PodMov Daily: Thursday, July 22

Episode 467: Your Thursday Podthoughts

Survival Strategies for Podcasting’s Weirdest Times

Podcasting is in a truly chaotic era, writes Evo Terra in Podcast Pontifications. Between the Apple Podcasts breakdown, Spotify luring creators onto its platform (and away from RSS), and the explosion of social audio, things are weird. “The question is really what can you, the working podcaster, [do] about it.” 

These factors may or may not impact how you podcast. It depends on how involved you are in Podcasting with a capital P — the industry, the overall medium, and its landscape. Terra’s advice applies whether you’re a die-hard Podcast Person or if, like most creators, your show and listeners are everything.

No one company, app, or service will be a magic solution, Terra says. Be mindful, don’t put your eggs in one basket, and you’ll be fine. “By all means, try out new things that seem like they may have some tangential benefit to your podcast. But don’t get sucked in by the glitz and glamor of a fast-burning fad.”

Opinion: Politicians Need to Put Podcasts First

“It’s time we put podcasts where they deserve to be: at the center of our public discourse,” writes Travis Chappell in an Orlando Sentinel column. The CEO of podcast booking service Guestio, Chappell sees American politicians’ preference for broadcast television leading to a larger generational divide.

While about a quarter of adults get their news from TV, it’s perceived by many more as unreliable. Chappell compares presidential debate viewership to top podcast download numbers. What if we tried an audio debate, where voters could listen undistracted by chyrons and flies? (He doesn’t actually mention flies.)

Failing to embrace podcasts is holding politicians back from meaningful communication, Chappell says. “This is costing them audiences and leaving millions unconnected to their leaders.” Advertisers, too, need to shift their budgets away from TV news and toward the growing population of podcast fans.

Discover riffr, the Social Network for Micro-Podcasts

riffr is the social network where great audio comes in small packages. It’s a community all about sharing your voice and discovering others — like podcasting, but micro. In three minutes, riffs capture spontaneous thoughts and conversations. Just think it, record it, and share with your followers.

Your riffr feed makes it simple to find what you love. Browse hot topics or search for any subject, from #hiphop to #wellness. You can even post your audio to other social platforms with one click. The app converts your riff to a video, making your content discoverable anywhere.

With thousands of micro-podcasts posted every day, riffr is a community that lives in the moment. Ready to make short audio with big impact? Download the app, start following creators, and get inspired.

Here's what else is going on:

• Access granted: Clubhouse is out of beta and fully open, reports Taylor Hatmaker of TechCrunch. “It can be tricky to maintain healthy momentum after such high highs. Opening up the app to everybody should certainly help.” A new ’70s logo seems fitting for the app that started it all.

• Title case: Ashley Carman of The Verge “loved hearing” a comedy podcast episode based on her recent story, “The Podcasting Hype House from Hell.” But it would have been better if credit were given with quotes read aloud. It’s all in the show notes, but still something to keep in mind.

• Career move: Vox Media is seeking an Audio Fellow to work on a range of podcasts, including Today, Explained and Unexplainable. The yearlong remote fellowship is full-time, salaried with benefits, and starts in October. Hop on it: Applications are open, but no deadline is specified.

• Store manager: Podcast ad attribution (tracking exposures to actual purchases) can be tough when those purchases aren’t online. Sounds Profitable editor Bryan Barletta explains a few alternative methods for measurement “that you might never use but are super valuable to know exist.”