Acast and AdsWizz make podcast ads easier to buy

• It’s going to be easier for media agencies to buy podcast ads with Acast, which has made more than 20,000 shows available to buyers on FreeWheel’s Strata platform. Strata is already used by more than 1,100 ad agencies - so buying podcast ads is just a click away.

• Meanwhile, AdsWizz is making 1,000,000 podcast episodes available for advertising using contextual targeting. The technology enables advertisers to target shows based on subjects discussed, and helps them avoid inadvertently being on shows mentioning things they’d rather their brand wasn’t next to, like shows featuring anti-vaccination conspiracy theories, for example.

  
  Aug 28 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• Alex Jones guested on The Joe Rogan Experience, featuring anti-vaccination conspiracy theories. They’ve no basis in truth and threaten public health, and critics have called Jones’s appearance 'disgusting'. Spotify’s legal officer sent an internal memo defending the company’s stance on 'diverse points of view’; Jones was kicked off Apple, Spotify, Facebook and YouTube earlier this year.

• The latest podcast hosting company to support podcast locking is Transistor, who have announced full support. From The Podcast Index, this is a best-practice tag that aims to make podcast piracy harder than just six steps. We’d encourage other podcast hosts to step up.

• Portland Pod’s Tanner Campbell has launched a podcast editing course on AppSumo. Normally this course costs $429, but for a limited time it’s just $24.

• Brian Benedik (Spotify, iHeart, Katz) has been hired as Strategic Advisor for Targetspot.

  
  This link is no longer available, as at Aug 28 2023

• The Australian Podcast Awards will announce their nominations this Saturday lunchtime, in a live stream on their website.

• US radio folks might enjoy listening to the Radio Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, tonight at 7pm Eastern.

  
  This link is no longer available, as at Aug 28 2023

Tips and tricks - with True Crime Reporter from PAR

• Podcast Marketing Strategies That Work (Jack Rhysider)

• How to Bring Your Podcast Back From the Dead (RSS Podcasting)

• Who’s using what tools to do podcast interviews? Data from InterviewValet suggests that SquadCast is growing fast; but Zoom is the #1 thing.

Podcast News

Red Flags is the first true-crime podcast in a new slate from Investigation Discovery. It’s “a weekly talk show designed to be a one-stop shop for all the latest buzz in the true crime world.”

Last Day returns for a second season, focusing the growing suicide crisis with an emphasis on hope and finding solutions. From Lemonada and co-sponsored by the JED Foundation, this season is already achieving three times the amount of plays.

Behind The Podcast is a new show from The Australian Podcast Awards - which dives into the stories behind how some of the country’s most interesting and successful podcasts are created. First up is Kate Watson from The Squiz.

Featuring an original score, DRAMA - an aural experience is a new short-story audio series featuring the world of the supernatural, paranormal, and mysterious. Perfect on the run-up to Halloween.