Well, hello again. I come to you this time bearing news. Despite stating quite clearly in a recent interview I did for Mr Stuart Waterman over at his excellent site that I didn't know what the answer was when it came to monetising my shows, it seems that the answer has somehow found me...
I would like to make you all aware that I have now signed an agreement with Acast, who will be assuming control of the advertising aspect for both 'Attaboy Clarence' and 'The Secret History Of Hollywood'. As you may have read in the interview, I have been approached before, but it has never seemed a fit. The user experiences have always been a little bit too clunky, or the content they wished to use in advertising was, in my mind, a little too quickly out of date.
Having looked into Acast as a platform, I seem genuinely satisfied that the control still lies with me. I am allowed to choose how many ads per show I would like, as well as where in the show they will fit. The ads are never overlong, and they seem to be from reputable companies, such as IKEA, Universal, Sony and Spotify.
Also, Acast's ambition is to use technology to improve the art of audio podcasting itself. Using their platform, I find that I am able to enrich my shows, add artwork or galleries to specific points in each show, as well as dynamic links, interactive show notes and videos. It will take me a little while to learn how to best use these tools, so don't expect dazzling multimedia experiences right off the bat, but they will come.
I am also in the process of creating a range of ebooks based on my Secret History shows.
I want to tell you now that I am completely against ads in the middle of any show, and have stipulated that I do not want this to happen, therefore, any ads will only appear at the very beginning and very end of any show. They will be no more than 30 seconds long. If you feel the need to skip them, please do so. The actual shows will never break away during "the action" for another ad. If they do, please tell me immediately, and I will raise merry hell.
The reason that I have accepted this offer, along with other forms of monetisation, is that while this began as a hobby, it has grown into something far more involving. It is no exaggeration to say that I spend more time in a week working on these shows than I do at my full-time job, and anyone who knows how many hours a Sous Chef has to work, will tell you that that adds up to quite a few hours per day.
The fact is that I have to make this second full-time job pay, and this seems, at least for now, to be the most inoffensive way.
Of primary importance to me is your experience as a listener. I do not want your listening experience to be ruined by this development, which is why I will not be allowing anyone to break in during the show to advertise Spotify etc. The shows will simply be bookended by easily skippable ads. There may be teething problems to begin with. I am still finding my feet with all this, so if any problems do arise, please stick with it, and they will all be ironed out eventually.
Thank you for your continued support, and I do hope this new development will not harm our relationship.
My best as always
Adam