Do You Need a Podcast Network to Succeed at Podcasting?

Profits Through Podcasting
Profits Through Podcasting
Do You Need a Podcast Network to Succeed at Podcasting?
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Are you debating whether to join a podcasting network or to fly solo as an independent podcaster? I’ll go through the potential benefits and pitfalls that can come with network affiliations, such as increased visibility and restrictive creative controls. I’m also emphasizing how remaining independent may be the better option for entrepreneurs by potentially leading to greater financial and creative rewards. You’ll learn what you need to navigate the podcasting world on your terms, whether you’re contemplating joining a network or choosing the path of independence.

Today’s episode includes:

  • How podcast networks can increase visibility and legitimacy for your show.
  • Why joining a network may offer ease of production and shared marketing resources.
  • How networks could potentially lead to financial gains through ad revenue sharing.
  • Why some podcasters experience creative restrictions and disappointing earnings with networks.
  • Why promoting your own services may be more lucrative than seeking sponsorships.
  • Understanding the terms of a network agreement and why it’s crucial for content ownership.
  • Why migrating away from a network can be challenging and may result in losing everything you’ve built.
  • How successful independent podcasters thrive without network support.
  • Why control over content and financial benefits favor independent podcasting.
  • How independence in podcasting doesn’t mean a lack of support or resources.

 

Ready for a professional team help you produce quality podcast episodes so you can grow your business? Visit https://eastcoaststudio.com/apply.

 

Our LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/eastcoaststudio/

Our Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ecpodcaststudio/

 

View Unedited Podcast Transcript

Welcome to profits through podcasting the show for entrepreneurs with podcasts who want to monetize by generating leads and profits for their business from podcasting. I’m Joel Oliver, CEO of East Coast Studio. Do you need a podcast network to succeed in podcasting and get the results that you’re looking for?

Or at least what are the potential benefits and drawbacks? Of going with a network. This question comes up periodically. Now, most of my personal experience comes from new clients who did migrate away from a network and went out on their own. So what I have to say may be a little biased. And when hosting a podcast, there are all sorts of options to consider for how to bring it together, whether you are just launching or you’ve already been podcasting for a while, but you’re thinking of leaving a network or going to a network.

Podcasting has grown. Significantly in popularity over the years. And along with that growth came the emergence of podcast networks, and they have presented a consideration for podcasters when deciding how to actually go about getting a podcast off the ground or running it and producing it.

So first of all, let’s define what a podcast network is. So we have a clear idea and especially in case you don’t know a podcast network, simply put is a collection of podcasts that are produced or distributed by a single entity. So you’ve got a bunch of podcasters together under one banner, one umbrella, so to speak.

And the network may provide things like help with marketing. Uh, payment, ad revenue sharing, perhaps technical support among other things. And we will get into this more, but essentially the alternative to a podcast network, or say, if you don’t use one, you’re independent. So you’re working on your own and that can look different depending on the situation.

You may hire a marketing team and an editing team, but you are distributing on your own. You’re creating the content on your own. You’re dealing with any sponsorship type stuff on your own. And there are some options for that too, but those would be the key to options. You’re with a network, you’re associated with a network

or you’re independent and handling a lot of things on your own to some extent. So let’s talk about the potential benefits of joining a podcast network. Why could it be interesting? Why would you want to do it? It can provide a number of advantages.

One of the most notable advantages of joining a podcast network would be increased visibility and reach being part of a network can help your podcast get discovered by a wider audience more quickly. Think of this like a TV or a radio station or say having your video shared on a YouTube channel. It has 15, 000 subscribers.

Instantly, you have access to a big audience. They’re already there engaged, looking to see what’s next. Also with this comes legitimacy and social proof. So right off the bat, you’ve got access to a big audience. Now you’ll get people perhaps following you on social media, interacting with your show. You can go tell other people, Hey, look, I’m part of this brand.

If the network is big enough, then that could mean something to people to see that you’re associated with a bigger network or a brand. Next up. Will be ease of production. Typically, if you’re working with a podcast network, they are handling all of the production aspects. They’ve got a streamlined way of doing things.

You don’t really have to think much about it. They get you set up and you’ll record, you’ll send your stuff to them and they do everything else. You may even, depending on. The network you go with and where you live, you might get access to a studio with quality equipment that you wouldn’t have otherwise had access to, or at least not for a small amount of money.

You probably would have had to invest and build your own studio or rent studio space with a network. It could include all of this, but not necessarily. As well shared marketing and advertising resources. So You’re basically getting the leverage that a larger entity would have to help you promote your podcast and potentially get advertising deals where your show is going to get some of that profit.

