely to promote its TV shows and movies. 

Sakoui and Lee mention Netflix’s audio-only function that quietly rolled out for Android last winter. Earlier this month, Protocol reported that Netflix was surveying the creation of a “future online space” called N-Plus. Podcasts were specifically called out as a feature, along with user-generated streaming playlists.

Announcing the Second Round of PM21 Speakers

This week’s update announces the second round of Podcast Movement 2021 speakers. We’ll welcome PM alum Shannon Cason (Homemade Stories, The Trouble), Ossa founder and CEO Marla Isackson (Mind of a Mentor) and many more voices to the stage in August. Round three arrives next week.

With over 100+ breakout sessions, there’s something for everyone. Twila Dang, founder and CEO of Matriarch Digital Media, will speak about BIPOC women in podcasting and making the industry’s tech space gender inclusive. In March, Dang wrote a terrific article on the topic in Sounds Profitable.

In other news, Podcast Movement University is hosting several live sessions this month. Tomorrow, Maximillian Piras of Headliner Video will present “Listen to your Listeners: How to Better Understand, Cultivate, and Grow your Audience.” It’s free to join the conversation or stream on-demand.

Podcast: Making Your Podcasting Dollars Work Harder

Podcast and streaming audio marketing is growing more powerful by the day. As the industry changes and innovates, how do marketers ensure their ad dollars are working their hardest? A recent episode of The Marketing Insider: A Claritas Podcast delivers inside knowledge from campaign performance experts.

How can marketers determine if a consumer made a purchase because of a podcast-promoted campaign? How should they evaluate audio measurement partners? Sergei Peysakhov, Senior Director of Measurement and Insights at Audacy (formerly Entercom), and Omer Jilani, Vice President of Sales at Claritas, take listeners deep into essential trends. Listeners will learn to calculate campaign lift rates, gauge how they compare to other channels, and more.

Listen now to power your ROI and learn the three elements of successful campaign management.

Here's what else is going on:

• Reading room: As part of a larger accessibility rollout, Spotify will start auto-transcribing certain exclusive and original podcasts. According to Ashley Carman of The Verge, yesterday’s updates to iOS and Android include visual changes to button colors, text formatting, and size.

• On retainer: What does ‘lossless’ audio quality mean for podcasting? According to Podnews editor James Cridland, not a whole lot (except impractically massive file sizes). Bottom line: “As decades of AM radio listening will show you — people listen for the content. Not the quality.”

• Please hold: The volume of problems with Apple Podcasts on iOS 14.5 “doesn’t appear to be abating anytime soon,” notes Hot Pod’s Nicholas Quah. Transistor co-founder Justin Jackson continues to update a log of grievances, including the “old login redirect bug” for Connect.

• Group chat: Podbean will be hosting “How to Start a Podcast – LIVE!” from June 10-12. The event will feature livestreamed sessions focused on production, editing, promotion, and growth for creators of all experience levels. Full passes are free with code PODMOV at checkout.