Feedback a revolution in podcasting? – interactivity a milestone
People usually think they know everything and are always better informed than the rest. This applies whether it’s salespeople convinced of knowing their customers, parents regarding their children, or professors immersed in their fields of study. The same problem also applies to content creators who think what their audience wants. In particular, those whose communication was one-way. Podcast responses can verify these assumptions.
According to an article by The Verge, the podcasting channel is poised for a major revolution. All thanks to the interactive features that are being introduced to messengers that offer a podcast feature. The text raises an interesting question – whether the specificity of the podcast fits at all into the new form announced on the horizon? Users, after all, when listening to podcasters are prepared to just listen to them, doing other activities at the time, or not. Well, cultural context has a lot to say here, as readily confirmed by the Asian market and the habits of consumers there, which are very different from our – Western European.
Interactions in the audio world
Spotify
To find existing interactive solutions, the service’s indications rightly point our gaze towards Spotify, where Anchor developers already have the ability to poll their listeners and hold Q sessions&A. Cyberfeed.pl also mentions recent tests of interactive ads, which have not yet been introduced. All of the efforts to increase engagement on its platform allow Spotify to cut advertising costs on other services, plus the new features attract podcasters who are looking for a hosting provider for their work. Creators on Anchor can already create shows with licensed music, and can promote themselves using tools available inside the platform.
Amazon
As we already know well Amazon became the owner of the Twitch platform in 2014.tv, therefore, has been in the audiovisual zone for years. Bezos’ company also launched podcast-type panels in 2020. Jeff’s business sense probably gave him a good hint that there is something to invest in. Amazon Music and Audible platforms are supposed to be something very different and specific on this market. Twitter shows a survey of podcast participants detailing the functionality of polling, but also the use of the Alexa voice system and the opportunity for in-depth analytics for understanding your audience and achieving better commercial results.
“We haven’t really seen anyone yet who has cracked the code of true listener-creator interaction on listening platforms” – said Mike Mignano – Spotify’s head of creative development. – “So I think it’s just the natural evolution of content and media on the Internet, and that now, it’s just a matter of time, hopefully, to put podcasting on par with the rest of media.” – adds. (The Verge)
Fireside
Despite the beginning of the podcasting interaction phase, there is already a growing trend of it, to which the American application Fireside responds. It involves broadcasting live audio content, something the team from Twitch is also working on.”The future of entertainment is interactive” – reads Firesidechat homepage.com. This tool’s dashboard gives users the ability to respond with emoji, ask questions, and rate the broadcast through the comments section.
China
The term calling products from that part of the globe pejoratively has long been forgotten. When it comes to interactivity and the sheer proliferation of its applications, the Middle Kingdom has already overtaken us light years ago. European users are slowly getting used to being able to comment on their favorite creators, and podcasts in China already allow listeners to build “listening circles” and “discussion forums”. You can see a considerable discrepancy with which on the Rest of World Helen Li – also agrees; “When I first downloaded the Chinese podcast app, I was shocked by how interactive it was.”.
Is interaction necessary at all?
The Verge covered the example of two creators of the Beyond podcast the Screenplay, who demonstrated one of the usefulness of audience surveys. It turned out that they were convinced that these would choose a completely different topic for the next meeting than they expected. So we can see that this form can have a positive impact on creating content that is more likely to be absorbed by the audience. In addition, it intensifies the relationship with the creator, showing that the one speaking to them still gives them the opportunity to interact and even choose. The podcasters themselves see this as a convenience for themselves and their listeners, but they are not convinced that people are ready to develop this technology further. – It’s not really in the mindset yet for podcasting to give instant feedback for engagement – says Vince Major, one of the creators of Beyond the Screenplay.
Business is asking for money… ie. interaction!
A pretty clear conclusion appears to be the purpose of the facilities mentioned above. It’s all about profits, of course. There’s nothing wrong with that, especially if it’s followed by utility benefits for customers. At this point, we already know where interactive ad testing comes from, but what does interactive advertising even mean? In the sense of a podcast, it is supposed to be a form of audio that allows us to respond to it directly, in order to personalize and immerse the advertising message. An example can be Backtracks platform, which is working on SDK. It is a kit that connects to AirPods in order to detect head gestures, with the help of which we can respond with movement to advertising messages expressing interest or lack thereof.
Readers of the portal voted that most of them would like to introduce such ads to the platform. This enthusiasm is also shared by the owners of these services, who hope to make the podcast segment more innovative and engaging. In the future, work is planned on talking to podcasters, building a community and developing interactive ads, which is supposed to make these platforms more attractive and bring skyrocketing profits to both the platforms and the creators on them.
Mobile Trends editors are downright impatient with the results of the Alexa-based podcasting service system. The very idea of interactive ads could prove to be a much more interesting form than the already overeager looking at images flashing on the screen. Form over content? Not necessarily, despite the fact that we do not like advertising, as our activity in social media increases, the level of tolerance for it increases. And since we’re forced into it anyway, it’s worth it if it’s at least interesting, right?
