What I Learned at Podcast Movement Evolutions
Not including the fact that I am too old for nightclubs with loud DJs (I already knew that).
Welcome to a special edition of Follow Friday, written from the middle of a conference hall in Las Vegas, where this week I attended Podcast Movement Evolutions.
I’ve had little time to hang out online this week between all the panels, speeches, networking parties … and gambling (I made $80 playing roulette last night nbd). So rather than collecting the scant things I’ve read and watched online before falling asleep every night, here’s a download of what I have been hearing and thinking about.
But first, one great podcast recommendation: En route to Vegas, I listened to Blank Check’s annual psuedo-awards show, which I think should be called the Blankies, except that’s already the term they use for their fans. But whatever, it’s a funny and rewarding tribute to some of the best filmmaking of 2022.
5 Things I Learned At Podcast Movement
“TikTok is not a social media platform.” AJ Feliciano from The Roost shared this important distinction in a speech challenging some conventional wisdom about podcast marketing. I had never really thought about this, but for TikTok users, most engagement starts and ends with watching videos and scrolling to the next one, not posting/sharing/commenting/liking/etc. That makes it more like TV than other platforms, even YouTube.
Podcast neighborhoods are actually useful: I was previously familiar with the concept of a “podcast neighborhood,” an informal network of shows connected to each other via what listeners they have in common. But it took a speech by Bumper’s Dan Misener for it to really “click” — neighborhoods better reflect the nuances within huge categories like “Comedy” and “Society and Culture.” Understanding those nuances is a huge time saver when deciding where to advertise, who to interview, and more.
You can post “clickable images” on LinkedIn. This one comes from business coach Judi Fox. I’m not a fan of the way links to Apple Podcasts and some other platforms show up on LinkedIn; but buried in LinkedIn’s mobile app (not available on desktop) is the ability to upload a custom image & add floating Instagram Story-like elements on top of that, including clickable links. Here’s what it looks like. (PS: Follow LightningPod on LinkedIn!)
How to keep a media kit updated: As someone who has a folder full of PDFs named after different months and years, I felt real dumb when I heard Danielle Desir Corbett explain this one: You can design something like a media kit in Canva, share the link with whomever, and then when you update the kit, the same link should still work. I have yet to try this out for myself, but you can bet I will.
Spotify still has a long way to go: James Cridland from Podnews dropped a bombshell in his keynote speech on Thursday. Measured in “share of audience,” Spotify appears to have overtaken Apple Podcasts, with 33% of podcast listeners identifying it as where they listen vs. Apple’s 28%. BUT when you look at “share of downloads and streams,” Spotify is generating only 9% of podcast listens. Apple Podcasts is at 71%!
The best quote I heard this week
“Podcasting is a very unforgiving medium to bullshit. You cannot fake caring in audio.” — Max Linsky, co-host of the Longform Podcast and co-founder of Pineapple Street Studios, in a panel about “The Art of Interviewing”
AMEN.
Palate cleanser: How to tire out a corgi
Come on, as if I would leave you without a palate cleanser. After several days of overstimulation in Vegas, I am looking forward to recreating “Step 2”:
