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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Rob Greenlee and Sam Sethi have an in-depth discussion about new monetization models for podcasting, including micropayments, the value for value model, and using satoshis. They talk about platforms like Podfans that allow listeners to support shows via small payments, as well as broader industry initiatives like Podcasting 2.0.

Sam gives an overview of the value for value concept – podcasters set a value for their content, and listeners can pay that amount or adjust it up or down depending on what they feel the content is worth. This is facilitated by micropayments using Bitcoin’s smallest unit, satoshis.

Sam explains how his platform Podfans implements value for value using satoshi micropayments. Listeners pay per minute as they listen to episodes, rather than a flat subscription fee upfront. This gives listeners more control and transparency over what they pay.

They discuss some of the challenges around getting people used to using digital wallets and transacting in satoshis. The process can still be complex for average listeners. However, Sam argues that with time and exposure, satoshi micropayments can become as ubiquitous as sending an email.

Rob and Sam explore how value for value relates to Bitcoin and some of the controversy around cryptocurrencies. They agree there is still friction from governments who may see Bitcoin as a threat to state-controlled currencies and transactions.

The conversation shifts to how the podcasting industry can better market these new standards like Podcasting 2.0 namespaces. Sam argues the Podcast Standards Project needs more momentum and leadership to drive adoption. He suggests versioning namespaces like “2.0, 2.01, 2.02” as a way to differentiate apps supporting the newest standards.

They discuss whether big platforms like Twitter could potentially accelerate adoption if they build in support for micropayments and podcasting standards into their apps.

Overall the episode covers the promise but also difficulties around getting micropayments and value for value models adopted at scale across the podcast industry. But both agree it represents an important shift in podcast monetization.

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.

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Lisa Laporte, CEO of TWIT.tv, and Rob Greenlee, Co-host of New Media Show, have a discussion about Video and Audio Podcasting and its history and where it is now, and where it is going. We also discuss the complex Podcast Advertising Market and YouTube Music with Podcasts that are video only and future support for Audio. Many other topics were discussed, like flying cars and other topics about This Week In Tech Network’s Club TWIT Subscription and Marketing strategies to grow podcast and YouTube audiences.

Our guest, Lisa LaPorte, has been involved in the podcasting industry for 15-16 years. She discusses the evolution of podcasting, noting how it has grown from being audio-only to incorporating video. Lisa and the Rob discuss the changes in the medium, including the rise of video content and platforms like YouTube and TikTok. They also talk about the future of content creation, predicting an increase in independent contractors entering the new media space. The conversation shifts to the topic of advertising in podcasts. Lisa explains the advertising model of her network, Twit, which includes host-read ads within the content of their shows. She also discusses their recent partnerships for dynamic ad insertion in their audio content.

Throughout the conversation, the speakers reflect on the evolution of podcasting, the impact of technology, and the future of the industry. They also discuss the challenges and opportunities presented by advertising and monetization in podcasting.

1. How has the evolution of technology impacted the podcasting industry?
2. What are the pros and cons of different advertising models in podcasting?
3. How might the rise of independent contractors change the landscape of content creation?

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The excitement is palpable as we gear up for next month’s Podcast Movement event, traditionally the Mecca for podcast enthusiasts and professionals worldwide. Despite the tough economy for trade shows, there’s an air of anticipation, underpinned by a curious blend of optimism and anxiety. With only four keynote speakers announced so far, it seems the event is taking a distinct path this year. Perhaps this indicates a shift in strategy, a move towards quality over quantity, or a nod to the changing times. Looking over the exhibitor list, most companies are back this year, and their corporate support remains strong. We will try to get a team member on the show in the coming weeks.

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Podcasts have transformed the media landscape, becoming a formidable medium bridging the gap between audio and video. We look at the rise of YouTube as a supposed leading podcast platform and the largely unanswered questions about what exactly consumers are watching on YouTube is it perceptions that the content sounds like a podcast but is nothing more than a YouTube channel that does not have a true accompanying podcast listing in a modern podcast app. We also discuss whose responsibility it is to promote a true Video Podcast, the Podcaster or Apple Podcasts. Or does Apple know that Audio consumption remains king, with billions of listens each month versus the supposed views happening on YouTube? We have yet to see so-called Podcasts on YouTube live up to the hype being reported. While we do now, the 18-34 range leans towards audio podcasting remains to this day, the easier space to break out in.

Note: Cumulus Media | Westwood One and Signal Hill Insights commissioned MARU/Matchbox to survey weekly podcast consumers in April 2023. We want to thank Paul Riismandel for joining us and breaking the survey down.

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By the end of August, SiriusXM announced the shutdown of the Stitcher podcasting app, which once commanded 4-5% of the global podcast listening audience. The decision was driven by Stitcher’s dwindling listener share, now less than half of 1%, and the strategic move to integrate podcasts more holistically into SiriusXM’s subscription service to drive further growth. With the Stitcher team fully integrated into SiriusXM, the combined entity will now form the SiriusXM Podcast Network

With the newly united SiriusXM team, the company focuses on both the content and advertising aspects of podcasting. The integration and subsequent shutdown of Stitcher is seen by many as a failure of the company’s business in not being able to capitalize on an app that was loved by many.

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