The Podcast News

A weekly recap of the latest podcast news and helpful tutorials. A show for podcast producers. Subscribe now to get important podcast news and helpful tips and tricks about podcast production, audience growth, monetization strategies, and more. Produced and hosted by podcast producer and editor Aaron Dowd.

Links:

– Consumers crave cheerful content during the coronavirus crisis
– 5 Ways to Fix Your Podcast’s Discoverability Problem
– No commuting, no problem: Podcasting ad revenue continues to grow
– A Survival Guide For Parents: Introducing Podcasts Into Homeschooling
– The Anatomy of a Podcast Open

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1

Consumers crave cheerful content during the coronavirus crisis

Starting off with this post this week from Sara Fisher on Axios.com:

> Consumers are looking for fun and lighthearted entertainment to relieve stress during the coronavirus crisis, instead of categories like true crime or suspense.

> Why it matters: Some mediums, like podcasting, that over-index on genres like true crime, may be partially impacted by the fact that consumers need a break from their regular content routines.

> Driving the news: According to new research from tv research firm Magid, consumers are seeking out funny (39%) and fun (31%) videos, movies and TV programs during the coronavirus crisis.

> Users are looking for comedic relief, according to new data from Captify, a firm that specializes in search retargeting. Users searching for search terms within Captify’s network such as funny movies, standup comedy, comedy, funny and sitcom as they relate to movies and TV shows was up over 314% from March 1 to April 12.

I’m not disconnecting from the news, but I need a distraction from it sometimes, and thankfully there are a lot of podcasters still putting out entertaining and educational content that provides some relief.

If you’re one of the podcasters making content that isn’t news: Thank you.

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2

5 Ways to Fix Your Podcast’s Discoverability Problem

From Jeremy Enns on his Medium blog, 5 ways to help you with audience acquisition and growth:

> A lot gets made over podcasting’s so-called “Discoverability Problem,” the perceived difficulty of allowing listeners to easily discover relevant podcasts.

> I call BS.

> Here are five quick thoughts on how to fix the discoverability problem for your show.

A great list of advice about growing an audience that touches on some important things that are often overlooked. A few stand-out quotes:

> Instead of waiting for podcasting apps and platforms to deliver the breakthrough development that will take your show and drop it into the lap of every one of your ideal listeners, you need to take the lead in getting in front of your audience and introducing yourself.

> The bar rising on the quality of the average podcast is ultimately a good thing for podcast listeners. As podcasters, we should desperately want people to associate the word “podcasting” with high-quality, engaging media. The only people who will suffer by a rising bar are those podcasters who refuse to adapt.

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3

No commuting, no problem: Podcasting ad revenue continues to grow

For this post on digiday.com, Max Willens checks in with a few industry folks about how podcast listener behavior and advertising spending is changing:

> With commuting on hold and everybody Zooming all the time, podcast consumption has taken a bit of a hit as listeners look for new ways to fit shows into their daily routines.

> But podcasting’s simplicity — and its on-demand nature — has meant that for now, ad revenue continues to grow for the medium, with many brand advertisers content to rework their messaging and keep spending, even as direct response advertisers pause or drop theirs.

> Though podcasting has not been immune to the pauses, cancellations and delays that have battered digital media the past few weeks, brand advertising on the format remains healthy: Megaphone, a podcast hosting and monetization platform used by publishers ranging from CBS Interactive to Vox Media, booked around twice as much new business as it lost in March, chief revenue officer Matt Turck said.

I keep returning to how much different our spending habits are going to be moving forward.

I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around just how different life is going to be, especially when thinking about all the jobs and commerce that revolved around people being in groups in close proximity to each other.

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4

A Survival Guide For Parents: Introducing Podcasts Into Homeschooling

From Erik Jones, for the Bello Collective’s Medium blog, a look at how to get your kids to listen to podcasts as part of their education at home:

> “Teachers don’t get paid enough,” is a phrase I imagine millions of parents have uttered out loud at some point this month.

> Stepping into the role of teacher is hard on a good day, and all the more difficult with a pandemic going on. There are countless permutations on what the new normal of home life looks like, none of which make it easy to prioritize education.

> I love podcasts, my wife loves podcasts, and both of our kids love learning. On paper, podcasts are perfect for homeschooling, with bite-sized lessons, minimal screen time, and a robust selection of family-friendly content.

> Not so fast. It turns out podcasts don’t hold the attention of young kids, no matter how much you hype it up to them. As much as I love Wow in the World, Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz are no match for Anna and Elsa for a guaranteed peaceful house.

> We didn’t want to give up so easily though, so over the past few weeks we have experimented with what actually works in helping young minds engage with educational audio while stuck at home. Podcasts are perfect as the centerpiece of a learning experience for kids. It just takes a little planning and patience.

> What follows are some of the strategies we’ve stumbled upon in our persistence to make audio work as a component of an at-home education for younger students.

A few of the takeaways:

– Experiment with best times of day and days of the week
– Put podcasts on the TV
– Talk before, during, and after the podcast
– Listen while doing something else
– Good ol’ bribery

As a kid, I loved radio dramas, and I wish I could have had access to today’s free library of podcasts.

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5

The Anatomy of a Podcast Open

From Tracy DeForge on the PodcastBusinessJournal.com:

> The old saying goes, “You get one chance to make a first impression.” What can a first impression tell us about anyone? Fifty-five percent of first impressions are made with visual impact. If you think about it, that’s only 55 percent. What makes up the other 45 percent? It’s all about the audio. It’s not what you say, but how you say it.

> An audio impression means the tone of your voice, the sound of your voice, and the words that you use. When you’re thinking about your podcast open, remember it’s your first chance to make a great impression. Also, it’s important to note that the first five to eight minutes of your podcast is the most critical when grabbing and holding your listener’s attention.

> Some people will tell you the main content is an essential part of your podcast. There’s no doubt your content is essential. But what if listeners never get to it? The open of your podcast can impact whether a person chooses to listen to the rest of your show.

> How do you evaluate the power of your podcast open? If you’re just launching your podcast or currently an active podcaster and want to assess your open and see how you can elevate it to the next level, ask yourself these questions.

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Closing Thoughts

I don’t have too much to share this week. I did have a wonderful conversation with Mathew Passy for his Podcast Me Anything show, so keep an eye out that, I’ll share a link when the episode drops.

I also recorded a new episode of The Podcast Dude that I’ll edit and publish… soon… Thanks to everyone who showed up for the live stream of that, it was fun and let’s do it again soon.

As always, thanks for listening. Stay safe out there, and I’ll talk to you again next week.

Aaron Dowd
April 19, 2020
Los Angeles, California

Thanks to the folks supporting this show: Kato, Alexander, and Norman, and Don.