Podcast Movement 2024 brought together voices from across the podcasting spectrum. From hobbyists and seasoned professionals to podcast hosting companies and leading platforms like Apple and Spotify—this event united everyone under one roof.
CoHost was proud to be part of the action, sponsoring the Podcast Mastery track alongside our parent company, Quill Podcast Agency which covered all things podcast monetization, marketing, production, and analytics.
A special thank you goes out to all of our incredible panelists and moderators who offered invaluable insights and advice.
In case you missed it, here's a recap of Podcast Movement’s highlights and key takeaways to elevate your podcast this coming year.
Loyal audiences aren’t the same as high downloads
Anyone can buy traffic (downloads), but building a loyal podcast audience is a lot more valuable and challenging.
To help creators overcome the audience growth hurdle, “How to Create A Loyal Audience That Goes Beyond Download Numbers,” brought some of the best brains in audio – Fatima Zaidi, Jonas Woost, Jeff Vidler, Jeremy Enns, and Juleyka Lantigua – together to discuss the metrics you should be tracking to understand your audience as well as the best ways to engage listeners outside the airwaves.
Instead of getting bogged down by downloads and other vanity metrics, the experts are suggesting creators focus on more in-depth audience engagement metrics like consumption rate, audience demographics, and B2B Analytics.
CoHost Tip: To help improve your tracking, check out our list of the top 5 analytics mistakes and how to correct them.
Podcast metrics are moving (far) beyond downloads
In a similar vein, podcast metrics are no longer a matter of downloads and subscribers. With the help of podcast analytics tools, creators are now able to focus on key data points that will help them:
- Verify their shows are reaching the right audience
- Enhance sponsorships and monetization opportunities
- Tailor their content to their target audience’s preferences
- Continuously improve and refine their content
Here are some of the top metrics podcast pros – Fatima Zaidi, Sharon Taylor, Nathan Otoski, Matt Drengler, and moderator Scott Simonelli– recommend creators track:
- Demographic data
- B2B analytics
- Consumption rate
- Drop-off rate
- Listen through rate
- Unique listeners
- Ratings and reviews
CoHost Tip: For a more in-depth list of key metrics to track, check out our full guide for pro-podcasters.
Ad buyers are looking for honesty and regular reporting
In this Quill and CoHost-sponsored session, Stephanie Andrews, Adam McNeil, Kirsten Tannen, Heriberto Ramirez, and moderator Bryan Barletta, revealed the secrets to crafting the perfect pitch that captures the attention of ad buyers.
The podcast pros share that ad buyers are looking for podcasts with highly engaged, loyal audiences, where listeners are more likely to take action based on recommendations. Brands look for strong alignment between the podcast's content and their brand’s message, making relevance and authenticity crucial factors in partnerships.
To stand out, focus on building genuine connections with your audience and present clear analytics that showcase listener engagement. Avoid common mistakes like overpromising on reach or failing to disclose your audience demographics.
Plus, consistently deliver high-quality content that resonates with your listeners, and tailor your pitch to demonstrate how your podcast can meet an ad buyer's specific goals.
Branded podcasts are emerging as a lead-generation tool
CoHost CEO, Fatima Zaidi, and Sounds Profitable Partners, Tom Webster, and Bryan Barletta, unveiled the Impact of Branded Podcasts Report at Podcast Movement.
With insights sourced directly from leading brands, the report explores the latest challenges, objectives, and impacts of podcasts on businesses.
Some key takeaways from the report include:
- After launching their podcast, 72% of brands report thought leadership and lead generation as the most valuable results of their podcast. Lead generation emerged as an unexpected benefit, considering only 28% of brands initially cited it as a goal.
- Resourcing is the largest challenge for brands in podcasting (58%)
- 64% of brands are planning to sustain or increase their podcast investment in 2024
For those interested in exploring how companies are integrating podcasts into their brand and the practical challenges and opportunities that podcasts present, the full report is now available for download.
Put your listeners at the heart of your episodes
If you've ever wondered how agencies like Quill, iHeartMedia, and JAR Audio tell such captivating and compelling stories, they gave us some insight during “How to Create a Podcast Interview That Doesn’t Suck” and “How to Create a Compelling Story That Captivates From Start to Finish.”
