Become a Podmaster Podcast Transcript S3E3

00:00
Russel Wasserfall
So I was like, yeah, okay, you’re on a retainer for this thing. So I said, sure, I’ll send you a rate card. And I made one up. I just liked some things. So I think that the flow is the biggest challenge for me at the start was understanding my audience. Once I did, I could work out what I could do this with it, you know, then also how to approach people. So I think a flash of inspiration came with me with a rate card.

00:25
Hendrik Baird
Welcome to season three of Become a Podmaster, where we tackle some of the biggest questions. Podcasters. I am Hendrik.

00:33
Ethan Baird
And I’m Ethan. Not only did we get the questions from podcasters, but with the help of the South African Podcasters Guild, or SAPG for short, and Solid Gold Podcast and Audiobooks, we got some answers.

00:44
Hendrik Baird
Today we’re discussing one of the most important topics in podcasting, how to secure a sponsorship for your podcast.

00:53
Ethan Baird
Many podcasters assume that only massive shows can get sponsorships, but that’s just not true. Sponsors care about engaged audiences, not just big numbers.

01:03
Hendrik Baird
So how do you identify the right sponsors and convince them to invest in your show? Well, that’s what we’ll be exploring today. So, Ethan, when it comes to sponsorships, the big question every podcaster asks is, how do I find the right sponsor for my show?

01:23
Ethan Baird
The right sponsor, That’s a great question. And the answer isn’t just about numbers. Sponsors don’t just want big audiences, they want the right audience. The key is identifying brands that align with your content and your listeners interests.

01:36
Hendrik Baird
So if you have a tech podcast, for instance, approaching a company that sells microphones or editing software makes sense. Oh, we should approach somebody for that. For this podcast. And if your show is about personal finance, a fintech company would be a better fit than, say, a sports brand.

01:53
Ethan Baird
But once you find the right sponsor, the next challenge is how to reach out to them effectively. Do you send a cold email? Do you pitch them a deck? What’s the best approach?

02:01
Hendrik Baird
I think it’s all about presenting yourself professionally. Brands want to see that you have an engaged audience. And having a sponsorship pitch deck or rate card that clearly shows your listener demographics, your reach and your engagement stats certainly will make a big difference.

02:17
Ethan Baird
And that ties into another big question. How do podcasters demonstrate value to advertisers? Because it’s not just about downloads. Right?

02:25
Hendrik Baird
Sponsors care about listening, engagement, things like how long people listen, whether they interact with your content, and how aligned your audience is with their brand. A smaller, highly engaged niche audience is often much more valuable than a mass of platform passive one.

02:42
Ethan Baird
And that brings us to another common myth. Is there a minimum audience size for sponsorships? A lot of podcasters think that they need thousands of listeners per episode before they can even approach a sponsor, and.

02:54
Hendrik Baird
That’S just not true. A podcast with 500 highly engaged listeners in a niche industry can be much more attractive to a sponsor than a general interest podcast with 10,000 passive listeners.

03:08
Ethan Baird
So how do niche podcasters compete with bigger shows for ad revenue?

03:11
Hendrik Baird
By offering something unique. I would guess niche podcasters can charge a premium for sponsorships because their audience is targeted and more likely to convert. So instead of focusing on impressions, they focus on alignment and engagement. That’s what brands care about.

03:29
Ethan Baird
The key takeaways. Find sponsors that fit your audience, pitch them professionally, highlight engagement over size, and remember that niche shows have an advantage when it comes to sponsorship value.

03:40
Hendrik Baird
Next we’ll hear from podcasters what their specific questions are around this topic.

03:45
Lwazi Volsak
I’ve done my research on the cost of recording weekly at a studio and also getting editing done, and it’s very expensive for an individual, I would say. I’ve also tried kind of getting financial backing, which has not succeeded as yet. But I’m hoping in time, you know, that I can have a breakthrough to be able to return to podcasting. Yeah. So I think once I have all those kind of things in place, then I have a better chance at increasing my viewership and also branching over into monetization. I think that’s one of the things I’ve been. I’ve been struggling with trying to figure out how to approach a company.

04:22
Lwazi Volsak
Do I do it in a casual way to professional way, Do I come up with some sort of portfolio or do I put together a little presentation, set up a meeting, do it in that kind of manner. Like how should I go about those things? I don’t actually know how to start that process. So we had been approached, but the people who approached us wanted us to do podcasts for them. Right. So it would be the Department of Public Transport in October for Public Transport Month. They weren’t actually looking for us as a platform. They were looking for us to help them set up a platform. And as with all government agency, it’s just like a waiting game and then nothing happens. So that fell through the ground. And then personally, I don’t know how or where to start monetizing.

05:12
Lwazi Volsak
I don’t know if you have to now go to like Iona FM or if you start approaching similar people.

05:19
Ethan Baird
Before we dive deeper, let’s just give a quick Shout out to our Podmaster startup programme helping new podcasters launch with confidence. Check out our website Baird Media for more info.

05:32
Hendrik Baird
So it’s clear sponsorship is one of the biggest challenges podcasters face. The key is finding brands that fit your audience rather than chasing after the biggest advertisers.

