Sounds Profitable - podcast cover

Sounds Profitable

Bryan Barlettawww.spreaker.com
The pace of change the podcast industry is undergoing is staggering. The implications for podcasters, hosting providers, podcast listening app developers, and advertisers and agencies are enormous. And so is the growth potential. Presented as a companion to the weekly newsletter of the same name, our podcast provides you with direct access to our narrated articles, interviews with industry experts, bleeding-edge research, and can't miss industry news recaps. That Sounds Profitable, right? Assumptions and conventional wisdom will be challenged. Easy answers with no proof of efficacy will be exposed. Because the thinking that got podcast advertising close to a billion dollars annually will need to be drastically overhauled to bring in the tens or hundreds of billions of dollars podcast advertising deserves.

Episodes

Super Bowl Special, Brand Marketing Growth, Slate's Best Year, & More

This week in the business of podcasting we collected all of the revelant news for podcasting in the world of Super Bowl advertising, branded content was on the rise as new ad product growth in 2023, and the subtle key to podcasting's persuasiveness. Find all of the links to articles discussed and original reporting done by The Download in the website version of today's episode, which can be found here....

Feb 16, 202410 minEp. 263

Pepsi Goes Wide, Sports Fans Love Video Podcasts, & More

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: Analysis Shows How Important Digital Audio Is Becoming For Retailers Pepsi sat out the Super Bowl broadcast this year. That’s because it was everywhere else by Alyssa Meyers Sports Podcasts Have Best Video Opportunity Survey Finds. The Creator Economy: Boom Not Bust by Ross Adams …as for the rest of the news: a new hub for the next generation of audio journalists in Canada has launched , Veritonic has launched the self-serve B...

Feb 15, 20245 minEp. 262

Taylor Swift’s Podcast Influence, Upper Funnel Success, & More

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: Most B2B content marketers have trouble creating the right content for their audience by Meaghan Yuen The Value of Measuring the Upper Funnel for Podcast Ads by Paul Riismandel The Top 50 Podcasts in the U.S. for Q4 2023 from Edison Podcast Metrics …as for the rest of the news: Meghan Markle has signed with Lemonada to distribute the royal couple’s Archetypes podcast plus develop a new podcast , and Business Insider takes a lo...

Feb 14, 20245 minEp. 261

The Subtle Key to Podcasting's Persuasiveness

Miles of article inches have been written about podcasting’s persuasiveness, but NPR’s Body Electric takes audience engagement to a new, physical level. Written by Tom Webster Edited by Bryan Barletta Audio edited by Gavin Gaddis Hosted by Spreaker Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com ....

Feb 14, 202411 minEp. 260

Branded Content Surging, Building Authentic Multicultural Ads, & more

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: Podcast Consumers Engage With Social Media And Listen To Episodes Within A Day Of Release by Lauren Vetrano Most publishers grew their ad offerings last year, with a focus on branded content Authentic Multicultural Narratives Create True Diversity in Audio Advertising by Antonio Francisco Lewis Subscriptions, Not an Endangered Species SiriusXM to Lay Off 160 Employees, About 3% of Workforce Research Database Snapshot...

Feb 13, 20246 minEp. 259

Gen Z Ad Appeal, Slate's Podcast Success, Acast on Apple, & More

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: Acast expects short-term impact on listens from Apple update by Ella Sagar This Year’s Super Bowl Is All About Reaching Gen Z by Alyssa Boyle Slate reports best year by Max Tani Perfection Thwarting Progress: Response to IAB Tech Lab's Missive on Google's Privacy Sandbox By Catherine Perloff...

Feb 12, 20244 minEp. 258

What $7m Buys in Podcasting, Brand Investment Increase, YouTube's Streaming Success, & More

Here's what you need to know for this week in the business of podcasting: The following stories feature reporting specifically by The Download: How Much Podcasting Does a 30 Second Super Bowl Spot Buy? Accreditation for Black-Owned Publishers in Podcasting The Trade Desk to Lowball SSP Price Floors Brand Marketing Grows, Performance Shrinks in WARC Data And also from The Ankler: YouTube’s Place in Streaming Quick Hits: Reintroducing Podcasting by Tom Webster. The upcoming Sound Summit at SXSW, a...

