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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
.
Additional articles available for publication available
at http://www.small-business-software.net/free-website-content.htm
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