Monthly Podcast Industry Briefing: IG 90-minute video test, Spotify membership changes, and more

Hello, aspiring podcasters. Welcome to Tools of the Podcast Trade. I'm J. Rosemarie Francis. Today, we're looking at some interesting developments in the podcasting industry, including Instagram supposedly move into long form video.

Exciting stuff happening these days. If you're an independent podcaster, a solopreneur, or a nonprofit, thinking about starting a podcast, these developments could affect how you create, distribute and even monetize your content. So let's get into it. I said in the intro, Instagram is testing ninety minute horizontal video. Now, this first story caught my attention because I do have a YouTube channel and I wondered about what was going to happen with Instagram and Facebook.

So, we are familiar with Instagram reels and short form videos, but they're testing, I guess they're testing YouTube, right? So these horizontal videos are up to ninety minutes long. The feature is called features and testing expanded to selected creators in The United States on October 26. So the way they have it set up right now is, imagine someone discovered your thirty second clip from your podcast while scrolling through Instagram. Instead of leaving the platform to find the full episode, they could tap through and watch the entire conversation right on the platform.

That's a significant change for podcasters especially. We've already seen YouTube become a major destination for podcast consumption, even audio. And now Instagram appears to be moving in a similar direction, at least with videos. But it doesn't mean that you should immediately start uploading sixty minute videos to Instagram. And I've seen some rumblings from creators about this new feature because they're not planning on paying it.

There's no monetization associated with it and from what it seems like there won't be any monetization. But the feature is still being tested. It's not available to everyone and I'm pretty sure that everything is gonna get developed as they go along. Meaning, Instagram hasn't established a broad advertising revenue sharing program with these longer videos. Third, just because the platform allows longer video doesn't mean we have to jump on it and that our audience wants to watch it.

The good thing about YouTube is that it feels like home. And so I think people are comfortable watching videos on YouTube. I'm not sure how comfortable our audience would feel sliding through and switching through, being used to scrolling, doom scrolling through short on Instagram to stop and watch something long form. I don't know. I guess it's yet to see.

Anyways, that's my number one industry update.

This is a podcast industry digest episode. Hope it helps.

Story number two, can someone copy your podcast without your permission? This is an interesting one, And it's a little concerning to tell you the truth. So an investigation published by Pod News on October 27, identified more than 1,700 apparent unauthorized podcast copies hosted on speaker and listed in Apple Podcast. The investigation raised question about whether Podcast hosting platforms adequately verify ownership when someone imports an existing RSS feed. And it got me thinking, you have to register your podcast with Apple and you have to have access to your email address from your host.

So I would assume that most hosts, if not all of them, will have a lock where you can lock your email address on their platform so no one can verify ownership of your RSS feed because that's how they can transfer it to another place, another owner, without you going into your host account and making that change. So I'm a little concerned about that. If you're unfamiliar with what an RSS feed is, that's the technology that allow your podcast episodes and the information contained in your podcast to reach listening apps. It's one of the things that made podcasting an open medium, but that openness also creates responsibilities for hosting providers and we as podcast hosts. According to the investigation, someone could potentially import another creator's publicly accessible feed and redistribute the content without permission.

So the first thing you may want to do right now is to check whether your podcast host supports speed locking and whether that protection is enabled. You should also, every now and again, search your podcast title to make sure nobody is distributing unauthorized copies. Keep control of your hosting account, email address, and your original recording. The main thing to do is to discourage unauthorized imports of your podcast feed. Your podcast is intellectual property.

So it's very important for us to protect it, right? Number three on my digest is Riverside introduced these AI production agents. Now, I've been using Neuroscience for years and they've started to use AI for quite a while now, I'd say more than a year. But they seem to be ramping up on the use of AI. I've seen rumblings on Reddit about it, and some creators don't like it.

For me, I think that you make use of tools that benefits you, you discard the ones that don't. And it's not like Riverside pushes the AI feature on you. It's there for you to use. I've used the producer just to test it to see what it looks like. Not really a fan.

They also have something that I really like that when you do short form videos in CapCut, you can add B roll. And now Riverside has a feature that AI can add B roll. The AI feature can make your eyes follow instead of your eyes looking down or looking where it shouldn't. It makes your eyes look, you know, I don't know if I should say good, but it just makes your eyes different. Another feature that they have in the AI that I like is the audio, when they make your audio better, the enhanced audio feature.

