PodMov Daily: Wednesday, December 4

Episode 99: Your Midweek Update

Wednesday Guest Feature: Transitioning to Full-Time Podcast Life

This Wednesday’s guest article from Wil Williams is just about as ‘real’ as industry advice gets. After years of creating and writing about podcasts, Williams recently made the transition from auxiliary-business to full-time freelance work in the space.

“Going full-time is a serious commitment with plenty of risks, and it’s not for everyone,” Williams asserts. “There’s nothing wrong with keeping podcasts as a hobby, or a ‘side hustle,’ or just not making the thing you love into work.”

Many podcast-focused creatives aspire to take this leap, but it’s responsible preparation that can make or break a plan. Working through a budget, including the logistics of health insurance and tax changes, is essential.

For Williams, the choice to launch an independent career has been a rewarding challenge: “It’s a step that takes a lot of courage and self-confidence. And it’s one of the most freeing choices you could ever make for yourself.”

PM's Weekly Community Recap: Holiday Flair & Housewarming

‘Tis the season in this week’s community recap. The first 2 episodes of the Podcast Movement Sessions podcast have been released. Producer Ted Woods focuses the conversation on advocacy and women podcasters. Subscribe to catch weekly episodes.

Kerry-Ann Reid-Brown of Breadfruit Media and Josh Cary of the Hidden Entrepreneur podcast are the stars of our most recent PM19 mini-documentaries. Fresh episodes are added weekly to our YouTube channel.

It’s moving day for Team PM, and we’re welcoming Dallas community members to our housewarming party. Come see us at the new HQ, WorkLodge Dallas, from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Food and drinks are on us — just bring yourself and some business cards. Kindly RSVP here.

‘Maximum' Party Foul: Click Farms and Fraudulent Downloads

“In digital, where there is money, there is often fraud,” expresses Lucinda Southern for Digiday. “Last year, click farms in audio were used to game the ranking of podcasts in Apple’s iTunes charts through accounts leaving reviews. In the case of Maximum Media, it’s been alleged that listens to the podcast episode on SoundCloud leapt from 3,000 to 21,000 overnight.”

According to James Cridland of Podnews, Maximum, Ireland’s largest media agency, has suspended its contracts with Apple. “[…]its founder, Niall McGarry, has now left the Irish business to focus on the company’s business in the UK,” Cridland reports. “Ad agencies are calling for more granular data to help spot click-fraud.”

Happy Wednesday, readers, and thanks to Podnews for supporting our Sessions podcast by Ted Woods. We’re grateful for the enthusiastic feedback it’s received and always appreciate a shout out.

Cheers,

Team PM

Here's what else is going on:

• Building space: Podfund’s Creator Spotlight is on Hebah Fisher: journalist, entrepreneur, and co-founder of Kerning Cultures, the first venture-backed podcast company in the Middle East. Nicola Korzenko of Podfund speaks to Fisher about the podcast-turned-production hub.

• El principio: The first episode of El Washington Post, the Spanish-language podcast that will “explore the top stories shaping the world,” has launched. The show is hosted by Emmy Award-winning journalist Juan Carlos Iragorri and produced from The Post‘s newsroom.

• Bridge mix: Hot Pod’s Caroline Crampton discusses podcast discovery methods that present a middle ground between overly calculated and inefficiently familiar. The goal: an alternative to the binary of ‘outsourced’ algorithmic feeds and subjective personal suggestions.

• Hoops loops: Sports media company Uninterrupted has partnered with SiriusXM to bring “athlete-curated playlists to Pandora.” LeBron James and Maverick Carter founded Uninterrupted in 2015. Its focus on “athlete-created video content” is expanding into podcasting.