PodMov Daily: Tuesday, November 9

Episode 535: Testing, One Two-sday

Social Audio's Recording Race Heats Up

Clubhouse has rolled out its Replay feature, letting hosts and moderators record, save, and share public rooms. Audio can be downloaded and edited for use as a podcast, a YouTube clip, Instagram story, embed, and so on. Twitter Spaces recently introduced recording as well, though it’s betting on a different strategy.

Twitter Spaces recordings can’t be downloaded, only shared in a tweet. However, the audio can be replayed by anyone, no account required. A public audience brings opportunity but also an analytics tradeoff: The company confirms that “listener counts may not match the actual number of listeners.” Sound familiar?

Meanwhile, Clubhouse creators now have Total Attendee Count, letting them “see (and share) cumulative counts of all the people who came through a room.” The announcement underscores the brag-worthy satisfaction of higher numbers, hoping to create an off-platform sharing competition that converts new users.

Who Will Crack the Code of Short Audio News?

“The dream of customized audio news isn’t working out (at least not yet),” writes Joshua Benton of Nieman Lab. Google recently removed Your News Update, its customized audio news digests. The experiment lasted two years and seemed promising. Why didn’t the algorithm for short-form stories catch on?

Introducing new pieces of audio from a variety of sources is tough, Benton explains. “Most journalism is timely, local, and short — all the things current podcast discovery isn’t particularly good at.” Most successful news podcasts, like The Daily, tend to focus on one or two stories at length instead of shuffling through headlines.

For several reasons, there’s not yet an audio equivalent to Twitter in terms of story discovery. Benton thinks it may be awhile: “Google knows algorithms. If it couldn’t figure out a way to assemble the sort of audio news packages that users want, that’s a decent sign that we have a lot more hard thinking left to do.”

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.

Here's what else is going on:

• Bookmark this: “A craftsperson is someone who makes work the best it can be,” says writer and developer Julian Shapiro. In a Twitter thread and blog post, he offers a brilliant breakdown of craft ideal for podcasters. “Your first step is falling more in love with your process than your output.”

• Dialogue box: This Thursday at 2:00 pm ET is the live presentation of The Spoken Word Audio Report 2021. NPR and Edison Research will share insights into why and how news, podcasts, audiobooks, and talk radio continue to cut into time that was previously spent with music. Free registration. 

• Fresh findings: On November 16, the first-ever Black Podcast Listener Report will be presented via webinar. Edison Research, SXM Media, and Mindshare will examine how Black Americans consume podcasts, including discovery, device usage, and reasons for listening. Free registration.

• Video games: YouTube is an excellent platform for podcast growth, writes Chris Moore for Spreaker. “All in all, you ought to be creative about it.” Their five recommended strategies include collaborating with others, tapping into existing audiences, and diversifying your audience.