Over the next few weeks at least, it’s all about social distancing. I recently posted some tips and tricks I’ve picked up working from home. This is seems like an opportunity to work on other platforms as an indie author, and creating content for people who are spending more time at home.
If you know me, you know I’m a podcaster so this may not come as a surprise. Here’s a roundup of articles that give insight, news, and tips on podcasting, as well as about audiobooks and smart speakers (because, you know, audio).
Contents
Metrics
- “Intrado Digital Media Introduces Podcast Monitoring and Reporting Through its Notified Platform” on MarsTechSeries
- “The first scoring standard for audio creative. Fast insight that grows your business.” on Veritonic
- “Downloads aren’t the whole story” on Pacific Content
- “Podcast Audience Strategy: What Your Downloads Can’t Tell You” on The Startup
- “Technical analysis of top podcasts” on PodNews
- “Podcast Stats: How many podcasts are there? ” on Listen Notes
- “’Days After Release’ Comparison Analytics” on Omny Studio
- “Measure the Impact” on ACX
- “Podbean’s Big, Fat 2019 Podcast Statistics and Trends Roundup” on Podbean
- “How to understand podcast stats” on PodNews
- “Podcast Industry Statistics” on My Podcast Reviews
- “9 Ways to Increase Podcast Downloads” on Medium
- “Dollars In, Downloads Out” on Pacific Content
- “The case for using the Spotify podcast player on your website” on Medium
- “Buzzsprout Releases Advanced Podcast Statistics” on Podnews
- “Podcast Analytics Beta Help” on Apple
- Podtrac: The Standard for Podcast Analytics
- “Podcast Subscriber Tracking Is Pointless” on Medium
Podcasting Success
- “Podcasting finally creates another mega-hit show” on NiemanLab
- Darknet Diaries Stats
- “CBC Announces First-Ever Podcast-To-TV Development Slate” on CBC
- “They left their jobs to do this full time — is podcasting the new ‘in’ thing?” on TODAY Online
- “Marvel Entertainment and SiriusXM Enter a Major Multi-Year Deal to Create Original Podcasts for SiriusXM and Pandora” on Marvel
- “How Morning Brews First Podcast Hit 1 Million Downloads” on Medium
- “No, the podcast ‘gold rush’ isn’t over. Podcasting’s golden age is just beginning” on What’s New in Publishing
Connecting
- Collective World: An exclusive network for creatives to connect with each other, find work and get published.
- TINK: Connecting writers and creators with engaged podcast listeners
- Regional Groups on AIR Media
- List of Audio Group Meetups
Funding
- “Less than 1% of our Patreon supporters view our content” on Fable and Folly Productions
- “How to come up with membership content your listeners will love (and pay for)” on Glow
- “The Missing Patreon Dashboard” on Fable and Folly Productions
- “How To Make Money With A Podcast” on Medium
- “Patreon is now issuing microloans to select content creators” on TechSpot
- “What makes a successful (and profitable) podcast? #RadioAlive2019” on RadioInfo
- “3 Easy Steps to Accepting Donations for Your Podcast” on We Edit Podcasts
- “How “Tip Jars” Can Tip the Balance for Podcast Creators” on The Canadian Podcast Listener
- “Why it’s so hard to scale paid podcast subscriptions” on What’s New In Publishing
- “UK podcast listeners willing to pay £4 average for monthly subscriptions” on PodNews
- “Your favorite podcast might be making over $100,000 a month” on SF Gate
- Membership revenue for podcasters on Supporting Cast
- “Everything you need to build a better customer journey” on AdRoll
- Ready, set, launch! Announcing your new membership to the world” on Glow
- “The Math Behind Membership” on Glow
- “How to Turn Your Podcast into a Product Your Listeners Will Want to Pay For” on Medium
- “Want podcasts to remain independent? Support independent podcasts” on TechCrunch
Brand Podcasts
- “Great Brand Podcasts: Big Companies Who’ve Had Podcasting Success” on The Podcast Host
- “B2B podcasts: count your meetings, not your downloads” on Podnews
- “Brands, Here’s How to Measure Podcast ROI” on JAR Audio
- “How to Get Great Guests for Your B2B Podcast [Outreach Templates]” on Content Marketing Institute
- “Can Podcasting Help Your Business Grow? 25 Podcast Hosts Share the Top Benefits of Creating a Podcast” on PodReacher
- “Glassdoor debuts IN PURSUIT podcast, featuring inspiring career conversations” on PodNews
- “Audio: Activated – the power of branded podcasts” on PodNews
- WaitWhat invents boundary-breaking and profitable media properties that change our cultural landscape.
