Blinkist Launches Podcast Summary Service Called Shortcasts

Blinkist has launched its newest audio format called Shortcasts. Collaborating with well-known and up-and-coming podcast creators, Shortcasts innovate on the traditional podcast format for busy consumers who want to learn from podcasts, but don’t have the time to do so.

Blinkist is a microlearning app that has grown to over 15 million users worldwide since its launch in 2012. Their library of over 4,000 titles includes topics like society and culture, wellness, parenting, leadership, and more. According to Blinkist, its products are curated by editorial experts in collaboration with high-profile, expert creators across a wide variety of fields.

 

Shortcasts will present and highlight podcast episodes’ key learnings through a specially designed audio format. Each Shortcast runs around 15 minutes. Shortcasts are produced in direct collaboration with the podcast creators, with hosts adding valuable context and a fresh perspective.

Launching October 20 in collaboration with top podcasts like:

• Malcolm Gladwell’s “Revisionist History”
• Natalie Lue’s “The Baggage Reclaim Sessions”
• Nico Rosberg’s “Beyond Victory”
• Dr. Laurie Santos’ “The Happiness Lab “
• Farnoosh Torabi’s “So Money”
• Erik Fisher’s “Beyond the To-Do List”
• Omar Zenhom’s “The 100$ MBA Show”
• Dr. Rupy Aujla’s “The Doctor’s Kitchen”
• and more Shortcasts to come later this fall.

This new format provides podcast creators with an opportunity to reach Blinkist’s millions of global users, extending their content and brand. By tapping into their back-catalog of episodes, Shortcasts help podcast creators to leverage their existing content, breathing new life into episodes and topics to generate new revenue opportunities and new listeners.

“Research revealed that our audience wants to listen to more podcasts, but only had limited time they could spend doing it. With Shortcasts, we solve that problem and build off our audio expertise with Blinks to deliver an engaging, high-quality audio learning experience,” said Holger Seim, CEO and co-founder of Blinkist.

“Pushkin Industries is excited to be partnering with Blinkist on their innovative Shortcasts format. Blinkist is smart about making content accessible and digestible for people who want thought-provoking content, but who are short on time. We are excited to build new audiences for podcasts like ‘Revisionist History’ and ‘The Happiness Lab’ through Shortcasts,” said Jacob Weisberg, CEO and co-founder of Pushkin Industries.

While the themes and content of each Shortcast differ based on the source podcasts, at the core of each episode are critical insights with a fresh or updated point of view, delivered directly from the original creator. Blinkist developed the new format using audience insights, which revealed that almost all of the Blinkist audience already listen to podcasts. Out of the survey respondents who say they almost never finish an episode, 78% cite time as a reason. Furthermore, over half of those respondents listened to podcasts for only 15–30 minutes.

“We know that our audience wants to listen to more podcasts but have time limitations. Shortcasts is a fantastic audio innovation that makes sure nobody misses out on world-class content, even if they only have 15–30 minutes to spare. It’s exciting to collaborate with podcast creators to reimagine what the format and their content could look like for people with busy lives,” said Rachel Mallender, Director of New Content Development.

Shortcasts can be listened to within the Blinkist app, available on Apple and Google Play stores.