PodMov Daily: Tuesday, July 23

Episode 6: Your Newsday Tuesday

Peak Podcast? Not So Fast, NYT

We open this Tuesday with a preview of an original article addressing “Have We Hit Peak Podcast?” in The New York Times. The full piece is on the Podcast Movement site for your popcorn-munching pleasure.

A recently published piece by Jennifer Miller in The New York Times entitled “Have We Hit Peak Podcast?” has been quite the topic of conversation, garnering some mixed reactions. The subtitle removes all doubt as to the editorial angle: “If past experience (cough, blogs) is any indication, a shakeout is nigh.” No matter how one fits into the podcasting ecosystem, we can all see that the sheer number of shows has become overwhelming. However, the Times article positions a “makeshift” and “mediocre” podcast, hosted by two inexperienced, unmotivated individuals, as its central cautionary tale.

The doomed project, apathetically named “The Advice Podcast,” was an attempt to grow its cohosts’ personal brands. “We assumed we’d be huge,” explains Morgan Mandriota, one of the two creators. When “affiliate marketing deals and advertisements” failed to appear, the effort was abandoned after just 6 episodes.

iHeartRadio and Pride Media Release LGBTQ+ Podcasts

iHeartRadio has partnered with Pride Media to co-produce a slate of new LGBTQ+ podcasts in 2019 – 2020. Pride Media is the largest publisher of LGBTQ+ content in the United States, boasting a reach of 6.3 million monthly users. The Outcast, the first show to be released, launched its first weekly episode on July 18. It discusses queer and queer-adjacent topics, including deep dives into “politics, pop culture, fashion, relationships, money and more.” Fran Tirado, host and Out Magazine deputy editor, said this in a statement:

” A podcast by the world’s premiere [sic] queer media brand is long overdue, and I am more than honored to help it along the way. Podcasting and audio storytelling, particularly in the LGBTQ+ space, needs more voices in it.

Food 4 Thot, a beloved podcast at the “intersection of queerness and brownness,” will also be joining the Pride Media/iHeartRadio lineup. It combines intellectual discussion around sex, race, and identity with pop culture and humor. These and upcoming shows will attract an influential audience to iHeartRadio’s network, and will be available on all major podcast platforms.

Dynamic Ad Insertion Surges as Sponsorships Adapt

Last fall, when Panoply (now Megaphone) shut down content production to focus on ad tech, media watchers were surprised. Based on recent podcast advertising trends, though, the shift highlights the race to attract big brands. According to Adweek, advertisers are trying to figure out if podcasts function more like radio or more like digital media. Small and devoted audiences may rake in profit for specialized retailers, but they’re a hard sell for large corporations.

Dynamic ad insertion is positioned as the most likely solution to this sponsorship problem. A May report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers showed a significant increase in the technology’s popularity. It allows the plugging and swapping of ads into episode slots at the time of download rather than release. The survey found that “the share of ads placed through dynamic insertion (48.8%) was close to surpassing those baked into the content for the first time last year.”

These “baked in” ads, as they’re known, won’t go quietly. Read by the host in a way that offers variety and authenticity, listeners respond well to them. The downside for the sponsor, though, is that the ad can’t be moved or edited. Dynamic ad insertion lets sponsors keep messages current, and therefore more relevant. Spotify announced a new ad product last month that may provide a middle ground: Data collected from non-paid accounts will allow marketers to target users based on their listening habits.

From England to PM19 With Love

This fine Tuesday we’re highlighting a tweet that had us positively chuffed. This bestselling author and podcaster will be traveling to PM19 all the way from Bath, England. Thanks for the shoutout, Joanna Penn!

Love,

Tearm PM

Here's what else is going on:

• SquadCast launches V2: The redesigned recording platform offers mobile and cross-browser support and flexible pricing, plus signature high-quality audio for remote interviews. The “quality-first” upgrade, released today, aims for crisp conversations and smoother user experience.
• Representation Retrospective: Podcast networks race to emulate the streaming platform, but there’s such a thing as too much variety. Subscription networks with specific topics may well attract more paying listeners and focused sponsors. Media veterans see broad value in narrow offerings.
• Niche, not Netflix: Keeping up with promotion is essential to growing an audience, but you’ve heard the standard advice. Sharpen your focus with suggestions like seeking guest interview spots, creating audiograms of episode highlights, and posting in the PM Community Facebook group. Truth
• Podcast Makeover preview: Looking forward to the back-by-popular-demand live critique session at PM19 this year? So are we. So much, in fact, that Jacobs Media has shared their latest episode breakdown with us, to be released tomorrow. Stay tuned for detailed expertise that can help any podcaster improve.