- “Branded Podcasts vs. Podcast Ads (hint: it’s not a fair fight)” on JAR Audio
- “Schwab creates its own podcast marketing funnel” on WARC
- “Inside Charles Schwab’s “audio funnel”” on Pacific Content
- Casted: Podcast platform for B2B brands
- “Brands, Here’s How to Measure Podcast ROI” on JAR Audio
Industry News and Predictions
- “Podcasts in MENA: State of the Industry 2019” on AMAEYA Media
- “Audio 2020 predictions: Automated radio buying and more money for podcasts” on AdNews
- “The future of podcasts is a Choose Your Own Adventure-style interactivity” on Mumbrella
- “How indie podcasters can survive the tsunami of bigness in 2020” on Medium
- “17 Podcasting Industry Predictions for 2020” on Design Your Thinking
- “Morgan Stanley: Spotify is now #1 podcast platform, beating Apple” on Podnews
- “The Smart Audio Report Winter 2019” on Edison Research
- “Critical Mass in Podcasting” on LimeLink
- “A new way of listening to Posta: on LATAM Airlines flights” on Posta
- “Venture capital cash is pouring into podcast companies” on AXIOS
- “Universal Music Group Files a Lawsuit Against PokerNews for Infringing Works on Podcasts” on Digital Music News
- “Spotify’s podcast dashboard comes out of beta” on TechCrunch
- “Spotify is working on Stories for Playlists” on Wong M Jane
- “Pandora opens up podcast submissions to all creators” on TechCrunch
- “Spotify’s pitch to podcasters: valuable listener data 37” on The Verge
- PodPass Prototypes
- “Self-publishing News: Rise of the Podcast” on ALLi
- “Andrew Mason’s Descript snags $15M, acquires Lyrebird to let users type text to create audio in their own voices” on TechCrunch
- “Hilton Hotels and iHeartRadio Have Teamed Up to Bring Guests All of the Music And Podcasts They’ll Need For Their Next Hotel Stay” on iHeartRadio
- “Korn Drops New Song and Announces Podcast Series” on Premier Guitar
- “Podcast Trends Report 2019” on Discover Pods
- “What Is a Microcast, and Why Do You Need One? (Guest Column)” on Variety
- “From Apple: Live: Apple Podcasts for Mac; Podcasts Connect Maintenance” on PodNews
- “Some unusual clauses from podcast host terms and conditions” on PodNews
- “What’s up in European podcasting? A status assessment.” on Mateusz Sojka
- “Five Absolutely Crazy Beautiful Things About Podcasting.” on Medium
- “From Apple – Manage Show Launches; Updates to Host and Guest Image Specs; Holiday Submission Schedule; Siri Commands” on PodNews
- “JetBlue Expands Its Lineup of Free Entertainment with Launch of New Onboard Content Partners” on Business Wire
- “Are podcasts a disaster waiting to happen? ” on The Guardian
- “Podcasting: what Apple should do next” on Medium
- “Spotify’s Daniel Ek Lays out the podcast plan – Annotated” on AmplifiMedia
- “The Netflix of Podcasting is Finally Here (Literally)” on Medium
- “New learning through podcast app Sparks” on PodNews
- “Pulitzer Prize Board Announces New Audio Reporting Category” on The Pulitzer Prizes
- “Milwaukee Startup Zima Podcasting Network Looks to Reinvent Podcast Industry” on Marketers Media
- “2019: The State of the Podcast Universe” on VoxNest
- “Comedy, News, and Society and Culture Podcasts Most Listened-to Genres in Podcasting ” on Edison Research
- “Google Play and Google Podcasts – what’s the difference?” on Transistor
- “Spotify creates podcast to comfort lonely dogs left at home when owners are away” on iNews
- “I Don’t Really Listen to Podcasts” on Pacific Content
- “US Spotify Listeners Surpassed Pandora Listeners in 2019, Sooner than Expected” on eMarketer
- “Tuning in: Has the City undervalued the podcast craze?” on City A.M.
