Tuesday 20th September: The power of podcasts to connect and serve

September 20, 2022

Good morning! Today's newsletter is brought to you by Esther. I'll be at Press Gazette's Future of Media Technology conference tomorrow - if you're planning on being there, say hi, or reply to this email if you'd like to grab a coffee.

There are few people I know more passionate about the power of podcasts than Chris Phin. Until recently he was Head of Podcasts for DC Thomson. He's also leading a workshop on what kit publishers need to get started at our upcoming Publisher Podcast Summit.

This week he's penned a piece for us on why podcasting is such a powerful format for publishers. Potential revenue aside, you can't be any closer to your audience than talking in their ears (unless you - like BuzzFeed - get into branded vibrators...but moving on...)

"It’s not ‘doing the ironing’, it’s laughing and raging with the latest Guilty Feminist," he says of podcast listening. "It’s not ‘walking the dog’, it’s greedily gobbling the back catalogue of Off Menu. It’s not ‘freezing your arse off on the sidelines in late January while your kid plays five-a-side’, it’s freezing your arse off on the sidelines in late January while your kid plays five-a-side while being inspired and challenged by BetterPod."

It depends who you ask. On the one hand, we have access to more diverse media, almost unlimited choice to curate around our interests, and platforms to surface hidden talent. But we also face issues with algorithms trying to pick things that entertain us, misinformation, and a firehose of content to choose from. Some thought-provoking arguments from ex Hearst President Troy Young.

Plunged into a full-scale war, Ukraine has been surprisingly resilient – defying grim predictions by successfully standing up to a more powerful enemy, although with huge sacrifice.  Ukrainian media expert Otar Dovzhenko believes that the country’s media are in better shape than analysts predicted. But its prospects are still uncertain.

In the latest edition of magazine publishing ideas to steal, Peter Houston brings you some examples of brilliant magazine covers - from The Northern Echo's front-page anger to The Economist's subtle warnings - and one excellent homepage from The Onion for inspiration.

If you're looking for podcast editing software recommendations, take a look at Hindenburg. It’s a professional-grade audio editing system built for podcasts and audio storytelling, with lots of features like auto levelling which help streamline the process. Don’t take our word for it: try it out for yourself! This link will get you an extended three month trial of Hindenburg PRO for business.

[#Ad, but genuinely, we love Hindenburg]

Save the date!

We'll be back in your ears next Monday 26th September with the next season of Media Voices, and we're excited to show you what we've been working on. In the meantime, why not browse our back catalogue? All our past episodes are tagged up by topic if you'd like to find previous episodes and guests around specific areas.

These are just some of the companies coming to join us at the Publisher Podcast Summit in two weeks' time. We'd love to see you there too - the Summit has something for publishers of all levels, whether you're thinking about starting a podcast or have an established portfolio.