I have not tried this idea, but it might be a possibility for somebody trying to make money with their skills in podcasting. You could combine forces with your local Chamber of Commerce to provide podcasts to other members of the Chamber.
The idea I had would involve co-branding the short podcast with the Chamber and the business that is interested. Most Chambers have a directory of member businesses on their website. What if people could visit the website and read about a business in addition to hearing an interview with the owner or manager? You would give that business an advantage over other businesses that don’t describe their product or service in such detail.
You would not provide the service for free, obviously. You would still have to charge for your production. However, you could offer a discount for members of the Chamber. Alternatively, you could charge your regular fee and pay the Chamber a referral fee. You may seriously consider doing a free podcast for the Chamber itself to sort of “prime the pump”. In any case, you’ll have somebody helping you find clients.
Even if you provide a discount on your service, or pay a referral fee, you’ll have something much more valuable to your podcasting business, exposure. Think of all the people who often visit Chamber of Commerce websites to look for reputable businesses. Think about how every one of those mini-podcasts you produce will have some reference to your service.
The disadvantage that being a podcaster has is that many people don’t know what a podcast is. You have twice the challenge as other businesses because you have to inform people what your service is, and then convince them that they need it. If you team up with your local Chamber, the public will be able to experience your product and can then inquire about getting one for themselves.
This is just an idea I had this weekend. What do you think?
