ASIA

Emma Lawson from ABC Australia says people are moving about between social platforms at the moment, so it is a time to re-evaluate your podcast social media strategies.In a RadioDays Europe session on podcasting, Lawson explained how the ABC has adopted a varied strategy where some podcasts are just audio while others are made with full video. Emma’s focus for this session was particularly on video.Different approaches work for different podcasts, they are:

Full episodes
Select clips for YouTube
Vertical Videos (shorts)
As an example of a full video podcast that uses multiple cameras and different camera angles, she gave the example of the Fashion Neurosis Podcast with Bella Freud. The stylised storytelling format has high production values but still seems intimate thanks to the lighting. The style suits the format of the podcast.Another example of a highly produced video podcast is the ABC’s If You’re Listening series with Paul Bevan.Lo-Fi video also works for some formats. Characteristics of that style include vertical orientation, quick edits, memes and sound effects to create dynamic content. The Hook Up is an example of this style. “We don’t know what the rules are and what they will be tomorrow on the social platforms.”Because the algorithms and tactics of social media companies are constantly changing, Emma recommends that someone in the organisation needs to be tasked to keep up with the constant changes. She drew attention to the creator search insights section on Tiktok, where podcasters can look for trends and then prepare promotions to align with the current trends. “If you are a business account you can look at creator insights for trending search terms to tag your content. That has changed everything, our posts are now getting good traction,” she said.In Australia, the Hamish and Andy podcast is consistently at or near the top of the podcast charts each month. Starting in community radio, then building a hugely successful profile on commercial radio and tv, Hamish and Andy have now moved into a weekly podcast format (LINK to podcast).Audio producer Chris Marsh shared some of the secrets to the success of the Hamish and Andy podcast as well as other Southern Cross Austereo LiSTNR podcasts that he works on.Quality over quantity is one of the key elements of success. Plan and prepare well, but also leave room for spontaneity. Pick a rhythm of podcast publishing that will allow you to deliver quality in each episode.Going the extra mile. Don’t stop with just a good idea, keep working until it is great.Look for shareability, create content that your fans will want to share.A great trailer for the show is essential.Conversions. Have genuine conversations with your team and your audience.Create a community of your listeners. Word of mouth is always highly effective. The show facilitates chats about the content of the show on Instagram and other socials. The show uses direct messages and voicemails to play back in the show for a 360 degree feedback loop.Think outside the box to meet the audience where they are.Cross Promotion on other podcasts, radio and SCA’s social accounts. For example, during key periods such as the football season, the show and its socials will promote sports podcasts and the sports podcasts and socials will return the favour and promote Hamish and Andy.“Good audio can win, you don’t necessarily need to put up full video podcasts,” said Chris.Rhian Roberts, who commissions Podcasts and Formats at BBC Speech Audio looked at strategies that generate more numbers for podcasts.Talkability is one of those factors. “The thing that does deliver the most listeners is talkability,” she said.If your socials are good they may generate talkability, but if not, the potential audience will stay on social media not move to a podcast platform to listen to your podcast.“If a personality increases their authentic profile on socials that may lead to more listening, but you need to know if the audience will really appreciate your socials. If the presenter is not convincing on socials, maybe they should not be using socials.”Another successful way of promoting your podcast is appearances on other similar podcasts.Leanne Allie from Artist Partnerships has seen how social media has directly impacted podcast consumption.“The first years of podcasting had plenty of podcasts that were discoverable, but now social media goes visual first, so there is more competition from short form social content. This keeps people on the social platforms, consuming the clip they see online, rather than going to the whole podcast,” she said.“Social media does convert to a certain extent, but you have to work harder now. Get your podcast seen on as many different social media platforms as possible, target the particular platform where your target audiences are.”
TikTok will help you find and build an audience from scratch.
For Instagram, tell a story with a clip or a still photo carousel.
“You can only go so far with organic reach on socials, you need to build your own audience base who are interested in the subject matter or the host, you may need to pay for promotion, for example pre-roll videos on Youtube.“Traditional press and outdoor does not convert to podcast listenership in my experience. Podcast listeners are more active online, so invest in paid social media everywhere online and make short form segments for socials to attract new audiences.”Katerina Bakogianni from Alter Ego Media agrees. “Cross promotion and word of mouth has worked for us. Social media also works, when we pay for ads there is a spike in listenership (a 30% increase as long as there is engaging content in the post). Just putting the tile up there does not convert people to listen.”“For brand promotion spend as much money on marketing as you spend on the production,” she advised. […]

In America audience research is moving to shorter metrics for audio listening.Richard Tunkel from Neilson Audio at the NAB show said, “We added the 3 minute qualifier to survey results this year. “The measures of 15 minutes and 5 minutes weren’t a true measure of the habits of audiences, since attention spans are shorter and songs often last more than 3 minutes. We weren’t measuring the audience who stayed briefly before trying something new.”

