The Future of Podcasting

Podcasting became much easier to access once Apple and smartphones removed old syncing friction, but the medium still has limits in discovery, measurement, and monetization. The article compares podcasting to blogging, then argues that audio works differently enough that publishers may need a different path than the one that left them dependent on Facebook.

Reading notes

#

• Apple’s 2005 support for podcasts made distribution much simpler for iPod users.
• Growth in podcast awareness and listening has been steady, helped by smartphones.
• Podcasting differs from blogging in creation, distribution, discovery, retention, and monetization.
• Podcasts are harder to discover and distribute than blogs because listeners usually need a player, a directory, or a feed address.
• Podcasts retain audiences well because RSS-based subscriptions download new episodes automatically.
• Podcast advertising is still small, with revenue concentrated among a few direct-response advertisers.
• The main monetization problem is weak measurement: downloads are known, but actual listening and ad skipping are not.
• That measurement gap pushes advertisers toward coupon codes and special URLs.
• The model does not scale well because it favors podcasts that can support custom ad setups.
• Brand advertising would require better audience targeting and measurement than podcasts usually offer.
• Midroll’s purchase of Stitcher is presented as a move toward controlling both distribution and ad measurement.
• A player that hosts files itself can gather play data and support dynamic ad insertion.
• The article warns that this could lead to a central aggregator that locks in podcasters and listeners.
• Marco Arment is cited as opposing that outcome and building Overcast to resist it.
• Publishers are already dependent on Facebook in text media, and podcasting could repeat that pattern.
• Apple is seen as a possible central platform because of its role in podcast consumption and its services focus.
• The author proposes a third way in which publishers offer podcasts through their own apps, measure listens, and either sell ads themselves or outsource sales.
• Midroll could provide skinnable apps for publishers that cannot build their own.
• This would make cross-promotion easier and could support subscriptions.
• The article argues that the difficulty of podcast discovery and distribution makes app-based publishing practical for publishers.