become a top 10 podcasts It’s always been a tough game, but some podcasters are really gaming the system.9 of the top 50 podcasts in the US, including call her daddywhich offers mobile gaming users points for interacting with its content, according to one company Bloomberg reports Friday.
Marketing firm MowPod, used by several top podcasters, promises “significant ranking increases on the Apple Podcasts charts” through its undisclosed tool.The tool advertises to mobile game users, telling them to “Follow call her daddy on Apple Podcasts” to earn tokens. If users click, they will be directed to the show’s landing page, where they can subscribe or listen to recent episodes.
MowPod CEO Mike Wiston told Bloomberg that users simply arrive at the landing page to receive the tokens, rather than actually paying attention. However, this tool has proven to be very effective in increasing follower count, downloads, and listening time. Wiston said customers pay $5 for each new follower, with a minimum spend of $5,000.
In podcasting, trending charts are everything.Alex Cooper’s call her daddy It just launched on Apple Podcasts in January and is now the No. 2 show on the platform as of Friday.cooper recently Special shape Talking about building a media company around her brand in The New York Times.
The profile notes that Cooper’s podcast has recently slipped in the Spotify charts, falling from No. 2 to No. 23. call her daddy Even behind the shows Alex Cooper helped produce for her new media company, Hot mess with Alex Earle. In the introduction, Cooper just brushes it off, explaining that “charts fluctuate.”
Bloomberg recently used MowPod’s secret service to identify nine podcasts on its Top 50 list in the U.S., including call her daddy, as well as podcasts from Netflix, iHeartMedia, Wondery and Lemonada. The report noted that a total of 37 podcasts used the enhanced service.
So top podcasters are essentially buying rewards for players who follow and engage with their shows, and they do so at a high price. However, Winston noted that 60-80% of people who become fans through in-game ads stay after the campaign is over. At least 25% of them will listen for a long time.
The top podcast charts are a very unique group and difficult to break into.many Top 10 shows on Apple Podcasts Spotify and Spotify have been around for 5 years. It’s rare that a new podcast cracks this list, and when they do, it’s likely because they have a ton of money.
MowPod’s strategy isn’t unique. There are many marketing tools that allow wealthy podcasters to attract fans through purchase. However, this is a particularly egregious example of why the podcast industry is so stagnant, with success so highly concentrated at the top.