Todd Cochrane and Rob Greenlee bring you the New Media Show live from Podcast Movement 2023 with guests James Cridland of Podnews and Anne Kavanagh, the new CEO of Ossa. We spent just over an hour talking about the podcasting space—everything from Acquisitions, AI, RSS and the battle between open and closed platforms. We discuss how the area will change over the next couple of years.

The show summary is as follows:

• The recent acquisition of Squadcast by Descript – indicates consolidation in the podcast industry with tools merging. Also shows the convergence of audio and video in podcasting.
• Importance of video in podcasting – varying opinions on whether it is essential. Video can help attract audiences from one platform to another.
• YouTube’s upcoming entry into podcasting – will accept RSS feeds in the YouTube Music app. It could help podcasters get content on YouTube without needing video.
• The tension between large platforms like Spotify and the open RSS ecosystem. Podcasters should consider audience privacy when choosing services.
• Open Podcast Standards project – seeking to extend the capabilities of RSS to benefit podcasters and listeners and trying to get large platforms to adopt new namespaces.
• Pod fading – around 50% of new podcasters stop by episode 7. Hard to keep consistency and passion. It’s a good time now for new shows as competition drops.
• Monetizing shows – in many ways, like ads, V4V listener patronage, and driving business. You don’t need a huge audience.
• International growth – Markets like Europe and Middle East will see more growth—different expectations outside the US.
• AI and podcasting – more consolidation of AI tools into platforms is expected. It can help with tasks, not content. Unique human voices will still be valued.

Please take 60 seconds and fill out the listener survey from this link.  Donate to the show and Support this podcast.

Get a Sticker: Send us your show sticker, and we will send you a New Media Show Sticker. Get on our sticker board for the show.

New Media Productions
365 N Willowbrook Rd
Suite: C
Coldwater, Mi, 49036

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS

Podcast (audio): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS

 

Stephanie Arakelian joins Todd and Rob from the Impact Theory Podcast and YouTube channel. She is a podcast marketing and audience development specialist with the team. We discuss what it takes to have a successful Podcast and YouTube channel in the first of-its-kind interview we have done here at the New Media Show.

The episode opens with Todd and Rob welcoming Stephanie to the show. They note that it is rare for a brand to find significant success on both YouTube and podcasting, so they are interested in hearing about Impact Theory’s approach. They also discuss the Descript acquisition of Squadcast.

Descript – Squadcast Acquisition

Todd sees the acquisition as a strategic move for Descript. It will allow creators to record, edit, and distribute podcasts to platforms like Blubrry all within one platform. Rob notes that Descript has been focused on getting more content creators into their platform. Buying Squadcast expands its capabilities for recording and distributing podcasts. Todd thinks it puts companies trying to build standalone podcast platforms like Riverside.fm at a disadvantage. The merged Descript-Squadcast offering provides an integrated end-to-end solution.

They discuss how the acquisition could impact other podcast creation tools like Zencastr if more platforms consolidate features. Overall, Todd sees it as a brilliant move to streamline podcast production and distribution in one place. Rob agrees it completes the workflow for Descript.

Building a Successful YouTube Channel and Podcast

Stephanie shares that Impact Theory started on YouTube, building a massive audience there. The podcast launched about six months later. She explains that they intentionally keep the YouTube and podcast content separate, with different episode titles, formatting, release cadence, etc., tailored for each platform. This allows them to optimize growth based on unique algorithms and audience behaviors.

The hosts dive into various factors that influence success on YouTube versus podcasts. They discuss the importance of timely topics, thumbnail images, and brevity for YouTube. Podcasts allow for longer-form content. Stephanie notes that their podcast episodes are typically 1-1.5 hours long compared to 2-3 hours on YouTube.

The Difference in Platform Engagement

The group explores the differences in community building and engagement between the platforms. Stephanie notes that YouTube lends itself to more impersonal comments, while podcasting develops deeper intimacy between host and listener. She stresses making audio listeners feel valued, not just an afterthought.

Monetization and advertising also vary greatly. YouTube relies more on high volume at lower CPMs, while podcasting commands higher ad rates. Stephanie discusses how they price-integrated deals across both platforms accordingly.

Threats of de-platforming arise, with Todd noting some conservative podcasters he knows being banned from YouTube. The hosts agree creators must diversify and control their distribution for long-term viability.

As the platforms continue evolving, Stephanie emphasizes being ready to adapt and tweak strategies constantly. She believes agility is key to riding out the ongoing changes in media consumption. Even hosting this podcast discussion on YouTube and audio is an experiment in optimization.

