Sounds Profitable: Adtech Applied

Bryan Barletta

The pace of change the podcast adtech industry is undergoing is staggering. The implications for podcasters, hosting providers, podcast listening app developers, and even advertisers and agencies are enormous. And so are the profits. Presented as a companion but stand-alone version of the weekly newsletter of the same name, each episode of Sounds Profitable: Adtech Applied will be a fluff-free experience for you. Along with industry experts, I'll help you understand how you can take advantage of podcast adtech to stay ahead of the curve and, well... make more money as more money from advertising pours into podcasting. That Sounds Profitable, right? Assumptions and conventional wisdom will be challenged. Easy answers with no proof of efficacy will be exposed. Because the thinking that got podcast advertising close to a billion dollars annually will need to be drastically overhauled to bring in the tens or hundreds of billions of dollars podcast advertising deserves.

  • 8 minutes 33 seconds
    How Audio Can Leverage PR in AI Discovery Era

    Chatbots are changing PR’s place in the media ecosystem, let’s talk why.  

    Written by Molly DeMellier

    Edited by Bryan Barletta and Gavin Gaddis

    Audio narration and editing by Gavin Gaddis

    Find the full article here on Sounds Profitable.

    14 January 2026, 12:00 pm
  • 5 minutes 2 seconds
    SuperAwesome Acquires Starglow, Deloitte's Podcasting Predictions, & More

    This week in the business of podcasting: Deloitte's 2026 predictions for podcasting, seeking syndication with content creators, and SuperAwesome acquires Starglow Media.

    Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment. 

    13 January 2026, 9:00 pm
  • 4 minutes 56 seconds
    The First Golden Globe-Winning Podcast, Spotify's 2026 Trends, & More
    This week in the business of podcasting: The Golden Globes debuted Best Podcast as a category, Spotify is looking out for podcasters, and iHeartRadio embraces open RSS with their new video ingestion protocol using Podcasting 2.0 framework. 


    Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment. 
    12 January 2026, 8:55 pm
  • 7 minutes 30 seconds
    Remember Who You Are
    Experimentation is healthy, but expansion at all costs includes the cost of ignoring the audience that built everything in the first place. 

    Written and narrated by Tom Webster
    Edited by Bryan Barletta and Gavin Gaddis
    Audio editing by Gavin Gaddis


    Find the full article here on Sounds Profitable.
    9 January 2026, 4:52 pm
  • 11 minutes 56 seconds
    Remembering Podcasting's Strengths, Spotify Upgrades Partner Program, & More
    This week in the business of podcasting: Remembering what makes podcasts great, GenAI's indie podcast blindspot, Spotify updated requirements for the Partner Program, why podcasting is a must-have for sports rights holders and brands, and a look at PodcastAdBlock.

    Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment. 
    9 January 2026, 12:00 pm
  • 6 minutes 37 seconds
    How GenAI Finds Podcasts, The Age of Vodcasts, & More 
    Today in the business of podcasting: Remembering what makes podcasts great, how AI is searching for podcasts, and Netflix video podcasts are generating articles. 

    Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment.
    8 January 2026, 8:55 pm
  • 5 minutes 38 seconds
    Spotify Updates Partner Program, New iHeartMedia Video Podcast Platform, & More
    Today in the business of podcasting: Spotify has lowered the barrier to entry for Spotify Partner Program, ADOPTER Media talks listening experience with podcast ads, and iHeartMedia upgrades their video podcast capabilities in their "creators first" initiative. 



    Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment.
    7 January 2026, 9:00 pm
  • 7 minutes 19 seconds
    Podcasting's Trust in Sports, Live Tours Continue Growing, & More
    Today in the business of podcasting: Jim Salveson on sports podcasting's powers, CMOs discuss 2026 priorities, podcasts on the living room screen, podcast live shows are pulling in the big bucks (and new audiences for venues), and Meta beefs up podcast promo capabilities on Threads. 

    Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment.
    6 January 2026, 10:09 pm
  • 9 minutes 5 seconds
    700mil Hours of YouTube Podcasts, GenAI's Indie Pod Issue, & More
    Today in the business of podcasting: the company stripping ads from podcasts for money, why AI doesn't recommend indie podcasts, video podcast production hiccups, 700 million hours of YouTube podcasts consumed on TVs in October, and all signal/no noise with music videos. 

    Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment.
    5 January 2026, 9:00 pm
  • 11 minutes 5 seconds
    Podcasting's Creator Churn Problem, Netflix is Making Deals, & More
    Today in the business of podcasting: podcasting's creator churn problem (and how to fix it), Oxford Road has had a couple studies this week, Netflix has been making deals, and Signal Hill Insights looks back at the year in research. 


    Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment.
    19 December 2025, 12:00 pm
  • 5 minutes 6 seconds
    Audio's UK ROI Moment, Netflix Licenses Barstool Sports Pods, & More
    Today in the business of podcasting: Netflix signs several Barstool Sports video podcasts, graphs showing why YouTube is at the top of the media watch-time pile, and a look back at audio data for the UK in 2025.

    Find links to every article covered by heading to the Download section of SoundsProfitable.com, or by clicking here to go directly to today's installment.
    18 December 2025, 9:00 pm
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