🎙️TODAY’S BRIEF

• 🚀 Spotify to Sunset Chartable, Integrating Key Features into Megaphone Platform

• 🔥Emotional Tributes and Star-Studded Victories Mark 2024 British Podcast Awards

• 🚨 Podcast Insight: Radio Reigns Supreme: Tax Prep Brands Discover Hidden Power of AM/FM Advertising

• 🌏 Podcast Elsewhere:  Podcasts: The New Power Lunch of the Digital Age

👋 Hi, Podsky!

Miguel here! I just wanted to say a big, heartfelt thank you for your continued support of our newsletter. We simply couldn't do it without you!

Our second issue of Podwires Ventures AI is out tomorrow, this newsletter is all about podcast ventures, partnerships and AI in podcasting. If you haven't already subscribed, it's free, click here.

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Today’s issue takes 10 minutes to read.

Let’s dive in on today’s newsletter. - Miguel

⬇️Listen : This podcast interviews top performers and deconstructs them to find tools, tactics, and tricks to help you become a successful podcast producer.

⬇️Listen : Trailer Mixtape is your destination to find the best of the many exciting new podcasts out there. Each episode brings you a playlist mix of fresh, vital, and thrilling podcast trailers—new and trending—on comedy, true crime, news, and more.

SPOTIFY
🔥Spotify Unveils Game-Changing Analytics Tool for Podcast Creators

Spotify for Podcasters is breaking new ground in how podcasting has been going on by making a new move to announce a new audience journey visualization tool. This innovative feature is designed to arm creators with more actionable insights in a bid to bridge the gap between discovery and consumption of podcasts on the platform.

According to Spotify's own declaration, this addition to its analytics suite will grant podcasters an unprecedented view of their audience's behavior and may change how they usually approach growth strategies.

The Key points:

• New audience journey visualization tool launching for all creators

• Feature shows conversion from impressions to streams

• Accessible on the Analytics page of Spotify for Podcasters

• Provides metrics on reach, interest, and content streaming

• Aims to help creators optimally present the growth trajectory of the show.

Our Analogy: Think of this new analytics tool like GPS to your podcast on its way to success. Just like a GPS shows your destination but also various routes you could take to get there, this tool maps your audience's path from discovery to loyal listenership.

It flags up the 'traffic jams' where potential listeners might be dropping off and the 'express lanes' where the content is performing well. The roadmap that follows will get you on your way to finding a better route through podcasting and avoiding the dead ends in audience development.

Our Take : We, the producers of this podcast, are really thrilled with this new analytics feature and what it would mean for us. Such insight is invaluable when one has to plan specific growth strategies-either SEO adjustments, collaboration with other creators, or experimentation with new content formats.

This further democratizes the opportunities for independent podcasters by giving them access to data that, up until now, has been largely exclusive to larger networks. We believe this is a major leap forward in democratizing podcast growth and enabling creators to grow a loyal, engaged audience. It's innovations like these that remind us why we love being part of the ever-changing podcasting industry.

One-Click Wonder: My Experience with Google's AI Podcast Creator

I tried Google's new one-click AI podcast creator, and now I don't know anymore what is real and what isn't!

I was a bit puzzled about Google NotebookLM. NotebookLM is insane! It takes an article, blog post, or web page and, at the click of one button, produces an audio file of a conversation between two people about it. It sounds so natural and realistic that you would think that you are listening to two real people talking. They speak about the subject with such passion and authority that you can tell they're genuinely into it. They banter back and forth with each other in such a natural way that's just, like, the cutest thing-just your breath away! It's so nice how even the little sniffs, slight mispronunciation, slurs, and little giggles are included to make it sound completely human.

The cool thing is that the making of the audio was very simple! Within a few minutes, it generated a .WAV file which I could download onto my desktop. The audio clip was about eight minutes long. Upon hearing this, I was like, "The world has changed somehow. I don't know anymore what is real and what is not.".

What happened was that the AI took my Podpoll 2024 PDF( Courtesy by Deadset Studio) and described the main concepts of it so interactively-the 'presenters' discussing between them. It was interesting! It expanded on the topic in new and creative ways I hadn't thought of. It made analogies from other areas of life that were really thought-provoking. What I was talking about had practical examples introduced by the presenters, and not just from my article; they had wider knowledge on the subject, which to me was impressive. And most importantly, it got none of it wrong!

