Hey Kids! Try This At Home!
As the month-long podcasting initiative #Trypod draws to a close, The Download on Podcasting — a partnership between DMR/Interactive and Texas A&M University — presents Emulate then Innovate: Lessons from the Pros, which contain valuable insights and best practices to launch your own podcast. This report is designed to help podcasters stand out in an increasingly crowded field and is available for immediate download.
According to Rob Walch, VP of Podcaster Relations for LibSyn, “Podcasting has steadily grown from 1.6 billion downloads to 1.9 billion to 2.6 to 3.3 [billion] last year.” As a result, the metrics needed to generate meaningful ad revenue have also grown significantly. Rich Boerner, PodcastOne Director of Programming recommends that podcasts demonstrate a reasonable track record of at least 30,000 downloads per episode before approaching national advertisers or distribution networks. Paul Riismandel, Podcasting Evangelist at Midroll Media says, “Know your audience. Know who they are and make sure that you are delivering something that is of value and use to them.”
By creating a pilot you can test your format and adjust the show as necessary. An important consideration to also keep in mind is the investment necessary to create each episode. As Riismandel suggests, “Consider your hourly rate” and determine if the result is going to be worth the ongoing effort.
According to Rob Upchurch, the lead Texas A&M researcher on this Download on Podcasting study, “While anyone with a microphone, a computer and an opinion can create a podcast, the planning and strategy involved consistently proves to be a far greater predictor of ongoing success.” Andrew Curran, President and COO of DMR/Interactive shares his perspective, saying, “Although the barriers to entry are low, podcasting isn’t the wild west anymore. While the possibility for someone to randomly create a viral hit exists, that’s not a predictable or sustainable business model.”
The Download on Podcasting has also published a pair of insightful reports on the history and monetization of podcasting: Listen up! A Brief History of Podcasts and Monetization — A Race to $100,000,000. All three reports are available for free download by visiting http://downloadonpodcasting.com/insights/index.html.
