This Week In The Podverse, March 10, 2023
This Week In The Podverse, March 10, 2023
Includes the upcoming "By Faith Podcast" by Zizi, the success of the world's first podcast listening party for The Young God Podcast, the recently held PodFest Cairo 2023, and more.
New Episodes…
Afrobeats Weekly: Tunde and guest host ShoWontStop delve into the diverse responses to Omah Lay's NPR Tiny Desk performance. They also cover the latest happenings in Afrobeats this week, including notable song releases, as well as provide a critique of Lojay's Gangster Romantic EP.
Road To 30 Podcast: Dolly and a group of inspiring women celebrate International Women's Month in a special podcast episode. With honesty and vulnerability, these rockstar ladies delve into different aspects of womanhood, although they acknowledge there is still much to be explored in this broad topic. The result is a fantastic episode that is both enlightening and empowering.
IP Series With Reedah: Episode 91 of the podcast, inspired by the British Council's Creative Hustle event, delves into the benefits of copyright for businesses and society as a whole, in generating income and producing works that enrich culture.
234 Essential: In this conversation, AOT2 and Ugochi discuss Nigeria's post-presidential election, INEC's lack of preparedness, and the upcoming gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections with a focus on Lagos. They also touch on the issue of tribalism and the divisive tools used in politics.
20 Somethings Rant: This episode discusses the importance of young people being politically informed and engaged. Jessica Fortunes emphasizes the need to participate in politics, vote, and hold those in power accountable.
Good Talks Live Podcast: Discover the inspiring story of Mary Kenner, an African-American woman who revolutionized the way women manage their menstrual cycles. In episode eight of the show, narrator Waziri takes us on a journey through Kenner's life and the invention of the sanitary belt during the 1950s.
The Fikemi Aderoju Podcast: In this episode, Fikemi provides a personal update and shares some reflections on a variety of topics. The episode covers the reasons behind her break, plans for future episodes, thoughts on the podcast "pandemic" topic, and reflections on Valentine's Day.
The Seun Osigbesan Podcast: In this inspiring podcast episode, Seun Osigbesan shares wisdom on the true meaning of success and how it can be achieved through obedience to God's word and a positive outlook. He emphasizes that success is not defined by material wealth or social media followers, but rather by inner qualities such as faith, positivity, and obedience to God's instructions.
News
Coming Soon: The By Faith Podcast
The “By Faith Podcast" a new podcast in the works by Zizi, The Lord’s Bullet aims to inspire and encourage listeners through the sharing of personal life experiences. With a focus on how God helps individuals overcome difficult situations, the podcast will offer relatable and replicable stories that can inspire listeners to keep moving forward. The podcast will feature a variety of guests, all of whom are invited to share their stories and help others know that they are not alone.
Rodney Omeokachie recently made history by throwing the world's first-ever podcast listening party for his Young God Podcast powered by Bluetooth headphones! With the support of the French Institute of Nigeria as the sponsor and Loud N Silence providing Bluetooth headsets, the event was a resounding success. Rodney's insightful discussions with guests Andy Madaki and Eleojo Jennifer Amuneni were thought-provoking and engaging, and the audience brought an incredible energy that made the show even more exciting.
PodFest Cairo 2023, the fourth gathering of podcasters and listeners in Egypt, was held on March 4 at the Tahrir Cultural Center. Hosted by the American University in Cairo's Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, the conference featured panel discussions on a range of podcasting topics, including listenership, monetization, digital branding, producing entertainment podcasts, and wellness podcasting. The event aimed to support podcasters and provided resources for producing podcasts in both English and Arabic. For those who missed the conference, an archive of the event is available to watch on the PodFest Cairo Facebook page.
The Ambies 2023: Celebrating Excellence in Podcasting with 26 Award-Winning Shows
The Ambies Awards for Excellence in Audio have announced the winners of their third annual ceremony. Hosted by Larry Wilmore, the event recognized the best podcasts in 26 categories, including Chameleon: Wild Boys, which won both Podcast of the Year and Best Business Podcast. Other winners included Why Won't You Date Me? with Nicole Byer for Best Comedy Podcast, Bone Valley for Best Documentary Podcast, and Up and Vanished - The Trial of Ryan Duke for Best True Crime Podcast. Additionally, the Governor's Award was given to Chuck Bryant, Josh Clark, and Jeri Rowland for their contributions to the industry through Stuff You Should Know.