- “Deaf and Hard of Hearing People Are Helping to Fix the Podcast Accessibility Problem” on Forbes
- “The Impact Of Podcasting On The Music Industry: A Double-Edged Sword?” on Forbes
- “A Digital Briefing Book on Privacy and Podcasting” on Medium
- “Why the podcast gold rush is slowing down for some publishers” on DigiDay
Podcasts and Radio
Discovery
- Podcast Discovery
- “Send Personalized Podcast Recommendations with Podchasher” on Podchaser
- CBC: Find a podcast
- Synth: Get condensed highlights from podcasts delivered to your inbox
- “Introducing Podchaser Feed – A Game-Changing New Way to Discover Podcasts” on PodNews
- Podchaser: Your Daily Source for Podcast Discovery
- Repod: Podcast discovery
- “Humans, Not Algorithms : music loving curators at AccuRadio lead to 10x fewer skips and 3x longer listening times” on PodNews
- Easy Podcasts: Short and useful clips from the best podcasts!
- “How to add your podcast to every podcast directory” on PodNews
- Google Podcasts
- “I Tried Listening to Podcasts at 3x and Broke My Brain” on OneZero
- “How long should my podcast episode titles be?” on Pacific Content
- “Your podcast episode notes could probably be longer and more search-friendly” on Pacific Content
- “The art and science of podcast show descriptions” on Pacific Content
- ”Radio drama and fiction podcasts are having a renaissance as artists make television for your ears” on ABC
- ”What Agencies Want To Know About Work From Home And AM/FM Radio” on Westwood One
Promotion and Marketing
- “Overcast Advertising: Promoting Your Podcast” on The Podcast Host
- Chartable SmartPromos Beta: Podcast-to-Podcast Marketing Attribution
- “9 Marketing Lessons for Podcasters: Inside the Strategy of Facebook’s New Podcast” on Pacific Content
- “Moonface Trailer” on YouTube
- “Audio to video: Keep audiograms short and compelling” on JRJI Online
- “Free tool for marketing your podcast on social media” on Birds of a Feather Press
- “Podcast onramps and episode entry points” on Pacific Content
- “Smart link to Podcast Episodes with Plink” on Plink HQ
- “How to Get Free YouTube Subscribers (the Real Way)” on Hootsuite
- “Marketing a podcast and the team that does it” on Medium
- “Acast announces live podcast events offering in the UK: Acast Live” on PodNews
- “How WebSub works: and why it’s good for your podcast” on PodNews
- “Which social channels have the highest podcast download conversion rates?” on Pacific Content
- PodReacher: We turn podcasts into high-quality articles to boost discoverability
- “Startup Pex can now scan Apple Podcasts for music clips” on Music Ally
- “Publishing video clips with Headliner ” on Audioboom
- “What Makes Compelling Podcast Cover Art? ” on Resonate Recordings
- “How to Create Beautiful Podcast Cover Art According to a Graphic Designer” on Medium
- “Why Your Podcast Needs a Trailer” on We Edit Podcasts
- Gift List Media
- “Podcast Episodic Artwork Test Results” on Podcast Help Desk
- “The most crowded categories in Apple Podcasts (February 2020 edition)” on Pacific Content
- “Triple your podcast’s reviews and subscribers” on Rate This Podcast
- “Why Podcasts are a Vital Part of Experiential Marketing” on JAR Audio
- “This little-known service from Apple will help you 📊📈🔥 your podcast marketing” on Pacific Content
- “The 5 Stages of the Podcast Listener Journey” on Medium
- ”iTunes Podcast Categories” on The Podcast Host
- “16 Ways to Promote Your Podcast” on Berkeley Advanced Media Institute
Advertising
- “Spotify will use everything it knows about you to target podcast ads” on The Verge
- “Rewriting the Playbook for Podcast Advertising” on Spotify for Brands
- “A Future Reckoning For The Podcast Ad Bubble” on Medium
- “ABC Podcast Survey reveals just how engaged podcast audiences are” on PodNews
- “Which Podcast Ad Placement Converts the Best?” on Podsights
- “Lessons learned from selling Morning Brew’s first podcast ads” on Medium
- “Why podcast advertising is effective” on AdNews
- Magellan: Discover the 4,000+ brands buying podcast ads.
