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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
“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
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.
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.
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.
