A number of SSPN podcasts have been nominated for awards at the 2023 Podcast Awards, here they are…
It’s lights out on a new Formula 1 season as Max Verstappen drove to victory in the first race of the season in Bahrain. Elsewhere, Tommy Fury secured a split decision win over Jake Paul in arguably the most anticipated contest between two novices in boxing history. And in cricket, England became only the fourth team in history to lose after enforcing the follow on in their nail-biting test with New Zealand.
Wherever you look there has been plenty of great sporting action this month and it’s reflected in the downloads across the Sport Social Podcast Network. For the first time, we achieved combined monthly downloads of over 5 million! Thank you for your efforts in making this happen. Remember, we’re here to support the great work you do. For any assistance, or for other enquiries, please email here.
Last month we announced a new Sport Social website and app that will solidify us as the destination to find the best sport podcasts. This development will provide listeners with a fresh and easy-to-navigate place to listen to great sport content, and provide podcasters with the ability to stream live and offer subscription services through the Sport Social app.
We will be getting in touch with those who have signed up for Beta testing shortly. If you want an early look at the app and help shape its development please email podcast@sport-social.co.uk and one of the team will be in touch.
The countdown is on to The Podcast Show at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London. The two day showpiece is taking place on the 24th- 25th of May and is the international event for podcasting.
The Sport Social team will have a stand on both days and we would love to see you there. For 10% off 1 & 2 Day tickets to the event, just enter “VOICEWORKS” when you checkout.
Attending the event? Let us know! Link to podcast@sport-social.co.uk
In our latest episode of Voiceworks: Sound Business, we have a go at unpicking the “dark art” of Podcast SEO. Getting your podcast heard by more people is one of the most challenging problems that content creators can face and in this chat with Castos CEO Craig Hewitt, our Director of Sport, Jim Salveson, drills down into the Do’s and Do Not’s of Podcast SEO. The pair identify some key tips and tricks that you can adopt today to get your podcast heard by more people.
Fresh from victory in the Scottish League Cup Final at the end of February, we are excited to welcome A Celtic State Of Mind to Sport Social.
The award-winning podcast offers a tantalising instalment of topical Celtic discussion, debate and insight. Hosted by author and documentary-maker, Paul John Dykes, ACSOM delves into the culture of Celtic Football Club and its fans. The podcast’s mix of football and music chat will strike a chord with Celtic fans, as will the big interviews with individuals who possess A Celtic State of Mind.
To learn more about the Sports Social Podcast Network click here.
Welcome to the February edition of Team Talk with all the latest news from the Sport Social Podcast Network.
It’s been a big start to the year already in the world of sport. We’ve had all the drama of the transfer window and the FA Cup. Novak Djokovic picked up his 22 grand slam title at the Australian Open and in snooker Judd Trump won the Masters for a second time. Plus, the Six Nations gets underway this weekend. Will France be able to repeat their grand slam heroics of 2022 or will another country be victorious?
It’s been a strong start to the year for The Sport Social Podcast Network too. We are now home to nearly 250 podcasts and combined monthly downloads of over 4.5 million. This is brilliant news as we look to secure exciting commercial deals across our verticals in 2023. Make sure you are placing your ad markers in your podcasts, so that we can continue to help you make the most of your inventory. For any assistance with this, or for other enquiries, please contact the team here. Link to podcast@sport-social.co.uk email.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
READ MORE: https://www.digitalinformationworld.com/2023/01/tiktok-silently-tests-podcast-tool-that.html
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Welcome to the November edition of Team Talk with all the latest news from the Sport Social Podcast Network.
After months of build-up, we are just days away from the first match of the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. Before that though, we’ve got plenty of other sports and competitions to get stuck into, including:
Big events in the sporting calendar can mean even more ears on your podcasts so please continue to make sure you are placing your ad markers in your podcasts, so that we can continue to help you make the most of your commercial inventory. For any assistance with this, or for other enquiries, please contact the team here. Link to podcast@sport-social.co.uk email.
We also celebrated reaching 4 million downloads across the network this month for the first time. Congratulations and a big thank you to you for helping us make this happen!
We have a new face leading the network into 2023 and beyond in Stefan Doyle. Some of you may have had the chance to catch up with him directly already, but for those of you who haven’t, we asked him some questions to find out more about who he is and how he sees the podcasting world developing next year.
Working in partnership with the World Freestyle Football Association, the Sport Social team flew to Croatia in October to produce 6 special episodes on the All You Need Is A Ball podcast around the world final.
