Contacting her father and analyzing the top podcasts by their follower count: a report.
Podcasting has always been a challenging endeavor, with success being highly sought after by creators. However, some podcasters have taken things a step further by manipulating the system. According to a recent report, nine of the top 50 podcasts in the United States, including “Call Her Daddy,” have been giving rewards to mobile game users for engaging with their content.
MowPod’s Marketing Strategy
A marketing company called MowPod, utilized by several major podcasts, offers a tool that promises to boost a podcast’s ranking on the Apple podcast charts. This tool, which is not publicly disclosed, encourages mobile game users to “Follow” podcasts like “Call Her Daddy” on Apple Podcasts in exchange for tokens. By clicking on the link, users are directed to the podcast’s landing page where they can subscribe or listen to recent episodes.
The Impact of MowPod’s Services
MowPod CEO Mike Wiston revealed that users only need to reach the landing page to receive tokens, not necessarily follow the podcast. Despite this, the tool has proven to be highly effective in increasing followers, downloads, and listening time. Clients pay $5 per new follower, with a minimum spend of $5,000. The report identified a total of 37 podcasts using MowPod’s boosting service, including shows from major media companies like Netflix, iHeartMedia, Wondery, and Lemonada.
While MowPod’s tactics are not unique in the podcasting industry, they highlight the challenges faced by aspiring podcasters. Success in podcasting is highly concentrated at the top, with the top podcast charts being dominated by established players like Apple and Spotify. New podcasts often struggle to break into these exclusive rankings, unless they have significant funding backing their efforts.
