072 - Tess Neudeck: What Podcasters Should Know
Since the onset of the pandemic in the U.S., data from Acast has shown that podcasts aren’t just for your commute to work. In this episode, Tess Neudeck, Marketing Marketing, Americas for Acast, and Emily Binder talk finding guests for your show, the future of podcasting, and how to monetize your podcast.
Since the onset of the pandemic in the U.S., data from Acast has shown that podcasts aren’t just for your commute to work. In this episode, Tess Neudeck, Marketing Marketing, Americas for Acast, and Emily Binder talk all things podcasting:
How to turn networking into guests for your show
The future of podcasting
How to monetize your podcast
According to My Podcast Reviews, there are 1,200,000 podcasts and over 31 million podcast episodes as of June 2020. If you want to be successful in the podcasting, then this is one episode you won’t want to miss.
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Tess Neudeck:
Tess Neudeck currently serves as Manager of Marketing, Americas for Acast. She's responsible for shaping Acast’s marketing strategy across its 10,000+ podcasts, its advertiser business, and all of the products and services the company creates for podcasters, advertisers, and listeners.
Tess began her career on the agency side, spending more than eight years at Mediavest (now Spark Foundry) performing print and digital media planning/buying for a wide array of clients across almost every industry. Before Acast, she oversaw marketing at Urban Daddy and managed sales marketing for legendary brands like Sports Illustrated and Fortune.
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Topics:
01:20: Meet Tess Neudeck.
02:30: The state of podcasting during the pandemic.
“Acast is the world's largest global podcast marketplace that provides premium hosting, distribution and monetization. Acast’s app and web service provides on-demand audio content enhanced by additional interactive media and links.” - Acast LinkedIn
“We’ve seen more than a 10% increase in listens since the pandemic started, and we are just noticing that commuting is clearly not the only place that people are listening and they’re replacing that with listening in other places and forms.” - Tess Neudeck
03:45: People are constantly listening to podcasts and utilizing smart speakers to do so. It’s a common misconception that people only listen to podcasts during their commute to work.
04:50: Smart speakers and podcasting. How can you optimize your podcast for smart speakers?
“Podcasting is such a natural — I would say the number one most natural form of content for smart speakers with it being hands-free, germ-free, convenient audio that’s voice first.” - Emily Binder
06:30: The future of monetizing podcasts (sponsorship, donations, ads, and more).
“It’s not necessarily how we operate at Acast to make anything fully exclusive; we were founded upon the ideas of truly the democratization of audio and making amazing, premium content available to everybody regardless of where you listen. So, we’re platform agnostic. Our shows are available wherever you get your podcasts.” - Tess Neudeck
Acast Open is simple, smart podcast hosting and monetization for all creators. Get a $25 Amazon Gift Card when you sign up for a year of hosting on Acast Open.
08:20: Paying for quality: Acast’s new supporter feature allows for donations/listener compensation to the creator. Acast wholeheartedly believes that creators should be compensated for their work and creativity in the audio media space.
10:30: Shake up your platform! What works for one podcaster in one genre of podcasting might not work for you. Don’t be afraid to step outside of the box and experiment.
11:10: The democratization of the media and podcasting: anyone can do it with the right tools and resources, but there has to be a plan in place. You have to put time, thought, and energy into preparing for your podcast for success.
Live podcast streaming has become increasingly popular throughout the pandemic. Photo by Kate Oseen on Unsplash
“What is your point of view? What do you have to say that’s unique?... Batch up those episodes so that you can churn them out on a weekly or bi-weekly basis so that your audience can come to expect that content from you because once they’re there, once they’re ready to listen, you need to be able to give them that content.” - Tess Neudeck
16:20: Know your niche. Podcasting is evolving into so much more than traditional genres. Here are some podcasts that Tess recommends:
21:20: What’s missing from podcasting right now, and could live streaming be a part of the next generation of podcasting?
Check out last week’s episode where we spoke with John Andrews and WallStreetBooyah about his live streaming financial news show on Twitch.
Want expert help with your podcast or voice marketing strategy?
Tess Neudeck - Acast Marketing Manager for the Americas
Connect with Tess Neudeck:
Instagram: @tessypie
Twitter: @tessypie
Tess’ Blog: peachestoapples.com
Connect with Acast:
Twitter: @acast
Instagram: @acastforthestories
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069 - Steve Pratt: Podcasts - Your Brand's Unfair Advantage (VIDEO)
What makes a good podcast? How about a great podcast? In this episode, Emily and Steve discuss the best ways to create a valuable message to grow your podcast audience as well as how companies should be approaching podcasting as a new form of content marketing. They also discuss emerging opportunities with audio content and voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri.
