We previously shared that IAB Technology Lab (IAB) – a nonprofit consortium that develops standards within the digital media world – released podcast measurement guidelines to help streamline policies for providers like us and podcasters like you. To ensure our software and products meet industry guidelines, Spreaker is working to be IAB certified!
“If you build it, they will come.” The only person that ever worked out for was Kevin Costner. If you’re a podcaster and the only thing you’re doing to build your audience is publishing your podcast, then you may be living in your own “Field of Dreams.”
There are upwards of 180,000 podcasts currently circulating, clamoring for listeners in 2015. This means that the odds of your ideal listener finding you, without some “New and Noteworthy” push from i-Tunes can be quite slim. If you’re a faith-caster, the odds become even slimmer since the most popular podcasts tend to fall into the comedy, business, sports, or lifestyle categories.
In short, you have to work a little harder to drive your audience to your podcast. Since launching Branding for Believers, I’ve use three social media strategies that have really provided a boost in downloads and listenership.
While attending a podcast conference this summer, I managed to have a sidebar with a prominent executive at a broadcasting company. I was relatively new to podcasting, having only been at it for a few months and I wanted his take on how many downloads were needed to consider things like sponsorship.
He told me that the average podcast, after three months, only has about 1,000 – 1,200 downloads, total. My eyes widened. At the time of our conversation, my podcast was nearing 14,000 downloads. That’s when HIS eyes widened. He asked me what type of show I had; and the minute I uttered the words “faith-based”, his entire posture shifted.
He went on to explain that faith-based podcasts could be difficult to monetize because sponsors are leery about having religious affiliations. Throwing their endorsement behind one faith group or another could be a potential liability or worse, a PR nightmare. After our conversation, I started thinking…”short of passing around a digital collection plate, how CAN faith based podcasters turn a profit?”
Spreaker Partners with Radioline to Reach Out to French Listeners
Podcast platform will supply its unique catalog of 27,000 shows
San Francisco, October 19th, 2015 — Spreaker, the leading podcasting and live audio streaming platform, announced today that it is partnering with French company Radioline to expand its podcast distribution in Europe. Radioline is a leading European radio aggregation service, listing more than 25,000 radio stations and 10,000 podcasts.
The addition of the Spreaker catalog, which contains more than 27,000 podcasts and shows in different languages and genres, will more than triple the current Radioline podcast offering. The new shows will be available to all listeners starting from early November.
Spreaker releases podcasting app Spreaker Studio” for Windows and Mac OS X
Users can stream audio live, record and add guests or co-hosts using Skype.
San Francisco, CA, Oct 14, 2015 – Spreaker, the leading podcasting and live audio streaming platform, announces the availability of its audio recording and live streaming app “Spreaker 
Studio” for Windows and Mac OS X. The new application allows users to mix high-quality inputs from up to four audio sources like USB microphones, touch-activated sound effects, intro and exit music and Skype callers into a live or a pre-recorded audio show podcast. This four audio source input support eliminates the need for an expensive audio mixer to record more than one microphone at a time for easy mobile recordings.
Since 2010 Spreaker continues its commitment to building a complete podcasting platform that allows users to create, host, distribute, measure and monetize their audio content. In Spreaker Studio, new podcasters will find a simple console where audio files, sound effects, voice, music and more can be mixed in one place during a live or recorded episode then be encoded and pushed to the podcasters feed automatically. Podcasting pros will find improved integration with external equipment and software, including Skype.
While attending Podcast Movement this summer, I will never forget the words of Podcast Answer Man, Cliff Ravenscraft. During his session on building deeper relationships with your audience, he said, “until you know the value of one listener, you will never know the value of 1000.” Many podcasters mistakenly equate “downloads” with listeners. A download means that someone, somewhere clicked on a podcast episode. Whether it played for 20 seconds or 20 minutes, it counts. But this is not a listener. This isn’t someone in your tribe.
I often equate brand building with church building. Churches grow by consistently serving the spiritual needs of their flock, not by touting the number of parishioners who showed up on a Sunday. Likewise, if you are building a faith-based platform, or any platform for that matter, you have to be willing to serve the deeper needs of your audience.
In general, when people think of faith, they tend to think of churches, preachers, bibles, and brimstone. Religion, along with money and politics is one of those “American taboos” that are generally forbidden to speak of around the dinner table. However, with the popularity of films like War Room, which leapt to #1 at the North American box office, dethroning Straight Outta’ Compton, and trouncing Guy Ritchie’s ‘A Man from U.N.C.L.E.’, stories of faith are striking a chord with audiences looking for inspiration in troubled times.
The strength of podcasting lies in the hosts’ ability to develop a relationship with their audiences; devoted listeners form a sort of kinship with the host. They start to feel like they “know” them. They travel with them on planes, commute with them to work, and listen to them throughout the day. Marcus Sheridan, author of The Power of Transparent Marketing to Rock Your Business in 2012 writes, “transparency demonstrates expertise, ultimately leading to trusting relationships.”
Presented by Rob Greenlee, Head of Content, Spreaker . Today show featured the co-host guest Robert Scoble, Rackspace’s Startup Liaison Officer and Tech Futurist.
Topics:
Talk about the current so called “Golden Age of Podcasting”
“Virtual Reality”, growing “Contextual World”, 360-degree video experiences and Facebook.
Whether “Podcasting” or “Podcasts” as a name for On Demand Audio that will last?
Will the growing APP ecosystem coming to the car replace AM/FM radio?
Whether “Smart Agents” like Siri/Cortana and “Machine Learning” will change Podcast Discovery?
How Tech will impact the growth of on-demand audio/podcasting?
How music services like Spotify will impact podcasting?
Is AUDIO more relevant now compared to video?
What are the most important things to get right to be a successful content creator these days?
Spreaker blog
Presented by Rob Greenlee, Head of Content, Spreaker -Today’s show featured the co-host guest Ray Ortega, Host of “Podcasters Roundtable” and the “Podcasters Studio” podcast.
Topics:
Why and how did you get started podcasting?
The most important things to get right to be a successful audio creator?
Producer Tips on the show TODAY!
Shortening this show to 30 minutes or less. Focused and concise! Commute Times/Aver. Time Listen 25 min
Making the show a pure help and tips show about the Spreaker podcasting platform
You can now “Turn off and On” your Podcast RSS feed in Spreaker “Edit Feed” area drop down box
You can get a “Free” account on Spreaker that has 10 hours of free audio storage in the “Free Speech” plan
In Statistics “Plays” are actual Icecast/shoutcast streaming server plays, downloads are RSS based or direct website based
Spreaker at Podcast Movement 2015 – Just put out an announcement about our involvement in the event – See our Press Release section of our blog
Presented by Rob Greenlee, Head of Content@ Spreaker. Today’s show featured the co-host guest Andrew Zarian, founder and host of GFQnetwork
Topics:
Expert advice around building a Podcast Network with Andrew Zarian
What’s going on with Spreaker’s listeners? – Discuss Blog Post about Streaming Live vs. Podcasting
Key’s to “Serial” the podcast success interview with Spreaker CEO Francesco Baschieri , Serial , The Truth Podcast
Comment from Spreaker Podcaster Jim Collison, co-host with David Jackson on “Ask a Podcast Coach” every Sat morning, The Average Guy , Gallup Strengths Center
