Podcast Movement 2017 Underway In Anaheim

Underway

By PERRY MICHAEL SIMON in ANAHEIM: PODCAST MOVEMENT 2017 gets underway WEDNESDAY morning with a full day of panels and speakers on tap at the ANAHEIM MARRIOTT.

Morning Sessions: Dynamic Ad Sales, And What Makes A Good Podcast

In early sessions, RADIOPUBLIC CEO JAKE SHAPIRO and AUDIOSEAR.CH co-founder ANNE WOOTTON showed off their platforms in a presentation on aiding discovery of podcasts, while at a panel discussing the growth of dynamic ad insertion, PALEGROOVE founder KRIS SMITH noted that "dynamic just means that humans aren't putting (an ad) in. A robot is putting it in, but the humans are still making the content." The dynamic ad insertion panel also addressed issues like whether insertion works for direct response ads, and how the format of dynamic ads can be improved.

AUDIBLE SVP/Original Content Development ERIC NUZUM might be resistant to calling his compay's original content "podcasts," but he came to the event to offer advice to podcasters, based on the over 100 podcasts with which he has been involved; the talk ranged from motivation (IGGY POP using his hatred of broccoli, NUZUM's use of RICHARD BRANSON's ubiquity as a podcast guest as motivation to avoid sameness) and the essential components of successful podcasts, which he defined as story, character, and voice. "Everything that's successful is about something," NUZUM said, adding that the most successful have the clearest vision od what they're about. He also offered advice on the value of being able to very briefly describe what a show is about, avoiding superlatives in show descriptions, and how those trained in news and used to "scrubbing" their personality ut of their work have to adjust to allow for their unique voice to manifest itself in a podcast.

Making Money Yet?

After the lunch break, MARKET ENGINUITY's SARAH VAN MOSEL moderated a panel on the key issue of podcast monetization with statistics from the INTERACTIVE ADVERTISING BUREAU showing substantial revenue growth, including from dynamic ad insertion.

WNYC STUDIOS' HAL TRENCHER suggested that brand advertising will be the source of future growth and will be the result of marketing towards agencies. PANOPLY's MATT TURCK agreed, saying that his company sold the first five episodes of the season for "MALCOLM GLADWELL'S REVISIONIST HISTORY" to CHANEL and that targeted marketing is increasingly important, but, while he predicted that brand advertising would ultimately "eclipse" direct-response advertising for podcasts, TURCK stressed that direct-response advertising will remain important. 

MIDROLL's LEX FRIEDMAN discussed his company's reliance on host-read ads; Asked what makes a show easier to sell, PUBLIC MEDIA MARKETING's MARK VANDERHOFF said size (number of downloads) is less important than "how specifically can you speak about your audience," citing MAXIMUM FUN's lineup of narrowly-targeted comedy podcasts like "CAN I PET YOUR DOG?" (sold easily to BARKBOX), but he later added, "I said size is not the most important thing, but it's AN important thing").

When Fun Becomes A Chore

RADIOTOPIA Executive Producer JULIE SHAPIRO's panel focused on "feeding the beast" -- coming up with fresh creative material day in and day out.

"THE ILLUSIONIST" host HELEN ZALTZMAN, noting that she is "a team of one" producing her podcast, admitted to difficulties with time management for the show while her much-longer-running "ANSWER ME THIS" is in an established routine; she said that advertiser deadlines are a prime motivator for her.  Time is also a problem for "STRANGERS" host LEA THAU, who said that she becomes "hateful and rageful" when constantly behind; "THE KITCHEN SISTERS PRESENT" co-producer NIKKI SILVA cited another issue with time, trying to frame her thoughts to reflect what's happening now but being cognizant that some listeners won't hear the show until much later, when the time-sensitive content might no longer be relevant.   The hosts discussed approaches like taking breaks ("F--k work," ZALTZMAN declared.  "Take a nap!"), cancelling episodes to buy more time, staying healthy and in the right mindset, and stretching a show's parameters to keep things interesting and fresh.

By The Numbers

LARRY ROSIN and TOM WEBSTER brought some numbers for podcasters to consider from EDISON RESEARCH's "Share of Ear" studies, based on 6,500 one-day diaries from podcast listeners.

While 86% of respondents saud they listen to music each day, 41% said they listen to speech, for an average of 57 minutes per day (out of 3 hours 49 minutes of total listening).  Focusing on the 41% who listen to speech, those respondents listen to much more audio overall and 2 hours 19 minutes of speech per day on average.  11% of that time is spent with podcasts (broadcast radio is at 69%, with SIRIUSXM at 7%, and audiobooks also at 7%); a quarter of the 11% listening to podcasts are in the 13-34 demographic, with 9% in the 35-54 category.  Those saying they listen to podcasts said that 31% of their listening time goes to podcasts, the largest portion of their listening.  As for location, speech listeners said that the two main places they listen are in the car and in their home, but 54% of time with speech is at home, and 33% in a vehicle.  But for most people, podcasts make up a very small percentage of in0car listening.  Podcasts lead, however, on smartphones and computers.

The presentation included video of respondents complaining about the content and commercial load for broadcast talk radio, and WEBSTER explained that talk radio is perceived as a negative and warned against describing podcasts as "like talk radio."  As for discovery, respondents cited word of mouth, search (influenced by reviews and ratings), and when shows offer episodes of other shows in their feeds.

WEBSTER closed by advising podcasters to spread the word by explaining content rather than technology, encouraging "push" rather than more active methods of discovery, and the embracing of "social audio" ("take the earbuds off" --- gathering around an AMAZON device like families did with radio before television).

Keynotes And Awards

The opening keynote (actually scheduled after the full day of sessions) came from RABIA CHAUDRY, COLIN MILLER, and SUSAN SIMPSON of "UNDISCLOSED," offering an entertaining history of the podcast from its inception (with the three not really knowing how to do a podcast).

"HARDCORE HISTORY" host DAN CARLIN was interviewed by MIXERGY founder and podcaster ANDREW WARNER for a second keynote, with CARLIN discussing monetization (starting with donations, then archive subscriptions ("competing against piracy" by pricing low enough to make piracy less attractive) and AMAZON affiliate links, and, finally, advertising. CARLIN admitted that his notoriously long episodes aren't conducive to making money from end-roll ads, but he will "throw an ad in at the end if it's easy."

Starting from the stories he was prone to tell at dinners, CARLIN's podcast, he said, began with him trying to figure out a formula, taking feedback that helped him tweak the show and add context ("I think that's how you get to six hours," he added, another reference to his long episodes)   CARLIN offered that his shows are formatted around narrative (the story), drama, and a twist ("TWILIGHT ZONE things... a little mind-blowing moment").

CARLIN related the story of his start in radio and being told by his boss that he should have adenoidal surgery to make his voice deeper, but noted that times have changed from then (the end of the "big voice" era).  As for his radio career, he said that he was a good host "two or three days of rhe week" but had to work all week, while in podcasting, "if I'm not interested, we won't do it."

In the evening, the ACADEMY OF PODCASTERS Awards will be handed out, preceded by a red-carpet party sponsored by iHEARTRADIO and followed by an after party hosted by PATREON.

The annual convention will run through FRIDAY (8/25).

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