They can likely negotiate for better rates since they are bigger. They may have contracts and contacts with bigger companies. As well here, you wouldn’t really have to do any of the negotiation. They already have that handled. They’ve, they’ve got that under control for you. You just kind of sit back and do the podcast and collect the money.

 As well, cross promotion within the network.

So further using their audience to grow your podcast. Yours may be promoted on other podcasts within that network. And of course, being pushed out on their existing marketing platforms like social media, perhaps YouTube, something like that, their existing audience is going to be told about your podcast, and that’s a great boost for you to have people immediately there and seeing what you’re all about.

Another potential benefit of working with a podcast network could be money. Although I say that with a bit of a question in my voice, because I’ve personally heard some stories, which are not the greatest in terms of actually getting paid and the amount that the payout should be that type of stuff. People had high expectations and it didn’t really turn out as they expected. So we can touch on that a bit more in the next section. But since we are focusing on the benefits here in this section, and there are many legitimate podcast networks who do do this properly, it’s totally fair to include this.

And with bigger existing audiences that These networks would have. And then those potential advertising deals we just mentioned, you can, of course, we would hope get in on some of that money as well and faster than if you were going at it alone. If you have to start from scratch and build up your podcast and get the downloads to a point where sponsors are actually interested, well, if you just join in on our network, they’ve already got a bit of an audience there to help you along, and they’ve got deals in place with advertisers.

That sounds like a fast track way. To getting some sponsorship money coming in that said, this only matters if you even want sponsorship money. And you may not, if you’re a listener of this podcast, okay, we are talking here to entrepreneurs with podcasts. We’re looking to generate leads and revenue for their business through podcasting.

You really shouldn’t be looking for sponsors. If that’s the case, there are some exceptions, but really most of the time there, you’re not going to be interested in sponsorship money. So that’s a big key. Final potential benefit here working with a network would be legal and admin support. So this would really depend on the size and nature of your podcast. There could be things like copyright issues, contracts for guests or co hosts. It all depends. Some industries like to have a check in place, some kind of quality control for the podcast.

If they’re talking about certain types of subject matter, that’s, they’ve, they’ve got to be really strict on what they put out to the public, especially if it’s a giant company, that type of thing. So if that’s something that’s important to you while having an existing team there already, who’s experienced, and maybe they’ve got a legal staff on hand, that type of thing that could be beneficial.

So with those potential benefits in mind of working with a podcast network to create and distribute your podcast, let’s talk about some of the drawbacks. One potential downside of using a podcast network is just the loss of control, over your podcast and its structure, right? When you’re part of a network, there may be certain requirements or guidelines that you need to follow, and you’ve just got to do things their way.

And that could entail not just the actual content production, but maybe the workflow, how they manage the tasks, that type of thing. And maybe it just doesn’t mesh with You or you want more creative control and they’re trying to restrict what you’re able to put out there, or what you can say.

Another one would be revenue sharing. And while a network might actually help you increase your revenue through increased listenership and ad opportunities, they are almost certainly going to take a cut of that revenue. That’s the whole point of them existing. They are a business. They’re not a charity.

So while they may get more money for your podcast overall, if they’re taking a big cut of that, well, you might not end up with a whole lot, or at least not as much as you thought by having their assistance, and if you sign on with them and you happen to get approached by a sponsor directly outside of the network, well, they may be entitled to some of that money, which you could have had all of otherwise. And on that note, the next one, a possible disadvantage of working with a podcast network, you’re at their mercy, especially if you sign a contract, it would depend on the terms and conditions there, but you can be stuck having to work with them.

And I’ve heard some stories of poor organization, money being withheld, they’re not being paid on time. Things not really documented or communicated well. So I’m Host never really knew if they were getting paid fairly, when the pay was coming, what the network was actually making from their podcast and how much of that was going to the host.

They were promised things that were never received. This is not all networks, but it’s stories that I have heard firsthand. And if you are going to get into a type of situation like this, where there’s a contract involved well, these are important things to consider.

Especially since you most likely have a business that its reputation is at stake. This, what you’re putting out there is associated with your business. And if somebody else is in control and you’re kind of stuck, maybe they’re not paying you, or they promised you some things that you never got like promotion,

you could have been doing better on your own. Well, now you’re not. Stuck with them and you may be there for a period of time before you can move on. And that leads me into the last thing here. Possible downsides of using a podcast network is migrating away. If you decide to leave, you need to really understand upfront what the terms are.

