Amazon Music’s new AI-powered tool helps you find and browse podcasts
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To suggest relevant Topic tags, podcast transcripts and descriptions are analyzed by AI alongside human review to identify key topics that are discussed in a particular episode. As we continue to expand the coverage of Topics to more podcast content, the number of topics and the quality of related episodes will continue to improve.
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Podcast Discovery, the UK’s leading podcast marketing agency, has launched the Virtual Studio, an all-in-one solution to elevate the standard of remote podcast video.
The Virtual Studio is a full bespoke podcast studio built in 3D modelling software, complete with branding and easter eggs unique to each show that uses it. Modelled by experts in building real-life podcast studios, the Virtual Studio is designed to reflect the show’s identity on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and ensures branding remains visible after video is cropped vertically for socials.
The Studio addresses a key issue in an increasingly visual podcasting landscape. Podcast Discovery’s research shows podcast clips that are shot professionally are more than twice as likely to go viral as a similar clip recorded remotely on a webcam.
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Podcasters are supplied with a camera and lighting set up, complete with green screen which can be installed by the Podcast Discovery team. Podcast Discovery then replicate the height, angle and placement of each participant’s camera within the Virtual Studio in order to achieve the appearance of everyone being sat in the same room.
The Studio can also be used for hybrid recordings, where a real studio containing some of the contributors is recreated in 3D, allowing all contributors to appear as though they are there in person.
Learn more on the Podcast Discovery website.
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To grow podcast listenership and help people discover new shows this year, The New York Times is experimenting with creating images and video on platforms like YouTube and its own audio app, according to Nina Lassam, vp of business and head of audience growth, audio at The New York Times.
Onstage Wednesday at the Digiday Publishing Summit in Vail, Colorado, Lassam addressed podcasters’ long-running challenge of finding new listeners. The Times’ strategy is to promote its podcasts through audio ads on popular shows within its network (which often feature personal anecdotes from journalists and other Times employees), as well as market shows on The Times’ core news app and use more visual assets like images and video on Apple, Spotify and YouTube.
“It’s such a mature landscape now. We’ve all been staring at the same tiles for so long,” she said.
The Times is testing podcast episode-specific art on audio platforms and the Times’ own audio app, so that instead of using the same logo for every new episode of “The Daily,” it can use graphics and photography relevant to that episode’s topic to see if that brings in new listeners, for example.
“It’s great just to have something more visually interesting to look at. But it’s also something we know from the news app. Having a really interesting photograph is going to be more compelling for an article, so it’s wonderful to be able to try that in the audio space as well,” Lassam said.
The Times is also working on adding more video into its audio app, similar to how short animation clips appear in the core news app, she added.
Last October, The Times began posting fully-filmed episodes (recorded in new studios in San Francisco and New York) of two of its podcasts, “Hard Fork” and “Popcast” on YouTube, arguably one of the biggest podcast platforms in the U.S.
And while this has helped to find new listeners, according to Lassam, the growth is inconsistent — and may take awhile.
“We’ve been told – and we’re definitely seeing it ourselves – that you really need to invest 18 months, 24 months before you really start to see that level of audience that you would be really, really excited about. So we’re very, very early days,” Lassam said, adding that YouTube has not given guidance as to why it could take so long to see real results.
But the opportunity for viral hits on YouTube is worth the investment, she said.
“Unlike what you see on Apple and Spotify, on YouTube the viral moments thing is much more real [due to their] algorithm… So you’ll see some episodes do extraordinarily well. And then you’ll create a new floor for your audience, and then it’ll be consistent for a while. So there’s a lot more variability in the audience size per episode than what you tend to see in Apple and Spotify,” Lassam said.
Audio app goals
The New York Times audio app, which launched for news and bundle subscribers last year, allows journalists and columnists to experiment with audio formats that wouldn’t necessarily be a good fit for platforms like Apple, Spotify and RSS feeds, according to Lassam.
“It’s more of a [way to] press play on the front page of The New York Times experience,” with audio programming in the app moving from the day’s headlines, to short, five-minute clips of journalists giving an update on a major topic of the day to “The Daily” and and to a journalist reading a longer-form article, Lassam explained.
Last year, over 600 Times journalists contributed to audio, as a result of the app and its different formats, according to Lassam. The app had over a million downloads from June to the end of December, she added.
The next steps for the audio app is to promote the product (as well as new podcast shows, such as “The Interview,” launching next month) in The Times’ core news app, and add audio clips similar to the way video and graphics appear across the news app, Lasam said.
Growing listenership
Lassam confirmed that The Times has had “continuous” growth in listenership, but declined to share by how much. (The Times’ flagship show “The Daily” has been downloaded about 4 billion times since its launch in 2017, according to Lassam.)
