How long should a podcast ad be?

• How long should a podcast ad be? SXM Media has released data trying to understand whether longer is better. Spoiler: it is. And it isn’t.

• Spotify has launched a new in-app experience, Only You, an algorithmic tool with artist pairings and data about the podcast and music genres you listen to the most. Blend, also launched today, is a way to blend your musical tastes with a friend for an playlist with the best (and possibly worst) of both.

• Podcast Day 24, the 24-hour streamed podcasting conference, has announced Jonathan Wall, the Controller of BBC Sounds, joining iHeartMedia’s Conal Byrne, NOVA Entertainment’s Rachel Corbett and over 100 other speakers for Monday’s conference. Tickets are available now; look below for a discount code.

• Signal Hill Insights suggests that on-demand content is leading to changes in media; but cautions not to write off broadcast TV and radio quite yet.

• Podcasting’s openness is under attack, says Benjamin Bellamy, saying that now is the time to choose between an open or closed industry.

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• Timber launches a professional podcast feedback service, The Edit, today. It promises meaningful, candid feedback on your podcast.

• Buzzsprout now supports any Podcasting 2.0 channel tag. Libsyn supports channel or item tags.

• Sesame Street is getting into podcasting with Headspace. The 'sleepcasts’, to help kids relax for bed, will have twelve, ha ha ha, episodes.

• The Irish Times has signed with Acast.

• MIDiA, a research company, claims that music and podcasts are competing for ear space.

• Manchester United, a soccer team supported by 659m people, has added the official Manchester United Podcast to their app. Downloads increased by 60% during lockdown; it’s also available in video form.

• Podcast Movement 21 has announced their keynote speakers for their event in Nashville TN, USA; expect Kate Erickson from Entrepreneurs on Fire, and Tom Webster from Edison Research.

• Popular Android podcast app Podcast Guru is the first to add an integration with Podchaser. You can sign-in to rate podcasts directly from the app: to come will be listen history and reviews.

  
  Sep 4 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• Congratulations to Podcast Gym, a community of podcasters focused on collaboration, growth and success, which is one year old today.

  
  Sep 4 2023: This broken link now points to the Internet Archive.

• The editor of a medical journal, Dr Howard Bauchner, is to step down after racist comments on the journal’s podcast. We first reported on this in March; Bauchner neither made the comments, nor approved the podcast or an accompanying tweet; but as Editor in Chief he says he is “ultimately responsible for them”.

• Of note: we’ve seen two big launches recently that have glossed over the fact they’re not in Apple Podcasts (or have given us links that are just RSS feeds). We’ve asked: these large publishers had problems with Apple Podcasts Connect. Yikes.

Tips and tricks - with Podcast Day 24

• How to get more podcast reviews to grow your audience - Castos first recommends… asking.

• How to increase confidence on the mic - We Edit Podcasts tells us to stay calm, and to know your stuff.

• Dan Misener talks about the advantages of the unlisted podcast.

Podcast News - with HubSpot Podcast Network

From the HubSpot Podcast Network: MarTech Podcast tells the stories of world-class marketers who use technology to generate growth and achieve business and career success.

Life Out Loud, a new LGBTQ+ focused podcast from ABC News, posts an interview today with Rufus Wainwright ahead of his tribute to icon Judy Garland on what would have been her 99th birthday.

Looking Forward, a podcast that focuses on trends and how they affect you, has our Editor, James Cridland, talking about podcasting trends for the future in the episode due to be released today.

Optimal Living Daily has made it to episode 2,000. Justin celebrated by recording the episode upside down for some reason. He must have read it somewhere.
This link is no longer available, as at Sep 4 2023

Not Past It was launched yesterday by Gimlet and Spotify: a new weekly history podcast, diving into a moment from this very week in history and how it shaped our lives today. It’s hosted by Simone Polanen.

Undesign is a new weekly podcast that launched yesterday, exploring complex issues from counter-terrorism to sustainable tourism, and revealing insights on how people can redesign a more inclusive society. It’s from DrawHistory, a strategy and design consultancy.

Ninetwentynine, a nine minute and twenty-nine second podcast for Fiverr, has hit one million downloads. Produced by Listen, it was launched in April 2020.

Survival of the Fitted is a new podcast from LeagueFits, an Instagram account for NBA/WNBA fashion and culture. The show highlights the collision/intersection of basketball, fashion and culture.

Bubble Trouble, hosted by former Chief Economist of Spotify Will Page and independent analyst and Arete Research founder Richard Kramer, is launching shortly. The podcast plans to “lay out the hidden agendas and uncover some inconvenient truths about how markets really work”. It’s produced by Eric Nuzum’s Magnificent Noise, and will be available in an ad-free format on Apple Podcasts Paid Subscriptions.

The UK theatre podcast eleven has joined the Broadway Podcast Network. Their next guest is L Morgan Lee.