More precise targeting to bring local ad boom

• Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast suggests that in 2024 advertisers will get more comfortable with brand safety in podcasting; and that more precise regional and local targeting will mean a boom in that sector of advertising. The predictions are made alongside the company’s average CPM for November, which rose 2.6% month-on-month to $22.96, though is down more than 6% year-on-year.

• Descript has launched Find Good Clips, a tool that will “extract your best highlights” and let you share them on social media.

• PodEngine is a new podcast discovery platform in beta. It transcribes every new episode, analyses each one for your interests, and emails you timestamped clips once a week. The company is currently scaling up its infrastructure.

• The Podcast Show in London (May 22-23) is releasing tickets in January, but you can pre-register now for the best price. Podnews is a media partner.

• PodcastOne says it has achieved its highest numbers for programmatic revenue this quarter: growing 121% year-on-year.

• Podcast app PodcastGuru has written up clear guides on how to migrate from Google Podcasts, for both Android users and those on iOS.

Wrapped for Podcasters is here

Paid content

Spotify is looking back on 2023 and celebrating with exclusive insights about your show and your fans. Find out what really spoke to your listeners in 2023, and how you can keep growing in the year to come.

Host your show somewhere else? Sign up to see your full 2023 Wrapped for Podcasters and start building a following on the world’s largest listening platform.

Moves and hires

• Collin Campbell has been named as Senior Vice President of Podcasting Strategy and Franchise Development at NPR. He will start in December and be based at NPR West in Culver City; he joins from Gimlet Media (and before that, Audible).

Podcast News

In the Podnews Weekly Review, we talk to Anna Sian from Spotify for Podcasters; Christiana Cromer from Descript; and Neil Mody from Headliner. Neil thinks YouTube is good for podcasters; Christiana shares what Descript is doing in terms of AI, and Anna talks about the new Spotify 2023 Wrapped for Podcasters. It’s sponsored by Buzzsprout.

The latest episode of Buzzcast talks about customer support, and why every employee at Buzzsprout is working one shift of support this month. It’s a good listen for anyone interested in remarkable customer support, and why some companies are rather less than remarkable.

Constant Wonder is bringing you an 'audio advent calendar,' with a new 'door’ to open every day, from the 1st to the 25th of December. Each short episode invites peaceful reflection on the season - and weaved in are universal themes of compassion, hopeful living, connection with the divine, and a deep sense of purpose to our existence.

New from Sony Music Entertainment today, Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad explores the complex story behind Ted Conrad, an infamous bank robber who disappeared without a trace. He was never caught and only decades later did he reveal the truth to his daughter weeks from dying.