June 17, 2022

Call for Entries 

What We're Into 

• Earlier this week, Apple published an article describing how search works on Apple Podcasts, including the main factors that affect results such as metadata, popularity, and user behavior. One of the big takeaways is that your podcast name and episode titles (often referred to as metadata) are important, and using a combination of specific and unique titles that effectively represent your content can help improve discoverability.
• In a recent blog post, Pacific Content's Director of Strategy, Jonas Woost, discusses why downloads should not be viewed as the end-all of a show's success, and why attention time, or completion rate, is a more reliable indicator of audience engagement. Woost encourages creators to consider, "What happens when you focus less on downloads and more on how long your show kept listeners captivated?"
• It's that time of year again when 'best of' lists are making their way around the web. Thankfully, Bello Collective's Ashley Lusk has compiled this thread of lists naming the best podcasts of the year so far. Do you spot some of your favorites?
• Celebrate Pride Month by tuning into Acast's Audio Pride Parade, featuring exclusive episodes from LGBTQIA+ creators on what pride means to them. The virtual audio parade will visit several countries around the globe simulating a real-life pride parade. Read more about it and check out the line-up.
• We are working on a new client podcast that will highlighting stories from Latino entrepreneurs. From founders who have scaled their businesses beyond a million dollars in revenue, as well as those at different stages of their businesses' growth. If this is you, or someone you know, please send a detailed voice memo to our producer Virginia for a chance to be featured on the show.

What We're Listening To 

Podcasting, Seriously at Home 

Overheard on Podcasting, Seriously Live 

This week on Podcasting, Seriously Live on Twitter Spaces, we welcomed Fatima Zaidi, founder and CEO of award-winning podcast production agency Quill Inc., to talk about audience growth and engagement strategies for podcasters. Some takeaways are:

• Always repurpose your podcast content, not just for other channels like social media, blogs or video, but also for accessibility. Use different channels to promote your show and ensure that you are reaching diverse audiences. "Creating a high-quality production isn't enough. Today, you really need to have a sound marketing strategy to make sure you're drawing in your qualified audience," Fatima says.
• The first step to building an effective marketing strategy is to define your positioning. Make sure you can answer these questions; Why are you creating the show? What objective is it going to serve? And, who are you making the show for?
• Fatima explains, "What people fail to understand is that the [podcast] industry is about being niche and having an engaged audience."
• Creating content that will help you grow your audience and encourage engagement requires being hyper-clear on your customer profile, your competitive landscape, and how you will differentiate your show by being the first, the best or different than what's already out there.
• Understanding metrics like average consumption rate and retention rate can give you insight how your content is connecting with your audience.

Upcoming Workshops 

Creator Spotlight 

Community Offers 

Thanks for the Love 

• Thank you to Podcast Movement's PodMov Daily for including our weekly Spaces meetup in their newsletter. Check out our upcoming sessions!