Podcasters Ask "Where's the Beef?"

One thing is certain about podcasting -- it is different from broadcasting.

Broadcasting is one source reaching many ears through ubiquitous distribution. Podcasting is individualized consumption. In marketing terms, broadcasting is wholesale and podcasting is retail.

When building a podcast marketing plan, you need to focus on the needs and wants of individual consumers. This usually starts with a review of supply and demand.

One terrific resource is The Podcast Value Chain Report, prepared by Alex Nesbitt, available at http://digitalpodcast.com/. Nesbitt explores the emerging podcast market and the likely ways to create a revenue stream.

To gauge podcast content supply and demand, Nesbitt compares the top ten categories of consumer searches versus the shares of podcast listings in the Digital Podcast Directory. The results give a snapshot of what people want versus what is available.

Two categories have much greater demand than supply: erotica and audio books.

Three categories have much greater supply than demand: music, science and technology, and audio blogs.

Erotica seems particularly suited for podcasting. Unlike content that appears on radio and television, podcasts are free from the heavy hand of FCC censorship. Concerns about spicy language and exotic scenes are between the podcaster and the consumer.

The report notes that there are many more podcasts about podcast technology than there is demand for such content. In other words, most consumers want to experience podcasts rather than ruminate about how they were created.

Nesbitt says podcasters need to make a marketing choice: go wide with the hope your podcast will be one of the fortunate few to create a big splash, or go narrow and super-serve a special interest.

This choice is important because ultimately the producer of podcasts wants to find someone who will pay for the programming. Whether you go wide or narrow, it is the tie between compelling content and the desires of the consumer that leads to purchases.

Look to yourself for guidance. What podcasts have you heard that you would pay for?

Are you more likely to pay for an archived edition of a radio program or a guy in his bedroom with a microphone recounting his latest adventure from CraigsList?

There are notable experiments with advertisers buying audio "mentions" in podcast programs. KCRW reports that Lexus "paid tens of thousands of dollars" recently to have the company's name mentioned for six months in KCRW podcasts. But that purchase also includes visibility on traditional media -- the station's website, on-air spots and signage at concerts.

It will take time before hard data are available about the number of podcast listeners, listening occasions, and listener demographics. Plus, a substantial portion of the podcast community feels that podcasts need to be commercial-free. If there are no ads, direct-consumer purchasing is the only viable source of revenue.

The marketing lesson: Don't give up on traditional technologies like radio broadcasting until you are certain you have a podcast that people will actually pay money to hear.

Ken Mills has been involved with public and commercial radio program syndication since 1987. He owns and operates the Minneapolis-based Ken Mills Agency, specializing in programming development, marketing and assessment. For more information, go to http://kenmillsagency.com/.