How to Sell Advertising for My Podcast

Business owners and Web site owners need to get the word out about their Web sites. They do this by purchasing advertising space on a variety of Web sites, in e-zines, e-newsletters and banner ads. Why not use this need to generate extra income with your podcast?

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Payment processor
• MP3 files
• Web site

1. Decide where you want ads to go in your podcast. Potential ad spots might be at the very beginning of your podcast, in the middle as a break or at the very end.
2. Advertise that you are offering ad space on your podcast and state your fee. Let potential advertisers know how many people you have subscribed to your podcast, how often you publish your podcast and the number of directories in which your podcast is posted.
   
3. Request the ad information from the advertiser once you have received a purchase request for ad space. Be sure to review the ad with your advertiser to ensure there are no mistakes.
   
4. Create your podcast with your favorite audio editing software. When you create your audio file, mention your advertiser at the beginning or end, depending on the terms of your agreement. You can simply say, “This podcast is sponsored by The Name of Your Advertiser,” then read your sponsor’s ad exactly as they have written it.
   
5. Publish your podcast.
6. Let your advertisers know when your podcast is published so they can download your podcast and listen to their ads.
   

Tips & Warnings

• You might consider charging a higher fee for advertisers to have their ads at the very beginning of your podcast. This allows their ad to be heard before you start your show, and most people will still be listening at this time. Ads at the end of your podcast can go for a cheaper rate.
• Try to add your podcast to as many podcast directories as possible. This will help you get more subscribers. Having more subscribers means that more listeners will hear your sponsor ads.
• You want to have listeners eagerly signing up to your podcast. Be sure to create podcasts with interesting content and interesting titles to gain their attention. This will be of benefit to advertisers that have ads in your podcast.
• Usually, advertisers will want results. It might be best to wait until you have a fairly large subscriber following before attempting to sell advertising space. This can be accomplished by marketing and heavily promoting your podcast, as well as providing quality content.