DISQUS

@Joel Mark Witt -- Whitney definitely has at least part of it right. I think of Quick and Dirty Tips as a magazine in a way. The podcasts we create are what magazines call "service articles" -- short, very fact-oriented articles that contain advice and useful information.

We work hard to create really powerful brands for our shows and a brand for our network so that all the shows hang together. It's not a coincidence that our shows all use the same format and have similar names and logos.

I also think consistent delivery -- getting a show out every week no matter what -- is important. In fact, I just finished my show for tomorrow. Some people might slack off because it's New Year's Eve, but I know that my listeners expect to get a show tomorrow whether it's a holiday or not.

Good audio quality is important too. I don't think there are many successful shows that sound as if they were recorded on a telephone. It's much harder to record a show with multiple hosts or guests and keep the audio quality up. That's why our shows have only one host.

Frankie is also right that text is really important. We put full transcripts of all our podcasts on our website. That gives Google something to index (and people who don't listen to podcast something to read). We get pretty significant traffic from search engines. Some people will just read the pages, but I suspect we also regularly get new podcast listeners that way. It's also a place where we can give advertisers a link.

I believe Quick and Dirty Tips is are successful because we put a lot of thought and energy into how we present our shows and into our business model, and we have solid partnerships, but there are other success stories out there. People are making money, people are using podcasts as marketing tools, and some people are just pursuing a hobby they love.

The Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network (home of Grammar Girl, Money Girl, Modern Manners Guy, Public Speaker, Nutrition Diva, Mighty Mommy, etc) had a fantastic 2008, and our business is exactly what we thought it would be when we launched it in 2006.

We support our network on advertising, so you can't say the model doesn't work.

We also make sure we're diversified with products and other services. It would be bad business to rely on any one revenue stream.

Although I greatly prefer short podcasts, I don't think success is about length. There are long podcasts that are successful too. TWiT is over an hour, for example.

I believe having a strong brand, consistently delivering high-quality content, and treating your podcast or network like a business (if you intend it to be a business) are the keys to success.

I'll second the idea of picking up stuff for free and reselling it. I've moved three times in the last four years, and every time at the end we were just desperate to get rid of stuff and gave it away free. I knew it was valuable stuff (bikes, bookcases, etc.) that I could have sold, but I didn't have the time. This is especially true of big stuff. If you have a truck and somewhere to store thing, I imagine you could make decent income.

I used to work with the pharmaceutical industry, and unless things have changed, your dad's doctors should be able to administer the drug "off label." It is approved for multiple sclerosis, which means they should be able to get it at the pharmacy and then use it in any way they want.

A drug company can't *promote* use of the drug for other conditions, but as far as I know they shouldn't be able to block it. (And it sounds as if you have the FDA on your side.) Oncologists, in particular, are known for regularly using drugs off label.

If I were you, I'd pressure the doctors more to use it off label.

And I'm sorry if I don't understand the details of your particular situation and this advice isn't useful. Having lost both of my parents, I know how frustrating and difficult this time must be for you.

If for some reason I don't understand it is in the hands of Biogen, they shouldn't be blocking you.

Thanks! It was cloudy in Reno, so I couldn't see it live.

The idea that the only way to make money podcasting is by selling podcast ads is something I hear almost every time I give a talk or just hang out with fellow podcasters; and I believe it is a misconception.

My network has been very fortunate to have the support of great ad brokers and we currently have ads running in all our podcasts. Don’t get me wrong -- we're thrilled -- but all our eggs are not in the advertising basket. A significant portion of our revenue also comes from licensing the podcasts and transcripts, sales of books related to the podcasts, speaking fees, and to a lesser extent, other products such as T-shirts.

Interest from advertisers seems to be picking up, but revenue from the other sources is picking up faster. In my experience, if you create quality content, businesses want it.

We are not the only people who have realized that it is limiting to focus exclusively on advertising. I hear other podcasters are making money selling products such as music, T-shirts, and study aids; writing books; and generally promoting their other activities. For example, Len from Jawbone Radio seems to have successfully used his podcast to launch a custom art-comic business called “Monster by Mail” (http://www.monsterbymail.com/) and Christopher Penn seems to be successfully using his Financial Aid Podcast (http://www.financialaidpodcast.com/about/) to nurture a variety of business activities. Podcasters who want podcasting to be their job need to think creatively about everything they have to offer and what their audience might find valuable. Most successful traditional entertainers write books, give talks, and sell products. (Oh yeah, and don't neglect your website. It's the face of your business.)

I should also mention that the members of the new Association for Downloadable Media (http://www.downloadablemedia.org/) are making a serious effort to standardize podcast advertising and traffic measurement in a way that will make podcasts more appealing to advertisers.

We need to face the reality that large advertisers are interested in large numbers of ad impressions. For shows that don't have millions of downloads, the best way to attract large advertisers is to join with other podcasters so you do reach an advertiser-worthy traffic level. Then ad agencies can make one big purchase (as they are used to doing) instead of 20 (or more) small purchases. And for small podcasters to join together in this way, they need to be offering the same kind of ads and using the same measurement tools.


In short, there are already many podcasters who have, as you say, “decided to make a real go of it, are organizing and fixing the industry, and who make their media palatable and accessible to the general public.” As with any new industry, it takes work, time, and an open mind.


Mignon Fogarty

Founder, The Quick and Dirty Tips Network

Wi-fi podcasting support would be great! In the past, people have told me they bought iPods just to listen to my show, so I'm sure they would want this feature.

Grammar Girl

It was great to finally meet you at the PME, my brown corduroy jacket friend.

As always, you provide great advice! I'm going to get cracking on my signature and "about" page.

Yes, I think I would hold out for the private label brand, and I would be willing to take less for it because it is reinforcing my brand instead of theirs. Of course, I would need extremely high confidence in the quality of the product because it would be reflecting on my brand.

In my mind, there is a big difference between an advertiser such as the Student Loan Network and a large global brand. SLN isn't likely to spend money on branding campaigns, but large global brands do spend money that way.

I'm concerned that PPA is just a way for large global brands to get discounted branding campaigns. I've always thought the Amazon affiliate program was a brilliant way for Amazon to get a lot of free publicity. I'm not complaining--I use their program--but they get an amazing amount of free exposure from the millions of websites that display that "Buy from Amazon" button and sell very few books.

The brand seeps into my consciousness, and when I think about buying a book, I go to Amazon not the website (or 100 websites) where I saw their logo.