There were plenty of incredible flicks and tricks on display at the Pula Arena. Check out the Sport Social Instagram account here to see the skills for yourself and don’t forget to listen to the podcasts here too.
https://www.instagram.com/sportsocialofficial/
Four-time Premier League winner Brian McClair has joined the Sport Social Podcast Network this month. The former Manchester United forward talks about anything and everything on “Life With Brian: The Brian McClair Podcast”. You can catch up on the latest episodes here
Do you create a video version of your podcast to reach extra eyes (and ears) or do you focus purely on creating an amazing audio product? It’s a debate that always gets podcasters talking and with the recent launch of YouTube Podcasts in the US, the lure of video is greater than ever.
On the latest episode of Sound Busienss; Jim Salveson speaks to podcast strategist Evo Terra and discusses the pro’s and con’s of adding video to your current content offering – and the questions you need to ask before you do.
In the UK, the MIDAS Summer 2022 survey has been published by RAJAR. It suggests a new high of 19% of adults (10.5m) listening to podcasts every week (for a total of 69m hours). The peak time to listen to a podcast is around 9am. Is your upload schedule taking this into consideration? You can read more from the report here
Nominations are now open for the global Sports Podcast Awards, which celebrate the very best of audio entertainment with creators around the world encouraged to enter.
There are 23 categories at this year’s awards, with nominations closing in mid-November and you can find out more here. Plus, as part of the Sport Social Podcast Network you are entitled to 50% off your entry fee!
For information on how to access the discount or if you would like the team to look over any application and give you advice, just drop an email to podcast@sport-social.co.uk and we’ll be in touch!
| Welcome to the October edition of Team Talk with all the latest news from the Sport Social Podcast Network. |
| It’s been a big month for the Sport Social Podcast Network with several new senior hires joining the team. Michael Holt has joined as Director of Commercial Partnerships and will be helping our podcasters get the very best deals for advertising and sponsorship whilst Stefan Doyle joins as our new Head of Sport Social and will continue to develop all elements of our customer service and platforms. You can read more about the hires here |
It’s official. Podcast episodes are getting shorter. A new report from Rephonic has revealed that shows over one hour in length are getting less and less common whilst the average length of a podcast in now only 36 mins long. The research also showed that the “most successful” shows release a new 37 minute podcast every 5.3 days. Read more here.
We’re delighted to welcome two brand new big name podcasts from Crowd Network to the Sport Social Podcast Network. Beef’s Golf Club (hosted by Andrew Beef Johnson and John Robins) and George Groves Boxing Club with former World Champion boxer George Groves. Welcome to the team! Explore more.
Now that the tabloid fuelled anger around the axing of the Football Classified has died down, our Director of Sport, Jim Salveson takes a look at the decision and what the move says about the ever-changing world of sports audio and the future of sport podcasting. Read here
If you’ve seen the news about Twitter’s first steps into the podcasting space you are no doubt asking “what’s it all about” and “how can I get involved”. On the latest episode of Voiceworks: Sound Business Jim Salveson speaks to podcast expert Adam Bowie about his experiences with the new platform and what the social media giant’s plans may be for the future. Listen here
I think about football to probably an excessive extent, so my inspiration was channeling that into constructive discussion, with a nostalgic slant.
I don’t have a single episode but any episode of the Noughties Nostalgia Podcast where I ask my Twitter followers and it engages a conversation which I can relay onto the podcast.
Sir Alex Ferguson.
Football Cliches, purely for the comedy, or Price of Football – to expand my knowledge on something I know little about.
The best ever? Messi, Ronaldo, Maradona, Cruyff, Pele.
My favourites? Scholes, Ronaldo, Beckham, Rooney, Zidane.
Hannibal Mejbri will be an absolute star in 5 years’ time.
Nostalgic, hopefully knowledgeable.
Has to be Leicester City winning the Premier League in 2016.
Football is so incessant and abundant that I don’t have any – unless you can count watching 90s/00s wrestling, which you can’t.
August 1998, when I realised that my favourite player from the World Cup – David Beckham – played for Manchester United. I learned this from reading a Match! magazine. I can remember the edition showing United drawing their first two games so I can’t even say I was hunting glory because I was 5 and hadn’t a clue who Manchester United were!
There wasn’t a snooker podcast and I thought there should be one. I thought I was well placed to do it as I was on the circuit and had access to people in the sport.
