GANDHINAGAR: Have you ever encountered an ad in a mobile 📲 game urging you to follow a podcast to earn in-game rewards? 🏆 This tactic, employed by the company MowPod, is becoming increasingly common among podcasters seeking to inflate their audience numbers 🧑🤝🧑.
MowPod offers podcast networks and creators two key services: Boost and a follower-generating tool. Boost promotes podcasts through website banner ads, while the undisclosed follower tool leverages mobile game ads that incentivize players to follow podcasts on Apple Podcasts in exchange for in-game currency 🤑.
Bloomberg’s Ashley Karman, who also curates the newsletter Soundbite wrote , “Over the past week and a half, I identified at least 37 podcasts being advertised through in-game rewards provided by MowPod, including shows from prominent creators and networks like Wondery, Netflix, iHeartMedia, Lemonada and Alex Cooper of Call Her Daddy. In fact, of the top 50 shows in the US yesterday, I spotted nine that had been promoted in games recently. “
While MowPod claims the follower feature drives organic discovery by boosting a show’s position in Apple Podcasts charts, some industry experts remain skeptical. The concern lies in the impermanence of these inflated numbers. Listeners motivated by in-game rewards may not be genuine fans, leading to a surge in followers followed by a drop-off after the campaign.
MowPod’s BOOST 👇
Despite these doubts, MowPod’s “follower tool” 😇 is demonstrably effective in boosting follower counts and propelling podcasts up the charts. A case study revealed a rise in time listened per episode, follower count, and downloads during campaigns. Furthermore, MowPod claims an average of 60-80% follower retention after campaigns, with 25-35% converting into long-term listeners.
In its July 6, 2023 press release MowPod explains. “mowPod’s groundbreaking technology transforms your podcast episodes into captivating display ads. These ads are then optimized and strategically placed across the web, steering listeners right back to your podcast. Podcasters can now pull comprehensive campaign reports straight from the platform, delivering insights on audience demographics, devices, daily delivery statistics, creative performance, and even granular geographic data.” 🌐
MowPod helps podcasts reach new listeners through 🎯targeted website ads. They use programmatic buying to ensure the right audience sees each ad, which features a show image, description, and a “LISTEN NOW” button. Clicking the button leads to a MowPod web player that automatically starts the podcast. This autoplay might normally break advertising rules, but since users clicked “LISTEN NOW,” it’s considered okay in this case. MowPod also monitors the websites they advertise on for brand safety.
MowPod promotions can show high browser play rates since the podcast plays within their web browser player. This might trigger alerts for “unusual downloads from browsers.” Short MowPod campaigns could also lead to “unusual growth patterns” in your analytics.
However, there is a catch! Most analytics tools can identify MowPod traffic because each play includes “mowpod.com” in the referrer field. This data point, although rarely used, helps differentiate MowPod plays from regular browser listening.
One anonymous client expressed satisfaction 😁 with MowPod’s follower tool, believing it promotes organic discovery 🔍 through chart placement. However, others like Dan Misener of Bumper, a podcast marketing firm, have observed a short-lived increase in followers followed by a significant decline.
This practice is particularly interesting in the case of Alex Cooper’s podcast “Call Her Daddy.” After transitioning from Spotify exclusivity to Apple Podcasts 🎙️, her show debuted at #1 on the platform’s charts.
Apple’s stance on such tactics remains unclear. Their podcast chart guidelines emphasize factors like listens and completion rate, with following a show also likely playing a role. While they mention monitoring chart integrity, MowPod maintains their practices comply with Apple’s terms.
MowPod is not alone in this game. The podcasting industry, aiming to become a multi-billion dollar market, is witnessing a surge in services promising audience growth. As competition intensifies, some podcasters appear willing to explore unconventional methods like in-game advertising to attract new listeners.
The long-term impact of these tactics on the industry’s health is yet to be seen. Whether it leads to sustainable audience growth or a bubble of inflated numbers is a question that only time will answer 🤷🤔.