Terms

Prior to founding Big IP, a content studio that manages podcasts as well as YouTube channels such as The John Campea Show, Pop Apologists and Kempire, Scott Porch was an attorney as well as a journalist. "The the most significant thing I reported on during my tenure as a full-time reporter was film and TV. I wrote for the New York Times and Fast Company as well as Wired and Decider and some other publications," the reporter begins.

One of the subjects he explored was how podcast and YouTube has transformed the way we think about culture in relation to television and film. He wrote an article on Game of Thrones recappers for the New York Times and spent increasing time on this topic and interacting with professionals in the field, before making the decision to develop shows using Starburns Audio in 2019. "I started by myself, and I've expanded from just a few YouTube channels and podcasts to 14 or 15," He adds.

Scott believes that there are two factors that help a podcast succeed both in terms of its creativity and audience reach. "There's an interplay between these two factors," he says. "It's difficult to grow a podcast that's not very good, but it's also hard to find an excellent podcast and maintain it for a long time."

He thinks that you have to ensure that both components are in the right place. "You have to make the idea people would be interested in hearing first, then you have to be able to get out and locate that group of people to encourage them to be interested about it in any way." According to the way Scott talked about the subject together with Brian Morrissey when he made an appearance on The Rebooting podcast sometimes the podcast can be a an element of the business and other times, it's just the promotion of the company.

Milestones

The effectiveness of a podcast also comes down to the scale of its host. This is more relevant with the launch of new podcasts. The most popular podcasts like The Movie Podcast and How Did This Get Made have existed for a long time, so their hosts have become well-known due to the popularity their podcasts. However it's a very saturated market. "It's becoming increasingly difficult to break out the clutter. It all depends on who the person is" says Scott. "If Taylor Swift started a podcast on the horizon it could make her some money the very first day. If I launched the first audio show on Monday the show would be an entirely different style."

Monetizing depends on different thresholds of listenership. "At 50k downloads per episode, you'll have more options for advertiser options for hosts who are most likely to be looking to sign an initial pledge to the program where they'll achieve a certain quantity of dollars. However, even with shows that have greater than 10,000 or 5,000 downloads each episode, you could start earning money through the programmatic and membership revenue" he explains.

Pop Apologists The series Scott is a part of has more than 2,000 paid customers between Patreon as well as Apple Podcast subscriptions. They've managed to expand the number of subscribers by keeping them on for a lengthy time, and they've maintained a consistent schedule of releasing an episode per week for members and one show per week only for those who subscribe. Scott states that each episode has the same characteristics. "If you enjoy one episode and you like the way it was made, you'll be a fan of the next one."

Getting started with membership

For membership, specifically, how can you begin? "A number of TV shows that appear on YouTube have a good understanding of YouTube's membership program. It's an awareness that is widespread however in most cases, they've never done it because it's an item on their agenda they're not yet able to complete or aren't aware of the best way to approach the issue," Scott says.

Perhaps the creator has created so much content that they're unsure whether they have time or the resources to produce more episodes for a premium platform and or if they'll make enough money, and if the premium platform will be able to cannibalize the public platform.

"A large portion of that is a cause for confusion or a state that they aren't yet at and need guidance," Scott says. "They have to be able to communicate with someone who says"There's money available if you choose to go ahead and look into it'. If you're in the process of establishing a company there are many hats to wear and are juggling many tasks. There will be people and or, at most, the tools and resources to help you build your business," he continues.

If yes, what's likely to consider when deciding which tools and services will help you run your company particularly if you want to join? "A number of factors appear to be fairly constant in the last few decades," starts Scott. "Number one: those who watch podcasts or YouTube videos have an emotional bond with creators. They are willing to pay creators with recurring revenues such as $4 per monthly, $6,000 a month, perhaps $10 or so each month. The reason for this isn't just that they want to get an additional advantage from the creator however, they are also looking to support the creator in the course of their career rather than just as a an extra side business."

Another trend Scott has observed is that users have preferences for a specific platform. "When Pop Apologists began discussing Apple Podcasts subscriptions the company was already doing extremely well on Patreon. One of the concerns they were concerned about Apple Podcasts was the chance that it would consume Patreon"We might have to pull the plug to prevent a huge rise in the amount money flowing of Patreon to Apple but that's not what transpired. What actually happened was that Patreon increased in size and Apple Podcasts is increasing every month since our launch."

