Episodes

Co-founder of Wonder Media Network Shira Atkins joins the podcast to discuss the history and growth of WMN and its acquisition by Acast. Shira discusses Wonder’s early challenges in monetization and distribution and how the company adapted to find success. Shira and I also talk about WMN’s mission of amplifying underrepresented voices and how that will continue at Acast. She explains how they’ve balanced mission-driven content with commercial projects, how the Acast acquisition can lead to global expansion, but will also help Acast establish a larger US footprint, and her thoughts on the collaborative spirit within the podcasting community.

Last month, The Podglomerate co-hosted a special Podcast Marketing 101 webinar with The Webby Awards, the annual competition that has been named “the internet’s highest honor” by The New York Times. This virtual event was hosted by The Webby Awards’ General Manager Nick Borenstein – who, fun fact, is the award-winning producer for the hit podcast Missing Richard Simmons! And it featured Webby Award-winning judge and our very own SVP of Marketing & Audience Development Joni Deutsch, who shared an exclusive look at The Podglomerate's tried-and-true playbook for optimized podcast publicity, marketing, cross-promotions, app features, and paid acquisition. They also discussed the science of awards submissions and how to strengthen your entry to increase the chances of bringing home a trophy.

Ben Riskin, co-founder of Room Tone, joins me to discuss his advisory firm, which focuses on podcasting's business development side. We explore Ben’s journey from lawyer to podcast producer to professional services. He also elaborates on Room Tone’s three tiers of strategy consulting, business development, and project representation, as well as its new subscription channel Selects, which preserves and promotes archived audio works.

To help make sure your podcast interview is memorable (for the right reasons), Fatima Zaidi (Founder/CEO of Quill) and her co-host Quincy de Vries (Senior Producer at Quill) brought together experts in audio – including The Podglomerate’s own Founder and CEO Jeff Umbro, as well as JAR Audio’s co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Moss and Lower Street’s Head of Strategy and Development Annalise Nielsen – to share their tried and true tips for guest sourcing, interview prep, question planning, and promo asset creation.

Paid marketing isn’t the only way to grow a show. Discover the immense value of non-paid strategies to grow your audience. Join Ausha’s Odile Beniflah and her panel of top podcast marketing experts – including The Podglomerate’s Joni Deutsch, The Podcast Academy’s Christy Mirabal, Tink Media’s Lauren Passell, and Cumulus Media/Westwood One’s Pierre Bouvard – as they reveal essential organic growth tactics that don’t cost a dime. They highlight the power of organic marketing for long-term, sustainable growth and engagement. This is your chance to learn from the best in the industry and boost your podcast to new heights. Discover how to build your podcast audience naturally and effectively, ensuring a loyal and engaged listenership.

Podcast advertising is unique in the world of advertising. Impact can be challenging to gauge and Chartable, a leading product in this space, is sunsetting. To understand the world of ad performance and measurement now, I’m joined in this episode by Pete Birsinger, the founder and CEO of Podscribe, and Cameron Hendrix, founder and CEO of Magellan AI. Both companies measure how effective podcast ads are using prefix and pixel technology, allowing you to see how many people heard your podcast ad and how many purchased your product on a website. Pete, Cameron, and I discuss the effectiveness of podcast ads, and how Podscribe discovered a podcast download behavior issue resulting from an Apple iOS update.

As we look towards the New Year, we’ve gathered some of the brightest minds in podcasting to reflect on a transformative year. From indie creators to network executives, our guests share their most humbling lessons, unexpected wins, and the moments that made them rethink everything. Plus, they reveal what’s keeping them up at night – and what’s getting them excited – as we head into 2025.

How has iHeartMedia reigned supreme in podcasting? Will Pearson, president of iHeartPodcasts, joins me to discuss how curiosity and collaboration have shaped his career and approach to creative development. From starting Mental Floss to holding executive roles at HowStuffWorks and now iHeart, we explore how Will and his team at iHeart have put the spotlight on underrepresented voices, the role that iHeart’s radio network plays in podcast development, his opinions on brand collaborations and marketing strategies, and why he makes time to co-host his show, Part-Time Genius, each week.

Are audiobooks the key to landing big-time clients like Marvel and DC Comics? My guest, Molly Barton, Realm's co-founder and CEO, has done just that. She dove into the world of audio after leaving her job at Penguin Random House to co-found Serial Box, an audio story company that reimagined what an audiobook could be. In 2021, Serial Box was rebranded as Realm, and Molly and her team are now devoted to creating podcasts for clients like Marvel and DC. We discuss her episodic approach to audiobooks, how she approaches client partnerships, and the strategy behind the acquisitions of Lipstick & Vinyl and Pinna.