05:44
Ethan Baird
And we’ve seen this play out internationally. In the us, podcasts like the Tim Ferriss show and My Favourite Motor have built sponsorship models that are tailored to their audience. Tim Ferriss attracts productivity tools and business brands, while My favourite Murder works with true crime related sponsors like forensic services and crime theme subscription boxes.

06:04
Hendrik Baird
The UK has great examples too. Stephen Bartlett’s Diary of a CEO found success partnering with brands that align with entrepreneurship and personal development. And instead of generic ad placements, he works with brands that his audience already is interested in, like fintech companies and leadership coaching platforms.

06:25
Ethan Baird
And that’s the lesson. Niche podcasts can be just as valuable as mass market shows. Instead of waiting for a big brand to come to you, be proactive. If you run a health and wellness podcast approach, nutrition brands, fitness coaches or wellness retreats, companies that are looking to reach an audience just like yours.

06:41
Hendrik Baird
And it’s not just about waiting for sponsors to find you. Create a sponsorship pitch, have a rate card, highlight your listener demographics and showcase why your audience is valuable. The most successful podcasters don’t just hope for sponsorships, they position themselves to attract the right brands.

07:01
Ethan Baird
So whether you’re running a business, tech, True Crime or self improvement podcast, the strategy remains the same. Find brands that align with your niche, create a compelling pitch and take action to secure your sponsors.

07:13
Hendrik Baird
So Ethan, I had a very interesting conversation with Russell Wasserfall and his experience in monetization. He saw an opportunity when a guest had a large following.

07:25
Russel Wasserfall
So yesterday I was interviewing a dude who’s like Mr. Beef, South Africa. He’s been in the game for a long time and weirdly enough, were at school together in like standard six. It’s just so strange and you know, and we never saw each other from there and we bumped into each other at the Eat out Awards in 2011. So he just said to me, oh, you know what you need to do? Because every. Everyone asks me, how do you monetize this or do you get sponsored or would you like a sponsor? Everyone I interview says that to me and then they give me suggestions. And I’m quite certain that I want anyone who sponsors me to be of the industry, but not in the industry, you know, so. So I’ve been chasing people like Dine Plan.

08:09
Russel Wasserfall
And they’re like, yeah, next year, you know, because dime plans are booking service. It’s a service to the industry. It’s a service to the restaurant industry, to the food industry, but it isn’t standing flipping burgers. Same thing with Yoko. It’s a service to the industry. It’s a financial service to the industry, but it isn’t flipping burgers. And this dude said, oh, you know who sponsored me? They gave me a beer tap, and for years and years, they sponsored my beer things is Stella Artois. Just send me a something, and I’ll send it to the marketing chick who’s a friend of mine, and we’ll see what we can do for you. So I said, what’s the something? What do I send? You know, because I know that people are chasing huge numbers in social media, like. Like Instagram followers or.

08:52
Russel Wasserfall
Or likes or whatever the case may be, you know, and so 7,000 is an impressive number of people who look at your. Your Instagram thing, but 40 a day. What does that mean? What’s the meaning? How do we educate people to look at 243 downloads a week and go, that’s a good number, or, oh, that’s a bit. No one knows. And very few people seem to understand that kind of discursive, engaging interaction where people are talking about this and go, oh, listen here. Do you want to be a. Yeah, yeah. Okay. While we’re talking, no one understands what that can do for your brand. It seems that for me to try and educate them and say, hello, do you know this will be really good for your brand? They say, yes, of course you think it will be good for your brand.

09:39
Russel Wasserfall
You want our money, you bastard. You know, so what do you give them? And how do you ensure that they look at it and go, valuable?

09:48
Ethan Baird
You know, Russell makes a great point. Finding the right sponsor isn’t just about numbers. It’s about alignment. Instead of looking for just any advertiser, he’s targeting companies that serve his industry but aren’t directly in it, like booking services or financial tools for restaurants rather than actual food brands.

10:07
Hendrik Baird
And the challenge, of course, is educating potential sponsors on why podcast engagement matters. Many brands still focus on big social media numbers, but a highly engaged podcast audience can be far more valuable than a thousand passive Instagram likes.

10:25
Ethan Baird
Still, on the topic of how to monetize a podcast, you asked Shannon and Gavin at Solid Gold Podcasts and Audiobooks how to secure a sponsorship for a niche podcast.

10:34
Shannon Kennedy
Find a brand that matches the niche.

10:37
Gavin Kennedy
Be the most effective way that a brand can reach the audience, their specific audience.

10:42
Shannon Kennedy
Yeah.

10:44
Hendrik Baird
So you’ve got to research the possible sponsor, know who their audience is, and most possibly even before you start so that you can gear your content and see if you can get to that audience. So you can eventually go to that sponsor going like, look, I have your audience.

11:01
Shannon Kennedy
Yeah, here they are.

11:03
Hendrik Baird
You clean drains. I know people with drains. We’ve been talking about drains for three years.

