Pod Chat

Welcome back to Pod Chat, the podcast that explores the future of the podcasting industry. I'm your host, Danny Brown, and today we have a bonus episode for you. But before we dive in, I want to apologize for the summer hiatus. Life got in the way, but we're back now and ready to bring you more insightful interviews.

In this bonus episode, we're going to discuss why indie podcasters should consider using direct sponsorship and memberships. Recently, I attended Podcast Movement in Denver, Colorado, and one of the hot topics of discussion was podcast monetization. While advertising partnerships are often seen as the go-to option for larger podcasts, it may not be the best route for indie podcasters with smaller audiences.

Download numbers can be misleading, as not every download results in an actual listen. So, instead of focusing solely on ad-based approaches, we'll explore more effective ways to monetize your show, regardless of audience size. We'll share some examples of how to attract sponsors, even with lower download numbers, and how to create valuable partnerships tailored to your niche.

Additionally, we'll dive into the benefits of direct sponsorship through platforms like Buy Me a Coffee or Patreon, as well as the new Tips and Membership feature from Captivate. These options allow your listeners to support your show and receive rewards in return. We'll discuss the importance of offering value to your audience and how consistency and loyalty can lead to monetization opportunities.

So, if you're an indie podcaster looking to monetize your show or a podcast enthusiast interested in the future of podcasting, this episode is for you. Let's dive in and explore the world of direct sponsorship and memberships for indie podcasters.

After a slight hiatus over the spring, Pod Chat will return in June. Also, news of a cool way to support Pod Chat from one-off tips to full community membership.

For the last 14 years, I’ve been involved in podcasting. Okay, that’s not quite correct - I published my first podcast episode back in 2009 on BlogTalkRadio, but then didn’t record anything else until 2016. So, technically, I’ve been in the space for the last 7 years - my bad!

Over that time, as podcasting has grown in popularity both for podcasters and listeners, it’s safe to say that growth has also attracted the usual crowd of experts and gurus that offer their “expertise”, usually for a large sum of money, to unsuspecting podcasters looking to grow their show(s) and enjoy whatever modicum of success they’re looking for.

Now, that’d be fine - after all, everyone deserves to make a living. But, sadly, a lot of the advice given is misunderstood at best, and outright shilling at worst, where they just want to make a quick buck out of a new and eager audience.

So let's bust the myths that these "experts" shill.

There are a lot of studies on how podcasting can benefit listeners when it comes to their mental health, but this isn’t the case when it comes to the creators behind the podcasts. And that’s more than a little disconcerting. Because podcasting can be such a lonely endeavour, this only exacerbates the issues someone might be going through that are multiplied when their anxieties about their podcast start to take over.

For those that are suffering, it’s often in silence. Even though it’s 2023, mental health still carries a stigma around it - according to the American Psychiatric Association, more than half of people with mental illness don’t receive help. A lot of this can come down to the fact that people are so unwilling to talk about it - going back to that belief they're weak, or there must be something wrong with them and only them. Or, worse of all, they believe it's "all in their head" because they've been told that often enough.

This is where talking about mental health, and encouraging open conversations around the topic industry-wide, can be an important step forward in recognizing the loneliness and fear that can come with podcasting.

Today it's my pleasure to welcome Alexandra Cohl to the show.

Alexandra is the founder and owner of POD.DRALAND, providing PR and marketing services for podcasters, as well as a place centred on amplifying women's voices in podcasting. She's also the host of The Pod Broads, where she interviews women in the podcasting industry about their lives and their work, and curator/editor of Podcasting By the Moon, a newsletter that focuses on women-centric podcast news, wins, and reflections.

In this episode, we discuss:

• the pervasive bro culture in podcasting
• how women in podcasting are still vastly under-represented despite creating much of the content
• the importance of events like the Black Podcasting Awards when it comes to increasing diversity in the industry
• why we need to change the thinking around the value of the podcast space when compared to movies and music

Connect with Alexandra: