PodMov Daily: Tuesday, February 4

Episode 135: Testing, One Two-sday

Sheletta Makes Me Laugh: A Platform of One's Own

Radio producer and podcast host Sheletta Brundidge was fed up with the lack of diversity in traditional media. A speech by Tyler Perry turned her frustration into inspiration. When fighting for a place at the table, he advised, build your own table. Brundidge did just that by founding a new podcast platform, Sheletta Makes Me Laugh.

The 7-show lineup launched February 1. “We’re actually going to be making history in Black History Month and I’m so excited about that,” Brundidge told Minneapolis news outlet KARE. The podcasts discuss a range of topics “that are important to people in communities of color, specifically the African American community.”

Dr. Verna Cornelia Price, the host of Dr. Verna’s Virtues, believes the platform’s beginnings have more than accomplished the initial goal. “Sheletta has brought together an incredible group of bold, brilliant, black people who are telling their story,” Price said. “We no longer have to wait on traditional media to tell our story anymore.”

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Advertising Your Podcast: Truth and Tips from Sean Howard

A Podnews series by Sean Howard of Fable and Folly Productions has begun with a how-to article on advertising your podcast. The producer and co-director of Alba Salix, Royal Physician makes a strong case for structured promotion as a solution to the discoverability problem.

“It is my strongly held belief that the much parroted phase, ‘We don’t advertise’ is one of the most damaging viral trends in the podcasting industry,” Howard writes. While the sentiment usually refers to paid advertising, the intended (and often misguided) virtue can backfire.

Howard presents “free, near-free and paid methods which can help each of us reach our audience and grow our podcasts,” regardless of individual style and goals. After all, “What podcaster hasn’t done a promo swap, posted an episode on social media, […] left some flyers on a counter somewhere or otherwise promoted their show?”

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Video Series: Essentials of Web Strategy from RadioPublic

A new 12-part video series from RadioPublic guides podcasters through the basics of web strategy, the “new wave” for audience growth. RadioPublic Content Strategist and Podcast Librarian Ma’ayan Plaut narrates the brief lessons on long-term expansion.

“Podcast web strategy is achievable for all podcasters, whether you’re working solo, on a team, or for a network or a studio,” Plaut reassures in the introductory video. “Especially for all you solos and indies out there, strategy is your support, and building an adaptable web marketing kit is part of that strategy.”

Based on “tried-and-true lessons from other web-first digital media,” the series focuses on “creating a strong website, email newsletters, and social media campaigns” to get the word out. Next week at Evolutions, Plaut will deliver an expert session on this very topic.

Mouthpeace with Michael & Pele Bennett

When a podcast makes you think, laugh, and explore beneath the surface, you’ve found a great conversation. From Lemonada Media in partnership with Westwood One Podcast Network, the brand-new show Mouthpeace with Michael & Pele Bennett brings the freshness we all need.

Mouthpeace is about exploring what makes us human, inside and out. Super Bowl Champion Michael Bennett and passionate food advocate Pele Bennett are teammates in life and in love. The married parents of 3 are experts in balancing tough discussions with wit and empathy.

With their unique blend of humor and realness, the Bennetts invite listeners into their professional and personal lives — unfiltered. From love, sex, and parenting to politics and the NFL, provocative topics will never sound the same.

Ready to press play? In the words of Michael Bennett, “You’re welcome in advance.” Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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Here's what else is going on:

• Virtual reality: Marking the 10-year anniversary of Rob Has a Podcast, two-time “Survivor” contestant Rob Cesternino speaks with Screenrant about how and why the reality TV-themed show has attracted a “constantly-expanding community of followers.

• Make room: The 13-episode series Masaha, meaning ‘space’ in Arabic, is out from Jordanian podcasting platform Sowt. Host Mayss Al Alami brings in experts from the region to discuss feminism “from an economic and politically intersectional perspective.”

• City center: Podcasting studios are coming to the historic Cossitt Library in downtown Memphis, TN. The $6 million project to create a “new home for entrepreneurs, students and artists” was supported by a grant from Reimagining the Civic Commons.

• Record collection: Music retailer Rough Trade will offer “artist recommendations via exclusive playlists” on Apple Music, reports Music Week. The Rough Trade Edit companion podcast features “new music that’s available to stream and purchase on vinyl.”