PodMov Daily: Tuesday, October 27

Episode 315: Testing, One Two-sday

Why (and How) Podcasters Should Be Reviewing Other Shows

“Reviews help podcasters, but not in the competitive way most imagine,” writes Lindsay Harris Friel of The Podcast Host. Creators that engage with their own reviews need to start thoughtfully commenting on other shows. Friel explains how craft a brief, honest review that truly elevates the dialogue.

Before posting, ask yourself four questions: “Is it true? Is it constructive? Is it helpful? Would I want people to know that I wrote it?” Friel breaks down what a review should communicate and how. Don’t limit yourself to Apple Podcasts, she insists. Sharing on Podchaser and social media will amplify the positive impact.

“We need to get numbers (ranking, downloads, stats) out of our heads, stop comparing, and focus on meaning,” Friel says. Expressing your opinion objectively, peer-to-peer, is worth so much more than a few stars. “Your reviews will enhance your reputation as a podcaster, and your podcast’s image.”

Tech Monopolies in Podcasting Aren't Good (for) News

Big tech in podcasting could wreck audio journalism, writes Grace Gedye of Washington Monthly. Full platform monopolization in the U.S., though likely, can be avoided. “Podcasting offers policy makers a chance to atone for their sins — by using public policy to keep podcasting from being devoured before it’s too late.”

Podcasting “provides space for in-depth reporting, something that has become increasingly difficult to fund in other media,” Gedye says. The same practices eroding print journalism are at play in podcasting. The gang’s (almost) all here in the recent House antitrust subcommittee report: Apple, Google and Amazon.

Spotify, the other three giants, and all observable evidence show that structural separation is badly needed. “Podcasts are one of the few promising ways for media outlets to reach new audiences [and] develop new journalistic formats,” Gedye writes. The history of digital advertising would like to have a word.

Buzzsprout: The Next Generation of Podcast Transcription

At Buzzsprout, innovation means progress. High-quality transcription and distribution should be simple. The new Transcription Toolset does just that. Not only do transcripts make your show accessible for the deaf and hard-of-hearing community, there’s no better way to amplify your reach.

Transcripts make your content easier to find and repurpose, from social media to video. Buzzsprout’s intuitive tools offer four ways to add them: Temi integration, Descript integration, uploading an .srt file, or writing your own. With Buzzsprout, your definitive transcript is also included in your RSS feed. 

Transcripts within the RSS feed makes it easy for podcast apps, directories, and aggregators to access them. Currently distributing over 46,000 transcripts through RSS, Buzzsprout has been collaborating with the Podcast Index to benefit the whole space — building smarter tools for a better future.

Here's what else is going on:

• Visual cues: The audio streaming platform Deezer has a message for users illegally playing content: “We see you,” but we won’t stop you. In an email, the company warned that pirated software exposes “invasive security risks that can damage your data in harmful ways.”

• Moon roof: Demographic ad tech can’t tell who in your home is downloading a podcast, writes Bryan Barletta in Sounds Profitable. “IP address and user agent just isn’t enough to filter out one person in a digital household full of information gathered outside of podcasting.”

• Prep school: How should podcasters approach networking with other hosts? According to James Griffin of Discover Pods, “You’ll need to know quite a bit about these shows and be genuine fans of their work.” Networking is a numbers game where each impression counts.

• Get fancy: Hi-fi is coming to podcasting, says Evo Terra in Podcast Pontifications. Audio tech (and listener expectations) are trending toward perfection. Terra offers tips to “ensure that when this hi-fi world comes to pass in podcasting your content is a near-perfect fit.”