Train company’s podcast promotion on the right track

• Routes is a new podcast that launched yesterday in the UK, for train company LNER. Hosted by Clara Amfo, the way the podcast is being marketed is just the ticket for the railways - on large billboards on the way to railway stations and inside them, plus seat-back QR codes on board; it’s playable on the LNER app, and is even being promoted to travellers on railway station tannoy announcements. See it, say it, sorted: it’s produced by Leeds-based Distorted.

• Spotify has rolled out an easier way to share podcasts to TikTok (and music, audiobooks, etc). Another new integration can add podcasts to your library as you scroll through Instagram as well.

• Podtrac released its new US rankers for October. Most participating publishers saw increases in the month. As a reminder, the “top publishers” ranker also includes YouTube podcast consumption; 43% of downloads/views for Libsyn Ads shows are consumed on YouTube; 56% of Paramount’s are, too.

• RØDE has revealed the finalists of the company’s Creator of the Year awards. Public voting has now opened.

• YouTube has decided that it’s a good thing to add AI generated replies to comments posted on the service, so even if you can’t be bothered to reply to comments left on the platform, AI will do it for you. Bandrew Scott is less than impressed.

• Chris Peterson from DWNLOAD Media has published The State of the Podcast Industry Q3 2024 - which he suggests is the “best quarter yet”.

• Joni Deutsch from The Podglomerate chooses a bunch of her favourite shows for Pocket Casts.

• Writing in The Critic, Ben Sixsmith writes a piece entitled The downfall of the podcast-industrial complex. It’s just a piece about how two popular UK podcasts - both of which Sixsmith admits to not liking - got predictions about the US Presidential Election wrong (and they were hardly alone). Saved you a click.

• The future of business networking is being reshaped by the power of podcast communities, writes Gary Drenik in Forbes.

Tips and tricks - with Memberful

• Podcasts with the same name: what to do and how to prevent it covers how registered trademarks work, which is your best protection.

Podcast News - with New Podcast Trailers - the podcast

Game Changers is new from the UK’s National Lottery, and will feature the stories of ordinary people who do extraordinary things with the help of National Lottery funding over the last 30 years with some special guest appearances. It’s hosted by Olympian and broadcaster Aimee Fuller.

AdYack is a podcast from The American Advertising Federation of the Greater Lehigh Valley in eastern Pennsylvania, which recently kicked off its fifth season. The show features conversations with influential personalities across advertising, media, and the arts, and is hosted by Bill Childs. The latest episode features the ad icon Cameron Day.

The Podnews Weekly Review this week has Sir Michael Parkinson’s son, Mike Parkinson, talking about the AI version of his dad; and Justin Jackson from Transistor, talking about his new network pages. It’ll be published tomorrow.