Joe Biden guests on Smartless

• US President Joe Biden appears in an episode of SmartLess released today. The show, recorded on Oct 13 in Los Angeles, is available now.

• NPR has launched a paid podcast bundle called NPR+, giving some listeners access to bonus content, ad-free episodes and perks from nearly a dozen NPR podcasts. The bundle is, however, only available in the 34 locations where a member station is participating in the program. It’s being powered by Supporting Cast.

• Data: We shared Arabic podcast data from Saudi Arabia recently; but Persian podcasts are big too, with 120m speakers of the language. From Iran, Shenoto has published a detailed insight into Persian podcasting in the Middle East.

• Exclusive: Magellan AI has been verified as a third-party attribution partner by Spreaker from iHeart. Spreaker is currently the third biggest podcast host by total new episodes.

• Spotify has added podcast recommendations to the top of some podcast pages in the app. Spotted by Chris Messina, On with Kara Swisher's page recommends Into it with Sam Sanders. Both are Vox Media podcasts.

• The nominations for the UK’s Audio Production Awards 2022 have been announced, including a number of podcast companies.

• Evo Terra has published his last episode of Podcast Pontifications. “Podcasting has outgrown my ability to keep up with all the changes,” he says. It might be the end, but it isn’t The End - what he’ll focus on now: a newsletter about completed fiction podcasts. You should sign up.

• Libsyn is offering Sounder customers their first 6 months for free. The company joins Co-Host in offering migration. Sounder announced it was closing its podcast hosting for more than 5,000 shows.

• Kids are great at coming up with stories - and a new version of Story Quest launches today where young listeners suggest stories which are then brought to life.

• Further reading: James Burtt examines the UK’s recent radio listening figures for podcast data

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Tips and tricks

• How much research do you put into your podcast advert or trailer? Oxford Road has shared a case study showing the work they did for a meat company - making their audio ads work significantly better than before.

• It’s always great to watch a case study unfold. Paul Colligan writes about the reboot of The Optimistic American, testing video thumbnails, using a story arc and testing paid subscriptions.

Podcast News - with CBC Podcasts

From CBC Podcasts - #18 is: Buffy For 60 years Buffy Sainte-Marie’s music has reverberated throughout pop culture, providing a touchstone for Indigenous resistance. Mohawk and Tuscarora writer Falen Johnson explores how Buffy’s life is essential to understanding Indigenous resilience.

True crime show Anatomy of Murder has reached episode 100. The show is from Audiochuck, and was launched in October 2020; it’s a weekly true crime podcast examining homicide cases and paths to justice for the victims.

Dear Headspace is a brand new show from meditation and mindfulness company Headspace. The company calls it a first of its kind in the industry: a call-in show that responds to listener voicemails. It’s available within the Headspace app, as well as on all platforms.

In Australia, LiSTNR has launched The Children in the Pictures, which tells the true story of an elite team of Queensland police called Taskforce Argos fighting child abuse online. DNX Media and LiSTNR went to court to tell this story, requesting the removal of a longstanding suppression order over the name of a website; and secured special judicial approval to release the arrest tape and police interviews with the Australian kingpin running it, while Argos gave remarkable access to key evidence from its investigations.

The team at Podcast Ally has launched a new season of their self-titled podcast, Podcast Ally, with a How to Pitch interview series where podcasters dish out the do’s and don’ts of connecting with them, along with other content to help you work through self-doubt, nerves, and all the other gremlins that come up when you’re giving interviews.

Who stole Nicolas Cage’s comic Action Comics #1? In Stealing Superman, Dana Schwartz as she teams up with the country’s only art detective and vigilante comic book dealer to investigate the mysterious theft of the most important comic in the world. It’s new from iHeartPodcasts today.

Wakanda Forever: The Official Black Panther Podcast goes live today. Produced by Proximity Media, in collaboration with Marvel Studios and Marvel Entertainment, this episode is the first of a six-episode series about the making of the highly anticipated film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, opening in theaters across the US on Nov 11.

From Dear Media, Wine Face returns for a new season today. The show, hosted by notable wine curator and owner of Helen’s Wines, Helen Johannesen - breaks down the ins and outs of wine: how it’s made, why it’s important, what you should drink, and why people often make it so elitist. Helen’s first guests back will be Cameron Diaz and Katherine Power, who have made a wine brand called Avaline.

Podcast ads in the wild

Spotted by Nick Panama in Essex Market in Lower Manhattan NY, USA - a clever ad by Spotify for CNN 5 Things. A clear and understandable podcast ad, unlike the store’s layout: Nutella chocolate spread next to sleep aids, decorating sugar, single-dose medication and chewing gum. No. This is not OK.