PodMov Daily: Friday, February 14

Episode 143: Week Download Complete

Editor's note: The Daily will return on Tuesday, February 18 after a one-day break. In other news, today's animal GIF shows nature's ultimate valentines: The Wandering Albatross is a species of seabird that mates for life.

Thursday's Evolutions Keynotes Entertain and Inspire

In attendees’ own words, yesterday’s keynote presentations from Misha Euceph, Conal Byrne, and Bob Pittman were entertaining and inspiring. Anna McClain commented on Twitter that it was refreshing to hear Euceph “talk about bypassing gatekeepers, staying creative and open in this industry, embracing failure, and not always taking the front door.”

Byrne and Pittman had a spirited, innovative discussion about new ideas in podcasting and radio. They focused on the importance of quality audio hosts, announcing iHeartMedia’s plans to expand Spanish-language offerings. As @kcoconnor put it, the path to better content is “Community vs Celebrity!” and creating unique relationships with audiences.

Podcasting Trends: Detailed Growth Strategy from Buzzsprout

During yesterday’s “Podcasting Trends” session, Buzzsprout’s VP of Software Development John Pollard dove into optimizing growth. “Descriptive but not prescriptive,” Pollard’s framework explains which strategies work, namely social media promotion, and why.

The audience was shown extensive, well-organized data on Buzzsprout’s top podcasts. Questions like “Is my podcast successful?” need about 90 days of analysis to answer. Some of the session’s slides are available on Twitter.

In addition to key metrics, the session covered what creators should ignore. Episode length, for example, should never dictate the nature of a podcast. “Your content shouldn’t fit your length,” Pollard says. “Your length should fit your content.”

Spotlight: Ally Salama of Empathy Always Wins

Before yesterday's session “Breaking the Digital Mold,” we had the pleasure of speaking with Ally Salama, the host of Empathy Always Wins, a youth leadership podcast focusing on empathy and wellness.

Originally from Egypt, Salama is now based in Toronto and serves as a mental health ambassador. “A year ago I founded [the first] Middle East mental health magazine,” he told us. “It’s called Empower Mag, and we were recognized and featured by Harvard and the World Health Organization.”

The stated goal of Salama’s work is “building a powerful community that stands out.” At each PM event, and every day in between, we’re impressed with and grateful for the radiating positive impact of podcasters.

Here's what else is going on:

• Power couple: This May, Johnny B and Johnny Smacks of The 2 Johnnies will soon “present the biggest live podcast recording in Ireland to date.” Mike McGrath-Bryan of Echo Live finds out why the show's ‘hotter than fresh tay.'

• Report card: In Podcast Business Journal, Jam Street Media President Matty Staudt shares his take on PM Evolutions so far, highlighting the projects of several “new podcasters and first time Podcast Movement attendees.”

• Spooky sound: Deadline confirms that the Netflix documentary about a kidnapping, “Abducted in Plain Sight,” will have a spin-off podcast. Obsessed With: Abducted In Plain Sight will be hosted by the film’s director Skye Borgman.

• Double scoop: iHeartMedia has announced “two new efforts aimed at expanding the iHeartPodcast Network with more Spanish-language and Hispanic-focused offerings,” including a new slate of podcasts from Enrique Santos.