Since we first launched RadioPublic in 2016 we set out to build what we wish existed for podcasters and listeners: a thriving marketplace for discovery, engagement, and sustainable revenue for creators.
It’s working!
- Millions of new and die-hard podcast listeners rely on RadioPublic for their favorite shows, to explore what’s new, and support the podcasters they love.
- Thousands of podcasters use RadioPublic to grow and engage their audience and help build their business.
- And the dozen folks on our incredible team have moved mountains to make podcasting better for everyone.
Some things never change
As we said when we first launched, openness is core to our values and to our strategy.
Even as we roll out an ambitious set new features and tools, there are important things have not changed: RadioPublic is free, protects your privacy, is universally accessible to listeners worldwide, and supports independent podcasters.
Ring in the new
Now in 2019, we’re at the forefront of an industry undergoing transformative growth. And much as I believe podcasting is media’s slow food movement, things are moving fast, and RadioPublic is, too.
Over these past few weeks, we’ve announced an expanded set of tools for podcast creators that draw on insights from building RadioPublic over the last few years (and we’ll be announcing a game-changer a few weeks from now that will knock your socks off).
Here are the highlights:
Podsites™ — the simple, beautiful, customizable, and affordable website builder for podcasters.
- Podsites automatically update whenever a podcaster publishes a new episode.
- Trailers, starter episodes, and reviews are all front and center.
- Our persistent audio player keeps visitors engaged, and ties into Google Analytics to track traffic and audio play events.
- Podsites are designed to convert casual visitors to new loyal listeners.
Check out these new Podsites from Iconography or other5billion.
Sonar Podcast Marketing™ — the industry’s first and only method to track marketing attribution for podcasts.
As podcasters get more sophisticated about marketing, we built a tool that measures how effective your campaigns are — from first click to podcast playback. How much actual listening results from that email newsletter you sent? We’ll tell you.
HearMarks™ — save and share moments inside a podcast episode.
With just a tap on your headphones or the HearMark™ button in the app, listeners can leave notes for themselves and mark a starting point for new listeners to dive in. We are excited to be partnering with Bose to introduce HearMarks on their new augmented reality equipped devices.
Podcast Stations — a lean-back continuous listening experience.
Stations are powered by our Podcast Librarian’s hand-curated and guest curated show collections, and it’s now even easier to pick a collection and listen forever. Check out some examples:
- FT Alphachat’s Slightly Wonky Economics Shows
- Our monthly audio fiction debuts in partnership with the Bello Collective
- Minneculture’s Intimate Stories from the Middle of Somewhere
Some apps with that?
And on top of all that, we’ve just upgraded the RadioPublic iPhone, Android, and web app with an entire refresh of the design and user experience, including some cool features that deserve a shoutout:
- Chapters: hop to predesignated moments in a show selected by the podcaster.
- Trim Silence: save a few extra seconds with intelligent pause removal.
- Seamless onboarding: the same podcast you start with remains front and center through downloading RadioPublic for the first time and opening the app.
- Featured episodes: select the best episode for a new listener to start with.
Under the hood, RadioPublic has enhanced the listening experience, including automatic downloads for offline listening, personalized organization with Smart Folders, and notifications that alert when new episodes are published.
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Get paid
With RadioPublic 2.0, we are also improving ways for podcasters to make money. We’ve started building a marketplace that supports a variety of podcasters’ business models and listeners’ preferences, starting with:
- Paid Listens: Whether a podcaster has ten listeners or ten thousand, we pay participating podcasters at a $20 CPM for every listen on the RadioPublic app for iPhone and Android. Thousands of podcasters are participating in Paid Listens, get started here.
- Listener Tips: What if any listener could show support seamlessly, right where they’re enjoying the podcast? Fans can tip a podcaster for any amount up to $100, right in the app, and it goes directly into their bank account. It’s a frictionless, quick, and simple way to give money to a podcaster. Listener Tips are another expression of our direct listener support Call To Action, making it easier for podcasters to earn money from their podcast audience.
Get educated
Our new portal for podcasters is at podcasters.radiopublic.com, and now includes a best-in-class set of tutorials for podcasters on core practices and knowledge:
We also launched a dedicated podcast marketing tutorial delivered daily via email, focused on tactical and strategic approaches to growing your podcast.
Stay tuned
Even though I first helped build a podcast app (shoutout to PRX’s Pubcatcher) in 2005 — a tad prescient — podcasting here in 2019 is still in its early days as an industry.
Fourteen years later, RadioPublic addresses the long list of gaps remaining in podcasting. We are influencing podcasting’s development as a healthy media ecosystem that treats listeners with respect, supports independent podcasters, and helps grow the resilient and creative medium of the spoken word.
And there’s much more to come.