I'd love to hear your thoughts: - Miko Santos

🚀 We'd love for you to join us on our exciting journey into the world of podcasting and AI! Make sure you subscribe to Podwires Ventures AI to stay up to date with all the latest.

🗞️ TL;DR - PODCAST NEWS

• Podcast Interviews: The New Secret Weapon for Business Networking, Bloomberg Reports. The following illustrates a new form of networking, courtesy of podcasters, in a recent article by Ashley Carman for Bloomberg: A host invites on guests that could be potential clients or hard-to-reach people, and more often than not leaves with a business relationship or opportunity that wouldn't have happened if they'd tried to reach out cold call-style.

• Russell Howard's Wonderbox Podcast Joins Adelicious Network, Introducing Ads. Adelicious signed Russell Howard's Wonderbox. Howard's popular podcast will offer advertising and sponsorship for the first time since September 2023. This partnership marks the first Avalon title to join the UK's leading independent podcast hosting and monetisation network.

• Lexus Drives Brand Awareness with Innovative Podcast Advertising Campaign. Audacy ran a podcast ad effort for Lexus that drove double-digit lifts in the brand's familiarity and favorability-particularly among their most important demo of women aged 35-54-proving customized, host-read ads really work on the podcast medium.

• Spotify Introduces Synched Feeds: Unifying Free and Premium Podcast Content. In other words, Spotify has continued to increase its open API access by adding in Synched Feeds that allow creators to include both free and paid content under one podcast feed, making things seamless for their listeners and perhaps increasing monetization opportunities for creators.

  
  

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📼 SPOTIFY
Spotify to Sunset Chartable, Integrates Key Features into Megaphone Platform

In a move that reorders the podcast analytics landscape, Spotify has announced plans to sunset Chartable, a leading podcast measurement and attribution tool. This decision, through a recent statement from the company, comes as part of Spotify's broader strategy to rationalize its suite of creator tools and fortify its core platforms.

Key points from the announcement:

• Chartable will be decommissioned on December 12, 2024

• SmartLinks and SmartPromos features will be fully integrated into Megaphone in 2025

• All existing Megaphone customers would continue to have the available tools at their disposal until the integration

• The onboarding of new customers to Chartable has stopped, effective immediately

• Spotify is replacing it with a new set of sharing links within Spotify for Podcasters

Our Analogy: Consider this transition as akin to a city replacing its public transportation system. As the old, comfortable bus routes, so familiar, are being taken out of commission, in their place comes something better: an integrated subway system. This may take some getting used to, but at least in promise it's going to be easier to travel for both podcasters and advertisers alike.

As a podcast producer, it means: This Spotify move really tells us how important adaptability is in this ever-evolving podcasting world. So, while the demise of Chartable will be terribly upsetting for many in the short term, this is another moment in time to research other analytics alternatives that might offer superior integrated solutions inside Spotify and create even more depth around audience insights and performance optimization. As producers, we're supposed to keep ourselves updated with these changing times and prepare our clients to guide them through the transition so that we can continue to provide worthwhile insights and optimize podcast performance in this changing landscape.

PODCAST INSIGHT 
🚨Radio Reigns Supreme: Tax Prep Brands Discover Hidden Power of AM/FM Advertising

In a surprising turn of events in the advertising world, a series of comprehensive studies conducted by the Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group® has released an astonishing supremacy of AM/FM radio to drive brand awareness and engagement for tax preparation services. Despite television advertising budgets being 12 times larger than radio budgets, the research shows that those listening to the radio have a far better brand recall and are more apt to use tax preparation services than TV viewers.

The Key points:

• The Cumulus Media | Westwood One Audio Active Group® study reveals that AM/FM radio listeners are 67% more likely to show familiarity with the tax preparation brands compared to heavy TV viewers.

• Radio drives a considerable lift in website traffic, up 59% in 2024 over the prior year.

• In those markets that invested heavily in radio, location visits to tax preparation services increased an astounding 245%.

• Radio listeners have also been found to be 26% more likely to spend over $101 on tax preparation services, depicting a better propensity to invest in such services.

• As research states, brand awareness and share of search are strongly linked, and the power of radio to drive digital engagement is massive.

