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Vox Media on effective multiplatform podcast extensions
So you’ve got a podcast or two growing nicely. Now what? Just before Christmas, I spoke to Ray Chao and Nishat Kurwa, two top execs at the Vox Media Podcast Network. Having led a number of successful expansions of Vox Media’s podcasts into other platforms, they have a great deal of expertise in what does and doesn’t work for publishers looking to take shows to the next level.
There was so much from this discussion that I didn’t manage to squeeze into the piece. But one point which did come out strongly is that when developing new shows, the focus has to be on the podcast itself, not jumping ahead to potential TV adaptations, live events or other expansions.
I get why that can be tempting. A number of publishers have signed some pretty sexy-sounding TV deals recently – and why wouldn’t you want to consider more lucrative expansions?! But the point is, the podcast itself has to be really strong first before you can jump off it into anything else.
Partner with Media Voices! We’ve got so many topics we’d love to dive into this year on the podcast, from micropayments to newsletters, the future of ad tech, and more. If you’d like to sponsor a deep-dive Conversations episode, a documentary-style podcast, work with us on articles and reports, or would like to advertise in this newsletter or our website, drop us a line on news@voices.media and we can chat through some options.
The year newsletters grew up
Despite being one of the internet’s longest-serving communications tools, email newsletters have rarely been out of the media news over the past 12 months as publishers upgraded the newsletter’s place in their publishing portfolios. Peter Houston rounds up the year in newsletters as part of our Media Moments 2022 report.
Journalism, media, and technology trends and predictions 2023
The Reuters Institute’s Journalism, media and technology trends and predictions 2023 report is out. If you’d like to go straight to the report, you can do so here. Otherwise, WNIP has been quick off the mark with a look at the top predictions and trends, including the coming explosion of automated or semi-automated media. Subscriptions continue to be the most important revenue stream this year though for 80% of publishers.
TikTok driving strong profits for SMBs
With the unbridled attention of Gen Z, an entire generation of consumers is turning to TikTok search over Google to find their next local boutique or restaurant, and is therefore becoming more advantageous for small and mid-sized businesses. From reading this, it’s clear that getting noticed on TikTok is still pretty random, but very rewarding for those who do. As brand safety, data and misinformation concerns grow though, will TikTok’s algorithm be forced to ‘grow up’? As with all platforms, make the most of the attention firehose while it’s still flowing.
Throwback podcast
I couldn’t have Peter’s newsletters piece in here without throwing back to our interview with Morning Brew’s Neal Freyman. He discussed what’s changed in the newsletter ecosystem this time, what the rise of the individual journalist-led newsletter means for creators, and what new verticals he wants to launch newsletters in.