Feb 09, 202410 minEp. 257

2024 Benchmarks, Lowballing SSPs, NYT Ad Revenue Down, & More

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: The Trade Desk Plans To Lowball SSP Floor Prices Podcast benchmarking: How did your downloads compare in 2023? By Sharon Taylor The New York Times expects ad revenue to continue to decline in 2024 by Sara Guaglione Warner Music to Cut 600 Positions or 10% of Staff by Ashely Carman...

Feb 08, 20245 minEp. 256

Bumper's Podcast X-Ray, Brand Advertising Growing, More Podcast Investments, & More

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: More than a third of marketers will increase their brand marketing investments this year by Meaghan Yuen Meet Podcast X-Ray by Dan Misener Toyota Signs Eli Manning and Brock Purdy as National Partners and Announces Plans for Super Bowl LVIII as The “Official Automotive Partner of the NFL” AI-powered podcast ad producer AudioStack raises £2.5m...

Feb 07, 20244 minEp. 255

Reintroducing Podcasting

If someone peeked into podcasting in the late 2010s, they would’ve seen an industry in ad tech infancy in comparison to podcasting’s capabilities now. The official Podcasting Sound Summit at SXSW will help re-introduce the industry and show off its new capabilities. Written by Tom Webster Edited by Bryan Barletta Audio edited by Gavin Gaddis Hosted by Spreaker Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com ....

Feb 07, 20247 minEp. 253

What $7m Buys in Podcasting, YouTube Outpaces Netflix, Spotify Q4 Earnings, & More

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: Netflix's Threat Isn't in Hollywood. It's YouTube by Entertainment Strategy Guy Here’s what a $7M, 30-second Super Bowl ad can purchase in digital media in 2024 by Kimeko McCoy What People Are Doing When They Aren’t Listening To Your Podcast by Steven Goldstein Spotify Reports Fourth Quarter 2023 Earnings...

Feb 06, 20245 minEp. 252

Spotify Expands Rogan, Black-Owned Accreditation, January Podcast CPMs & More

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: Spotify’s Multiplatform Strategy, Rogan Going Public WTF is accreditation for Black-owned publications? By Sara Guaglione AdvertiseCast Marketplace Podcast Advertising Rates …as for the rest of the news: Andrew Goldsmith has been promoted to CEO of Adelicious , BBC Sounds has publisher their Q4 report , and the Hollywood Reporter has published the full list of nominees for the 2024 iHeartRadio Podcast Awards , the winners of w...

Feb 05, 20244 minEp. 251

Apple's Automatic Transcriptions, Podcasts on ESPN 2, Brand Safety Summit Lessons, & More

Here's what you need to know for this week in the business of podcasting: Apple Podcasts Debuts Automatic Transcript Generation Alex Cooper’s ‘Call Her Daddy’ Podcast Ends Spotify Exclusivity Lessons From The Brand Podcast Summit Triton Digital’s U.S. Podcast Report, 2023 New Direct-to-Consumer Podcast Advertising Report Quick Hits: Knowing Half the Battle in Podcasting by Tom Webster. Half the battle of podcasting is keeping up with changes to the audience, and this week Tom looks at the “negle...

Feb 02, 20248 minEp. 250

Call Her Daddy Exclusivity Ends, DTC Shoppers Trust Podcasts, IAB ALM Recap & More

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: Alex Cooper’s ‘Call Her Daddy’ Podcast Is No Longer Exclusive to Spotify by Caitlin Huston 98% of Global Marketers for Direct-to-Consumer Brands Say Podcasts are Effective in Reaching Consumers, Acast Study Finds RAJAR Data Release, Q4 2023 Still Waiting For That Cookie To Crumble? We’re In The ‘In-Between Years,’ Says IAB CEO David Cohen by Sarah Sluis …as for the rest of the news: As for the rest of the news… Audacy is set t...

Feb 02, 20245 minEp. 249

Brand Podcasting Summit, Open Internet Study, Publishers Holding Strong, & More

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: The Free and Open Ad-Supported Internet Brand Podcast Summit Keeps the Focus on the Audience by Jeff Vidler In rocky digital advertising landscape, advertisers reconsider direct mail by Kimeko McCoy Digiday+ Research: Publishers held onto their staff and titles last year, even as traffic fell by Julia Tabisz …as for the rest of the news: SXM Media signs $100+ million three year exclusivity deal with Smartless , Acast’s Megan D...

