February 2023 – Sport Social Podcast Network

New website and app launch coming this Spring

We are very excited to announce that we will be releasing a new website and app this Spring that will solidify Sport Social as the destination to find the best sport podcasts.

As well as providing listeners with a fresh and easy to navigate place to listen to great sport content, this latest update will also provide podcasters with the ability to stream live and offer subscription services through the Sport Social app. More information to follow in the coming months!

If you would like to help us by getting involved with Beta testing, please email podcast@sport-social.co.uk and one of the team will be in touch.

Autosport F1 & Motorsport podcast joins Sport Social

We are delighted to announce we will be working with Motorsport Network for 2023.

The Autosport podcast is the official podcast of Autosport, the world’s leading authority on motorsport. If you’re a fan of Formula 1, Formula E, Sportscars, Touring Cars and Rally then this is one for you. Listen now and find out more here – press release article on the website? Listen now player?

TikTok testing podcaster feature

With Insider Intelligence predicting podcast advertising spend estimated to hit $2.25 billion in 2023 (link to https://www.insiderintelligence.com/content/podcast-advertising-5-charts), it’s no surprise that the social media giant is experimenting with podcasting on it’s platform. The new feature would allow users to listen to a video’s audio while using another app on their device. Time will tell if it is rolled out to all users.

Wondering what your strategy should be with Tik Tok? Voiceworks Director of Sport, Jim Salveson, has 5 tips to get you started.

Sound Business – What does 2023 hold for podcasting and digital audio

In case you missed it, over the last few weeks the Voiceworks Team have been busy predicting what might be coming down the line in 2023 for the podcasting and audio industry. They covered everything from advertising and revenue, content and audiences and the podcast industry as a whole.

Six Nations grand slam winner Sam Warbuton joins Sport Social

Ahead of this year’s Six Nations getting underway this weekend, former Wales and British & Irish Lions rugby captain Sam Warburton has teamed up with our friends at the Crowd Network to launch his new podcast, ‘Captains’.

Join Sam as he gives listeners the inside story of how the most successful teams come together, grow and ultimately – win. Listen now to the latest episodes on the Sport Social Podcast Network

Many have tried, and many have failed. Now it looks like TikTok might be able to pick up the challenge of integrating podcasting into a social media platform.

For some reason, to date, audio has been too much of a challenge for the social spaces biggest players… Facebook have reversed out of their audio strategy, Twitter seem reluctant to develop some promising plans around Podcasting and Greenroom seems to have faded away after a promising start, but are TikTok in a position to buck that trend?

The buzziest of all social platforms is currently testing a new “podcast” feature that allows its users to continue listening to audio from within the app once they have navigated away to other destinations.

As it stands, there has been no official word from TikTok on plans for podcasting, but rather the “hidden” feature was discovered by blogger Emily Skvarc who unwittingly stumbled across what appeared to be testing of the new feature.

The lack of official word from TikTok means we can only speculate as to what the platform’s plans might be, however given the prominence it gives to audio and music, you can see how it might be in a more advantageous position to take advantage than some of its social competitors.

My (purely speculative) view is that we are unlikely to see any kind of full podcast integration into the app, such as the ability to ingest RSS feeds. Instead, we will see TikTok introducing longer video content which can be tagged as “Podcasts”, allowing users to consume the audio part of that content with or without the video accompaniment. As a result, this will blur the lines between video and podcasting even further, and produce a similar podcasting proposition to YouTube.

One advantage TikTok does have in this space is there seems to be a strong synergy between its user base and that audience’s interest in podcasts, with the platform proving a very effective marketing tool for shows looking to reach their 3.5 billion users!

If you are looking to leverage TikTok to market your podcast audience, here are my top 5 tips:

1. Share highlights… but not just highlights

Show highlights are great for promoting your content (after all, it’s what you do best) but mix up the content. Provide behind-the-scenes insight on your show or additional content that’s not discoverable anywhere else. This is your opportunity to build a brand and personality around your podcast.

2. No camera, no problem

Filming podcasts is becoming more and more the norm, but not having access to a camera, or just feeling reluctant to get in front of one, needn’t be a barrier to utilising TikTok as a platform. Apps like Headliner can help you optimise audio content for video platforms such as TikTok and help you publish content without your face.

3. Know your niche

TikTok has come a long way from its lip syncing days and is now establishing itself as an endless source of information sought by people who want to know more about a myriad of topics (just see the sucess of BookTok). If your podcast focuses on a specific niche, then own that niche. Share your skills, knowledge, tips, and experience in your specialist area to build your own niche-specific TikTok audience… and make sure you use the right hashtags so people can find it too. #PodcastTip.

4. Be a tease

Anyone who has ever worked in (podcasting’s big brother) radio will know the value of a tease. You needn’t give away all your content on TikTok to get those views. A sneak peek at something that’s coming? The end of a great story? The answer to a brilliant question? Think about what content you can post on the platform to entice the audience to search for your podcast elsewhere.

5. Engage

The key to all social media is interaction. TikTok, like other platforms, is not linear. It is best when you engage with those who engage with your content. To really make TikTok work for you, you need to become a part of the community. Reply to users in your comment section, reach out to creators making similar content, generally explore and have fun. It will help your organic growth.

Month: February 2023

SSPN February Newsletter