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What I Learned at Podcast Movement Evolutions

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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).

Mar 10
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What I Learned at Podcast Movement Evolutions

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Not an optimal recording environment

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.

Blank Check with Griffin & David

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.

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5 Things I Learned At Podcast Movement

  1. “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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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!)

  4. 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.

  5. 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

Jenna Weiss-Berman and Max Linsky from Pineapple Street Studios

“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”:

madmax_fluffyroad
A post shared by 🐶 Maxine the Fluffy Corgi (@madmax_fluffyroad)

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