Gretta Cohn CEO, of Pushkin Industries, has had a fascinating career path, from cellist for Cursive and Bright Eyes to intern at the Village Voice, to producer at WNYC and Earwolf, to founding her own company. We discuss what she's learned throughout her career, her experience founding the production company Transmitter in 2017, her feelings about the 2022 acquisition by Pushkin, and what her day-to-day has been like since her 2023 promotion to Pushkin's CEO. We also discuss the company's recent integration of podcasts and audiobooks and how she collaborates with Pushkin founders Malcolm Gladwell and Jacob Weisberg.

How does it feel to go from being a podcast co-host to the owner of a brand-new podcast venture? My guest, Alex Goldman, host and creator of Hyperfixed, shares his experience of taking the big leap to podcast ownership. We discuss his previous show, Reply All, how he's built his new business with a lean team, the role Supporting Cast subscribers play in story development, and why he turns to Kurt Vonnegut for inspiration.

What’s the next frontier of podcasting? My guest, Leital Molad, the Head of Podcasts at WaitWhat and podcast trailblazer, has some answers. We discuss her approach to developing groundbreaking shows, like Paul McCartney’s A Life in Lyrics and A Slight Change of Plans. I also get her thoughts on AI – including her insight into WaitWhat’s Listener’s Bill of Rights in the Age of AI and their new show, Pioneers of AI. You can find Leital Molad online at LinkedIn, and you can also find her on waitwhat.com. I’m on all the socials @JeffUmbro The Podglomerate offers production, distribution, and monetization services for dozens of new and industry-leading podcasts. Whether you’re just beginning or a seasoned podcaster, we offer what you need. To find more about The Podglomerate: Show Page: https://listen.podglomerate.com/show/podcast-perspectives/ Transcript: https://listen.podglomerate.com/show/podcast-perspectives YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Podglomeratepods Email: lis…

How do you create a meaningful podcast advertising campaign in today's market? In this episode, I’m talking with Lisa, CEO of TWiT.tv. She's led the company for 16 years and has witnessed many ebbs and flows, especially when it comes to ad sales. Lisa and I talk about the range of podcast advertising options, her approach to sales partnerships, and how the pandemic continues to impact sales. She also shares the story of how she convinced her partner to start calling “netcasts” podcasts. You can find Lisa Laporte online. She's pretty active on Twitter and LinkedIn, and you can also find her at the TWiT.tv website. I’m on all the socials @JeffUmbro The Podglomerate offers production, distribution, and monetization services for dozens of new and industry-leading podcasts. Whether you’re just beginning or a seasoned podcaster, we offer what you need. To find more about The Podglomerate: Show Page: https://listen.podglomerate.com/show/podcast-perspectives/ Transcr…

Podcasts are intimate. Listening to them is often a solitary experience, and although fandoms emerge, building community within the industry can be a challenge. In this episode, I’m talking with three guests who have extensive experience developing community in the podcast world through festivals and awards: Jemma Rose Brown, general manager of the Signal Awards; Davy Gardner, head of Tribeca Audio at the Tribeca Festival, and Chioke I’Anson, founder of the Resonate Podcast Festival. Together, we discuss how to translate audio works in physical spaces, the importance of recognition, and how they foster collaboration and inclusion at their events. To learn more about Jemma Rose Brown and the Signal Awards, visit jemmarosebrown.com and signalaward.com. For further information on Davy Gardner and Tribeca, visit davygardner.com and tribecafilm.com/festival/audio-storytelling. More info on Chioke I’Anson and the Resonate Podcast Festival are at resonatepodfest.com and chiokeianson.com. …

What do wrestling and podcasting have in common? Jason Hoch, who ran WWE’s digital team during the early social media days and is now a leading podcast producer. In this episode, I talk with Jason, now the CEO and Chief Creative Officer at Wavland.

The podcast industry, like all media and entertainment, is undergoing a course correction, which is leading to companies doing “good” and not great. In this episode, I speak with Rachael King, CEO of Pod People. Rachael and I chat about podcast marketing strategies, team building advice, her latest predictions for the future, and why her first question to client has nothing to do with podcasts.

Storytelling podcasts are a unique subsection of podcasting, and one with many obstacles and challenges to overcome. In this episode, I’m talking with Hassan Chaudhry, head of partnerships and strategy at Blanchard House, a UK-based independent podcast company which focuses on storytelling. Hassan is the former director of business and strategy with HBO.