Why do Facebook, Dell Technologies, Mozilla, Slack, Red Hat, NYT T Brand Studio, BMW, CBS, Charles Schwab, and more top brands come to Pacific Content when they want to create a branded podcast?
Steve Pratt is the Vice President and co-founder of Pacific Content, a company of 30 passionate podcast nerds that focuses exclusively on creating original podcasts with brands.
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Pacific Content joined Rogers Media in May 2019 and is one of Entrepreneur's 100 Brilliant Companies. Their shows have won Webby Awards, Digiday Branded Content Awards, MarCom Awards, and Shorty Awards.
What makes a good podcast? How about a great podcast? In this episode, Emily and Steve discuss the best ways to create a valuable message to grow your podcast audience as well as how companies should be approaching podcasting as a new form of content marketing. They also discuss emerging opportunities with audio content and voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri.
2:20: How Steve started working on branded content and more details on his background.
3:00: Sirius XM and the first podcast ever.
4:19: Getting bitten by the "podcast bug." Opportunities to generate exposure for new bands in Canada emerged through licensing agreements for podcasts.
4:35: The new wave of podcasting hits and with it the need for podcasters to think and act like media companies
5:37: Companies begin realizing a new medium to generate content to increase exposure, without overtly tying it to their brand. It doesn't sound like an ad.
Choiceology with Katy Milkman is an original podcast from Charles Schwab. It explores irrational decision making. The show was created by Pacific Content.
"They all understand that you have to put the audience first, and you have to have a lot of empathy for the people that you're creating this for. Anytime anybody makes a piece of content that is about themselves, it's an infomercial." - Steve Pratt
"If we make something that's about us, maybe people will listen once, and then they'll never come back." - Steve Pratt
7:22: Traditional advertising is becoming less and less effective due to the economic and global impacts of coronavirus. Advertising isn't always about showing off your brand and product; sometimes it's about just about creating something that adds value to the user's experience.
"This is a time for brands to serve instead of sell" - Steve Pratt
Loyalty and ROI
9:00: How do you play to the unique strengths of audio, and how do you measure your success in harnessing it?
11:10: Podcasting can reach people when screens aren't available
Podcasting hit a watershed moment in 2019 when, for the first time ever, over 50% of the U.S. adult population had listened to a podcast.
13:39: Everyone has a podcast, and the market is increasingly growing. Discovery and promotion can be a podcaster's biggest hurdle.
14:48: The same tips for growing your podcast can be applied as you're building a voice experience on Alexa or Google Assistant.
"This is all part of the concert of the marketing instruments; they play together." - Emily Binder
17:58: Word of mouth can grow ambassadors for your podcast or voice experience.
"You can't buy listens in podcasts, you have to earn them." - Steve Pratt
18:30: Goodpods is a platform for users to discover new podcasts and can help podcasters capitalize on the "word of mouth" marketing in a digital form. Goodpods is founded by JJ Ramberg, see our conversation with her here.
19:56: Establish patterns and comfort with users, and it will make them more drawn to new mediums. This will reduce friction to new technology and drive adoption.
"When we first had smartphones, you had to teach someone how to download an app and close an app...now, it has become second nature, and we can't live without it." - Emily Binder
23:05: This is the time to experiment with technology
24:53: Smart speakers are the training wheels of voice, but voice assistant is on so many more devices than just a smart speaker
"We had a 70% YOY increase in global shipments of smart speakers in 2019 over 2018. And voice in the car is actually the fastest growing and number 1 use case of voice." - Emily Binder
27:17: What has Google been doing in the podcast space?
Books and Podcasts Steve recommends:
Connect with Steve and Pacific Content:
Steve Pratt is Vice President and Co-Founder of Pacific Content, an award winning podcast studio
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067 - JJ Ramberg: Goodpods - What Your Friends are Listening To
Guest: JJ Ramberg is the co-founder of Goodpods, the new app where you can follow your friends, influencers, and favorite podcasters to see what they're listening to. JJ spent 13 years as an anchor on MSNBC and also co-founded the coupon site Goodshop.com. She is the author of two books -- the Wall Street Journal immediate bestseller, It's Your Business, and the children's book The Startup Club.
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Intro: We all love a little “good” in our lives. In this episode, host Emily Binder and JJ dive into the optimism and simplicity that JJ’s app Goodpods offers to its users. The app provides users a way to give and get recommendations for podcasts from their friends and fellow users in a world where podcasting is becoming more and more popular.
Emily and JJ continue their conversation to discuss the ins and outs of building an app, making money, podcast advertising, the podcasts they’re loving right now, and more.
Topics:
0:55: Meet JJ Ramberg
1:20: What is Goodpods?: Gravitating towards goodness.
“At its core, it’s just a way to find great new podcasts, and for podcasts to find new listeners.” - JJ Ramberg
3:45: Goodpods is Goodreads for podcasts. Download the app and claim your handle now. Follow @emilybinder and @JJ on Goodpods.