Quite a few features I think they have in there that I like and I use all the time, but a lot of them I don't like and I just keep over it.

The positive note is that independent podcasters now have a lot of tools at their fingertips that we never used to have in these AI agents being integrated into our podcast workflow.

I actually use Notebook LM to help me create my show notes. But I do use the transcript, the automatic transcript from Riverside, which I paste into NotebookLM. So if there's anything that needs to be caught, I can catch it. But all in all, what Riverside has done is segregated their AI duties, so to speak. So they have a producer, editor, a clipper and a marketer.

And the idea is pretty straightforward. The producer helps prepare your recording, the editor assists with editing, the clipper identifies potential short form video moments. And that's another feature I use a lot and I just edit it. Really, Riverside is just bringing several production tasks into one AI assisted workflow. And for most independent podcasters, that could be useful.

Because if you're anything like a lot of solo creators, you're not just the host, you're the everyman team. You're also the producer, editor, marketing department, and sometimes technical support team. But I want to emphasize that we can use AI to assist us, to help us formulate and brainstorm and come up with ideas on what to say. But we don't have to let it invade our lives, and we definitely don't have to let it invade our creativity. I don't think the AI thing is a reason to get rid of Riverside, because like I said, you have the option to use it or not.

Story number four, podcast membership and listener retention. Now let's talk about monetization. Supporting Cast recently published research suggesting that subscribers who actually listen to their membership audio are less likely to cancel their subscription. The analysis looked at six large publishing partners. Members who activated and used their audio benefits had an average monthly cancellation rate of 1.3%.

For members who didn't activate those benefits, the rate was three percent. So if you have membership on your podcast, paid membership, they're actively using what they're paying for, whatever you're giving them, or the perks to their membership. If they're actively using it, they're less likely to cancel is what the study is saying. As opposed to somebody who pay for a membership but don't ever use the perks or the benefits that comes with that membership. You know that is when you have a membership and you don't use it.

You go back and cancel it because, hey, I'm not using this. Right? But this whole thing does raise the question, if we're making it easy for our paying subscribers to use what they've purchased or to use what you're offering to them with their membership. So think about someone who joined a private podcast or a membership. Do they know how to access the episodes?

Can they listen on their preferred app? Do they understand what they're receiving? Sometimes creators focus so much on attracting new members that they overlook the experience the people who've already joined. And this applies beyond paid membership. If you're a nonprofit offering private educational video or a solopreneur delivering a course through a private podcast, the listening experience matters.

Make it easy for people to find access and benefit from your content. Story number five is about Apple Podcast making it easier to find new episodes. So basically what they're doing is Apple Podcast has introduced separate sections for new episodes and unfinished listening in its latest software update. This means listeners can more easily find recent episodes from shows that they follow while also returning to something they started earlier. For podcasters, this is another reminder of the importance of encouraging listeners to follow your show.

Sometimes we tell people to listen wherever they get their podcasts. That is okay. But we also explain why following a show is helpful. It makes it easier for listeners to keep up with new episodes. And if you publish longer interviews, make your content easy to navigate to help people return to the spot that they stopped.

So putting in chapter markers, key takeaways with timestamps, that help. Just make it easy for people to understand what they're listening to and how to find their way back. Number seven.

I'm really excited to be back producing episodes on Tools of the Podcast Trade. We took a year away from this podcast while I focus more on my writing and on my other podcast, Solo Moms Talk. But I am excited to be back and I hope that you find the information that we produce in Tools of the Podcast Trade helpful to your podcasting journey. What I'm looking forward to creating more interviews, having more interviews with industry experts and individuals who could guide us in our business strategy or marketing beyond the mechanics of creating and running a podcast. So I appreciate you listening and I am very happy to return to production.

Thank you. Now let's get back to this month's Podcast Industry Digest.

Spotify introduces membership. On October 2026, Spotify officially introduced membership replacing previous podcast subscription offering. The new program allows eligible podcasters to offer exclusive content to paying members. That might include bonus episodes, early access to new releases, exclusive video content or episodes with fewer ads. Creators can offer up to three membership tiers and Spotify says they get 90% of the revenue generated subject to applicable taxes.

