Pod-Alization: Grant Program For Podcasters; Libsyn Announces New Tools For Advertising

 

Broccoli announces BUILD Grant for five podcasters

UK production company Broccoli has announced the launch of the
BUILD Grant, an incubation program that will provide a grant of £1,000 GBP each to five selected applicants looking to grow their podcasting careers. 

Applications can be submitted at www.broccoli.productions/build from 10 am (BST) on August 22, 2023, until September 21, 2023. The BUILD Grant is open to UK and international applicants, which includes U.S. podcasters.

The Grant celebrates Broccoli’s e-learning subscription platform, BUILD, available on Patreon, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. BUILD is an expansive program of over 40 podcast masterclasses delivered by experts in their field.

BUILD offers five channels of lessons to subscribers across Marketing, Business, Personal Development, Storytelling and Production. Its experts range from VOX and Today Explained’s Sound Engineers and Financial Times’ audio critic to the business coaches of top podcast hosts and a lawyer who specializes in protecting IP.

With a focus on hands-off creative development, the BUILD Grant will offer individuals the opportunity to expand their skills or attempt projects that would otherwise be unfeasible. Grant categories are paired with the five BUILD pillars: Marketing, Business, Personal Development, Storytelling, and Production.

Applicants can submit their proposals by detailing the project they would create with the assistance of the BUILD Grant and how they would allocate the BUILD Grant funds. Grant applications will be shortlisted after a first-round review by Broccoli.

The shortlisted applications will then be evaluated by the following
expert representing each category: Arielle Nissenblatt (Marketing), Megan Tan (Production), Danielle Desir Corbett (Personal Development), Twila Dang (Business), and Eleanor McDowall (Storytelling).

Successful applicants will be notified in January 2024. In addition to the £1,000 GBP BUILD Grant, which must be used for their proposed project, they will receive a 12-month subscription to the BUILD e-learning subscription platform and an hour session with a guest expert to offer guidance. As the barrier to entry and gatekeeping of information continues to grow in the audio industry, Broccoli has created BUILD and the BUILD Grant to help the next generation of podcasters.

Renay Richardson, Founder and CEO of Broccoli Productions, says: “We are excited to launch the BUILD Grant to underscore the value we put on education and building up nascent talent within our industry. That’s why BUILD was developed in the first place – to create an accessible and affordable platform of masterclasses by established experts working within the creative industries to develop aspiring professionals skillsets.”

Visit www.broccoli.productions/build for more information.

 Libsyn announces new tools for podcasters to monetize their podcasts

Libsyn has unveiled its latest advertising offering -- Predictive Contextual Targeting, which is a cookie-free targeting solution designed to empower podcast advertisers with contextually relevant, efficient, and privacy-friendly ad targeting capabilities.

Did you get that part? Cookie-free! No intrusions on your life to find out if you need a new refrigerator or want to buy a new yoga mat.

With this new offering, Libsyn enables advertisers to target with increased precision and at scale — on par with other advanced, digital media channels. Advertisers can now connect with desired podcast audiences across hundreds of audience segments, such as Fast Casual Restaurant Users, Interest in Home Improvement, In Market for Electric Vehicle, Pet Owners, Big Box Store Customer (By Brand) and Life Stage – Retirement to name a few. Advertisers can access Libsyn’s Predictive Contextual Targeting solution through managed/run of network or programmatic/private marketplace (PMP) deals across the most popular Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs).

Libsyn says: "Predictive Contextual Targeting leverages cutting-edge technology, powerful audience data, advanced speech-to-text transcription, and intelligent categorization. The solution extracts the contextual essence of thousands of individual podcast episodes and accurately classifies content across hundreds of thousands of subcategories. As a result, ads are precisely delivered to the right listeners based on their content preferences."

I'm not sure what that last paragraph means, but any time you use the words "categorization" and "contextual," it means something significant.

“Podcast advertising is gaining momentum, attracting more advertisers eager to connect with vast and engaged audiences, and we recognize the growing need for sophisticated targeting capabilities,” said Dave Hanley, Chief Revenue Officer of Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast. “At Libsyn, we're continuing to invest in cutting-edge ad-tech solutions to meet these needs. The launch of Predictive Contextual Targeting underscores our dedication to empowering advertisers with advanced targeting capabilities to achieve their brand goals, whether it's direct response or brand awareness.”

Steffen Hopf, CEO of Libsyn Julep and Head of International at Libsyn said, “With the combined scale of Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast and Julep Media, we’re unlocking the potential for advertisers to reach a diverse, global audience. North American brands can now effortlessly target European listeners and vice versa, empowering advertisers to build their brands and forge meaningful connections across continents.”

Libsyn will be showcasing its industry-leading podcast advertising platform at Podcast Movement 2023 in Denver between August 21-24. Visit us at booth #101 on the expo floor. If you are interested in scheduling a meeting with the Libsyn team on-site, please look them up on the Swapcard app.

When you're there, ask them what categorization and contextual mean. Thanks.