Press Publish 14: Jenna Weiss-Berman on BuzzFeed’s podcast strategy and moves into audio news

AUG 26, 2015-1 MIN
Nieman Lab

Press Publish 14: Jenna Weiss-Berman on BuzzFeed’s podcast strategy and moves into audio news

AUG 26, 2015-1 MIN

Description

It’s Episode 14 of Press Publish, the Nieman Lab podcast! My guest today is Jenna Weiss-Berman, the director of audio at BuzzFeed. Jenna was hired last fall to figure out the site’s podcasting strategy, and thus far she’s launched three shows, each targeting the sites’s young diverse audience. Just about everything BuzzFeed does draws attention, and its approach to podcasting is no different. Jenna’s job is to figure out audio’s place between BuzzFeed’s two great goliaths — text with pictures on one hand and video on the other. BuzzFeed’s enormous success with viral content might make you think social sharing is her team’s main goal — but in some ways BuzzFeed’s podcasts are more traditional than that. We talked about how podcasts can reach a younger audience, whether audio is just a stepping stone to video, and her advice for young people who want to break into the podcast business. Here’s our conversation. Listen Download the MP3 Or listen in your browser: [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/niemanlab/PressPublish014.mp3] Subscribe in iTunes Subscribe (RSS) Show notes Jenna Weiss-Berman on LinkedIn @WBJenna BuzzFeed Podcasts Another Round Internet Explorer Rerun Jack Shepherd What is the best way to track podcast “listenership”? Ben Smith, BuzzFeed editor-in-chief Lean In Julia Furlan Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton, hosts of Another Round Internet Explorer on SoundCloud Another Round live show in June “What Kind Of Stuff On The Internet Do Teens Actually Think Is Cool?” (July 15, 2015) “14 Times Daria And Quinn Morgendorffer Were You And Your Sister” (Aug. 17, 2015) Earwolf Panoply The debut episode of Internet Explorer Carl Kasell NPR One TED Radio Hour Call Your Girlfriend Matt Lieber of Gimlet Media Serial Welcome to Night Vale “35 Hidden Podcasts You Really Should Be Listening To” (July 8, 2015) An example of an ad in Another Round BuzzFeed Videos “BuzzFeed Motion Pictures videos reach 1 billion monthly views” (March 12, 2015) Grantland’s podcasts “NBCUniversal to Invest $200 Million in BuzzFeed” (Aug. 18, 2015) Acast 99% Invisible Scumbag Steve Anna Sale Death, Sex, and Money It Gets Better Photo via Retail DJ.