🏆 Podcast Movement: just the good stuff 🤷♀️
🤸♀️Podcast marketing: let's have some fun. 🌈
Ciao, bimbi!
Skye Pillsbury just wrote about Podcast Movement’s identity crisis in The Squeeze, and in Podcast the Newsletter I wrote about my embarrassing moments there. (The cringe-worthy incident with Donald Albright even made it in Podnews.) But Podcast Movement was still full of lots of great energy, ideas, meetings, dancing, etc. Below, a roundup of some highlights from people who were there.
But first—
Stats from last week:
Inspired by Arielle Nissenblatt’s newsletter This and That, I want to be transparent about my numbers:
Subscribers: 1,542
Views: 1,602
Open rate: 55%
Click rate: 11%
Top click: 🛠 Podcast marketing maintenance: 3 things busy podcasters can do every week 🆒
⏰ Podcast marketing: If U Only Have Time for 1 Thing ⏰
If you’ve been following along you know you should be using podlink to drive people to your show on social media. (Here’s an example.) But did you know you can make a unique URL? Go to your podlink page, scroll to the bottom of the page and click Claim Podcast. You’ll have to verify that you know the RSS feed’s owner email, and you’ll get a link to that email address to update the page. You can also add your own Google Analytics ID with IP anonymization. More here.
Top Podcast Marketing Magic links:
Show notes:
Now, on with the show!
I asked friends to select from a list of questions about their biggest takeaways from Podcast Movement 2022…here’s what they had to say:
Bryan Barletta (Sounds Profitable): This was my first Podcast Movement! I had previously been to two Evolutions, but never to the main event. So much of my focus was set toward making the Sounds Profitable Podcast Business Leaders Summit a success that the rest of the event went by in a flash. What really stood out for me was just how many new people are in the industry. From existing companies to new companies. The passion they bring to the table and their desire to grow the space was tangible. I feel like most of the me-first companies found their way out of the space in the past year, making this event even more enjoyable.
Chris Colbert (DCP):
I loved meeting Brittany Clevenger from BetterHelp!
The presentation that changed my thinking was the Sounds Profitable Business Summit.
The Qube App had the best merch.
The best quote I learned / new thought or idea was to build in specific time to our hosts weekly schedules, specifically for researching and creating social media content.
Had no idea Ami Thakkar from The Podcast Academy (TPA) was such a good dancer.
New show I discovered was Killing Tyme.
Courtney Kocak (Podcast Bestie founder + host of The Bleeders & Private Parts Unknown): First of all, I loved meeting the lovely founder of this newsletter, podcast promo queen Lauren Passell, in person. I got several great takeaways about SEO (use the Alphabet Soup Method), video (DO IT YESTERDAY!), and more — but the best part was being around the podcasting community, meeting new people, and connecting with internet friends IRL.
Dane Cardiel (Headgum): The people in our industry care so much for one another. We are so lucky to have each other, especially those who vocally challenge our institutions to prioritize the safety and advancement of underrepresented folks. We still have a LOT more work to do and there needs to be some collective accountability for where we consistently miss the mark.
Fatima Zaidi (Quill):
I loved meeting Heather Gordon from Acast, and Lauren Passell!
The presentation that changed my thinking was The future of video.
Best merch: Disney mugs from Sounds Profitable. (ed. note: how did i miss the Disney mugs???)
The most exciting announcement was Dan Wisener and Jonas Woost launching bumper.
The best quote I learned / new thought or idea. “I'd tell anyone who wants to be a podcaster, the same thing others have recommended - find a niche you're passionate about and willing to be immersed in.”
Joshua Rae (APM): I loved learning about the Kids Listen slack channel! A slack channel for the kids & family podcast community.
Matt Keeley (Podglomerate): Favorite thing I learned: Everyone looks cool when photographed in 360-degree slow motion.
Roger Nairn (JAR Audio:)
I loved meeting James Cridland in person for the first time.
The presentation that changed my thinking was the "After These Messages" research report from Sounds Profitable.
Stitcher had the best merch.