Probably the best guest I’ve had on was Neil Robertson. I’d arranged to speak to him after his first match at the Champion of Champions but he unexpectedly lost and I assumed he would be heading home. Instead, he agreed to do it and spoke to me for 70 minutes, talking very eloquently about every aspect of his career. Very classy guy.
It would’ve been great to have had the chance to interview Joe Davis, the first world champion who started professional snooker. It would be fascinating to know what he would think of the way snooker has become a frontline TV sport.
The first one I ever subscribed to is still my favourite: Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode’s Film Review on Radio 5 Live.
I’m going to cheat here and name six because I don’t want to leave out any of Ronnie O’Sullivan, Stephen Hendry, John Higgins, Steve Davis, Mark Williams and Mark Selby. In the modern era, these are the six greats because they are all multi-times winners of the biggest events.
There are some Chinese players who have great talent and drive, such as Zhao Xintong and Wu Yize. I would also like to see some young British talent coming through. There’s Jackson Page from Wales, who is mentored by Mark Williams, and could be one to watch.
Right on cue.
Joe Johnson, who I now commentate with on Eurosport, winning the 1986 World Championship remains a remarkable achievement. More recently, Jordan Brown, who’d been working in a petrol station two years earlier, beat Ronnie O’Sullivan in the Welsh Open final. That was an amazing story.
My other main sporting interest is cricket, mainly Test cricket.
I grew up in the 1980s and snooker was everywhere, not just tournaments on TV but in the culture. Snooker players would be on chat shows, entertainment programmes etc, and everyone knew them, so it would have been more unusual at that time to not be interested in snooker. My other passion was writing and by going into journalism I was able to join the snooker circuit and become part of the sport.
The reason for setting the show up was because we think we talk a bit of sense when it comes to our own club and are balanced in our approach. Too much of the sport media nowadays is reactive and we wanted to remain as calm as possible and not create something to solely cause outrage and for likes. With the poor coverage of clubs outside of the “Sky” 6, we also thought it important to create a something that discusses Everton, without the nonsense of centralised pundits with their own agenda.
For us, we never take for granted the opportunity that we have created and that continues, because people enjoy the show and listen each week, so every show is important and special in its own way.
One that sticks out, is our most recent spin off show – Trinity B Side – Racism In Football, with Kick It Out’s, Troy Townsend. We feel we have a great platform to not only discuss Everton, but also the issues that impact football, and racism, is unfortunately, one of those. Troy spoke candidly about his own personal experiences of racism in the sport and the work he does on a daily basis supporting players and highlighting the serious issue we have and what needs to be done in the way of punishments. It was exceptionally eye opening and emotionally charged.
The three of us will have different opinions, I’m sure, but seen as I’m replying (Mike), I’ll have to go with Duncan Ferguson. He’s an iconic figure at the club and someone who is the epitome of what it means to be an Evertonian. His passion and energy is something that resonates, plus his time as a player, coach and caretaker manager, is something I’d love to discuss with him. Some say the club is too romantic and that may well be the case, but this man will manage the club in the near future and will deserve to get his opportunity.
Prior to starting our show, I never really listened to any, but it’s certainly something I like to do on a daily basis now. My current favourites are Tony Bellew Is Angry, The James English Podcast and also No Passion, No Point. Anything involving sport and I’ll throw it on.
I’ve got to base it on players I’ve seen play, so that rules out anyone before the 1980’s
If we are talking Everton, then I’ll go – Southall, Baines, Kanchelskis, Fellaini and Lukaku – that’s a decent 5-a-side outfit that
In terms of any player in world football (again, I’ve has to have seen them) – Zidane, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo (Brazilian), Thierry Henry and Messi
To be honest, I think we’ve struggled to develop players in recent years and that’s something the club are (hopefully) addressing. The one player everyone will see more of this season, is Anthony Gordon. Over the last few games, he’s been getting more game time, but more importantly, he’s impacting games. A big season for him and one I’m sure he’ll grasp with both hands.
For the fans.
I’ve got to go back to the 1995 FA Cup Final. We weren’t given a chance against a strong Man Utd side. That Everton side proved there’s a lot to be said for togetherness and spirit. Wouldn’t mind a few of those lads on the pitch now. Rightly named “The Dogs of War”.
A bit of everything really. Cricket and golf the two outside of football that I watch fairly regularly.
Attended my first match at the age of 5 and its been love ever since. There isn’t one moment that solidified it. Once you go, you’re hooked. The ground, the players the fallout, the ecstasy – its unique and I wouldn’t change it for the world. Once Everton has touched you…
