What IAB Compliant Downloads Really Mean for Your Podcast by Jessica Kupferman

Without going into any more detail about what IAB compliance IS and why we are standardizing, I’d like to talk about how these changes affect you, the podcaster, directly.

It really doesn’t change very much. Here’s why.

1. Your audience size is exactly the same

If you are on the list of podcasters whose downloads have gone down, try and remember that the only thing that’s changed is how the downloads are REPORTED, but not the audience size or the number of listeners at all.

So, this means that if you already have sponsors, and they are satisfied with how things are going so far (this is key), then you can go ahead and charge the same exact price you’ve been charging.

If you’re in negotiations with a new sponsor, and you’ve already priced it, you don’t need to make any changes.

If you are just starting out and are eager to monetize, you need to learn how to price your entire influence taking everything into account – beyond JUST your show downloads.

I’ve contributed to and written many resources in The Podcast Success Academy all about being an audio influencer and creating an entire platform with which to sell ads, not just your podcast downloads.

2. Downloads, Shmownloads

I can’t stress enough that this statistic really isn’t the most important focus when you’re monetizing.

Before there were large podcast networks and large corporate sponsors, there was no standard of measurement (which isn’t good for those two parties) and no standard definition of success (which is great for the rest of us).

We, as the independent podcaster, were free to define success on our own terms, based on the goals we wanted to achieve by having a podcast.

You are still welcome to define podcasting success based on your personal goals with your show. I started my first podcast in 2013 because I wanted to become more of a known expert in my field and dabble in speaking. Goal achieved!

I almost never looked at my downloads. I charged advertising based on what I perceived the value would be for an ad campaign that spread throughout my platform – podcast, web, email, and social.

Advertisers bought with me because I offered the exact right audience they were trying to reach: and that is the product you have to offer too, whether there are 100 of them or 10,000.

After all, you didn’t get into podcasting so you could screenshot your download numbers and post it in a Facebook group (hopefully). You got into podcasting so you could help people. Inspire people. Entertain people. Educate people. Rant to people. Connect with people.

Yes, the more people you’re doing that with and for, the more money your ads are worth. But this is a number that balances out with who they are.

There are companies out there that would rather pay $1000 to talk to 500 oyster shuckers than $1000 to talk to 10,000 random people who listen to This American Life. Which brings me to the final piece of advice.

3. Focus on growth, everywhere

Grow your email list. Start a Facebook group of like-minded show enthusiasts. Offer a #tweetchat on a particular subject. Keyword your show notes so that your show is easily found in a Google search about the subject.

Do what you have to, and what you want to do, to find even more people who might be interested in what your podcast is all about. Focus on reaching out and connecting with more people, wherever you love to do so now.

In the meantime, head to The Podcast Success Academy where there are a ton of workshops and resources that can help you with this stage of podcasting.

Andrew and Pete teach us about creating remarkable content. Aweber’s Tom Tate takes us through email marketing and automation. Mike Morrison helps us monetize with membership sites (say that three times fast!)

You’ll notice that nowhere in the academy is there a course that says “get more downloads.” Because we know that you, and your podcast, are so much more. You are building an empire, regardless of how small, and the Podcast Websites team and I are here to guide you in any way that we can.

Next Steps

• Watch our free course in the FREE tier of the Podcast Success Academy: “Sneaky Secrets to Growing Your Podcast Audience.”
• Find out what podcast advertisers really want from podcasters
• Find out how your podcast can make money regardless of your downloads
• Find out what IAB is and how it’ll affect your podcast
• Download Top 6 technical tips to maximise your download stats