Should you advertise on your podcast?

New and would-be podcasters often ask me if running an ad on their show is a good idea. As Shel Holtz would say: “It depends.”

Before you can answer the question for yourself, you have to step back a minute: What is the purpose of your podcast? Do you want to educate your clients? Garner new prospects? Build your professional reputation? Entertain the masses? Or what? If you become a podcaster simply to make a buck, you may be disappointed.

A recent blog post by Eric Eggertson raises the issue of advertising on podcasts.

I am a fan of For Immediate Release and a friend of Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson. As I said in a comment to FIR a while back, I often enjoy the Custom Scoop Media Monitoring Minutes that appear on FIR,  and I  like some of the creative Ragan spots. Those that aren’t creative are at least informative (especially if you’re in the communications field). So do I mind Shel and Neville running these spots? Not at all. Do I think it’s a good idea for them to earn a few dollars from their podcast, to at least cover some costs? Yes, of course. As a podcaster, I know how much time and energy it takes to produce an information-rich show, which FIR is. I derive lots of value from their twice-weekly podcast, so it’s a fair trade-off to ask me to consume a few short sponsored spots.

I also think that the content of the spots on FIR is aligned with the core message of the show; it’s all about communications. If they were running ads for cars or shampoo, I’d feel differently, I’m sure.

What about ads that aren't short? I agree with Eric on this one. Longer, highly produced spots are a distraction, and devoting even more talk time to discussing the ads on the show (under the guise of being conversational) is even worse. I’d probably fast-forward through them. If they annoyed me enough, I’d stop listening to the podcast in question. I’ve dropped a few shows from my iTunes directory for this very reason.

So let’s get back to the podcaster who’s trying to decide whether to run an ad. Ask yourself this: Is the money you’d earn worth the risk of alienating your listeners? Are the ads relevant to your audience? Is the time devoted to ads just a small slice of the running time of your show? Overall, what do you gain and what do you lose?

When people ask me why I don’t accept ads on the Trafcom News Podcast, my answer is always the same: I am the sponsor of my show. I don’t earn cash from my podcast, but it has opened up many opportunities,  helped me to meet some very interesting people, and has indeed generated consulting business for me over the last almost-three years. So, yes, a podcast can be profitable, but not necessarily because of ads.

Comments

[Sarah Wurrey]

Thanks for the kind words, Donna. We definitely try to tailor our spots to the FIR audience, and I'm always glad to hear feedback on how we are doing. :)

[Eric Eggertson]

Donna:

I've dropped more podcasts because the host/creator spends half their time dropping names and gushing about other podcasters.

Ads are the least of my worries, but in this instance I was willing to make an exception.

Regards,

ERIC