Our Analogy: Look at advertising as if you were planting a garden. The flashy, exotic flowers that catch your eye are the TV ads, which sometimes don't take. Radio ads are the hardy perennials: in due time, they spread throughout the garden. Perhaps inconspicuous to the eye at first, they win out with a more resilient and enduring life. A diverse garden will bear fruits better and for a longer period; similarly, a diverse advertising strategy-something that includes radio-power-will yield a more robust brand presence.

Our take as podcast producers: This research really underlines the enduring power of audio content in capturing audience attention and driving engagement. This further reinforces our view on how intimate and personal audio media is since one can establish a deeper connection with listeners.

The bottom line from this study is that we should be conveying to our clients the unique value proposition of audio advertising, not just in podcasts but in the wider panoply of radio and digital audio. It also underlines the importance of producing creative audio content that really connects with listeners since its effects clearly reverberate well beyond the point at which it was heard to shape brand perception and consumer behavior.

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AWARDS
🚨 Emotional Tributes and Star-Studded Victories Mark 2024 British Podcast Awards

At the 2024 British Podcast Awards, held at HERE at Outernet in Central London, the best of British audio talent was saluted on a night of laughter, tears, and celebration. Comedian Marcus Brigstocke hosted the evening, joined by celebrity presenters awarding industry stalwarts and rising stars alike. Organizers of the event described the awards as proof of the diverse and dynamic landscape of UK podcasting, from heartfelt tributes to groundbreaking content.

The Key points :

• Hall of Fame' posthumous award to Dr Clare Bailey Mosley on behalf of her late husband Dr Michael Mosley

• Lily Allen & Miquita Oliver win Best Entertainment Podcast for "Miss Me?"

• Podcast Champion goes to Rory Stewart & Alastair Campbell for "The Rest Is Politics"

• "The News Agents" take gold for Best News & Current Affairs and the Spotlight Award

• "Press Play, Turn On" from Audible was named Podcast of the Year

Our Analogy: Consider the British Podcast Awards the Oscars of the audio world. Just as the Oscars can recognize a wide range of audio storytelling, envision that this would be some kind of selection of the finest "must-haves" for listeners.

Our Take: For us, the podcast producers, the British Podcast Awards mean such a glimpse into what resonates both with listeners and with industry peers. Other shows like "The Rest Is Politics" and "The News Agents" further drive home the idea of public appetite for deeper political analysis. "Press Play, Turn On" provides a catalyst for inclusivity within the industry.

And Dr. Clare Bailey Mosley's emotional acceptance speech reminds people of just how deeply podcasting is impacting people's lives. Going forward, it's all about creating content that educates, entertains, and actually reaches an audience on a deeper level-a potential legacy to be made, much like Dr. Michael Mosley has done with his "Just One Thing."

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📌 NOTICE BOARD

• October 3 & 4 : International Women's Podcast Festival - London, UK

• October 8 : Café Convos: A Networking event by BIPOC Podcast Creators - New York, USA

• October 18- 20 : Afros & Audio Podcast Festival - Baltimore, MD

• January 16 -18 : Podfest Expo - Orlando, USA

• January 14 - 15th : Brand Podcast Summit - Virtual

Visit Podwires Marketplace to post your upcoming events or job openings for free.

🔆 FROM OUR COMMUNITY

• How you measure the success of your podcast is a personal matter that depends largely on your goals. Katie Paterson of Podcast Host explains.

• In this conversation, Michelle Altman and Hillary Frank discuss the process of creating original audiobooks, deal structures, and the opportunities presented by this exciting new medium.

• In this latest Podbean blog post by Roni Gosch, adding video to your podcast will help you engage your audience, get your work in front of even more fans on popular video platforms, and give a boost to your promotional efforts. It's time to grow your podcasting empire.

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🛠️ PODCAST TOOLBOX

• 📢 Zencastr is an all-in-one podcast production suite that gives you studio quality audio and video without needing all the technical know-how.

• 🎙️Rode - is an Australian-based audio technology company specializing in the design and manufacture of microphones, headphones, audio interfaces, and audio software.

• 🎧 Epidemic Sound - is a company that provides content producers with access to a sizable library of royalty-free music.

• 📼 Tubebuddy - is a complete tool for YouTube channel management and growth.

• 🪀 Swell AI turns podcasts or videos into transcripts, clips, show notes, articles, summaries, titles, newsletters, social posts, and more.

Browse more Tools ➡️

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FROM THE TEAM

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