PodMov Daily: Friday, July 31

Episode 254: Week Download Complete

Spotify (Finally) Adds Custom HTML Formatting for Podcasts

Another major podcasting feature from Spotify rounds out the week. As of yesterday, creators can implement custom HTML formatting in both episode and show descriptions. It’s long been the only major podcast platform without HTML support, stranding listeners in 2020's equivalent of analog.

“Standard HTML formatting, including lists, headers and line breaks, will all be supported,” according to a company announcement, and “embedded links will also now be rendered as bold to let Spotify users know that it's clickable.” However, special text formatting like underlining and italics are still out of reach.

Good to know: The app “pulls your descriptions directly from your hosting platform, so start there when reformatting or updating your show and episode pages.” Linking directly to social platforms will be a major plus for creators, along with aesthetic essentials like bulleted lists, headers, and line breaks.

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Podcasting for Everyone: Breaking the Old(er) Age Glass Ceiling

This Friday’s guest article from educator and edu-Me creator Punam Saxena busts the myth that podcasting is a young person’s game. “In my middle-aged mind, I mistakenly believed being a podcaster is for younger people,” Saxena says. Here, she explains how diving in past age 50 has allowed her life to blossom.

With the help of family and the podcast community, Saxena has thrived beyond the learning curve. The edu-Me podcast is about connecting parents and schools, and has now taken on “sensitive topics such as racial discrimination, LGBTQ+ discrimination, and how immigrant parents can learn about the education system.”

“Being a 50-something podcaster is a humbling experience with great advantages,” Saxena reflects. The work has been worth it: “Our life experience allows us to share personal stories that may ease others’ challenges. To start something new in your 50s brings about a confidence boost you may have not known existed.”

This is your chance to make your voice heard at the world's largest ever virtual podcasting event: Speaker submissions for PM Virtual are officially open!

Choose from six unique tracks to gear your pitch toward its ideal audience. Applications close on August 19 ― spots are limited, so get those ideas ready to compete. We can't wait to see your best.

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Here's what else is going on:

• Greatest hits: To save time when repurposing content, plan those social media-friendly gems ahead. Jeremy Enns of Counterweight Creative explains how. Instead of digging, “simply frame a question during the interview with the sole purpose of cutting it out and sharing it later.”

• Breathe out: “Recently, I noticed something unusual on public radio airwaves: quiet,” writes Rachel del Valle of Nieman Lab. The Santa Monica, CA station KCRW has been airing quick guided meditations and calming segments during news blocks. Podcast listeners may appreciate this, too.

• Hello there: Even experienced podcasters worry, “Who will listen?” Lindsay Harris Friel of The Podcast Host turns that question into a helpful, actionable framework for identifying and reaching your specific audience: “There is a lid for every pot, and a listener for every podcast.”

• Rolled sleeves: Radio veteran Fred Jacobs agrees with Gary Vaynerchuk: “Marketers and content creators need to experience media and technology for themselves.” Jacobs underscores several G-Vee strategies that involve doing ― like reading those social media comments.