In the interview session, the experts – Fatima Zaidi, Jennifer Moss, Annalise Nielsen, Jeff Umbro, and moderator Quincy de Vries – agreed that it’s important for podcasters to have a plan, but allow for some flexibility. Going into an interview with a clear thesis or listener promise will help guide your conversation, but make sure you aren't too attached to your plan. Above all, you’ll want to give your guests the space to tell a story that will captivate your audience.
In terms of telling a great story, Fatima Zaidi, Matt Stillo, Ashley Hamer Pritchard, and moderator Quincy de Vries concluded that it’s not about what’s in it for you. The focus of each episode should be your listeners, their needs, and their preferences. At its core, your podcast and the stories you tell need to fulfill your unique promise to your listeners – whether that’s entertainment, education, or self-improvement.
Podcast tracking tools are stepping up their game
In “Is Your Podcast Marketing Actually Working? Here’s How to Find Out”, Ainsley Rossitto, Fatima Zaidi, Kyle Denhoff, Stephen Robles, and moderator James Cridland explored how to set up your podcast marketing strategy for success and verify these tactics meet your podcast goals.
When it comes to setting up your podcast marketing strategy, it’s key to focus on specific KPIs that inform your goals (and stick to them!). For example:
- Brand awareness: Increase downloads and unique listeners by 10% this quarter
- Engagement: Increase my podcast’s average consumption rate to 80% this season
- Lead generation: Obtain 15 leads from my podcast this season
Then, you’ll want to get granular with your audience demographics and nail down your ideal listener persona – the more specific the better. This will help you relate to your listeners on a personal level. That way, your audience will have a positive association with your podcast and are more likely to engage with your marketing and become loyal listeners.
Once you’ve prepped, it’s time to create your list of podcast marketing tactics and define your KPIs for each. When selecting your platforms, take into account your ideal listener persona and where they live online.
Once you’ve started posting regularly, you can use the tools and platforms below to verify your podcast marketing is paying off:
- CoHost Tracking Links: Allows you to track where your downloads are coming from, so you can identify your top-performing channels and which can be put on the back burner.
- Advanced Audience Demographics:
- B2B Analytics: Help you identify potential sponsors, guests, and partners by providing podcasters with information about what companies are listening including size, industry, and revenue. From there, you can start optimizing your marketing materials and get in front of those high-value audiences.
- Social Media Analytics: Social media platforms offer a variety of revealing metrics to help you determine your audience engagement. Track your engagement rate on posts that are promoting a new episode launch or tap into a larger audience by spotlighting a recent podcast guest.
- Website Analytics: Monitor top traffic sources, content sources, and backlinks. You can use this information to shape content, prioritize marketing channels, and enhance lead-generation efforts.
There are new, promising ways for creators to monetize their content
In “Show Me The Money,” Stephanie Andrews, Bob Kane, Arielle Nissenblatt, Anthony Savelli, and moderator Quincy de Vries, shared the latest trends, tools, and techniques to turn your passion into profit.
For creators looking to monetize, there are more options than ever. Depending on your goals, audience size, and listener engagement levels, here are a few options our experts suggest considering:
- Sponsorships: An arrangement between podcast hosts and companies where the podcaster promotes the sponsor’s brand during the show in exchange for payment.
- Premium content: Apple Podcasts’ or Spotify’s subscription-based services allow podcasts to provide content that lives behind a paywall.
- Dynamic Ad Insertion: Many networks and hosting platforms have programs that allow podcasters to opt into dynamically inserted ads. Once you’ve registered, the ad slot on your show will be automatically filled.
CoHost Tip: For a deep dive into the top 5 ways creators can monetize their podcasts this year, check out our complete guide on how to get started.
Did we miss you at Podcast Movement?
That’s a wrap on Podcast Movement 2024! We had such a great time connecting with brands, creators, and podcast platforms to learn more about the state and future of audio.
But that doesn’t mean the conversation needs to stop there.
If you didn’t get a chance to chat with the CoHost team, shoot us a message!
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