Serious Business: Dan Granger and Bryan Barletta on Where Podcasting Goes Next

Podcasting isn’t just a DIY passion project anymore; it’s a full-fledged business ecosystem, complete with sponsors, merch, and serious ROI. And with companies like Netflix and YouTube helping shows reach new audiences, advertisers don’t want to miss out. So how can creators and brands take advantage of podcasting’s new business landscape? On the latest episode of The Media Roundtable, Dan Granger (CEO & Founder, Oxford Road) and Bryan Barletta (Founder, Sounds Profitable) join The Podcast Academy to discuss monetization, the next big moves, and how podcasters can grow their business.

“One of the biggest things that’s changed is that, for a 20-year-old industry, podcasting isn’t just a roll of the dice anymore. It really is a business.” – Bryan Barletta (Founder, Sounds Profitable)

The Power of a Good Portfolio – For years, up to 40% of podcast ad revenue came from the “plug-and-play” method, which gave podcasting platforms direct sales solutions. Now, however, the monetization options are exploding, meaning creators and publishers need an all-encompassing strategy. “If I were a creator, I would have some content behind a paywall,” Dan notes. “But I would not give up my ability to promote that for free in an ad-supported ecosystem.” He also notes potential revenue from live events, merch, and, in some cases, company equity. The takeaway: Explore as many monetization options as possible, though always keep your advertisers’ needs in mind.

Identity Crisis, or Opportunity? – The industry is going through a bit of an identity crisis: What exactly is a podcast? Is it video, or audio, or both? Because we don’t have clear definitions, we don’t always get clear measurement data (as Dan notes: “If you can’t measure the medium, you can’t define it”). The industry needs not only universal metrics, but also the ability to quantify video and live events, and an ecosystem that lets brands make a variety of buys. “If somebody knows that this is a good investment and they can point to an ROI…they’re going to double down,” Dan says. In other words: If we can work through these growing pains, a potential new era for podcasting is just over the horizon.

The Road Ahead – Dan and Bryan agree that podcasting’s near-future depends on more data, specifically performance data from platforms, which can help everyone make more accurate deals. Right now, platforms withhold that information because it’s proprietary info. But agencies need those numbers so we can give advertisers more confidence in podcasting, and free up time that can be better spent focusing on creative, integrations, and more.

Ready for your podcast business to boom? Check out this week’s episode of The Media Roundtable: