“Just because someone has a chequebook doesn’t mean you need to take their money”
Brad Brown, co-owner of Talkfeed media, addressed the topic of podcasts, niche audiences and advertising. Brown explained that podcasters need to focus on the listener before advertising because there is power in niche audiences.
The reason why people who start podcasts are not successful is because people do not approach podcasting correctly. “People approach podcasting the same way they do the lotto”, said Brown.
Brad Brown, co-owner of Talkfeed media says there is power in podcasts which are directed at niche audiences.
Brown said that his first podcast, RunTalk SA failed in 2010 because it was approached from a perspective which was meant to attract advertisers so that the podcast could be profitable. However, the podcast did not make a profit at all. Brown said that the fault was because the podcast should have been set up from the listener’s perspective instead.
Brown said that one of the mistakes that podcasters make when setting their podcasts up is the idea that they think that members of society want podcasts, but that is not the case. “People want entertainment, they want to listen to music and more importantly they want their problems solved,” said Brown.
According to Brown a podcast is a “means to an end,” and a podcast can be successful by targeting niche audiences. Brown says that there is power in focussing the content to fit a narrowed down audience to solve issues which are specific to them. “The audience is smaller but once you engage and figure out their problems that’s where the magic is”. It is the solution that the podcaster possesses which holds the profit because that is what can be sold in the form of audio.
“In the podcasting business if advertisers contact you that’s the cream,” says Brown, however it is problematic when advertisers are the basis of the podcast. According to Brown if advertisers are the goal then the content is adjusted according to the values of the advertisers.
Brown indicated that the “beauty” of niche podcasting lies in the audience and how the podcaster can add value to the listener’s life. “Just because someone has a chequebook doesn’t mean you need to take their money,” says Brown.
RELATED ARTICLES
5 JULY, 2017 The future of radio is bright
5 JULY 2017 What is #FutureTuned?
4 JULY 2017 Radio Days Africa kicks off at Kaya FM’s studio’s