Jan 31, 20245 minEp. 248

Knowing Half The Battle in Podcasting

With apologies to G.I. Joe, half the battle of podcasting is not the changes in technology, but keeping up with changes to the audience. Tom Webster digs into the “neglected half” of the work of podcasting. Written by Tom Webster Edited by Bryan Barletta Audio edited by Gavin Gaddis Hosted by Spreaker Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com ....

Jan 31, 20249 minEp. 247

Spotify's Audiobook Boom, Podcast Listener Growth, Prime Video Ads, & More

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: Apple’s New iOS 17 Software Is A Positive Step For Podcast Advertisers And Content Creators John Wordock and Pierre Bouvard Triton Digital US Podcast Report 2023 Audiobooks Are Booming. Spotify Wants in on the Action by Alexandra Alter The Results Are In: Here’s What Americans Streamed in 2023 by John Koblin Amazon rolls out ads on Prime Video by Jasmine Sheena …as for the rest of the news: Ari Paparo interviews Spotify’s Per ...

Jan 30, 20246 minEp. 246

Apple Transcripts, ESPN Broadcasts Podcasts, Wondery Debuts Toys & More

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: Transcripts on Apple Podcasts ESPN Podcasts to Air Weekday Afternoons on ESPN2 Starting January 29 by Alex Feuz George Carlin’s Estate Sues Podcasters Over A.I. Episode …as for the rest of the news: Amazon dethroned BetterHelp as top podcast spender on Magellan AI’s December tracker , and Wondery debuts a new toy line inspired by Wow in the World. And Podfront comes to PodMov. Monday, March 26th, Sounds Profitable has partnere...

Jan 29, 20244 minEp. 245

Sounder on APIs, Apple Rating Analysis, YouTube's Host-Read Haven

Here's what you need to know for this week in the business of podcasting: Sounder Debuts Open APIs For Transcription How Podcast Networks Are Testing Out AI Analysis of 28.5 Million Podcast Reviews on US Apple Podcasts Not All Video Podcast Ads Are Created Equal Quick Hits: The “Why” of Your Podcast by Tom Webster. This week Tom shares an excerpt from his upcoming book, focusing on figuring out the all-important detail of why someone listens to a podcast. Paramount Won’t Return to TV’s Upfront W...

Jan 26, 20249 minEp. 244

New NPR CEO, Open APIs for Podcasting, Audacy Revenue Projections, & More

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: Unlocking the Value of Audio Content: Why Open APIs Are a Game-Changer (featuring Bryan Barletta, Partner at Sounds Profitable) The “Why” of Your Podcast by Tom Webster More gambling ad spend goes to TV than all other formats combined by Sara Lebow NPR names tech executive Katherine Maher to lead in turbulent era by David Folkenflik …as for the rest of the news: Audacy projects ambitious revenue growth in streaming and podcast...

Jan 25, 20244 minEp. 243

Diversity Delivers, Personalization Pitfalls, Money Movers, & More

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: Most streaming music tracks do not reach monetisation threshold by Ella Sagar Brands Are Getting Shy On DEI, But Reaching Diverse Audiences Is Still Good Business by Anthony Vargas Why Personalized Ads Go Wrong And How To Do Them Right by Hana Yoo …as for the rest of the news: Magellan has published their rankings of top podcast advertisers for December 2023 , Brian Morrissey reflects on what media publishing might look like i...

Jan 24, 20244 minEp. 242

The “Why” of Your Podcast

Since the beginning of podcasting, people have yearned to know exactly why someone does or does not listen to their podcast. Tom Webster reflects on what answering a “why” can uncover. Written by Tom Webster Edited by Bryan Barletta Audio edited by Gavin Gaddis Hosted by Spreaker Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com ....

Jan 24, 202410 minEp. 241

Audio's 2024 Momentum, Challenging TV Upfronts, Networks Test AI, & More.

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: How podcast networks are testing AI tools for faster translation, ad sales by Sara Guaglione I analyzed 28.5 million Apple Podcasts star ratings by Dan Misener Paramount Won’t Return to TV’s Upfront Week in New York by Brian Steinberg Are awards worth it for Canadian podcasts? By Kattie Laur LUMA: 2024 Will Be Better For M&A (No, Seriously This Time) by Allison Schiff Sound will no longer be an afterthought...