Co-founders and siblings, JJ and Ken Ramberg
5:00: The origins of Goodpods. JJ co-founded Goodpods with her brother Ken. They are both big podcast listeners.
“In 2019, 50% of the US population has at least listened to a podcast, and a third of them listen at least monthly.” Via Edison Research
6:05: These days, podcasting offers so much more than entertainment. More people are turning to podcasts for up to date news and information about what’s happening in the world, and sharing joy with those around them.
8:30: Podcasts are “low commitment.” You can consume information and entertainment more simply and easily. It’s a short-form content, and that’s the opposite of what we’re experiencing on social media.
9:20: Social media can be a negative space these days, linked to depression and addiction. But podcasting offers positivity, education, and entertainment.
10:21: Sharing podcast recommendations from the app: Ologies hosted by Alie Ward (check out the COVID-19 episode entitled Virology)
12:10 JJ loves Cool Mules podcast from CANADALAND and 10% Happier with Dan Harris
“These conversations are happening everywhere. We’ve just codified it, so you don’t have to remember them anymore.” - JJ Ramberg
15:55: Designing the Goodpods app: “We wanted it to be familiar” - JJ Ramberg
16:50: Beta testing: Goodpods is constantly adopting the app to be as simple and user friendly as possible.
17:01: So how does Goodpods make money? As a listener, a lot of people fast forward through ads. Is podcast advertising in a good place? Is it effective?
19:00 Podcast advertising is going to change in the coming years. Emily recommends: Six Pixels of Separation #700 – Seth Godin on Podcasting
“It’s not about how many people are listening, but what is the quality of the audience. Are they interested in a really niche topic? Because this medium lets you get so niche.”
21:20: Discussing parasocial relationships. Why do we sometimes feel like we are friends with podcasters, tv characters, etc.?
22:00: Growing podcast viewership is often the number one goal or metric for a podcaster. What is the best way to promote a new or existing podcast?
23:58: Emily and JJ discuss “Calls to Action,” or CTAs. It’s tough to get a reaction sometimes; you have to make things as easy as possible for the listener.
25:20: There are 800,000 podcasts. Don’t try to compete with the top podcasts on the charts, compete within your niche, and build the target audience for your specific brand.
“We weren't trying to be everything to everybody. We were just trying to be what we’re supposed to be for our audience.” - JJ Ramberg
28:38: JJ’s podcast recommendations: WeCrashed, a podcast about the rise and fall of WeWork, and the Ten Percent Happier Podcast with Dan Harris.
Goodpods is always looking for feedback and suggestions for their app. If you would like to submit a comment or suggestion, email JJ at jj (at) goodpods (dot) com.
Goodpods Co-Founder JJ Ramberg
066 - Audrey Hall: From Cash to Fintech - Brightwell
The Southeast Asian region’s internet economy has hit a key milestone, reaching $100 billion in market capitalization for the first time in 2019. This represents a 39% increase from the previous year. Money is moving in and out of this region in ways never before seen.
Audrey Hall is SVP, Product and Marketing at Brightwell, one of Atlanta’s fastest growing fintech companies
Audrey and Emily talked about Audrey’s mission at Brightwell, a payments technology company whose fintech solutions serve seafarers on the world’s major cruise Iines including Carnival, Norwegian, and more. We talked about the war on cash in the US and abroad, combatting fraud, and how Brightwell approaches educating users who are mostly unbanked or underbanked. Plus, the relationship between product and marketing.
Audrey Hall
is SVP of Product and Marketing at Brightwell, where she is focused on building financial products that transform global workers’ lives. Previously, Audrey served as VP of Client Strategy at 352, Inc.
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“Our purpose really is to help these underbanked, underserved communities who deserve the same access to the tools that we all have. That they are included in this financial world where You can have your dreams be possible by savings, by thinking about budgeting.” - Audrey Hall
TOPICS & TIMESTAMPS
1:39 Meet Emily’s guest, Audrey Hall
2:05: What does Brightwell do?
2:34: Brightwell is a fintech company out of Atlanta. They create financial technology products that serve the specific needs of migrant workers. Strong focus in the maritime industry. They help people send money home to their families and join the digital economy. Digital and financial inclusion.
“When we looked at payments in the cruise industry, it was kind of archaic.”
3:24: On-ship payroll payments are often done in cash. It’s risky and not cost-efficient. Brightwell offers a solution and serves people from 140 different countries around the world.
4:50: Brightwell’s clients include seafarers on cruise lines such as Norwegian, Carnival, Princess, Aida, Costa and more.
