A quick recap of what’s happened in podcasting this week.
The big news: Google Podcasts is finally available on iPhone and iPad iOS operating systems. It appears the podcast rush in this time of “social distancing” may have finally lit a fire under Google, which has been lagging behind in the space. However, there may be some hiccups, as James Cridland explains in Thursday’s issue of Podnews – a daily newsletter and podcast that you should subscribe to if you have any interest in podcasting.
As we explore the effects of COVID-19 on podcasting, it appears that some advertisers are increasing their spend, and some are decreasing it. For example, VPN providers, household products, and alcohol advertising is up. Not surprisingly, travel, live entertainment, and gambling is down. You can read more in this piece from Medium.
With regard to podcasts themselves- news and health related podcasts (especially the recent surge in Coronavirus-related shows) are of course up. However, before you produce a COVID-19 episode, remember this rule: content is king. Think about how many emails you’ve received this month on the topic – no doubt from every brand that has you on a subscription list. The note from Doordash about contact-less delivery? That’s helpful. The note from the Michigan lottery about social distancing? Meh, not so much. Give your audience information about what you’re doing for them – parroting information from the government about social distancing and staying at home won’t offer anything of value. And it may result in you landing in the wasteland of “Unsubscribers.”
Easy-to-use podcasting host Anchor announced this week that you can now record a show with up to 4 people. I have mixed feelings about Anchor. Their hosting is free, but as with all things, nothing is really free. There’s a lack of clarity about privacy and who owns your content. If you want to get your feet wet in podcasting with minimal financial commitment, sure, give them a try. But if you want to be serious about a show, including getting real analytics, I recommend a platform like Simplecast (disclaimer: I’m a referral partner) or Libsyn.
Finally, I did a bonus episode this week about recording remotely. With that in mind, here’s a great article from The Podcast Host about the same, in even more detail.