The podcast world is growing rapidly, and podcasters can fall behind without a glimpse of the future. Predictive analytics have become vital for podcasts to survive and flourish. In this episode, I’m talking with Sean Howard, the founder and CEO of Flightpath, a predictive analytics platform for podcasting. He’s also the founder of Fable and Folly, which is a network of fiction podcasts. Sean and I chat about his predictive dashboard, the data that goes into Flightpath, stories from Sean’s past, and hints about the podcast industry’s future.

On today’s episode we’re doing something different: Chris Boniello, the Podglomerate’s VP of Production Services, is taking over the host seat to discuss the production side of podcasting. He chats with Garrett Tiedemann, Mix Engineer and Sound Designer at Campside Media. This year, Garrett was nominated for ‘Best Production and Sound Design’ at the Ambies for his work on Chameleon: Dr. Dante. The series is hosted by Sam Mullins and follows the life of the prolific American hypnotist and fraudster, Ronald Dante. Garrett explains how he engineered the Dr. Dante series, the challenges it posed, and the design principles he used to overcome those challenges. You can find Chameleon: Dr. Dante wherever you get your podcasts. Garrett is on LinkedIn and Twitter @whitewhalepod. For more from Chris you can find him on LinkedIn and Twitter @ChrisBoniello. I’m on all the socials @JeffUmbro The Podglomerate offers production, distribution, and monetization services for dozens of new and i…

There are many unknowns when it comes to podcast marketing. This is because ‘podcast marketers’ are often podcasters who become marketers, rather than professional marketers who got into podcasting. In this episode, I’m speaking with someone from the latter category: Odile Beniflah, Head of US at Ausha. Ausha is a podcast hosting platform with an integrated suite of podcast marketing tools. Odile and I chat about the essentials of podcast marketing: creating a website, social media, metadata, search engine optimization, and how Ausha was made to help podcasters with all of these things. To learn more about Ausha you can visit ausha.co. Odile is on LinkedIn and Twitter @obeniflah.I’m on all the socials @JeffUmbro The Podglomerate offers production, distribution, and monetization services for dozens of new and industry-leading podcasts. Whether you’re just beginning or a seasoned podcaster, we offer what you need. To find more about The Podglomerate: Show Page: https:/…

Since its founding in 2014, Acast has become a global, publicly-traded company. Their business has touched many facets of the podcasting landscape – from building a hosting platform used by more than 125,000 podcasts to acquiring companies like Pippa, RadioPublic, and Podchaser. Acast also launched and shuttered its own app.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) can be a confusing organization for the podcasting industry. They’re an influential player that many recognize by name, but it's often not clear to the everyday podcaster what they actually do. The IAB’s main objective is to develop and establish the ‘rules and regulations of podcasting’ – namely determining how we measure key metrics within the industry, such as 'what is a download'. The determinations that they make can have enormous trickle-down effects in the industry. In this episode I speak with the IAB Director of Audio and Video Matt Shapo, who walks me through the intricacies of the organization's mandates. Matt explains how the IAB’s rules get made, what their goals are for podcasting, and why everyone in the industry should care about what they do. To find more about the IAB’s role in podcasting, you can visit iab.com/podcasts. You can find Matt on LinkedIn. I’m on all the socials @JeffUmbro The Podglomerate offers pro…

Wonder Media Network was founded in 2018 to “introduce empathy into politics, business, and culture.” Since then, they’ve grown into a sizable independent network, creating award-winning originals and branded series for clients. To walk me through the secrets to Wonder Media’s success, I talk with their Head of Development, Emily Rudder. Emily has been at Wonder since 2019, working in nearly every post from production to marketing. Emily shares Wonder Media’s history, her approach to development for shows at all stages, and the network's monetization strategy in 2024. To find more from Wonder Media Network you can visit their website wondermedianetwork.com. You can find Emily online on LinkedIn or Twitter @EmRuddz. I’m on all the socials @JeffUmbro. The Podglomerate offers production, distribution, and monetization services for dozens of new and industry-leading podcasts. Whether you’re just beginning or a seasoned podcaster, we offer what you need. To find more about Th…

The 27-year-old Slate Magazine just had its most profitable year ever, and it credits podcasting for much of its success. Slate has been publishing podcasts since the 2005 launch of Political Gabfest, and they’ve built on that success ever since. Today, they have dozens of successful shows, a thriving subscription business in Slate Plus, and they recently acquired Death, Sex & Money from WNYC. To learn how Slate achieved this, I’m chatting with Alicia Montgomery, their Vice President of Audio. Alicia was a public radio veteran before moving to Slate in 2020, where she now leads their content strategy. Alicia walks me through Slate’s history in podcasting, the strategy which led them to this moment, and their future in audio.