Help The Paracast Live Long and Prosper!

[Gene Steinberg]

The Paracast observed its tenth anniversary on February 28 of this year.

Starting as just an idea during a casual conversation, the show has expanded to a worldwide phenomenon. In 2010, we gained national syndication through the GCN network, and we're now heard on nearly two dozen terrestrial radio stations in addition to our strong online presence.

What we haven't succeeded at, frankly, is turning this success into cash. As most of you know, I'm involved in a daily struggle to put food on the table and pay the rent. Chris gets a few breadcrumbs and depends on his other jobs to survive. I'm grateful that he tolerates the situation.

That's not the way it should be.

So how to we turn this venture into a money-making enterprise?

The network offers us nine minutes of commercial time per show to sell to advertisers. That's a big potential source of revenue if we could sell all those slots to paying clients. For a couple of years, ending in 2010, we had a great salesperson who was on his way towards building regular cash flow for everyone. He's no longer here — we are talking about bringing him back.

If he doesn't return, we still need someone to handle sales. That's a skill I do not possess, and Chris is too busy playing the survival game to help. He's not a salesperson either.

The other potential revenue stream is The Paracast+. Please go to this site to learn more about our premium service: Introducing The Paracast+ | The Paracast — The Gold Standard of Paranormal Radio

Membership continues to grow — slowly. If we can build the membership to two or three times the current level, it will mean regular income for me and Chris. Not riches, but it will help greatly. I won't need to beg for help, which is demeaning on every level.

Some have suggested a Paracast Convention as a possible money source. We might do it, but UFO/paranormal conventions are expensive to run and don't always leave much for the sponsors after all expenses are paid. I've been there.

If you have any suggestions to boost The Paracast, feel free to post them here.

 

[Wade]

In all seriousness Gene another way to go about it is maybe saving money by reducing the number of broadcast maybe making it bimonthly.

Also securing these people must be time consuming and sometimes there is little opportunity to post questions given the time frame.

Lastly while I admire guys like Kevin, Micah and Nick (and with all due respect) they are on an awful lot of time and speaking for myself I can't think of anything interesting to ask them that couldn't be asked to someone else. I find it more enticing if someone is on say once a year or so. At least by that time some more things would have happened. New book new podcast show new breaking events etc.

Maybe if you dropped to a bimonthly broadcast you would have a little more time to secure other guests that have yet to be given time .

If you are contractually obligated to have a show every week maybe you could put all the archives behind a paywall...made available to paracase plus listeners...and select a broadcast from the archives and play that every other week and give yourself and Chris some breathing room.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

It doesn't cost as anything to do the show. And if we only run biweekly, which is not what the network allows, we'd halve our advertising income opportunities, and make The Paracast+ less attractive to subscribers. In other words, it would make matters worse.

I know you are a loyal listener and poster, and you're trying to help. But this isn't the way. Sorry.

 

[technomage]

Some ideas:

1. Expand Paracast website to be UFO/paranormal news outlet like that other site, the name of which escapes me. Invite guests to write articles. They would do it for free and they would be able to advertise their books and products through this outlet. So have Micah, Nick and other friends of the Paracast write articles on the website. This will bring traffic and advertising.
   
   
2. Create Paracast Youtube channel where you post interesting videos. It will be another avenue to bring people in.
   
   
3. Consider joint programming with other podcasters you respect enabling both audiences to mingle and expand.
   
   
4. Make money off of Chris's investigations or add it as a paracast plus feature. For example, "A day in the life of Chris O'Brien" where he would attach a video camera and go to a hotspot to investigate. I think many people would definitely want to see what that was like.
   
   
5. Do more round tables on specific subjects like you did on Men in Black. For example: Breakaway civilizations, Ghost Rockets, Abductions, ETH vs. other hypotheses. Get different and even opposing points of view; this should definitely attract listeners.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

OK, some fast comments:

1. Giving free advertising isn't going to work very well, because we have only a limited amount of space for ads. We need to sell that inventory. But offering news is something that might work, though it would require a redesign of the site and way to do it that doesn't involve a huge investment in time. In saying that, giving contributors a byline, and a short text ad could work.

2. Perhaps, but it might conflict with plans to incorporate videos in the Paracast+.

3. Possibly in some fashion, but we are a networked radio show, and the podcast is just an alternate way of distribution.

4. Duly noted.

5. Duly noted.

 

[technomage]

Also, I think the Paracast Plus is a very good avenue, so it's a matter of identifying why many of the 4500 forum members and many more thousands haven't signed up yet. Clearly, I'm not the best one to answer that question, since I signed up, but I'm guessing they need some additional coaxing. I think getting feedback from non-Paracast plus regular listeners would definitely be helpful.

