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Making Money for Podcasts
Podcasts started out as fun ways for ambitious
garage DJs, independent musicians and talk show
hosts, who had not ventured into radio broadcasting
as a way to show their stuff and make a name for
themselves. What started as a hobby for many,
has turned into a lucrative profession for some.
Not surprisingly, podcasters, just
like radio stations, have looked for ways to profit
from their on-air dialogue.
Sponsorship
Many podcasters profit from their podcast
by having companies related to the show's content
sponsor the podcast in its entirety. Sponsors
might also sponsor specific themed shows or show
segments for a fixed fee.
Sponsorship is usually indicated
by an audio advertisement. Audio advertisements
are typically 10 to 20 seconds in length, and
they may be inserted into the podcast show at
any point. Podcasts can also include what would
be considered traditional commercials very similar
to what is heard in a radio broadcast. Like radio
broadcasters, podcasters can recruit advertisers
directly that wish to advertise, or they can work
with an ad agency to locate potential advertisers.
Not be left out, video podcasters can also insert
video advertisements into shows to raise revenue,
similar to what would be seen as a television
commercial.
Advertisements in Podcast Transcripts
Many podcasters create transcripts of podcasts,
and post the transcript in an RSS feed. Podcasters
will often sell advertisements to be included
in the podcast show transcript. Podcasters can
recruit advertisers directly and negotiate the
advertisement price or they can use a 3rd party
network that will automatically insert advertisements
into their podcast feed. The most effective advertisements,
are not surprisingly those that are contextual
and related to the podcasts contents.
There are a number of third party
services that work with podcasters to match advertising
partners with podcasters. The advertising agencies
attempt to match advertising content with the
podcast's content. Pheedo and AdSense for RSS
Feeds are two of the more popular third party
ad serving platforms for RSS feeds. When using
Pheedo advertisers select the categories of their
advertisements, the categories narrow the types
of advertisements that will appear in their feed.
Google Adsense for Feeds uses contextual language
in the feed to place the advertisements that most
closely relate to the RSS feed's contents. If
you are using Google AdSense for Feeds and wish
to improve the advertisement's relevance be sure
to include as much about the podcast show in the
feed description. This will mean that Google will
be able to use the language in your RSS feed to
serve related advertisements.
Publicize other Ventures
Many podcasters use podcasts as a covert advertisement.
They use the podcast to attract interest to other
products or services through which they receive
a revenue share. Some podcasters promote products
through affiliate programs or they own multiple
ventures and use podcasts to subtly promote their
ventures.
Subscription Based Podcasts
No, not Cerious radio, some podcasters have
moved to a subscription model where subscribers
pay a weekly, monthly or annual fee to subscribe
to the podcast show's contents. Podcasters can
build a subscriber base and profit from the podcast
subscriptions and renewals.
Communication
Other podcasters see no need to profit directly
from the podcast. The podcast is used as a means
to communicate, establish brand and name recognition.
Podcasters can create good will in their industry
by publicizing consumer alerts, health warnings
or other relevant and valuable information.
Additional Benefits - Part of
the Whole
Some companies may promote their product or
service by offering podcasts as an added benefit.
In other words the podcasters are not selling
the podcast in itself, but customers receive access
to the podcast as part of something larger. Many
organizations have found that providing a podcast
to members in addition to other member benefits
is a great way to increase membership.
Podcasting once defined as a geek
hobby, has now spawned an industry. Entrepreneurs
have adopted traditional advertising mediums to
the podcasting technology as a way to make some
extra money.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll
http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing, publishing RSS
feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages
marketing for RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com
audio recording and editing software.
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