If you’re going to sign on with a podcast network, do they own your content and your podcast forever? The whole name. So if you were to leave. Do you, lose the entire audience that you had there? Can you take the name of the podcast with you? Can you take the episodes, all that stuff do they own all of that, or say the backlinks that you could have built up on your own website for SEO purposes.

Imagine putting years into building that podcast and that brand up and things go sour with your network. All of a sudden you’ve got to leave and they say, Hey, you can’t have any of this. The Apple Podcasts reviews that you’ve built up, all that stuff, just gone. And if you want to continue podcasting, you could essentially have to start from scratch and that doesn’t sound very good.

So very, very big one to keep in mind there before you decide to work with a podcast network instead of producing on your own. And so let’s talk about that. Many successful podcasts have thrived without the support of a network. And I don’t have the data. Mine may be skewed again, because our whole business is working with independent podcasters. We do a little production for some network type companies, but for the most part, we are working with independent podcasters and plenty of those thrive quite well, and they have not had the assistance of a network behind them.

Okay. You do not need a network. And if you are a listener of this podcast, then I assume you are an entrepreneur of some sort, and you’re looking to generate leads and revenue for your business. This is where I suggest a high need to do it on your own. And by that, I don’t literally mean on your own. Like you’ve got to do all the editing and write the notes and do every little thing here.

No, you can of course, hire a production team, a marketing team, a VA, whatever works in your situation. So you’re not doing it. All on your own, but you’re not stuck with those potential downsides of working with a network. Right. There’s no risk of having all your work taken from you, having to undergo that painful process of starting a new podcast from scratch or migrating platforms, which I’ll tell you is not that fun.

So in the end of the decision is going to come down to you. A network can be ideal in some cases. And in other cases, not so much. I will say it’s definitely not a guaranteed magic pill to success. There’s still going to be work involved. And I’ve seen people get really excited over offers that they’ve had from networks, but really, is it really going to be that great?

And maybe it will, but maybe it won’t. Okay. They, they need money, which means ad revenue or payment from you. And if they don’t make good on the deal, then it was kind of all a big waste. If it looks too good to be true, Well, you know, a lot of this too has become increasingly easier to do without any sort of middleman.

Like even if you were going after sponsorships or affiliate money, there are a variety of ways to go about that where you have more control and receive more of the revenue and you don’t need a network involved. So as we wrap up my thoughts here, as an entrepreneur using your podcast to generate business revenue and leads, you shouldn’t be seeking out sponsorships. It’s not the ideal thing to do.

Now, there are some cases I’ve seen where it does work fairly well, where a sponsor can exist with your business alongside it. And it doesn’t really detract from your message. They both, compliment each other. One case where I see this a fair bit is say supplements. For example, if you have someone in the health space or a coach, something like that, who they’re talking about some supplements that you could be taking, and they, of course, have a Company sponsoring them, or they’re part of an affiliate program, where if you purchase, they get a bit of a kickback.

That’s a natural fit. Okay. You’re not your own supplement company. You’re promoting something else. So that’s totally fine. You just want to watch the balance of how much you’re actually promoting them versus your own business. You know, if you’re, if you’re promoting. An affiliate, let’s say, or a sponsor for a very small amount of money through an affiliate program.

When you could be spending that time promoting something that you’ve created something in your own business, and it can make you a lot more money. Yeah, that’s, that’s something you want to watch out for. But anyway, most of the time, this is best done with a focus on your business and what you’re selling, which is what Ultimately would negate the need to be involved with the network.

If you did want to work with some sponsorships and affiliate type stuff, in any case, you don’t need a network to do that these days. You could still do that on your own. And then you get that freedom to create the content that you want. You’re not stuck with the network.

And keep in mind too, as a final thought,

it’s not that you have to choose between having. The help of a network and having to do everything yourself, all DIY. For example, we are an editing company here at East coast studio, but I’ve helped people move off of networks. I’ve helped people with their audio set up, like what to purchase, how to set it up, how to record that type of thing. You’re not completely on your own. It’s not black or white. Like if you work with a network, you get all the support. And then if you don’t, you have no support and you’re, you’re totally out in no man’s land, trying to figure out what to do. That’s not the case at all.

So hopefully this was helpful. If you face the conundrum of whether or not to work with a network for your podcast or do it on your own. If you have any questions, I’m always happy to hear from you and know what’s going on out there. And it certainly gives some inspiration for the podcast as well. You can get me by email anytime, Joel at East coast studio.com. Thanks for listening. And we’ll chat to you next time.

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