Despite an investment of $40,000, Paul Saurini isn’t sure how he’s going to make money off his weekly podcasts, reports Bob Mook for MSNBC. Seems like although the adoption rate is impressive, it is still not clear how podcasters will make a return on their investment in podcast.

Sarini’s podcast, launched early last year, draws as many as 10,000 listeners a week. He clearly has the first mover advantage, so increasing his listenership tenfold is very doable. But I don’t particularly understand why he thinks word-of-mouth is “the” way to do that.

Thoughts and comments: There are a myriad ways to promote a podcast. There is no reason why he should let the audience do their job. He can do much more by proactively promote his podcasts.

Currently, Saurini is exploring merchandising opportunities such as selling keychains and T-shirts, licensing deals from live performances and sponsorship that will geenrate revenue. He’s also considering selling studio time to local musicians.

I wish you well in your venture!

In the same article, there are other real case studies about different people who have established successes in gaining audiences, but still confused as how they will generate direct revenue from the medium.

I would say that it depends on the business model. If all you focus on is your brand exposure, then I don’t think you are to expect a revenue out of it. Like blogging, you may get tremendous value from being able to get it front of your prospects. That is not quantifiable but exist.

It is probably incomplete to talk about podcast monetization without touching on RocketBoom. The newscast have fetched $14,000 for a one-minute sponsorship spot auctioned on eBay.

Source: MSNBC.
See also: Podcast Business Case.

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