Jan 23, 20247 minEp. 240

Sports' Gen Z Problem, Host-Read on YouTube, Podcasting's Cool Factor & More

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: Not All Podcast Ads are Created Equal. Here's Why by Kedric Walls Sports has a Gen Z problem Are Podcasts Cool (Again)? Hot Pod Interviews NPC Podcast Chief Collin Campbell …as for the rest of the news: amplifi’s Steven Goldstein writes The Truth About Podcasting’s Measurement Makeover , PodBean’s final free live event of “Podcast Launch Month” is this Thursday , and healthcare is projected to invest over $36 billion in U.S. a...

Jan 22, 20245 minEp. 239

Skippable Ad Engagement, Pivoting to Long-Term Branding, Podcasting x SXSW, & More

Here's what you need to know from this week in the business of podcasting. Podcast Download: Disconnect Between Ad Creative and Audience Expectations TikTok on Skippable Ads , Becoming Search Destination Communication is Key in Podcasting Podcasting Grows at SXSW Quick Hits While they may not be top story material, the articles below from this week are definitely worth your time: The 25th Hour by Tom Webster. This week in the Sounds Profitable newsletter, Tom explains how Duolingo, rocks, and sa...

Jan 19, 20248 minEp. 238

Podcasts Save Time, Teen's Search on TikTok, Chrome Closes Cookie Jar, & More.

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: The 25th Hour by Tom Webster Podcasts are key tool for TV discovery, research shows by Adam Shepherd Amy Poehler to Keynote at Podcast Movement Evolutions TikTok gains favor among Gen Z over Google for searches by Jeremy Goldman Daily Beast Podcast Secretly Records Paul F. Tompkins, Reframes Discussion …as for the rest of the news: WARC Media predicts global ad spend will break $1 trillion this year , Marketing Brew gives a “w...

Jan 18, 20246 minEp. 237

Podcast Ad Expectations, 1 Billion Down-Under Downloads, Podcasting's Programmatic Potential, & More

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: Podcast Ad Creative Disconnect Revealed In Cumulus Media And Signal Hill Insights’ Podcast Download by Pierre Bouvard Australians downloaded more than 1 billion podcasts in 2023 Can programmatic help podcasts find the money? by Damian Fowler …as for the rest of the news: Headliner reflects on 2023’s statistics and feature launches , Signal Hill Insights discusses how YouTube and video will grow podcasting this year , and Bryan...

Jan 17, 20244 minEp. 236

The 25 Hour Day

Tom Webster explains what rocks, sand, and Duolingo can teach podcasting in how we frame listening statistics and audience behavior. Written by Tom Webster Edited by Bryan Barletta Audio edited by Gavin Gaddis Hosted by Spreaker Sounds Profitable: Narrated Articles is a production of Sounds Profitable. For more information, visit soundsprofitable.com .

Jan 17, 20248 minEp. 235

SXSW x iHeart Awards, Skippable Ad Appeal, Keeping Child-Safe Compliant, & More.

Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: The incredible shrinking podcast industry by Max Tani TikTok reports non-skippable video ads may harm engagement by Nicola Agius How children's privacy laws complicate connected TV tracking practices by Tim Peterson S&P says advertisers have resumed spending iHeartMedia Announces Return of ‘The iHeartPodcast Awards’ with Live Event in Partnership with SXSW on March 11, 2024 …as for the rest of the news: PodPod reports Audi...

Jan 16, 20245 minEp. 234

A Year in Acquisitions, YouTube Ingests RSS, Accounting for Authenticity, & More

Here's what you need to know for this week in the business of podcasting: Podcast Acquisitions & Investments - 2023 Industry Recap SXM Media’s Digital Audio Research Recap YouTube Launches RSS Feed Ingestion Branded Music and Authenticity Quick Hits: 5 Strategies For Podcast Expansion In A Zero-Sum Audio World by Steven Goldstein. Recent Edison Research data shows daily time spent listening to audio content has remained stable for a decade. Goldstein discusses strategies for podcasting to gr...

Jan 12, 20247 minEp. 233