PodMov Daily: Wednesday, January 5

Episode 562: Your Midweek Update

When Programmatic Ad Picks Go Wrong

Podcasting is “sprinting toward” a future of targeted ads, writes Ashley Carman of Hot Pod. However, programmatic marketplaces like Spotify’s are fallible, as is most software when nuance is involved. What happens when an ExxonMobil spot slips into a science show that’s explicitly blocked the oil and gas industries?

“Ads are showing up in places they shouldn’t, signaling not so much a death knell for the effort, but more of a warning that if the trend continues, early trust between podcast networks and tech companies could fall apart,” Carman says. Host-read (and approved) ads will always be championed in podcasting for a reason.

Carman was told that manually reviewing every ad at scale is nearly impossible for some platforms. Still, she says, “in an industry famous for its close ties between advertisers, hosts, and listeners, it’s a problem.” To earn listener trust, podcasters need to at least trust the software choosing their advertisers.

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NPR Plans to Bundle Station Membership with Podcasts

NPR plans to add new shows and exclusive bonus content to its new podcast platform NPR+, reports Sara Fischer of Axios. In the second half of the year, it plans to launch an on-demand podcast bundle as a benefit of membership to local stations. The move will help bridge the gap between NPR’s radio and podcast audiences.

Joel Sucherman, NPR’s vice president for new platform partnerships, says that the podcast bundle will give local station supporters extended access to an on-demand library of podcasts and digital content, similar to the on-demand service from PBS, ‘PBS Passport.’ Back in April, Sucherman explained early plans to Hot Pod.

“Our goal, ultimately, is to lift all boats to make sure NPR podcasts are supporting member stations more than they ever have before,” he said at the time. The organization relies on revenue via affiliate fees from radio station membership, and pulling in a younger generation of digital-first listeners may be a solution.

Keep Episodes Fresh with Dynamic Content

With Buzzsprout, it’s faster than ever to keep your podcast fresh — and your listeners up-to-date. The Dynamic Content tool lets you easily add and remove short pre-roll (intro) and post-roll (outro) content to your episodes. It's the perfect solution for timely messaging.

Whether you’re promoting a virtual event or giving a special shout-out, Dynamic Content makes it simple to swap, automatically add content to new episodes, or apply it to your existing catalog with a click. Old files are removed and replaced, so there’s no clean-up.

This innovative feature offers more than flexibility. It benefits your audience in more ways than one: Buzzsprout respects your listeners’ privacy. Unlike most Dynamic Ad Insertion, the Dynamic Content tool includes no tracking or targeting. Ready to make the switch?

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Here's what else is going on:

• Fast forward: This week’s PM update announces dates for the next three events in 2023 and 2024. Podcast Movement and Evolutions will visit three new US states! In other news, the Holiday Sale for Evolutions 2022 (Los Angeles) and PM22 (Dallas) is on until tonight at midnight. Hop on it.

• Hire purpose: Sounds Profitable editor Bryan Barletta will be running a virtual job fair for the ‘business side’ of podcasting. “By the end of Q1 or the beginning of Q2” he plans to help connect prospective professionals with hundreds of jobs in the podcast tech and ad trades. Reach out if interested.

• Match box: The Podcast Font is a new icon font for websites, offering consistent logos for popular platforms, apps, and functionality. Thanks to Podnews for the word on this open, free resource that “makes graphical buttons and links just as easy as one line of code.” Oh hey, a transcript tag.

• Dance break: Seth Resler of Jacobs Media has launched Podcast Parties, a virtual event production service for podcasters. The goal is to host mixers, interactive workshops, and virtual cocktail hours that create revenue through tickets, sponsorships, and rewards for supporters.