What is IAB Certification and Why Does it Matter?

The IAB sets standards for measuring podcast downloads and listens, ensuring consistency across platforms. This certification is crucial for advertisers, as it provides a verified way to gauge audience reach and the effectiveness of their campaigns (Return on Investment, or ROI).

Why Did Spotify Leave?

Spotify hasn’t slammed the door entirely. They say they’re “taking a pause” in 2024 to re-evaluate their participation. Some speculate that Spotify, with its vast amount of internal listener data, might be questioning the value of external certification. Additionally, the costs associated with IAB membership might be a factor.

The Potential Impact

This move could have ripple effects:

• Uncertainty for Advertisers: Without a universal standard, advertisers might be hesitant to invest in podcasting, especially on platforms outside of Spotify.
• Fragmentation in Measurement: Different platforms might use their own metrics, making it difficult to compare campaigns across the board.
• Rise of Independent Measurement Firms: This situation could open doors for independent firms specializing in podcast audience measurement.

The Download Discrepancy and Advertising Rates

Adding another layer of complexity is the ongoing issue of download discrepancies. Platforms like Apple have shifted how they calculate and account for downloads, leading to lower reported numbers. However, podcast creators can argue that the actual value advertisers receive — impressions with engaged listeners — hasn’t necessarily decreased. Despite this, advertising rates haven’t yet adjusted accordingly, a situation that’s created frustration for both creators, who are seeing lower CPM (cost per mille, or per thousand impressions) based payments, and advertisers who struggle to justify spend based on what once were inflated download figures.

Alternative Approaches

While IAB certification has been the industry norm for some time now, alternative approaches are emerging:

• Direct Integration: Podcast platforms might offer advertisers direct access to their own audience measurement tools.
• Third-Party Verification: Independent firms could provide verification services, ensuring the accuracy of platform-reported metrics.
• Focus on Engagement Metrics: Advertisers might shift focus from simple downloads to metrics that show deeper audience engagement, like completion rates or social media mentions.

The Future of Podcasting Measurement

Spotify’s departure from IAB certification is a wake-up call for the podcasting industry. It highlights the need for a more flexible and adaptable measurement system that considers both reach and engagement. Additionally, addressing the download discrepancy and ensuring fair advertising rates based on true value will be crucial. Ultimately, a healthy podcasting ecosystem needs reliable metrics that benefit both advertisers and podcast creators. As the industry evolves, expect to see a mix of solutions emerge, ensuring transparency and trust in the podcasting advertising landscape.

(Disclosure: AI Tools were used to assist in the creation and illustration of this post)

American life is fundamentally different from what it was the day before, so it’s vitally important that we remember what life was like before 9/11. We mustn’t forget what freedom felt like, lest we forget that we’re no longer quite as free as once we were.

But, we must also remember what we learned in the aftermath of 9/11… lessons about ourselves as people, and as a society. Remember how everyone pulled together? Remember how we all set aside our differences, which are really small, in the scheme of things, and stood together as Americans? Remember how people all over the world offered their compassion and support?

Yet here we are, a mere 15 years later, and. America is as divided and polarized as I remember it being during my lifetime. Our politicians peddle fear, trade in hate, and exchange rhetorical low-blows in service of partisan separatism, when what’s needed is unity.

And it’s not just America. Worldwide, people seem focused on their differences, their disagreements, and their hatred of the dreaded “other”.

How did this happen? How do we improve things?

We. must start, I think, by remembering that, for all of our differences, all of our disagreements, and all of our problems, we are all part of a greater whole. We are people. We all share this planet, and we must strive to find ways to coexist. That requires respect for one another, and respect for those differences. I say, we should celebrate our diversity. It’s the reason the human race has achieved its greatest advances.

Let’s not wait for another huge demonstration of hatred before we again come together as humans.

United, we stand. Divided, we fall.

The whole is indeed greater than the sum of its parts.

Trite? Yes. But also true.

I recently read a terrific article from Kevin O’Keefe about blogging, and why it’s so great for lawyers. In the article, Kevin emphasized a number of ways that creating and disseminating content can improve a lawyer’s life, practice, effectiveness and bottom-line.

What’s true for blogging is just as true for podcasting.

So, with a hat-tip to Kevin, allow me to recount the benefits of podcasting (or creating and disseminating any other kind of content)

Podcasting makes us better lawyers.

If you’re creating a law podcast, you’re going to need to keep up with news, developments in the law, opinions and commentary about the legal topics you cover, and so on. By staying abreast of things, even just by reading blogs, listening to other podcasts, and following social media, you will find yourself formulating your own thoughts and opinions, and then sharing them with your audience. This process of synthesizing the material makes you absorb the information, and better able to use it in your role as an advocate for your clients.

Podcasting grows your network

Just by hosting a podcast, whether you interview others, or do a solo-show, your network is bound to grow. When you ‘get public’ on a topic, others who follow that topic will naturally find you, and if you reach out to engage those folks, you’re bound to wind up networking with them.