- “Incremental Lift: The Next Evolution in Podcast Advertising Attribution” on Chartable
- “What Podcast Sellers Say is Needed to Achieve 2 Billion in Podcast Ad Revenue” on Westwood One
- “The Fastest Way to Kill Podcast Advertising” on MarTechSeries
- “Bayer podcast ads beat industry norms for purchase intent, authenticity in new analysis by ART19 and Veritonic” on Podnews
- ”Advertising A Podcast, Part 3” on PodNews
Creating Podcasts
- “Productivity Lessons from Artists and Entrepreneurs” on Outside
- “7 side hustles you can start from your couch” on Forbes
- “How long should a podcast be?” on Podnews
- “What makes a great podcast host?” on Pacific Content
- “How Sticky Is Your Show?” on Medium
- “Let Your Favorite Podcast Hosts Fix Your Public Speaking Problems” on Fast Company
- “What I learned as a “Solo Podcaster”” on Medium
- “How to be a Great Podcast Interviewee” on The Podcast Host
- “How I make… Podnews” on PodNews
- “How To Make Your Podcast Sound Professional” on Lifehacker
- SoundMadePublic: An audio creative agency
- “Music Production vs. Podcast Production” on Resonate Recordings
- “Celebrate Milestones and Grow Your Audience with a Montage Episode” on The Podcast Host
- “The “Local Podcast” Trick” on Medium
- “Thinking Big with Smaller Podcasts: How Niche Can be Nicely Profitable” on The Canadian Podcast Listener
- “Using Music and Sound Effects in Your Podcast: A Few Tips and Resources” on Medium
- “Do you need a co-host for your podcast” on Part-Time Producer
- Total Body Voice: Develop Voice Skills
- “What app buttons should you have on your podcast website?” on Podnews
- Apple: Watch video tutorials to learn about using Podcasts Connect and Podcast Analytics.
- “How to Make a Podcast: Lessons from an NPR Producer” on OK Dork
- “Niche Podcasts Have More Listeners, Indicating Untapped Advertising Opportunities” on Media Monitors
- “How to Create Your Own Podcast: A Guide for Students” on IvyPanda
Audience Growth
- Castro: Grow your audience where they’re already listening.
- “How to Grow Your Podcast With Facebook Ads” on The Podcast Host
- Podcast Brunch Club (Monthly Listener Community Meetup)
- “Radio Ambulante’s audience is worldwide. Listening clubs help bring them together” on NiemanLab
- “What I Did (or Think I Did) to Grow as a Podcaster; 500K Downloads in 1 Year and 1K Reviews Later” on Medium
Some Podcast Shows
- “5 Outstanding Podcasts from Africa” on Podcast Review
- MarTech Podcast
- Podnumber: Podcast Curator
- “Coronavirus: Supplemental Podcast Listening List” on Podcast Brunch Club
Technical and Tools
- “How to encode your audio: MP3 or AAC / M4A?” on Podnews
- Parcast. Podcast. Audio. Radio. Re-imagined.
- “How to record yourself if you’re a remote podcast guest. And why!” on Medium
- “Audio Innovations and Superfans” on David Gaughran
- PodPass Technical Specification DRAFT 0.1
- Start With This is a podcast gone creativity playground designed to put your ideas in motion, from the creators of Welcome to Night Vale, Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor.
