Web Worker Daily has a great post titled Web Worker Payoff: Podcast Hosting. In it, they highlight Eric Schwartzman who is using his podcast to monetize, though not directly. This goes to the core of what many podcasters who have been producing their own show for a while want to do, make money. It’s always better to have a hobby that makes money; but podcasters find that challenge a bit daunting. How do you go from offering a free show to charging for it? Very few podcasters are able to successfully sell advertising for their show. For example, it took almost a year for Ze Frank to get sponsored by Dewar’s; and this was after establishing a loyal audience.
Of course, many of us who attended Podcamp San Antonio learned that often a podcast is a loss leader. You simply don’t make money at it. What pays off is the business behind your podcast. This seems to be the case for Schwartzman and his crew. They are able to monetize on their skills as podcasters rather than their own podcast. Of course, they take the task of producing their own podcast seriously.
In my case, I’ve been dabbling in both audio and video. Ultimately, my goal is to learn the tools of the trade rather than have a podcast of my own. I figure that I have a face for radio and a voice for print. It’s these skills that I ultimately intend to use to make money, not the actual podcasts themselves.
I’m curious how many of you may be making money off of your podcasts. If you get a chance, drop me a comment. Are you making money off the podcast itself, or are you making money off of the skills you have developed as a result of podcasting?