The “consistent” listenership growth has been achieved thanks to three initiatives, according to Lassam: journalists and columnists market their own shows to readers, a focus on weekly shows and regularly producing new programming.
Other podcast networks and publishers have previously spoken to Digiday about the challenges associated with finding an audience for limited-run series.
“We were finding that it does take a little bit more time to build up the type of audience numbers that we’re excited about. And so having a consistent weekly show that takes less breaks has been more effective of late than a seasonal show. Serial, of course, being a major exception to that… It’s something that we think about a little bit more than we used to,” Lassam said. “We’re seeing that there’s just more demand for something that people can really build a habit around,” she added.
Serial Productions — the company behind the popular podcast show “Serial” that The New York Times acquired in 2020 — produces two or three mini-series every year. Season four of “Serial” dropped its first two episodes on Thursday.
“Continuing to add to our programming suite is another way that we’re guaranteeing that audience numbers continue to go up,” Lassam said.
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AMA, a specialist in creative and personalisation for digital audio advertising, has revealed insights from its survey of over 1,000 US consumers about their podcast listening habits and advertising preferences. Conducted in January, the survey uncovers the pivotal role of social media in podcast discovery. Additionally, it sheds light on listeners’ preferences for ad formats and timing, underscoring the growing demand for personalised ad experiences within podcasts.
“The data is unequivocal: Listeners want advertising that speaks directly to them, not just around them,” commented Steve Dunlop, Founder and CEO of AMA. “Our research confirms that when ads are well-integrated and hit that sweet spot of timing and content, they’re not just heard, they’re listened to.”
Social Media Emerges as a Key Player in Podcast Discovery
Key findings from the research indicate a strong link between social media usage and podcast discovery, with YouTube leading at 61 per cent, followed by 46 per cent of respondents discovering new podcasts through Facebook and 43 per cent through Instagram. Other platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and TikTok also played a role, with usage rates of 20 per cent, 9 per cent, and 39 per cent, respectively.
Varied Listener Comfort with Ad Personalisation in Podcasts
When it comes to personalization, 80 per cent of listeners show a preference for personalised ads in their podcast experience, signaling a substantial market appetite for customization. Nearly 20 per cent of respondents seek highly personalised ads, tailored directly to their individual interests and listening habits. This highlights the importance of hyper-personalisation, which can be achieved at scale with dynamic creative.
“Ad relevance is more than just a convenience; it directly leads to purchases,” Dunlop explained. “The study’s findings reinforce that dynamic creative both enhances brand impact, and aligns with listener preferences. Given that tailored ads resonate with listeners and benefit brands, the choice for dynamic audio advertising is clear.”
Listener Preferences Lean Towards Pre-Recorded and Host-Read Podcast Ads
The survey highlights listener preferences in ad formats with 38 per cent favouring pre-recorded ads (short commercial messages recorded by someone other than the podcast host and typically last 15-30 seconds) casting a shadow over the belief that host-read ads are more effective. Furthermore, just under a third (31 per cent) of listeners enjoy host-read sponsorship ads, while another 31 per cent prefer branded content (promotional messages seamlessly integrated within the podcast content, like a branded segment or episode). Regarding ad placement within a podcast, 42 per cent of respondents prefer pre-roll ads at the start of the podcast, one-third favor mid-roll ads, and one-quarter are inclined towards post-roll ads at the end.
Ad relevance proves to be a key driver in listener response, with a combined 42 per cent of respondents finding podcast ads either very relevant (15 per cent) or somewhat relevant (27 per cent) and acknowledging that such relevance has led to actual purchases. This highlights how relevant ads boost listener purchases, demonstrating targeted advertising’s effectiveness in driving consumer action.
Diverse Listening Habits Indicate the Need for Dynamic Creative in Podcast Ads
While 15 per cent of listeners are devoted, never missing an episode, a third of the respondents identify themselves as regular listeners. This highlights a potential risk of ad fatigue, particularly for regular listeners who might encounter the same ad repeatedly. This situation is all too familiar — repetitive ads can become irritating, detracting from the listener experience.
AMA’s dynamic creative technology offers a solution by adjusting the ad content to suit each listener’s context. With features like message rotation, even the same campaign can deliver unique ads to a listener – keeping the content fresh, engaging and reducing ad fatigue. This innovation is crucial for maintaining listener engagement, emphasising the need for flexible advertising strategies.
“Personalised advertising is the future of engaging podcast listeners,” added Dunlop. “Our study shows that listeners aren’t just open to personalised ads – they prefer them. This shift is monumental, steering us away from one-size-fits-all generic creative ads towards those that resonate with individual tastes and interests. Particularly revealing is the potential for programmatic advertising to transform podcasting, inviting major advertisers to engage at scale. By embracing this evolution, we’re not just reaching audiences but genuinely engaging them – marking a new chapter in digital audio advertising.”
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