The illusion of 2 million podcasts

“Host-read ads are appealing to marketers and brands for precisely the same reasons that social media influencers are. Ultimately, they are celebrities in their chosen domains.” - Shreya Sharma writing for Sounds Profitable this week, with Podsights. Subscribe today.

Sep 2 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• Are there really 2 million podcasts? Working with Amplifi Media, Podnews checked the numbers: 44% of available podcasts have three or fewer episodes. Does a couple of episodes make a podcast? Does that really mean that we only have 880,000 podcasts out there (the number of shows with 4 or more episodes?)

  
  Sep 2 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.
  • 80% of those abandoned podcasts are hosted on free podcast websites Anchor or Soundcloud, or Spreaker, which offers a free tier.

• Taylor Swift thought it was hilarious when Crime Junkie did an April Fools’ Day episode based on the crime outlined in the lyrics of her No Body, No Crime track.

  
  Sep 2 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.
  • Cold Case Crime Cuts launched in March: a spoof true crime podcast following the crimes outlined in the lyrics of The Copacabana, I Shot The Sheriff, and Moonlight Shadow.

• Emerging podcast app Podfriend has enabled micropayments for podcasters, allowing everyone to earn cryptocurrency while people listen to their podcast. We’ve updated our guide on how to earn Bitcoin from your podcast.

• Podtrac has published its top US podcast publishers for March. Global unique streams and downloads from participating publishers was unchanged from a year ago.

  
  This link is no longer available, as at Sep 2 2023
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• Zola Mashariki has been appointed Head of Audible Studios. She joins from a number of TV/film companies.

• Audioboom has partnered with MAPP Media to expand their podcast monetisation efforts in the UK. Audioboom will focus on host reads; MAPP Media will 'deliver revenue through a second window sales model’.

• iHeartMedia has signed a partnership to distribute podcasts from MeatEater. MeatEater is a company celebrating the outdoors, with content, apparel and products.

  
  Sep 2 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• MediaRadar suggests that BetterHelp spent 61% of its advertising budget on podcasting in January and February - more than double what it spent on TV. It flags a number of potential growth clients for the medium.

• Writing for Podnews, Quill co-founder and CEO Fatima Zaidi outlines why podcast marketing is a must for businesses, not least because of its high audience engagement.

• Clubhouse has announced Clubhouse Payments, a tipping feature. Clubhouse themselves will not take a cut; they’ll charge the person sending the money Stripe’s transaction fee.

Tips and tricks

• Paula Rogo writes about the three most common causes of death for African podcasts. It turns out that they’re not specific to African podcasters, either.

• Facebook post Creative Tips for Video on Facebook and Instagram on Podcast Movement’s website. Among their advice: “Dive right into the content — try to avoid using introductions or title cards”.

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