1 Video. 2 Podcasters. 10 days until 2024.

Hey honeys and hustlers,

This article is all about video podcasting, from just about every angle you can think of. I have a special crossover episode of Honey & Hustle x The Format, a report analyzing the crossover of video podcast listeners and audio-only podcast listeners, and a new branded video podcast that just hit streaming platforms. Let’s dive in!

Building in Public

It’s not often I get to record a conversation with a friend just because, but I’m happy I recorded this one with Flo. Maybe you’ve heard of her? She’s the founder of Chorus Studios and co-host of the Why Raleigh? Podcast. We talked about:

• creating branded B2B podcasts

• some of our favorite video podcasts

• digital tools and platforms we’re using and playing around with

And probably a lot more because we were just relaxing and talking shop. Watch it or listen to it below and tell me what you think! I’d like to do more casual founder talks that aren’t necessarily about any one thing in particular, just breaking down how we’re trying to build our creative businesses.

It’s also available on Apple Podcasts.

I want to hear from you!

We’re planning our creative calendar for 2024, and while we think we have great ideas, we’d love to hear from you! We want to make sure you’re getting what you’d like out of this community so that we can grow and implement some of the things on our roadmap to make this space as awesome as possible! We know it’s a lot to ask you to leave social media or even your email inbox to engage with us here, so we want to make sure we’re meeting and exceeding your expectations! Don’t worry, we included some fun questions, ya know, for research.

In exchange for 5 minutes of your time, you’ll get mailed some Honey & Hustle stickers and our undying love and appreciation! It’s really a no-brainer.

In readworthy news

Digital Audio vs. Social Media

SXM recently released a report about the relationship, if any, between social media and digital audio. With social media interest going down and the number of podcasts going up, will listener habits follow suit? It seems they already are.

Live audio has struggled to say the least (see Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces, Greenroom by Spotify, Amp, etc.). Maybe it’s because people like to listen at different times than they like to engage. I think podcasts will have to compete on quality, format, and storytelling to have staying power for audiences. Just a theory, but launching a podcast just to hear yourself speak likely isn’t going to be enough anymore. Will conversions from social media to B2B podcasts be an important metric in 2024? I think so. Even with links being de-prioritized, social video clips are reigning supreme.

Close Friends Only

Close Friends isn’t just a feature on Instagram, it’s now the name of their new podcast. I’m not sure whether they did this to troll Twitter taking away their equivalent feature (called Circle), or because they truly understand what features users love the most and are leaning into long-form content to win them over, but either way, I'm intrigued. The first episode features a conversation between Ice Spice and Doja Cat. Yes, I’m fan. They’re both regularly in my Spotify rotation. Yes, they’re lowkey problematic. Yes, I think they’re some of the greatest music artists in terms of how they handle the business aspect of the industry (I could go into detail, don’t try me). Yes, I’m biased when I say that you should listen. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Enough words, just listen!

It’s also available on YouTube.

They’re talking about trends they think are going viral among “the youths,” but the trend I’m really interested in is the growth of podcast networks. This episode was produced by the Unwell Podcast Network, founded by Alex Cooper. Yes, that Alex Cooper. The Alex Cooper that got a 3-year, $60M deal with Spotify for exclusive rights to Call Her Daddy. The Unwell Podcast Network is becoming a leader in video podcasts. Securing a deal with Instagram to produce their new show is no small deal, especially after securing an ad partnership with Spotify that allows her podcast network to benefit from ad revenue, including this show. Double dipping? Yes ma’am! I like her style. Things are getting interesting.

I’m using lots of italics because it’s getting juicy in the creator space. Ad revenue. Creator networks. Sounds like Spotify is finding success and giving YouTube a run for its money, just not in the way that they may have originally planned. It turns out, you have to let creators be creators and explore what healthy collaborations look like for them, and money can’t buy the success that comes from organic creator chemistry. I think they’ll have to continue to explore deals for ad partnerships with podcasters that aren’t exclusive rights deals with “big creators,” which could mean a monetization threshold structure for creators in the same way that exists for music artists. They’ve already started being lenient in allowing shows to be placed on Apple Podcasts and other platforms in exchange for name rights on cover art. The more music overlaps with podcasting, the more digital audio as an industry benefits. I can’t wait to see more details emerge on how these deals are structured.

I want to know, who are music artists or creators you’d like to see as future co-hosts of this show by Instagram?

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Thank The Team: I do not do this alone. Send your love to Evoke Media and Staehle Media for audio and video editing, Looping in Alex for guest outreach, Intake Creative for helping write some of the posts you see here, Henry for the design of many of our physical merch items, and Danielle Clardy for any behind-the-scenes photos.