3 Things We Learned from Getting to 1 Million Shortcast Listens
We launched Shortcasts at Blinkist last year and this week, we hit 1 million listens (and rising!). It’s been quite a ride so far: We’ve launched in German, worked with Apple to be a launch partner on Apple Podcasts Subscriptions, and by the end of the April, we’ll have produced 300 episodes, with 31 partner shows.
What are Shortcasts? With Shortcasts, we work with podcasters (you can see some of them on the image above) to present and highlight the key learnings of a podcast episode through a specially-designed audio format lasting around 15 minutes.
In the very Blinkisty spirit of sharing what we learned, here are a few key takeaways from the Shortcast journey so far:
1. Half of all airport revenue comes from parking
Airports are in trouble. The pandemic may change the way we travel forever, but we knew airports were in trouble for years. We learned that in an episode of the Beyond Victory Shortcast with Mate Rimac (that was recorded before the pandemic). We learned that without being more integrated into mobility in general, airports’ reliance on an old school profit stream (car parking!) will lead to trouble.
What do airports have to do with audio content in 2021? Airports are established, complex, expensive, and desperately in need of an upgrade. The business of audio content is still relying on many of the economic and technological drivers that it’s been relying on for decades, too.
This goes beyond podcast apps and RSS feeds. The fact that most podcasts only have one main source of revenue (advertising), for example, is not ideal. As Eric Nuzum said in his latest newsletter,
Any podcaster who wants to have healthy longevity needs to pursue multiple revenue sources simultaneously.
Shortcasts’ popularity is partially driven by the fact that we’re contributing to the podcast ecosystem. Shows can build a new revenue stream with Shortcasts, which will, erm, help them keep flying the friendly skies of audio? (Sorry.)
2. Adoption and retention are the time and temperature of content strategy
Did you bake a bread during the pandemic? If so, then you worked with the two main variables of bread baking: time and temperature.
That’s how I think about adoption and retention, two important metrics when launching a new format. You want a trillion new people to find and try the new format, and you want a trillion people to come back and listen to more.
What we learned is the importance of balancing the variables. The right balance of time and temperature is necessary for good bread, just like both adoption and retention are essential to establishing a new format.
I mean, did you know that a warmer kitchen will make your dough rise faster, but slower-rising dough has more flavor?
3. Be nice, be helpful, be sustainable
I don’t have a cute TED-like lead-in story or analogy for this one. Real talk: It’s been a really hard year. Inside Blinkist, we’ve gone through the same ups and downs as everyone else since the pandemic hit. What’s helped us ride the emotional and physical challenges has been a series of commitments:
- Let’s make content that helps real people living real lives by providing access to the lessons, insights, stories, and inspiration that the world of podcasts offers.
- Let’s contribute to the ecosystem and help podcasts build a new revenue stream.
- Let’s scale our internal processes, projects, and goals in a sustainable way that won’t burn each other out. And be understanding when someone needs to take a few days off to decompress, catch up with family, or just hide under some blankets.
So there you go, now you know all the secrets. If you haven’t tried Shortcasts yet, I made this voucher so you can get 14 days of Blinkist premium free and check them out yourself!
