PodMov Daily: Friday, December 3

Episode 548: Week Download Complete

YouTube's CEO Hints at Monetization for Podcasts

In conversation with Kimberly Adams of Marketplace Tech, YouTube’s CEO shed fresh light on the platform’s plan for podcasts. Susan Wojcicki is excited while wary of the crowded space. “But we do think it’s a good opportunity for people who are producing [podcasts] to generate revenue, have more distribution.”

“We crossed 50 million subscribers for our YouTube Music and Premium service, and so we know that users are paying for the service, and the more we can offer more podcasts there, we think that will be a really valuable service for our users,” Wojcicki said. This seems to hint at the monetization question: What’s in it for YouTube?

The talk was almost entirely about content moderation, including YouTube’s ‘whack-a-mole’ effort. As global powers like Spotify focus on video (and moderation, kind of), audio is top of mind. Will YouTube integrate paid podcasts into Music? Kai Chuk, the company’s dedicated executive, will eventually answer.

Read This: Build Your Audience Like a Punk Band

The struggle of indie podcasters is similar to that of mid-1990s punk bands, writes Timber co-founder Jon Christensen. Hoping to cash in on the success of a Green Day album, Hollywood Records tried (and failed) to court the band NOFX. “Those guys were TERRIBLE,” Christensen says, but their philosophy is invaluable.

“If you’re in it for the love of making stories, and not because you thought podcasting would be a quick way to market yourself or make some dosh, then hang in there and keep working,” he advises. With next to no audience for seven years, NOFX persisted to become one of the most successful independent bands of all time. 

Full disclosure: Your editor has been a NOFX fan for 15 years and counting. Christensen is 100% right: This analogy is not about talent. Though Fat Mike and the band eventually learned to play, it’s not the reason their audience came out to shows. Experiment, ask for support, and build an audience on who you are.

Memberful: Private Podcasting, Made Seamless

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Here's what else is going on:

• Rock steady: The UK matches the US in monthly podcast listening, according to the first Infinite Dial UK from Edison Research. Presented yesterday from London, findings include that 41% of those 16+ have listened to a podcast in the last month and 71% are familiar with them.

• Spicy blend: “The choice to allow — or not allow — swearing on your podcast should be based on your audience,” writes Mark Steadman of Podcode. No hosting platform or advertiser can (or should) decide for you, but it’s important to stay consistent once you’ve set a damn boundary.

• Onward, upward: This Wednesday, October 8 is “Year-End Podcast Planning: Part Two” with Libsyn’s Elsie Escobar. The free workshop will continue the conversation on time management, task lists, and critical checkpoints for a strong year ahead. Spots are limited; RSVP required.

• Best effort: Stephanie Coombes has read “a LOT of resumes” for podcast producer jobs, and is often disappointed by the same mistakes. “Want to avoid them? Good! I want to stop seeing them,” she writes on LinkedIn. To ignore part of an application is to waste your shot at the gig.