

Sounds Profitable
Bryan Barletta
The pace of change the podcast industry is undergoing is staggering. The implications for podcasters, hosting providers, podcast listening app developers, and advertisers and agencies are enormous. And so is the growth potential. Presented as a companion to the weekly newsletter of the same name, our podcast provides you with direct access to our narrated articles, interviews with industry experts, bleeding-edge research, and can't miss industry news recaps. That Sounds Profitable, right? Assumptions and conventional wisdom will be challenged. Easy answers with no proof of efficacy will be exposed. Because the thinking that got podcast advertising close to a billion dollars annually will need to be drastically overhauled to bring in the tens or hundreds of billions of dollars podcast advertising deserves.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 21, 2023 • 5min
Audio Flu Shots, TV Industry Certifies Nielsen Competitors, Podcasting's 3 Eras, & More
Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: The CDC Uses Digital Advertising To Reframe The Narrative Around Flu Vaccines by Hana YooThe Three Eras Of Podcasting by Steve GoldsteinThe Joint Industry Committee Forges Ahead With Currency Certification by Alyssa BoylePrize draws and 'over-sampling': How researchers are hunting media's missing audiences by Ella Sagar

Sep 20, 2023 • 5min
FTC Defines Blurred Advertising, Spotify on Apple, Sony Downsizes Podcasting, & More
Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting:FTC recommends brands avoid “blurred advertising” when marketing to kids by Ryan BarwickApple’s expanding ad ambitions: A closer look at its journey toward a comprehensive ad tech stack by Ronan Shields and Seb JosephHolding Apple Accountable: The Future of the Internet Economy Depends On It by Dustee JenkinsGoogle Antitrust Trial: Ad Targets Tweaked to Meet Revenue Targets, Exec Says By Leah Nylen

5 snips
Sep 20, 2023 • 7min
I’m Not Exactly Sure What You Do
The podcast discusses the challenges of explaining podcasting to non-listeners and the need for better communication. It also explores expanding the podcast audience and bringing comfort to listeners.

Sep 19, 2023 • 6min
Digital Ad Spend Recovering, Pivot to Pivot to Video, '24 to Break Political Ad Records, & More
Digital Ad Spend Showing Promising Recovery from Recession Fears.[Digiday Source] [Digiday Podcast] [AdExchanger Source] [Adweek Source]IAB launches foundational industry training programs[Source]2024 will see the highest political ad spend of all time: report by Jasmine Sheena[Source]The State of Video Monetization Report[Source]…as for the rest of the news: SXM Media CEO Jennifer Witz teased the upcoming revitalized version of the SXM app during an investor conference, and AdWeek breaks down why it’s difficult for SSPs to filter out made-for-advertising content.

Sep 18, 2023 • 6min
Audio Outgrows Adspend, Recapturing TV’s Reach with Podcasts, NASA en Español
Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: AM/FM Radio And Podcasts Can Recapture Lost TV Reach Due To Writers/Actors Strike As 22% Of The Heavy Linear TV Audience Say They Will Watch Less TV This Fall by Pierre BouvardThis Is Not My Beautiful Host Read Ad. How Did I Get Here? By Paul Riismandel. Substack writers are launching podcasts on the platform to ease reliance on ad revenue by Sara GuaglioneNASA to release first full season of Spanish-language podcast by Reem MakariAs for the rest of the news… Steve Pratt talks to Tom Webster about why you don’t deserve an audience, Nairobi News reports the top podcasts in Kenya according to Spotify data, and eMarketer data shows that despite reaching 11% of US adult daily media time, only 4.9% of US ad spend is forecasted to go to audio.

10 snips
Sep 15, 2023 • 55min
A Holistic Approach to Podcasting | Feed Drop
Bryan Barletta, Paul Riismandel, and Ken Lagana talk about taking a holistic approach to podcasting, analyzing data, creating original content, and the evolution of the industry. They also discuss the importance of holistic campaign measurement, challenges and opportunities in the digital audio industry, and integrating a brand in a scripted podcast.

Sep 15, 2023 • 8min
Claritas Acquires ArtsAI, Audible's Into the Buffyverse, Google's Antitrust Case, & More
Here's what you need to know from this week in the business of podcasting. Over half of business owners are daily podcast listeners, study shows by Reem MakariHow Claritas Aims to Bring Google and Meta AI Marketing Capabilities to Other Forms of Media by Jack NeffAudible to produce Buffy the Vampire Slayer spinoff podcast with original cast, Kc Wayland directing.An advertiser’s guide to the Justice Department’s case against Google’s search empire by Ronan ShieldsQuick Hits:Ad-technical Difficulties by Bryan Barletta. To celebrate three years of Sounds Profitable, Bryan has a slice of humble pie and discusses ways podcasting needs to improve to meet buyers where they want to be. Coleman Insights launches AscendFM brand lift service. AscendFM will track and prove the effectiveness of radio, podcasting, and streaming audio advertisement campaigns. Bear Grylls and Coyote Peterson Announce New Show “Circumnavigate” with Backyard Ventures to Handle Sales. The new show, sponsored by Outdoors.com, will feature the two survivalists “virtually traveling the globe” to interview adventurers and athletes. First Cannabis Ads Coming Soon to Spotify by Thomas Edward. Cresco Labs Inc., a Chicago-based marijuana company, is investing 15% of their marketing budget into Spotify podcast ads geo-targeted to Illinois. California bill would crack down on data brokers by Ryan Barwick. A breakdown of what the upcoming Delete Act could mean for data brokers in California. Influencer spend is growing faster than social ad spend by Sara Lebow. New eMarketer data shows influencer spending outpaced social ad spend last year for the first time, and isn’t slowing down.

Sep 14, 2023 • 6min
Buffy's Podcast Stake, Inclusive Leadership Makes More, APAC Marketers on Measurement & More
Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting:Top ten popular podcasts consumed in affluent households by Brad HillOriginal Buffy the Vampire Slayer stars returning for new Audible series about Spike by Sydney BucksbaumInclusion as Innovation: How These Marketing Leaders Stay Ahead by Leaving No One Behind by Jason NotteMarketers prioritise measurement but aren't evaluating key metricsHow Brands Can Learn To Stop Worrying About Brand Safety And Love The News by Allison Schiff…as for the rest of the news: Bryan Barletta celebrates three years of Sounds Profitable with a slice of humble pie and ideas to invigorate the industry’s relationship with buyers, Coleman Insights launches AscendFM brand lift service, Politics.co.uk writer James Hanson reflects on the growing popularity of political podcasts, Inside Audio Marketing looks at more data from the Nielsen Podcasting Today report, AdWeek covers why marketers are paying more attention to attention-tracking, and Insider data shows five industries that will increase digital ad spend faster than the national average.

Sep 13, 2023 • 4min
Podcasts Command Attention, Influencer Spend Increasing, the DoJ's Case Against Google & More.
Here's what you need to know for today in the business of podcasting: Influencer Spending Forecast To Grow Double-Digits This Year by Inside Audio MarketingThe Economist adds podcast subscription tier by Sara FischerAn advertiser’s guide to the Justice Department’s case against Google’s search empire by Ronan ShieldsMax Stays Minimal

Sep 13, 2023 • 12min
Ad-technical Difficulties
Podcast celebrates third anniversary and reflects on podcast ad tech. Buyers' frustration and importance of meeting their needs. Tools for quality assurance in podcast advertising. Installation of interlayer ads and dynamic ad insertion. Importance of frequency capping in podcast advertising.