Scott has been a part of the issue from other shows, and has learned about this issue from others. "If users are using Apple Podcasts, they might be listening to 4 or 6 or 10 podcasts. This is the sole location they'll visit to hear these podcasts. It's not Patreon or YouTube. If you put the video in front of people by way of Apple then they'll be able to subscribe to it."

Direct connection with your viewers

Scott believes it's essential that creators can communicate directly with their customers via podcasts. Scott has cited a startup named Luminary to provide an example of cautionary tale. "It was that was similar to Netflix that allowed different creators to make shows. A user could sign up on the platform and then pay."

Scott says the time when Luminary didn't succeed because people do not like the intermediary. "Consumers should be aware of the fact that they're directly donating to the show and the $7 that they spend monthly, or $50 per year they pay is going to that individual creator and not to Luminary and/or Netflix or someone else. This direct link is vital to the creators as well. It made good consumer as well as economic sense to launch Pop Apologists podcasts on the Apple platform to go after the audience. But Scott as well as his crew don't exactly who they are. "We don't know their email addresses. We don't have the ability to host an online forum that's on Zoom every month, and together with these people. We aren't able to let the people we're in another podcast, or when we're going to hold a live show. We don't have any information on these people," he explains.

Scott thinks that if you want to make cash from your company select a platform which allows you to have direct access to. "If your business is growing slow, it might be beneficial to start introducing an iTunes Podcasts subscriptions and Spotify subscriptions. However, I would much rather have that person's direct information rather than having them just sort of 'out there'," Scott says.

Keep your eyes on the near future

Podcasters who are just beginning their careers, Scott offers advice about what you can do to get ready to be ready for future success "Don't be too extroverted with your viewers. Make your podcast available to the next 1,000 subscribers and not just the first 1000. Every day someone new listens to your show, however, they don't know the format you use for your show."

Scott advises you to concentrate only on the first 30-seconds of your show. Scott asks: "Are you introducing yourself to someone who isn't a regular listener? Are you saying 'This is the popular table and you're not a huge fan of our jokes?' You might prefer listening to something else as everyone else is in place'.

He recognizes that it's possible to make mistakes due to the direct-to-consumer relationship "You absolutely want the club to be an organization. You just don't want it to become a club without doors. The amount of members your club has is all you'll ever be able to manage," he explains. "You've got to find that equilibrium between offering your viewers the information they desire but not becoming so special that anyone who comes across it hears it and thinks, 'They've already done their thing. I'm not involved.' If every episode isn't as good in the same manner as the first episode and you're telling the prospective listener that the show doesn't suit their needs."

Scott gets podcast suggestions every day and is able to discern the recommendations within 10 seconds. "Give me ten seconds of the individual you're speaking to, and what this podcast is about, and what it will be talking about in the coming days. If I don't, I'll think that 'I'm not in this category. I've missed this for a long time, and too much historical and  the word 'in. This can be fatal podcasts."

The same applies to pre-roll ads. "Some shows I work with feature pre-roll advertisements and we make money off this," says Scott. "If they did not do that and did not, they'd make less income. Who wants to be the first thing listeners to the first time they tune in to your show to be an advertisement for Volkswagen? I would like to be the first thing people hear is the voice of the host."

For the final part, Scott offers a tip for new podcasters to stay strong. "You'll discover many podcasters who create five or more episodes. The growth isn't there which is why they quit. If you're really looking to make use of this tool for business development purposes or just as a way to show your artistic side, it will more time than you think to feel that you're getting results.

The good issue: "You're gonna get a greater proficiency during those first 25, 35 episodes. It's likely to be a source of some feedback. It's crucial to listen and take your time since you love it and you know that it's going succeed in a steady manner. There are numerous shows that increase from 300th-400th episodes. Are you really committed? There's a good chance you won't receive the 25,000 downloads that you're looking for right from in the beginning, unless you're a famous.

What show do you prefer to watch? Which episode would you like to expect to see more long-running playthroughs? If it's something you really would like to do, then you'll have to take your time to figure it out creatively."

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