The best quote I learned / new thought or idea: "Black audiences want to hear the black experience represented in new and different ways. Black audiences want to see themselves reflected. We haven't even scratched the surface...we are just breathing on the surface." - Elosi Ikharo, Founder, Jade Media
Jonas Woost (Bumper): Lots of people at Podcast Movement were talking about and struggling with podcast discoverability. This will be one of the top issues for us over the next few years.
Jonathan Barshop (HubSpot):
If you're considering YouTube, you can't just publish a slightly polished Zoom recording w/ an SEO-heavy title. Won't get you very far.
My rec — focus 100% on Shorts and repurpose those on TikTok + IG. Do this all in Descript. Shoot for 1-3 clips / day. Doesn't have to be super high quality or amazing insights. Quantity > Quality.
Joni Deutsch (Podglomerate):
I loved meeting all of The Podglomerate's clients and cross-promotional partners IRL (including LAist's Kristen Hayford, Wonder Media Network's Michele Dale, TED's Marie Kim, Creative Elements' Jay Clouse, and so many others). There's something special about attaching a face to a digital/Zoom/email name after so many months of collaborative work. What's more, this was the first time that The Podglomerate were together in-person as a company (given that our employees all work remotely across New York, New Jersey, Boston, New Hampshire and North Carolina), which made for an extra special occasion (especially as we celebrated the chart-topping launch of our "literary true crime" podcast Missing Pages).
As evidenced by my Twitter photo, there were a slew of wonderful gifts at #PM22. With that said, I thoroughly enjoyed Buzzsprout's "microphone menu" shirt, which was the perfect prize for their amazing game of "Mic vs. Mike," where you had to name all 9 microphones or all 9 celebrities named Mike. (I chose the latter route, which took me 60 seconds to complete because I'm completely and utterly a pop culture nerd.)
The most exciting announcement was not even a part of the conference! That podcasts are coming to Twitter via the newly-redesigned Twitter Spaces tab. Should we expect Twitter at a future conference? Only time (and 280 characters) will tell.
The best takeaway from the conference was that you should speak to everyone, and you can learn from anyone (whether that's a wrestling podcast host, a podcast critics panel, a video platform company or anything else). Conferences are a great opportunity to explore new ideas from across different genres and topics.
Had no idea that The Podglomerate team could dance. But I did know that I was an amazing karaoke singer! You'll never guess what I was lyricizing along to in the PM wrap-up video (at the 2:05 mark).
Imran Ahmed (Great Pods):
I loved meeting Erick Delgado (LAist- Ídolo: The Ballad of Chalino Sánchez) and Galen Beebe (Bello Collective.)
The presentation that changed my thinking was Proud Stutter because I was digesting the knowledge of "Verbal Diversity" in podcasting.
Simplecast/Adswizz has the best merch with their BENTO BOX! SO GOOD!
Had no idea Amanda and the The Podcast Academy squad or Tracy (TenderfootTV) were such good dancers.
New show I discovered: Facing Evil
Mackensie Freeman (Beck Media):
I loved meeting Alex Anderson who works in PR at Sunshine Sachs. Super cool to hear about someone else’s experience working in podcast PR. (And loved meeting all my clients in person!)
The presentation that changed my thinking was Where Are The Podcast Critics?
Patreon (and Amazon Music!) had the best merch.
I loved the signage on the escalators for Facing Evil and Le Monstre, Tenderfoot TV’s newest shows!
The best quote I learned / new thought or idea: I never considered how writing a negative podcast review could deter others from simply listening to podcasts in general (which is important since we want to grow the number of people listening to ANY show).
I had no idea that Tracy Kaplan (Tenderfoot TV, The Ten News) was such a good dancer!
New show I discovered: The RomComPods series by Pod People. I love rom com books so I can’t wait to listen to these shows!
🗃 From the Desk of Tink ✏️
This week I’m highlighting one of our clients Kimi Culp’s All the Wiser, where you hear stories of people just like you, confronted with extreme adversity and the wisdom they gained on the other side. (Tragedy, triumph, love, loss, addiction, heroic feats, and everything in between.) Kimi’s conversations have been known to stop me and/or leave me shook. Surely you will have your own favorite but one of mine is Jason Rosenthal's dying wife wrote a secret personal ad to find him love. A new season launches Sept 7th, and will be an interview with Amanda Knox.
👩🏼💻From the desk of Devin🎨
xoxo lp