And, of course, if you interview folks, or have guests, co-hosts, and the like, they will become a part of your network and sphere of influence. Plus, they will likely mention you and your show to their followers, which further grows your audience and reach.

And, as you become more visible through your podcast, you’ll be asked to guest on other people’s shows. Another networking win, and audience growth benefit.

Podcasting allows us to realize our dreams and achieve amazing things.

How many of us get to follow their true passions, at least a little bit of the time. Podcasting can let us do just that. Choose a podcasting topic that you are passionate about, and you’ll soon develop a following of people with similar interests. You can build a practice around that topic, serving that audience, and you’re bound to find your work more fulfilling and enjoyable.

You may also become a sought-after public speaker.

You might find that you can use your podcast as a springboard to some other kind of business.

You could find that the podcast itself is very fulfilling, and it could even become your source of income.

Podcasting is sharing, not advertising

Generally speaking, Blogs are viewed not as advertising, but as information sharing, and thus are not subject to regulation under ethics rules governing lawyer advertising and marketing.

If Blogging is like publishing a book or an op-ed in the newspaper, Podcasting is like giving a public seminar or talk to a civic group. Or even hosting a traditional broadcast radio show, as some lawyers do. Though it’s not been tested (as far as I know) by the courts and regulatory authorities, I daresay Podcasting will be treated similarly. Certainly, the First Amendment will protect lawyers who choose to podcast.

Podcasting helps people

When you publish a podcast episode, you are making valuable information available for people to learn, use and help them in making important business or personal decisions. Whether your podcast leads them to engage your services to represent them, or just to employ some self-help, you’ve given them that opportunity.

Podcasting showcases your expertise

Whether you’re holding forth in a solo-show format, interviewing experts and industry thought-leaders, or just curating information you find from other sources, your podcast serves to demonstrate that you’re an expert in your field. By gathering the information in the first place, by being a student of the subject matter, you become an expert, and by leading your audience in learning, you become a valued resource.

Podcasting reveals the true you and lets you speak with your own voice.

Most legal writing, and even legal blogging, for that matter, tends toward a formal, somewhat legalistic tone that can be somewhat intimidating, or even alienating to readers. Particularly those who may not be familiar with reading that kind of material.

Fortunately, most of us don’t talk the way we write. So, when you speak your subject, you’ll tend to be more explanatory, and to use more accessible language.

Just as importantly, though, the tone of your voice can have a profound impact. If you enjoy the subject you’re covering in your podcast, that will be reflected in the way you sound when discussing it. And, if you adopt a conversational style, you invite your audience in, rather than pushing them away with stodgy, formalistic language.

Podcasting builds awareness, affinity and trust.

When you podcast, you increase your visibility, simply by virtue of publishing episodes on a regular schedule. As people discover your podcast by searching on topics, or the names of your guests, they also discover you… And after they’ve listened a while, assuming you’re likable and adopt a friendly tone, they’ll start to like and trust you. Know. Like. Trust. The law marketing trifecta.

Podcasting fosters engagement

Many podcasters experience a higher level of engagement from their audiences than they could expect if writing the same material in a blog. The simple fact is, people listen, connect, and reply to podcasts. If you provide a voice-feedback widget on your podcast website, or just a phone number to call in with feedback, you’ll get it. Ask and you shall receive.

There’s nothing better for growing your business than listening to feedback and responding, either directly, or with simple adjustments to the product, service or message.

Podcasting is easy for the creator and the audience

For many of us, sitting down to write a blog post is a somewhat daunting task. Even if we’ve built blogging into our schedule, we may somehow feel blocked. But podcasting isn’t this way. Particularly, if you have a co-host or guests on your show, the act of creating the episodes is akin to having a comfortable conversation. Sure, there’s some preparation required, but it’s no more than you’d do in preparing to write an article or blog post. But with podcasting, you just press the record button and start talking. Somehow that feels easier. There’s no blank screen sitting there mocking you, as you experience writer’s block. You just talk. You ask questions, listen to answers, or speak from your outline. And, if you mess up, you just make a note, start again, and plan to edit later. And, if you’re good, you might just get things in a single take, and not need to edit.

Consuming podcasts is easy for the audience, too. Where once subscribing, downloading, and listening required some tech-expertise, smartphone apps have made podcasts as easy as selecting from your own library of music to listen to.

Podcasting is lean-back media. Blogs, online video and other media require the user to sit in a chair before a computer, in what many term “lean-forward” mode. But with podcasts, listening is easy. The audience is relaxed and able to multi-task while enjoying your words of wisdom. That fosters a longer attention span, and greater engagement with the content.

Conclusion

Podcasting is an extraordinarily powerful tool, It’s fun, easy, and it makes you a better, more visible, likable lawyer. Don’t overlook podcasting as part of your law marketing mix.

To explore the how-to aspects of law podcasting, visit http://lawpodcasting.com/ and have your own law podcast up and running by next weekend! Check out a few other law Podcasters on The Law Podcasting Podcast