I’ve been beating the podcast drum for awhile now and today you’re going to get more of the bing bang boom.
What I’ve thought about a lot lately (other than the coronavirus) is exactly how to rank and measure podcasts. Since subscription numbers are not listed for most podcasts, there’s no clear way to understand which ones are going to make the most noise for my clients.
But then, I had a conversation—you know, a real, live, phone call—last week that changed my perspective. Brian Berger, host of SportsBusiness Radio and a class act guy, was kind enough to give me 30 minutes of his time, and he offered me some great insight into the “podscape.”
“Don’t worry about audience numbers,” he said. “Look at who the guests are. Understand who is in that audience. That’s how you can derive your value.”
Berger’s podcast commands a subscriber base that’s in the 40-50k range. This is a big fish in the small pond of sportsbiz shows, and while this may not be as large as some of the pods holding top spots on Apple, his high profile guest list of C-level league office executives and professional athletes is what defines his value.
It’s funny (bear with me while I take a quick turn here)... I had a similar conversation recently with a client of mine who negotiates and manages sponsorships on behalf of brands and properties in sports. She told me that the value of a suite in a professional sports venue is set (and adjusted) based on who will be in it.
So, a suite that will play host to, say, Leonardo DiCaprio is going to have a much higher price tag than a suite hosting a bus full of real estate agents.
The same concept applies here—to podcasts. The “value” of a podcast is directly related to its guests and its audience…. who’s speaking and who’s listening.
““Don’t worry about audience numbers. Look at who the guests are. Understand who is in that audience. That’s how you can derive your value.””
Knowing this, as you shop around for a podcast that might add some credibility to you and your business—or one that might be targeted to your customer-base, take a look/listen to past episodes and take note of who the guests are.
Is there an apparent theme? If so, you can quickly determine whether that pod is a fit for you or not. If you’re into live connections (six feet minimum distance) with other humans, then pick up your phone and call that host to find out who’s listening to their pod.
I’m sure that we’ll start to see podcast audience numbers coming out of reputable sources sometime soon, but for now, those numbers are irrelevant.
One more point before I go.
Just because a handful of pods, like Berger’s, have been around for a decade now, there’s no reason why a newcomer can’t unseat or disrupt one of those shows… Because in case you haven’t picked up on the ‘so what’ of this post, the value of a podcast is based on the who’s who of its guest list, and the playing field is wide open.
Podcasting power all depends on the host, their network, and whether or not that network is willing to take forty-five each week to listen to what they have to say. So unpack your rolodex, and get cracking.
Looking for the quickest path to the pods?
Check out my fully vetted list of sports business podcasts wrapped and ready for some serious outreach. FWIW, I’ve added five new pods since publishing this list in January… so things are movin’.
Go get em.
