48:58Monetizing Podcasts and Newsletters - Chris Best of Substack and Jonathan Gill of Backtracks
From Y Combinator · Published Jul 22, 2019 · Watch on YouTube
TL;DR
Chris Best (Substack) and Jonathan Gill (Backtracks) debate paid subscriptions versus advertising for monetizing podcasts and newsletters. Chris argues that paid direct relationships are the future due to a market failure in underpaying for culture, while Jonathan advocates a blend of ads and subscriptions, noting measurement issues and the value of audience quality.
Key insights
- Podcast downloads are currently like banner ad impressions of the early internet; measurement is immature and often inaccurate, leading to overpriced or underpriced ads.
- Using accurate measurement that detects fraud typically yields lower numbers, but is healthier for the long-term ecosystem.
- The Chinese podcast market is about 10x the size of the US market, partly because Chinese audiences are used to paying for audio content and distrust free content.
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