Nielsen: more new listeners than ever

• Podcasting is attracting more new listeners than ever, according to new research. Over 50% of daily podcast listeners began listening in the last two years, says Nielsen’s Podcasting Today Report; which also says that the number of US listeners has grown by 40% in the past three years. The data suggests that podcast advertising drives an aided brand recall of 71%.

• Pinterest has been announced as lead partner for the International Women’s Podcast Festival in London. The event is on Sat Jun 18, and has already announced a number of high-profile speakers. Podnews readers outside the UK can get 50% off virtual tickets with code PODNEWS50. UK readers can get 25% off in-person tickets with code PODNEWS25.

• SquadCast is getting a new logo as part of their v5 redesign, according to Zach Moreno, speaking on company’s podcast. It’ll look better on smaller screens, and be in a new typeface, we’re told; the wider software redesign is the biggest update yet.

• Amazon Music has launched in Argentina. The service includes podcasts from leading media partners COPESA, RDF Media, Radio Cooperativa, National Geographic, Sonoro, and TED in Argentina; and original content will be launching in the coming months.

• The number one media company in the Spanish-speaking world, PRISA Media has partnered with iHeartMedia to integrate PRISA Media’s spoken-word content into the iHeartRadio catalogue.

• It’s not every day that we report on people getting smaller - but PodMatch has done just that, removing 6,500 dormant or low quality accounts from its service.

• The Irish Podcast Awards has extended the deadline to submit entries for its inaugural awards. Podcasters now have until Monday 23rd May to get your entries in.

• What’s podcasting’s biggest challenge? Amplifi Media’s Steven Goldstein says it’s listener retention.

“It’s time to grow the entire space. And I think we’re going to do that. If we can get everybody in a room together, and talk about the future in a collaborative way. We need to talk about what the industry as a whole needs to do, to make sure that the space continues to grow and thrive.” - Tom Webster in the Podland podcast, released later today, talking about his new role as Partner at Sounds Profitable, and a significant new event announcement to be made soon.

• Congratulations to podcast host Transistor, who say they now have 20,000 podcast feeds on the platform. A four-person team, it launched in August 2018.

• The finalists of the NZ Radio Awards were announced, including a number of podcast categories.

• At the IAB Podcast Upfronts, Sony Music Entertainment revealed their slate of upcoming podcasts. Vox Media presented The Verge’s Nilay Patel talking with talent from across the Vox Media Podcast Network.

• Founder of True Native Media, Heather Osgood, suggests that podcast advertising is a good fit in influencer campaigns.

Moves and hires

• Liz Alesse has been promoted to VP of ABC Audio in the US. She’s been with the ABC for more than seven years; she also spent time at WGBH in Boston.

Tips and tricks - with SoundStack

• There are lots of ways to charge for your podcast. We’ve a list of all the ways - from subscriptions, third-party membership services, and even cryptocurrency.

• Found a pirated copy of your podcast? It does happen - here’s how to report it.

Podcast News - with Lemonada Media

From Lemonada Media: Burnout, hosted by Connor Franta, is out now. The series explores the story of burnout, discovers how it affects your body and mind, and looks at why the easy solutions simply won’t work to solve a systemic problem. Burnout is produced by Lemonada Media and Mindful.

In the UK, The Modern Mann has switched from Acast to Auddy. “We’re a monthly magazine show: we don’t really fit into cookie-cutter business plans,” says Olly Mann who fronts the show. The podcast has been running since 2015, with incredible true stories and the latest emerging trends.

Capture the CISO is a new format for a cybersecurity show - where security vendors compete to be the best product. It launches next week, but you’re invited to do your homework and watch the pitches first!

Riverside, the popular remote-recording tool for podcasts, now has a podcast for itself. Hit Publish picks the brains of accomplished content creators that have been there before. “You’ll get weekly actionable tips about coming up with ideas, organizing your systems, creating great content, and much more”, they say.