11:07
Gavin Kennedy
So it’s exactly that. And then just as you speaking, you can see the dynamic. Am I making this podcast because I want to talk about cars, or am I making this because I want to go to west bank and let them give me money because people buy cars, listen to my podcast and west bank should sponsor it. What’s my real motivation for making that podcast? Well, believe me, west bank make podcasts on their own. So what are you doing that would make west bank say, oh, we neglected that whole section of the audience and these people have got it, we’ll give them money. Or why is the west bank podcast not expanding to reach that audience? So expand that to, we want to talk about cars. And BMW is definitely going to love our audience. Yeah, Your audience is 500 people.

11:51
Gavin Kennedy
It’s a respectable podcast audience. But you’re asking BMW’s marketing team to stop what they’re doing and consider putting advertising into that instead of a billboard at the airport where they know their customers.

12:03
Hendrik Baird
So do you think rate cards and to pitch to sponsors or PR firms is a strategy or.

12:10
Shannon Kennedy
Absolutely. And I think for people who sort of have come from maybe a broadcasting background might have an understanding of this already on rate cards and that sort of brand partnership, engagement and all of that. I don’t think it necessarily needs to be a public facing thing, but maybe available on request, have an idea of, you know, how much work goes into creating this amount. Are you looking for a sponsor to pay for your costs or are you looking for a sponsor to pay for above and beyond?

12:43
Gavin Kennedy
There’s two ways to monetize your audience. One is an ad played before the podcast by the platform you’re on. So you put your podcast up in Iono, you enable monetization, and before anybody can listen to the podcast, they’re listening to an advert that’s inserted by the platform. That’s kind of an aggregated sales strategy. Iono injecting ads into lots of podcasts based on the data they have on the listener. You might not be able to monetize that audience yourself, but it also has.

13:15
Hendrik Baird
To do with about 5,000 listeners to start with, before they can, you need meaningful number. So it’s a numbers game.

13:20
Gavin Kennedy
Yeah. Otherwise you’re putting in a lot of work for sense return. There’s no viable model there. But let’s say I’ve got my koi fish podcast and I have this following of 500 people who love koi fish and they love my stories and they love all the advice on how to breed a fish with a star on its side. There might be somebody who makes pool filters and realises, or pond filters and realises that 500 people who breed koi is a significant percentage of the koi breeding community. And there’s a new filter out. And how do we tell them about it? Well, they might approach me and say, please talk about this filter, or can we give you money to talk about this filter? And then it’s not a cost per thousand thing. It’s not. Okay, I’ve got 500 people listening.

14:06
Gavin Kennedy
How many cents per listen? No, no, I have the 500 people you want. I want lots of money for that. I want you to be a guest. Then you’re leveraging the value of the audience as opposed to the count of the audience. One is just how many thousand? How many rand per thousand? The other is these are my people and I’m going to let you talk to my people.

14:26
Ethan Baird
If you have a story to tell, a message to share or a brand to build, Solid Gold podcasts and audiobooks can help you bring it to life.

14:32
Hendrik Baird
With state of the art studios, expert production and a team that makes podcasting effortless, Solid Gold is the go to partner for individuals, businesses and brands looking to create high quality audio content.

14:45
Ethan Baird
Whether you need a full service podcast production, an audiobook recording, or just a professional space to record, Solid Gold has you covered.

14:52
Hendrik Baird
You can take your podcast or audiobook to the next level by visiting solidgold Co za today and start sounding like a pro. What did we learn today, Ethan?

15:04
Ethan Baird
Today we learned that sponsorship isn’t just about having a big audience. It’s about having the right audience. Most successful podcasters focus on finding sponsors that align with their niche and proving their value through engagement, not just numbers.

15:18
Hendrik Baird
And we also saw that sponsorships don’t just fall into your lap. You need to be proactive. That means creating a rate card, researching potential sponsors and approaching them with a clear pitch that demonstrates why your audience matters.

15:34
Ethan Baird
And as we heard from both Russell and the team at Solid Gold, niche podcasters have a unique advantage. It’s all about positioning your podcast as the best way for a sponsor to.

15:44
Hendrik Baird
Reach their ideal customers, but it’s also about realistic expectations. If you’re aiming for big corporate sponsors, then you will need the numbers to back it up. But if you have a highly engaged niche audience, you can negotiate premium sponsorships based on direct influence rather than scale.

16:05
Ethan Baird
Know your audience, be strategic with your outreach and don’t undervalue the power of engagement. The opportunities are out there, you just have to go after them. Want to take your podcast to the next level? Join our upcoming masterclass. The details are on our website, Baird Media.

16:22
Hendrik Baird
And that’s it for this episode. If you found it valuable then please remember to share and to Tag us.

16:29
Ethan Baird
On LinkedIn in our next episode.

16:31
Jonathan Warncke
I think anyone can monetize a podcast, but not everyone will or not everyone has maybe the tool to do it in that they believe there’s only one tool which is advertising, which I think, as Paola said, is just not really a very sustainable way going forward for us. I believe that as long as you build something of an audience, obviously, unless Your audience is 10 CEOs of SM FMCG companies, then you’re fine. But you’re going to need for most other things, something in the thousand plus numbers. Then you can look at your options and say maybe merch is the way, maybe live events is the way, maybe the podcast is advertising something else. I’m doing.