Well, here's something really interesting for you as an independent podcaster. You don't necessarily need thousands of listeners to qualify. Spotify's eligibility requirements include at least three published episodes, 100 listeners or viewers, and one hundred hours of consumption during the previous thirty days. Pretty accessible starting point for smaller podcasts with an engaged audience. Now, does that mean you should immediately launch a paid membership?

Not necessarily. Before asking listeners to pay, think about what additional value you're offering. Would your audience benefit from bonus conversations, exclusive educational content, perhaps a private podcast that helps them solve a specific problem. And remember, a membership creates an ongoing commitment to deliver those benefits. So the takeaway on this topic is you don't necessarily need a massive audience to explore podcast monetization.

You need an engaged audience and something worthwhile to offer. And that brings me to my next story. AI is moving directly into podcast hosting. Now, I talked about this before, but this is getting more traction as AI starts to proliferate the content creation industry and our daily lives. Podcast hosting company Podigree has announced integration with ChatGPT and Claude that will allow compatible AI assistant to interact with parts of its podcast management system.

Now, this is more where the podcast is now created and managed by the AI. So it does stuff like reviewing transcript, preparing episode description, examining analytics, and helping organize publishing workflow. It is very interesting, all of it. So we spent the last few years using AI to generate show notes, titles, social media captions. But we're beginning to see AI tools connect directly with the systems that podcasters use to manage their shows.

I mentioned Riverside previously as one module. For a small nonprofit or a solopreneur, producing podcasts without a team, could eventually make life easier. But here's a question I'd encourage you to ask. What should AI be allowed to do automatically? And what should require your approval?

You can't let them run roughshod with your stuff. I've seen some stuff, AI output, if you don't look at what you're doing, mm-mm. There's a big difference between asking AI to suggest title and allowing you to publish an episode. So whether you're using Podigree, Riverside, or another platform, pay attention to permission, privacy, and editorial control. And remember, your audience want to hear your voice, your lived experience, your authenticity.

In closing, what does this all mean for independent podcasters? And what do you take away from these developments? Let me know in the comments below. I see three important themes. Podcast discovery is expanding.

YouTube is already a major destination for podcasts. And Instagram's new long form video experiment suggests more platforms want to share that audience. AI is becoming part of the entire production workflow, not just editing or writing descriptions, but potentially helping manage the podcast itself. And third, ownership and audience relationships matter. Protect your RSS feed, maintain control of your content, and make it easier for listeners to stay connected with you.

But please don't feel that you need to adopt every new tool or publish on every platform. We already know that, right? Especially if you're just getting started. Your responsibility is to create something valuable for a clearly defined audience. And before I close, I wanted to say something that has been bothering me a lot lately.

I started podcasting around the same time as people like Park Flynn. And one of the that Pax Flynn and Russell Brunson, one of the things they really advocate is collecting email because social media is rented property or anything, you know that it does not belong to you. And eventually, you're going to either have to return it or pay more for it or some other foolishness. But I've seen a lot of content online that advocates social media as an asset. And social media and this is yours and your audience and none of it belong to us.

And having been in the content creation space for thirteen years, I've seen apps come and go. Sometimes you're depending on them for your content and they one day decide either to sell to somebody else or they just discontinue. None of that belonged to you. What brought this thought on, especially today, is this ongoing thing with Airbnb changing its rules for hosts and guests. So, mostly for hosts.

So, I'm not really sure how Airbnb hosts view themselves. If they view themselves as an entrepreneur with rental property, or they just view their Airbnb rental as just renting out a room. I guess the perspective matter. But one of the things Airbnb or hosts have been cut off from is direct connection with their client or with their guests. I don't understand that.

I understand that some people may not want the Airbnb hosts to have their personal information, but you're in their personal space. And that to me doesn't make sense. I say all this to say that build an email list, no matter how small it is, find a way to collect email addresses so you can keep in touch with the people who are interested in your content.

Remember, social media is like having squatters rights on other people's property. Whether or not you're paying for your platform, remember that. Keep that in mind.

This has been an industry wide briefing from Tools of the Podcast Straight. Thank you for listening. Let me know in the comments what you think of this episode. Thank you.