Over the last couple of years, podcasts have been growing at a steady rate. According to Apple there are currently over 550,000 podcasts. On this week’s episode we discuss how podcast growth is being driven by ad growth. Ads are suited well for podcasts because they are read by the presenter of the podcast and they are harder to skip, therefore they are less predictable than other ad formats.

1). Instagram has launched a new ‘countdown’ sticker feature.

2). Twitter & Facebook continue to delete accounts that are centered around hateful messages.

3).  As ad effectiveness measurement for podcasts continue to improve, it’s likely podcasts will show favorable return on investment, which will give advertisers more confidence to invest.

4). Brands like Pepsi, Starbucks, Google, Microsoft, and Tinder have jumped in and increased their use of the ad format, indicating they are seeing results. It’s perfect for customized/personal curation. You listen to what you want, when you want.

You can listen to the full episode here.