Tricks to Analyze Your Podcast Data

Other topics covered include using AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT, and Code Interpreter for things like show notes, content summaries, and data analysis. Todd shares how he used Code Interpreter to analyze millions of rows of voting data for the Podcast Awards.

Please take 60 seconds and fill out the listener survey from this link.  Donate to the show and Support this podcast.

Get a Sticker: Send us your show sticker, and we will send you a New Media Show Sticker. Get on our sticker board for the show.

New Media Productions
365 N Willowbrook Rd
Suite: C
Coldwater, Mi, 49036

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS

Podcast (audio): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS

AI Tools for Content Creation

Much of the podcast discussion focused on how Todd has been experimenting with AI tools like Claude, ChatGPT & Midjourney to help streamline his content post-production workflow. He discussed using AI to generate titles, summaries, keywords, and other metadata for his show notes. While noting that the AI output still requires significant human editing, Todd talked about how these tools have allowed him to significantly expand show notes and metadata to provide more value for search engines.

This led to a broader conversation about how search is changing with the rise of large language models like Google’s LaMDA and Bing.  Todd and Rob discussed how content creators must optimize their show notes for these new language models to ensure their content is discoverable and ranks well in future search results. They discussed how this requires focusing on long-form, in-depth content with extensive metadata, summaries, and transcripts.

Podcast Advertising and Acast

Switching topics, the hosts discussed recent news around podcast advertising and Acast. They analyzed Acast’s recent financial results showing growing revenues but continued losses, questioning how it is still unprofitable given its sizable ad revenues. This led to a debate around digital audio ad rates, profit margins, and the challenges of scaling host-read podcast ads.

Daily vs. Weekly Podcast Publishing Cadences

Later in the show, Todd and Rob discussed the grueling nature of daily podcast publishing. They debated the viability of shows that publish daily or multiple times per week, noting the production demands and risk of podcaster burnout. This tied back to the news that the Sounds Profitable podcast was shifting to a daily cadence. The hosts were skeptical that a daily schedule was sustainable long-term for most podcast producers.

Podcast Movement Conference

As the upcoming Podcast Movement conference approached, Todd and Rob discussed their plans to attend and record The New Media Show live. They also discussed other happenings and events around Podcast Movement, including sessions, networking events, and vendor exhibits.

Podcast Apps and Value for Value

Throughout the episode, Todd and Rob highlighted podcast apps like Fountain and Podverse that enable value-4-value transactions through Bitcoin’s Lightning Network. They encouraged listeners to try out these new apps and offered up some Satoshis for those that tried the new modern podcast appsl.

Conclusion

In summary, Todd and Rob covered many pressing topics related to new media, podcasting, AI, and the industry’s ongoing evolution.  Please check out all the new Podcast Apps at PodcastApps.com that support Podcast 2.0 initiatives. You can also boost the show V4V and have your boost read live, the easiest way to keep the podcast.

Please take 60 seconds and fill out the listener survey from this link.  Donate to the show and Support this podcast.

Get a Sticker: Send us your show sticker, and we will send you a New Media Show Sticker. Get on our sticker board for the show.

New Media Productions
365 N Willowbrook Rd
Suite: C
Coldwater, Mi, 49036

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS

Podcast (audio): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS

Todd and Rob discuss the news that an AI suitability tool has discriminated against black podcasters in only what can be described as a told-you-so moment that we have discussed on this show in the past and is a watershed moment that should make podcasters pause. It raises the question does Urban One podcast network have a case against the company that caused 92% of their shows to be demonetized?

Much of the discussion focused on artificial intelligence and its growing impact on media. As AI tools become more advanced, they are used to generate massive volumes of content like blog posts and articles. Todd pointed out how this could decrease trust in the AI-created range in the future.

The human perspective shared through podcasts, videos, and live events may become more valued. However.

Regarding podcasting industry trends, Todd and Rob noted that podcast episode publishing has declined as some creators have pulled back. However, the audience reach of the remaining shows continues to grow. They also discussed upcoming podcast support features from platforms like TikTok and expanding kids’ audiences.

Regarding monetization, the hosts discussed how economic conditions have led some sponsors to scale back podcast advertising spending this year. However, other opportunities like micropayments and cryptocurrency donations remain vital areas of interest and innovation—that and much much more.

Please check out all the new Podcast Apps at PodcastApps.com that support Podcast 2.0 initiatives. You can also boost the show V4V and have your boost read live, the easiest way to keep the podcast.

Please take 60 seconds and fill out the listener survey from this link.  Donate to the show and Support this podcast.

Get a Sticker: Send us your show sticker, and we will send you a New Media Show Sticker. Get on our sticker board for the show.

New Media Productions
365 N Willowbrook Rd
Suite: C

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS

Podcast (audio): Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Podcast Index | RSS