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
Jun 20, 2025 • 10min
Taking Podcasts on the Road, Lessons from Cannes, & More
This week in the business of podcasting: Tom Webster looks at the power of live events hold for podcasting, we look at news coming out of Cannes Lions, and things are looking up for digital audio going forward in 2025.Register for the next Sounds Profitable webinar here. For links to every article I mentioned, visit the episodes' page on SoundsProfitable.com
Jun 18, 2025 • 8min
Creators @ Cannes, Amazon's Prime Ad Load, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: the under-utilized benefits of podcast live events, creators are in the conversation at Cannes, reducing risk as download popularity drops, Amazon has doubled their Prime Video ad over 18 months, and researched-back strategies for high-impact marketing as a nonprofit.Registration for the upcoming webinar can be found here. All of the links mentioned in today's episode can be found here on this episodes' page at SoundsProfitable.com.
Jun 17, 2025 • 8min
Ads on WhatsApp, SiriusXM on MMM, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Audion and xpln.ai's report shows blending digital audio with in-video audio increrease brand recall and message recall, Reuters and the University of Oxford have new study about news content, SiriusXM is partnering with Innovid for better MMM, CNN is rebranding CNN Audio to CNN Podcasts, and WhatsApp is adding ads for the first time.Catch every link mentioned right here on SoundsProfitable.com
6 snips
Jun 13, 2025 • 8min
YouTube's Place in Podcasting, Telling Stories with Pixels, & More
Discover the impact of tracking pixels on podcast campaigns. Dive into discussions about YouTube's evolving role in podcast discovery and how Amazon is introducing private auctions to Prime Video. Gain insights into the latest features added by Apple Podcasts during WWDC. Uncover vital updates that could shape the future of podcasting and advertising.
Jun 12, 2025 • 9min
Mattresses and Metrics
Tracking pixels are awesome at what they do, but like any tool there's also a way to misuse them and podcasting should remain conscious of that.
Written and narrated by Tom Webster
Edited by Bryan Barletta and Gavin Gaddis
Audio editing by Gavin Gaddis
Find the full article here on Sounds Profitable.
Jun 12, 2025 • 4min
Spotify’s Rolling Out Transcripts, Podscribe Industry Rankings, & More
Today in a special episode of The Download we're covering nine stories rapid-fire in an "Oops, all Quick Hits" spectactular. As a result, you can find links to every piece mentioned here on SoundsProfitable.com
Jun 11, 2025 • 6min
2025 Audio Ad Forecast, YouTube's Place in Podcasting, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: a more nuanced look at YouTube's place in podcasting, Australia's ad market, the global ad forecast, and how Google AI is impacting search traffic. Find links to every article mentioned here on SoundsProfitable.com
Jun 10, 2025 • 6min
New Podcast Features @ WWDC, How a Podcast Promoted EuroMillions, & More
Today in the business of podcasting: Apple's announcements from WWDC, YouTube has backed off of removing videos via moderation, Acast boosted interestin EuroMillions with a podcast, and what the Creator's Caucus intends to do. Find links to everything mentioned here on SoundsProfitable.com
Jun 9, 2025 • 8min
Podcasting's Programmatic Future, How Podcasts Use Patreon, @ More
Discover the future of podcast advertising as generative AI tools like Wondercraft's Convo Mode redefine the landscape. Explore how platforms like Patreon are transforming monetization opportunities for creators. Delve into the recent challenges in the industry, including Spotify's layoffs and their impact on the podcasting community. Plus, learn about upcoming appearances at major events like Cannes Lions, highlighting the ongoing evolution of podcasting.
Jun 6, 2025 • 8min
Audiences Trust Podcasts, HLS Could Upgrade RSS, & More
This week in the business of podcasting: Sound Profitable's latest study shows podcasting trust is at an all-time high, HLS could be the future of RSS, and NPR's CEO writes an open letter to Congress about funding for public media. Find links to every article mentioned right here on SoundsProfitable.com
