The thing I found really interesting was the $20-$40 CPM. That's WAY bigger than everything else on that list. But that comes at the cost of the podcast creator's word that the product that's being advertised is worth it. The thing that worries me is where is this leading?
Are other entertainment mediums going to have to do the same thing to be profitable? What about when advertisers want to sponsor podcasts about their product (like a video game podcast being sponsored by Call of Duty)?
To pick up on a point that the article brought up: The article mention that radios are tied to cars, and cites the availability of connectivity to iphones etc as a reason that podcasts have become more popular. I think this is partly true, but I think It also misses the mark. How many people commute to work by public transport, or mass transit? All of these people, it seems, are listening to something, and some of them are listening to podcasts. The broad availability of podcasts, their price (free), and their variety of topics make them highly customizable and portable. Not everyone continues to take the bus to work, however. Some people move, or get a job that allows them to afford a car (or need a car). But they already have all of this content they're consuming, and frankly, radio isn't able to compete. even NPR or CBC alone isn't better enough to warrant a switch from a habit of podcast listening. Plus, a lot of the good NPR and CBC is available as podcasts. People either don't want an hourly news update, or are the sort of people who are going to the news websites to get more in-depth content than a 10 minute update can give. Indeed, the only thing I switch from podcasts to hear is the Traffic update, which, by nature, must be real-time. Hearing the same thing over and over (à la the 24hr news cycle) is dull, uninteresting, and generally unhelpful. Give me an update when something has ACTUALLY happened. Basically, radio can't really compete unless you're really into hearing the Top 20 radio stations. Podcasts are just getting stronger, too, because advertisers have figured out that they're advertisable. You have a dedicated audience who is willing to hear your shit because they care about the content. In a way, podcasts hearken back to the radio of the '20s. Which means, as podcasts listeners, we're getting a lot more of this:
on the news updates, my podcast app creates a playlist ordered by publication date of the podcast. When I get in my car, I get the half hour news of the day, then I spend the rest of my time listening to other podcasts. I get my news on my time and then only listen to the pieces of the radio I really like. It's wins all around.
Excellent podcasts have been around for a decade, and there have professional podcasters for just as long. Until now, they were limited to a niche audience who were technical enough to subscribe through a program on their computer, and sync with a portable media player. Now, everyone has a smartphone, which can both download and play the content. The result seems obvious.
I started getting into podcasts about a year ago, and mostly because I had my own show. Before that I didn't know much about the medium and didn't really know that there was a revival of sorts happening. The most importan thing for me was that I could collaborate with my friends even though we lived all over the world. I liked the idea of being able to produce something unique without having to be in the same physical place. That said, I knew nothing about how to actually run a show or how to find an audience or the usual stuff people want to do when they have a podcast. It's been an interesting experience learning what other people do and the different reasons people get into podcasting or listen to podcasts. The most surprising thing for me has been that anyone at all actually likes the show.
Interesting, I've found myself listening to a lot more podcasts recently, but I have actually never attempted to listen to them while driving (My car has no reasonable way to connect to any mp3 player or phone besides those crappy FM transmitters). I find that it's more a result of finding content that I'm truly interested in, at a decent quality. I'm not listening to people ramble on about nothing, it's more focused and more enjoyable now.
I just started listening to podcasts, around springtime this year. For me it was my goal of walking more. Constantly listening to music while walking was sort of boring, but listening to podcasts while walking is amazing. I've always wanted to listen to podcasts, but now I have a reason to. Anyone have any suggestions for good podcasts, while we're at it? Maybe there's an old thread around here with some good suggestions?
Hey syzo, I knew there was a post about podcasts last month, quite a few good suggestions worth checking out.
Jumping on the self-promotion bandwagon, my boyfriend has a business podcast ( http://blog.extra-paycheck.com/extrapodcast/ ). I find that the quality of the show greatly depends on the guest tho, he's had some pretty interesting ones lately so I'd recommend starting from the end. Also, check out hubski's own podcast started by thenewgreen #tngpodcast !
I'll check out the show! And hubski's podcast is great! I should've plugged it in my original reply. Checking out more recent episodes is something you learn to do after having done a show yourself. Our first episode is pretty rough, but we were more or less experimenting with the idea. It's strange to think a lot of people listen to it first still.
Thanks for the shout-out and the podcast plug :) I'll check out some of your BF's