Click play if you'd prefer to listen to a dramatized reading of the blog post instead:

[smart_track_player url=”http://traffic.libsyn.com/learningwithleslie/09_01_New_Noteworthy.mp3″ title=” “What Does New And Noteworthy In iTunes Really Mean? A Case Study” is locked What Does New And Noteworthy In iTunes Really Mean? A Case Study” background=”default” ]

Right Click To Download MP3

New and Noteworthy – it’s the thing that so many podcasters are raving about.

09_01_New_Noteworthy_Pinterest

Evidently, when a podcast is featured in New and Noteworthy, that gives it the boost of having a ton of downloads, giving a new podcaster the push that he/she needs to start a successful podcast – or so they say.

So, I’ve decided to give it a go, and I need your help.

When I started Learning With Leslie (my podcast), I wasn’t featured in new and noteworthy. However, podcasting is something I cover here on the blog and also in the Become A Blogger University.

Podcasting is one of my favorite things I do in my blogging business. I’ve always had that “radio DJ fantasy”, ever since I was a little boy, and that has continued into my adulthood.

As I continue to teach bloggers how to podcast, I want to do more teaching on how to market a podcast successfully.

One of the things I’d like to cover in depth is this whole New and Noteworthy concept. Is it REALLY that helpful? Do you REALLY get a lot of downloads as a result? If so, how do you keep the momentum going beyond that short period?

Become A Blogger On The Go

Over the last two months or so, I’ve been releasing a “dramatized audio reading” of my written blog posts. I’ve received a bunch of great feedback about it and thought to myself – this is the perfect time to test out this New & Noteworthy thing for myself.

That lead to the birth of Become A Blogger On The Go – my new podcast which will include my dramatized readings of my Monday Blog posts.

So here’s what I would LOVE for you to do to help me with this case study:

What I “Know” About New & Noteworthy

From the research I’ve done so far, the above mentioned steps are major factors that go into the determination of what should be listed as New and Noteworthy.

Now, nobody (besides the guys over at iTunes) seems to be able to say beyond a shadow of a doubt what the formula is for being featured as New and Noteworthy. However, here are the factors I’ve heard people say weigh into the decision:

  • Having professional artwork (Dimensions: 1400 x 1400 pixels)
  • Having a professional intro
  • Having a high quality podcast
  • Getting a “decent” amount of subscriptions in a short period of time
  • Getting a “decent” amount of downloads in a short period of time
  • Getting a “decent” number of reviews in a short period of time

With all of that being said, I'm fairly certain that I’ve seen podcasts listed as New and Noteworthy that have violated one or more of those “guidelines” we’ve heard from many podcasting “gurus”.

Also, I’ve heard that in the good old days, being featured as New and Noteworthy would practically guarantee a ton of downloads, but that it’s not as beneficial these days.

I’ve helped a number of podcasters get ranked as new & noteworthy and will be including them when I do the full analysis. However, in order to be thorough, I feel the need to go through it myself and accurately track as many details as I can.

My Initial Opinion

Many podcasters seem to get started with the ultimate goal of being featured in New & Noteworthy. While that does sound kinda cool, I think it’s a bit shortsighted. In fact, I’ve heard of people going from having a ton of downloads during that time to basically none after the fact.

When I start a venture, I think I should be looking to build something for the long term. That’s ALWAYS my goal.

My focus is not on the first 8 weeks (which is how long many people claim New & Noteworthy has the potential to last). My focus is on building something that will last the test of time. If you really do that and provide value to your audience, New & Noteworthy won’t be necessary.

However, IF New & Noteworthy does indeed have the potential to give you an initial boost, and you focus on over-delivering to your audience giving them so much value that they fall in love with your content and want to share it with the world, I can see how New & Noteworthy can be a valuable part of an overall marketing strategy with a long term focus.

That’s all I’m going to say about that for now, but there’s a whole lot more coming 😉

So Once Again . . .

I won’t make this a very long post, because the long stuff will be coming in the future. I look forward to sharing my findings with you.

But for now, I’ll go ahead and reiterate the steps:

My Questions For You

Are you a podcaster? If so, have you been featured in New & Noteworthy? If so, what did it do for you?

About the Author Leslie Samuel


Leslie Samuel a business coach for high-performing entrepreneurs. As the host of the Leslie Samuel Show, he teaches how to build an online business. "Changing the world one post at a time” is the mission he strives towards. As a former university professor, he has a passion for education. He's the founder of Interactive Biology, a blog and YouTube channel dedicated to making biology fun for students and teachers. As the head of training for the Social Media Marketing Society, he helps social media marketers get the training they need to stay on the leading edge of social media.

Get In Touch