PodMov Daily: Wednesday, October 7

Episode 301: Your Midweek Update

What Does “The Inconsequential Quest” Say About Podcasting?

To Caroline Crampton of Hot Pod, the now-famous Reply All episode “The Case of the Missing Hit” encapsulates a problem in podcasting. We’re all familiar with what Crampton calls “The Inconsequential Quest” format. A host follows something that seems trivial and investigates it to the ends of the earth.

“The resulting episode or series documents this journey in detail and ultimately reveals a conclusion that surprises and delights listeners,” Crampton writes. But who gets to go on these quests? “Podcasting is already a far from level playing field, and even within that this prestigious little niche of it is closed off to almost everybody.”

Being able to produce an episode like this involves luxury: resources, cultural clout, and the trust of a network willing to bankroll the risk. When Crampton listens to podcasts along these lines, she’s reminded of “who doesn’t have the chance to throw time and money at a weird little problem and see what sticks.”

Weekly Update: New PM Virtual Speakers and Workshops

This week’s update introduces the sixth round of speakers for PM Virtual. In less than two weeks, we’ll welcome these experts and more to the virtual stage: Aaron Mahnke of Lore, John Lee Dumas of Entrepreneurs on Fire, and Hernan Lopez of Wondery.

Want to get the most out of PM Virtual? Explore the “à la carte” workshop options, which range from beginner education to a bootcamp for podcast advertisers. Read on for details about the Lunch and Learns that will be taking place each of the four event days.

In other news, there’s still time to apply for the PM Virtual Scholarship Program. New or yet-to-launch podcasters who are in the PM Facebook group and have not attended a PM event are encouraged to apply. Recipients will be announced next week.

The Hot 50 Countdown: A New Podcast from Podcast Magazine

Launching soon on all major podcast platforms, The Hot 50 Countdown is a brand new podcast from Podcast Magazine. Each month, Podcast Magazine's own Rob Actis counts down the Top 50 podcasts in the land as determined by podcast fans. 

Rob takes listeners “beyond the microphone” for in-depth discussions with leading podcasters, and dives deeper into the stories podcast listeners can't get enough of. Familiar with American Top 40 ? You’ll love this new show.

Will your favorite podcasts be featured? They can. Vote at www.podcastmagazine.com/hot50 and make your voice heard. Grab a free, lifetime subscription to Podcast Magazine to be the first to know when The Hot 50 Countdown launches. Stay tuned!

Here's what else is going on:

• Stop, thief: Podnews has discovered that Anchor’s tools make it easy to copy podcasts. “You don’t even need to know the RSS feed of the podcast you want to pirate.” James Cridland walks through the six-step process and explains how Anchor could have avoided this.

• Sneak peek: At yesterday’s second annual Podfront, seven major podcast networks (Entercom, ESPN, Kast Media, Midroll, NPR, PRX, and Wondery) presented new shows, ad opportunities, and trends. On-demand recordings of all sessions are available with registration.

• Welcome in: Tomorrow is the deadline to apply for the PM Virtual Scholarship Program. A limited number of PLUS Passes are still available. Eligible applicants are new or yet-to-launch podcasters who are part of the PM Facebook group and have not yet attended a PM event. 

• Follow me: Spotify CCO Dawn Ostroff is all in on influencer podcasts, writes KC Ifeanyi of Fast Company. Spotify’s latest deals show that “leaning on the massive audiences of influencers is a way to tap directly into the Gen Z market and cut their entertainment clutter.”