- “PodPass: Proposal for an Open Protocol to Enable Direct Listener Relationships” on Medium
- “Self-publishing News: New Podcast Tools” on ALLi
- Overdub: Correct your voice recordings by typing. Powered by Lyrebird AI. on Descript
- “Introducing Descript Podcast Studio & Overdub” on Descript
- Audio Fiction 101 Online Course
- “This Guy Made an Ad Blocker That Works on Podcasts and Radio” on Vice
- “How to turn your podcast into a YouTube video in one step” on Medium
- “Introducing The Resonate Recorder ” on Resonate Recordings
- “How to Make Your Own Podcast Playlists” on Spotify
- “Podcast Chapter Editor – Add Chapters to MP3 and Podcast Audio Files Online” on Backtracks
- “Partnership allows users of both platforms to easily develop companion digital book or podcast” on Yahoo! Finance
- Storyblocks: Unlimited Royalty-Free Audio
- “Podcast app switching tool” on PodNews
- Modus Hub: Podcast Hosters Directory
- “New in Descript: Um detection, search, and more” on Descript
- Spotify for Podcasters
- “Added! Configuring Your Own URL Prepends” on Libsyn
- “Generating Podcast Thumbnail Images Caching and Changing Them with AWS” on Medium
- Podfollow: Get a magic podfollow link for a podcast
- Podkite: Kitelinks are short links of your podcast with the focus on converting your audience into subscribers of your podcast.
- “Share exclusive content with NEW Spreaker Enterprise private podcast RSS feed” on Spreaker
- “Create your own private podcast” on Castos
- “Transcribe Your Podcasts Automatically, and Share Online To Get More Viewers!” on Medium
- Online MP3 Cutter and Ringtone Maker on Toolur
- Ringr: Record long distance interviews
- “13 Tools to Record Audio on Chromebooks and Other Devices” on Shake Up Learning
- “Record. Transcribe. Edit. Mix. As easy as typing. Take control of your podcast with Descript.” on Descript
- Headliner Video Maker on Chrome Web Store
- “A podcaster’s guide to RSS” on Apple
- ”RØDE is pleased to offer a full RØDECaster Pro kit (including a RØDECaster Pro, 2 x microphones, microphone stands, cables and headphones) to any NSW public school with a year 7-12 cohort”
- ”Making your editing process faster. Help removing “ums” and other noises (We need Beta-Testers!)”
Audiobooks
- “Audiobooks: The Rise and Rise of the Books You Don’t Read” on BBC
- “Opinion: Future Audiobook Trends” on ALLi
- “Audiobook Promotion for Indie Authors” on ALLi
- “Researchers state people absorb audiobooks and ebooks the same” on GoodEReader
- “Kobo Writing Life now accepts Audiobook submissions” on GoodEReader
- “Guga Mafra, Brazilian podcaster, releases How To Be A Rockstar, a podbook with a lot of rock, pop and crushes” on PodNews
- “Ebook, Audio or Paper Book. What’s Best According to Science?” on Interesting Engineering
- Audiobooks on Smashwords
- “5 ways to use audio for book marketing and reader engagement” on Louise Harnby
- “Chirp Deals: Tips on Optimizing Your Audiobook Submission” on BookBub
Smart Speakers
- “Amazon and Leading Technology Companies Announce the Voice Interoperability Initiative” on Amazon
- “Google Tightens Its Voice Assistant Rules Amid Privacy Backlash” on Wired
- “New ways Alexa makes life simpler and more convenient ” on Amazon
- “How to increase customer engagement with your Alexa skill” on Alexa Blogs
- “Leverage the New Metrics Dashboard to Deepen Skill Engagement, Drive Retention” on Alexa Blogs
- “Voice Search SEO Guide” on Medium
Interactive Audio
- “Meet Shampoodler, the podcast and Twitch superfan who’s the future of fandom in interactive media” on Fast Company
- Giide: Audio that’s Interactive
This post was originally published March 2020.