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Free Website Content
Monetizing Podcasts
Monetizing Podcasts
By Sharon Housley
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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This article may be used freely in opt-in
publications and websites, provided that the resource
box is included and the links are active. A courtesy
copy of the issue or a link to any online posting would
be greatly appreciated send an email to sharon@notepage.net
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