Today on episode 399 we hear how people are getting press credentials with their podcast, we have an interview with Tony from Patreon which is a service that

Because of my Podcast - I have Press Credentials [2:34]

Today Corey from Ivy Envy podcast explains how his show on the Chicago Cubs has allowed him to get press credentials from some of the minor league teams, which allowed him to interview the Owner of the Chicago cubs (how cool is that?) Tom Rickets. This is a great example of "scaling/niching down" your content. Instead of doing a podcast on Baseball, do it on the Major leagues. Not just the major league, but a certain division. Not just a certain division, but a specific team. Not only the team, but the minor league team, the PA announcer, and all the behind the scenes information that someone who is truly passionate about that team would love. Corey is going to explain how in the future he got a major league rule changed. COOL. Check him out at www.ivyenvy.com or subscribe in iTunes.

Patreon Helps Content Creators get Paid and Build Community [6:35]

Anthony Privitelli is the head of Creator Relations at Patreon. Patreon is similar to a crowd funding tool like Kickstarter, except its ongoing. You can have it set up to have your patrons (your supporters) pay you a monthly contribution. This may have you feeling the pressure to produce content (when you're not feeling creative). This monthly option may be a good fit for those who produce a lot of content and don't want to charge their patrons numerous times per month. The other options is to get paid per post. Your patron can set a limit if they want (so if you put out 30 posts in a month they can cap their support at 5). You post can be audio, video, or anything downloadable. They do not host the media. Tom Merrit (formerly of this week in tech) is making around $9000 a month. He has over 3000 patrons The D6 Generation is making $232 per episode with 74 patrons The Angry Chicken is making $176 per month with 43 patrons. Mike Falzone is making $371 per podcast with 49 patrons (side note he uses podomatic is in a world of hurt as his audience is too big - see I told you Podomatic is the Devil).

Typical Video Strategy

You can create a video and post it on YouTube (free) and mark the video as "unlisted" so that only people with the link to that video can see it (so you give the link to the video to patreon and it displays on your Patreon page - and you specify its for patrons only.

Hot Spot for Amounts?

The average pledge is $7. The hot spot is between $1 and $5 per post.

Anthony Privitelli Video Interview

Here is the Hangout On Air that I did with Tony, and you will see a little behind the scenes of my account. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A7z_tX4oMc&feature=share

My Amazon Account Has Been Banned For Life[31:18]

I wrote about this earlier in the week. My advice would be to NOT redirect your audience to Amazon through any kind of special link. In listening to some of the "bigger" podcasts, they all tell people to go to their website and click the banner. Its not as easy, but they are still associates and I'm not. You can read more about this here I still have affiliate programs through BSW, Same Day Music, and BNH so I will be updating my site.

How to Avoid Podfading - Dealing with Negativity[42:14]

When you put yourself out there, not everyone will like you. That can be a hard pill to swallow. Here are some tips to help you with negative comments. 1. You can't please everyone. 2. Label any positive responses you get via email. Print these out and make a folder. You could hang these on the wall. 3. Remember you are in control of the podcast. In some cases the person may have a point. HOWEVER if they want you to steer your podcast into a direction that you don't want to go, it's YOUR podcast. If they leave, that's OK. 4. George Hrab shared on his podcast how one of his listeners explained how his day was going horrible, and he listened to George's show and his show cheered him up. That's huge.

New Edison Research on Podcasting Stats

Pandora is top dog for online streaming radio. iHeart Radio is making a dent. Most people still listen to the radio in the car, but portable media (phones, mp3 players) are still growing in this area). 500% increase of Smart Phone ownership 78% of people 12-24 own a smart phone. 68-78% of people have a smart phone. More and more people are listening on portable devices and NOT on their computer. The computer went from 64% down to 46% while smart phone consumption went through the roof. 39 million Americans listen to podcasts a month. That's just Americans. The average podcast listener listens to 6 a week. Podcast continues to grow every single year.