Sounds Profitable reposted this
Consuming my daily dose of The Download by Sounds Profitable and came across this article "The podcast middle class will continue to shrink" by Alex Sujong Laughlin and I must disagree. Depending on what network you are working with "The Middle Class", defined here as "$100,000 to $500,000 budget range" is thriving and will continue to thrive. But, this means you need a monetization method that treats all shows as equal and not as impressions on a network. Here at QCode and other publishers in the space that do rely on a mix of baked-in ads (for 60 days) and DAI, you are seeing many shows hit this revenue mark, with smaller per episode numbers than you would think. We have shows that are doing 45k-58k per episode that are hitting $230k-$280k a year. For, DR brands and brand advertisers, can see these smaller audiences as being more passionate at times to support the hosts and the brands they endorse. The examples above, are hosts who have quit their day jobs and do this for a living. Plenty of room still for individual shows to go to a network, in the 35k-100k per ep, to be treated like it's own small business entity.
Cara Mitchinson
3mo
I couldn’t agree more - smaller shows with cult like audiences truly value and trust the hosts endorsements and are more likely to support them! 👏
Jay Green
3mo
Nailed it!
Heather Cook
3mo
I will totally back you on this! We, too, have experienced that the defined "middle class" show hosts have cultivated such an engaged and loyal audience that advertisers sometimes see more ROI than some of our larger shows, which means higher retention rates and advertisers willing to spend more. I would even go as far as to say that alongside baked-in and DAI, when these shows start adding affiliates based on organic conversation, they could potentially make even more than some of the larger shows out there!!
Rick Selah
3mo
Well said Thomas. The middle part of our world is highly desired and often the most rewarding when solid revenue partnerships are cultivated. It's simply a matter of taking the time to develop mutual devotion to the revenue cause, not unlike a marriage. Keep on keeping on... 😄
Maria Tullin
3mo
I completely agree with you Thomas Mancusi, “the middle” drives conversions with retention and engagement. High ad loads in the “top” shows aren’t going to work for DR brands and the loyalty found with medium sized creators is impactful. However to Alex’s point some of the middle shows (likely those not given the time, talent or investment needed to create quality content) are likely going to disappear. I think this is a twist of a headline vs an emergency. When “big” publishers made bets that didn’t pan out, the headlines tried to make it seem like the industry was failing. This is similar to me in that the cause presented doesn’t entirely match the effect. (Also very much looking forward to seeing what Alex does next after her Normal Gossip departure!)
Conor Doyle
3mo
Well said, Thomas! Deliver an engaged and recurring audience and smart brands will find you.
Kylee Chandler
3mo
I completely agree and think these shows offer so much value! I'm excited to continue to see them thrive!
Offline Marketing Manager at Right Side Up
3moQcode is one of my favorite networks to buy from soooo !!