Spotify has teamed up with Anchor, the world's largest podcast hosting platform, to launch an all-new platform called "Spotify for Podcasters". This groundbreaking platform allows podcasters to create, manage, and grow their shows, while also offering interactive features such as Q&A and polls, monetization tools, and advanced analytics. Even if you're not hosting your content with Spotify, you can still access these tools. In addition, Spotify has introduced new features such as podcast previews, podcast chapters, and a new home feed experience. They have also launched Spotify Labs, a series of workshops for creators to connect, learn and create. Plus, they have a new educational space with how-to guides and growth tips. This exciting collaboration between Anchor and Spotify is set to revolutionize the podcasting industry.
NYU's Steinhardt School will offer a new course called The Business of Podcasting for the fall semester of 2023, which will be the only accredited college course in the country focused on the business side of podcasting. Taught by Amplifi Media CEO Steve Goldstein, the course will cover economics, content, marketing, and trends, and feature workshops, discussions, guest speakers, readings, and research. Goldstein's real-world podcast experience will provide students with a rich learning experience. The course completed a successful test run in April 2022 and will help prepare the next generation of podcasting professionals.
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Features
Spotify's New Podcast Features Spark Debate on Openness and Accessibility
The Reddit community is abuzz with reactions to Spotify's latest features for podcasters. While some Redditors are excited about the added tools, others are concerned that Spotify is attempting to build a walled garden around podcasting, which goes against the open and syndicated nature of the medium. Many argue that podcasting should remain free from "fences" and that using open protocols such as RSS is the best way to keep it that way. Some are also worried that Spotify may be trying to become the exclusive platform for podcasts, which could limit creators' reach and audience.
I caught a trend on Twitter, 5 podcasts to get to know me:... Might want to check it out to see what folks are listening to and which wan fit catch your interest.
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Tips
Business Cards and QR Codes For Podcasts
In the world of podcast promotion, Redditors have been sharing their experiences with using business cards and QR codes to reach potential listeners. User Cappster_ recommends using a trackable link for the QR code to easily track success. They have previously created a blank page that redirected back to their homepage, so any hit to the blank page was a QR scan. They plan to do this again for their new show but with more involvement and fun for listeners. User Hackalope made 500 cards with a QR code for their hacker history podcast and handed them out at conventions. While they saw a pop in new downloads, they admit to being bad at promotion. Backstrokerjc suggests bringing cards to conferences and events where people may be interested in their show. Polaroidfoxx suggests making QR code stickers in a square or bumper style for events like comic cons.
In a recent session at Stream On, Head of Partner Management Jordan Newman shared insights and recommendations for podcasters looking to find, grow, and retain their audiences. Among his tips were the importance of cover art and consistent publishing schedules, as well as the need to create authentic connections with listeners through features like Polls and Q&A. Jordan's session provided valuable insights into podcasting trends and habits that can help creators build their audiences and keep them engaged.
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Tools
Spotify has expanded its Q&A and Polls feature for all podcasters on its platform. This feature was previously exclusive to Anchor users, but now all podcasters can create their own questions and polls for their episodes. The new feature allows listeners to engage with the content and give feedback. Dan Brown suggests that this is a great way for podcasters to connect with their audience and improve their content. He also discusses how he plans to use the feature to encourage more engagement from his listeners.
Meanwhile, Neal Veglio, who usually is at crossroads with Spotify “tactics”, says, while it may not lead to a significant surge in engagement, it certainly can't hurt to give listeners another touchpoint. It might be a great opportunity to engage listeners on a deeper level and reinforce the call to action mentioned in your episodes.
Zencastr Launches New Monetization Network
Zencastr, the all-in-one podcasting platform trusted by over 100,000 podcasters worldwide, has launched a new monetization network for podcasters of any size. With its "Brand Match" AI, Zencastr's advertising partners can target podcasters' audiences using keywords and sentiments found in their shows. This gives creators the opportunity to monetize their content in a way that best fits their audience and allows them to choose from a variety of partnership formats, including affiliate, programmatic, and direct-to-brand advertising. The platform's new monetization network is user-friendly, non-exclusive, and allows podcasters on any platform to join and earn, making it possible for niche creators to grow, monetize, and find breakout success.
Free Automatic Transcripts Released
RSS[dot]com has exciting news for its subscribers! Their new automatic transcript feature generates free transcripts for new and existing episodes and makes them available on publicly accessible episode pages. With transcripts available in multiple languages, audio content is now more accessible and discoverable via search engines.
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