“The digital economy at large is something we’ve come to expect in the Western world.” - Audrey Hall
5:50: 2 billion people today are unbanked globally
6:05: These users offer tremendous opportunities for financial and corporate expansion, but their needs are unique and are impacted by language barriers, B2C interactions, education levels, and more
6:50: Build trust and empathy with various user groups
7:55: How do ATMs play a part in all this? ATM use is complicated and sometimes risky.
8:50: People are drawn to hard currency and the physicality of cash. Brightwell tries to help users understand why digital funds can be safer for them and their families, while respecting the ways that cash is still important for certain use cases and cultures.
9:25: Countries like Sweden are going cashless. 30% of Americans don’t use any cash in a given week.
9:40: Cash vs Digital. What are the pros and cons of each? How do you manage risk?
11:00: We’re more hesitant to offer up personal information (especially PII) these days. Companies like Brightwell work hard to ensure digital users are protected but fraud is rampant.
12:30: Real talk: Fraud can impact user experience and brand reputation. How do you deal with that?
“It’s something we will continue to iterate on and find new ways to educate users on.” “Yeah they are going to blame us, but it’s our responsibility to take care of them and make their experience the best it can be.” - Audrey Hall
14:34: Companies should be the guide, not the hero. Base your marketing and messaging around this guiding principle. It’s all about servicing the person who is using your product.
Each person who works at Brightwell is bought into their core principle and aims to put the user experience first.
15:05: Brightwell’s core principle: user first.
16:50: What is the difference between unbanked and underbanked? In the U.S. there are 55 million unbanked individuals
17:37: People depend on cash and keeping those systems in place is equally important as educating them on digital banking services.
18:19: How has Brightwell transformed itself in the last few years? Adopting more of a startup mindset.
19:20: Product testing: Brightwell works to understand the language and flow that would resonate most with clients based on their one-on-one user experience testing on prototypes (e.g. payment app Brightwell Navigator on Android and iOS)
19:50: “Focus groups are not your friend!”
21:17: Your product and marketing departments should be in constant communication. It will help you find the “why” behind your products. Collaboration is key.
22:00: What’s next for Brightwell and Audrey?
23:23: Brightwell is launching in the Philippines this year with a physical location.
26:00: Each year Brightwell is iterating and growing. Everyone there is committed to the purpose of the organization.
Audrey’s podcast recommendations: Reply All podcast episode 102 “Long Distance” and 103 “Long Distance, Part II.” It focuses on fraudsters like tech support scams based, suspicious callers, etc, and takes you behind the scenes as they track down an Indian call center that is scamming people.
Connect with Audrey Hall on LinkedIn and Twitter: @ansianko
Learn more about Brightwell and follow @BrightwellApp on social.
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049 - The Killer Voice App - Dave Isbitski, Chief Evangelist Alexa - Pt. 2 of 2
Dave Isbitski, Chief Evangelist, Alexa at Amazon
Guest: Dave Isbitski, Chief Evangelist, Amazon Alexa. We discussed Alexa Flash Briefing and the future of AI and how it will teach us about ourselves. The killer app is the connection. Part 2 of 2. (Listen to Part 1.)
We also answered a top question among marketers: how do you overcome discoverability challenges with early voice to get your Alexa skill found?
Friendly reminder: please mute your Alexa device before listening.
SHOW NOTES:
1:05 Flash Briefing - a consistent way to engage your customers. Beats a silly CEO email no one opens. This is a better company update.
2:00 "I want to engage and connect on a human level”
Cross modalities to drive engagements
2:45 Teri Fisher - Voice First Health Podcast: using SEO to share and promote all his Flash Briefings (Alexa in Canada, the top briefing in Canada). Put all the briefings onto a blog. This is how to harness Flash Briefing across modalities and web as well as helping your SEO.
3:20 You offer customers value. You must give. Pippa.io is a good tool to get your briefings embedded into your site with a simple widget which is also search-friendly (thanks for sponsoring our show, Pippa!) Here’s how it looks for the Voice Marketing Flash Briefing:
Get a $25 Amazon Gift Card when you sign up for Pippa to host your podcast or Flash Briefing!
4:00 What do you see coming down the pike as far as interaction within Flash Briefing? How do we move from passive to interactive, if we do at all - in voice experiences?
4:30 Dave: I’m a product person. I love consumer devices. I feel strongly that you want someone to get a new idea or understand how something will work, it must be a physical product. That was Echo. People want devices that work with Alexa. That customer sentiment has evolved - the future will be similar.
7:50 Alexa Conversations
8:00 The future of voice
8:20 We as humans don't think in terms of TASKS but in terms of scenarios, ideas, and things we want to get done (re:MARS example)
9:35 Burn your current ideas down. AI will help. Existentialism.
11:00 There is no killer voice app. The killer thing is the relationship and context with AI. Like a long friendship - it’s not any one aspect that makes it meaningful, it’s the entire relationship.