These are the Nielsen key findings from two months of survey research using the three minute qualifier:
Jan/Feb audience levels are now the highest since 2022
Results in range of expectations once you factor in seasonality and attrition
Daily cume increases are seen at station level and these drive AQH changes
Time spent listening increases are easier to see at station level as more minutes are being captured
Markets with larger increases are primarily western and 2024 are a factor.
Since the changed measurement system has been implemented, significant increases have been recorded. Average increases across the full week are between 9-13%.Average increase by quarter hour shows news had the largest growth, at 38%, followed by the classical music format with a 24% increase, and rhythmic CHR also at 24%.Impact to radio schedules showed  a net reach increase in audiences aged 25-54 of 19% enjoying the Classic Rock, Adult Hits and AC formats.Tina Murley from the Beasley Media Group, said, “We’ve moved to a CPM world, a game changer for competing with Google… we finally have a measurement that can compete in three minutes when others like TikTok compete in seconds.” “Sales staff now need to be educated in these important implications of the ratings data. More listeners mean more revenue can be generated for stations”, said Tina Murley. […]

Visitors to GatesAir’s NAB Show 2025 (W2720) booth were taken through a journey of its current-generation transmission and networking products across three key product brands for wireless content delivery: Flexiva (FM and HD Radio), Intraplex […]

The DRM Consortium, in cooperation with a secondary school in the Gambia, is preparing to conduct its first public demonstration of an innovative project to deliver education at a distance via radio. A group of 15-year-old students at St Joseph’s Senior Secondary School in the Gambian capital, Banjul, will receive on tablets, via Wi-Fi, audio and text lessons transmitted from the UK using DRM shortwave.The test broadcast is scheduled on April 8 (0700-0900 GMT on 15390kHz – and again 1230-1430 on 21740kHz). The Gambian students will use their tablets for the distance learning on April 8th from 0800-0900 GMT. […]

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he is “deeply honoured” to be part of the Saudi Media Forum, being held in Riyadh.“I can see the incredible speed with which Saudi Arabia is becoming a number one tourist destination. There is a lesson for us in the speed and decisiveness of change,” he told delegates at the forum.As an example of the changes happening in the kingdom, Johnson quoted the Saudi tech sector, where “there is 35% female participation in the work force… more than silicon valley.”Asked about his often fractious relationship with the media, Johnson said:“I didn’t always have a good relationship with the media, but the point about politicians is that they shouldn’t have a good relationship with the media. “The media is not here to tell you what a great guy you are, they’re there to hold a mirror to what you are doing. There are some media which are too hostile but responsible media are doing their job.”Politicians have to engage and tell their stories, according to Johnson, but engaging on social media can can be a double edged sword. “Social media can distort people’s understanding of the world. Social media tells people what they want to hear. Responsible media can do better than what happens on social media…”Boris Johnson has just released a memoir. The book is titled Unleashed. […]

“New opportunities in media are helping us open up to the world,” said Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud at the opening of this week’s Saudi Media Forum in Riyadh.“There is a momentum for investment in media as well as sports, tourism and many other sectors. We are changing the perspective of how the entire world views us.“I want to participate in growth, education, investment opportunities, renewable energy. I embrace investment opportunities,” the Prince told a full house during the opening session.After his opening remarks, Prince bin Salman took questions from journalists. One asked: are you sensitive about media?“We need to understand the profession of media. When I speak I try to take the view of the kingdom not of myself. We should not be ashamed of defending our position even when media put us on the spot.“I am fully committed to appear in the media. I was a former university professor. It is like university where you give a lecture but your students can challenge your ideas with discussion,” he answered.At the conference and forum there is a focus on media, the economy, energy, AI technologies, politics and entrepreneurship. There are 2000 speakers, more than 250 exhibitors and thousands of attendees at the event.

In another session on the first day of the conference titled The Future of Radio Begins Now, World DAB’s Jacqueline Bierhorst and MBC Music Group’s Group Director fo Audio Ziad Hamzh discussed the importance of being digital with session host Ghadeer Al-Shehri, a presenter at local station AlUla FM.Jacqui said: “In my own country, FM listening is 30% and the rest is digital, this is a common trend in Europe where digital broadcasting has gained a huge audience.“This session is called the future of radio, but the future of radio is already here. Digital radio is in many countries, it is the future.”To illustrate the success of digital radio, she focused on the budiness benefits. “Digitisation has opened up the possibility of more stations and more choice for listeners. It is more profitable for radio companies because DAB+ transmisison is cheaper than AM and FM, it is cost effective. It can also bring in more income because companies can offer more stations to listeners and advertisers.”When companies are embracing a digital strategy they should keep broadcasting in mind, not just focus on IP. “Broadcast radio is very robust. But will the internet always work, in disasters, in terrorism attacks? Who controls the internet pipes? Broadcast radio is important because the internet is not always reliable and not in the control of the broadcasters.”Zaid  talked about Radio Apps. “In the coming years this will become more popular as a way of listening to radio, through apps on the smart phone. You can listen to anything you like from anywhere in the world.”Commenting on the use of AI presenters in radio, Jacquie described the difference between the two types of presenter. “Live radio has somebody on the other end who makes you smile and connects you with another human. AI stations exist but they do not make the same human connection, they are not on the same frequency, they don’t connect people together with each other.” […]