 

[ChrisJohnsen]

I think the best way to increase revenue is two-fold:
1) Better ad sales. Clearly this is being underutilized.
2) Higher listener conversions to Paracast+ subscribers.

As for #1, you do need a hungry ad sales person to drive this area and I know you've been looking for someone for years. It seems like this is partially out of your control until you find the right person.

As for #2, here is where I think you control a bit more of your own destiny. You increase the number of subscribers by continuing to add REAL and EXTRA value to a Paracast+ subscription. Stop talking about what you're going to do and actually do it, in a timely manner. You guys talked for over a year about videos, when one finally went up it was lacking in any interesting relevance or content. It was just some random high def drone footage of a bunch of guys fucking around at the edge of the Grand Canyon. What was compelling about that? Come on guys, you can do better.

One area of compelling content immediately available is the Paracast archives. I mentioned on the ATP continuation of the Listener Roundtable I participated in last year that you should continually move a curated group of episodes behind the paywall for subscribers. Episodes of-note, either from content or controversy, that are often referenced in passing during the show. This content exists now. Edit out the annoying ads, highlight the episodes as another benefit for subscribers, and it's one more benefit for their $6/month or $60/year. You can do that right now with the only effort being 1) compiling a list (which you could even crowd-source by posting in the Paracast+ forum and asking for top suggestions) and then 2) putting in the sweat equity to edit hours and hours of shows to make them ad-free and ready to move behind a paywall.

Call it the The Best of the Paracast, call it the Hall of Fame, something catchy to use as a marketing and promotional tool to entice free listeners to become invested subscribers so they can get exclusive access to the best of 10+ years of The Paracast.

Another area that could be used to enhance the value-added nature of subscriptions is to elevate the discussions of ATP episodes with "special guests," be it friends of the show (Bishop, Hanks, Redfern, etc) willing to comment on what we've just listened to, or perhaps active forum members, like Burnt State, Ufology, Sue, etc. commenting as long-time listeners of the show and participants in the forum. It might even encourage more members to participate in the forums if they think they might get a chance to discuss a topic on ATP. Now, this would mean more of a time delay between posting the show and posting the ATP episode but who says they have to post concurrently, as opposed to a few days later? If it creates more compelling subscriber-only content than the current offering of the hosts talking politics, or yet another update on the San Luis Valley Camera Project, it can only be a good thing. Also, it's not necessary that this be the format of EVERY ATP episode, just ones where it can be achieved and makes sense.

Finally, what about some sort of either monthly/quarterly/bi-annual subscriber-only Skype Roundtable where the hosts, a guest and subscribers have their own online discussion/Q&A session? It could be an hour chatting about all things paranormal or UFO with Nick Redfern, Alejandro Rojas, Micah Hanks, etc. Friends of the show with great personalities that would be open to that type of discourse with Paracast+ subscribers. Maybe it's even limited to yearly+ subscribers, not monthly subscribers, to get even more elitist!

I'm just spit-balling ideas here and this is just the beginning but let's address the lowest hanging fruit first and get it done ASAP, rather than incessantly mentioning it during shows with little-to-no follow through. New "Best of the Paracast" feature debuting for subscribers by July 1st with 10 ad-free shows from the archive with 5 new ad-free archival shows added monthly. The sooner more value is added to The Paracast+ subscription, the sooner you could be generating more revenue for the hosts.

Respectfully submitted,
CJ

PS: I also like technomage's suggestion of having certain previous guests/friends of the show write exclusive articles within their areas of interest/published books for the website. Content is king. The more you have, the more valuable the site, the more traffic (hopefully).


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Gene Steinberg]

This is great. Thanks CJ.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

I wanted to add a lot more. But we're in the middle of a widespread cable/internet outage. So I have to use costly AT&T data.

I am setting up a "Classic Episode" feature. I already have some of the earliest episodes edited with the help of volunteers. These will shortly go behind the paywall and only behind the paywall. Eventually this will expand to include other episodes. It's mostly a matter of me finding the time and motivation to set things up. Right now, frankly, it's a daily battle just to put food on the table.

But let me see what I can accomplish this week.

 

[Gene Steinberg]

A few more remarks now that the Internet works again:

1. Skype chats: You can have up to 25 participants, but it will take a little juggling to restrict it to people who only subscribe to The Paracast+, meaning we'd have to invite members who want to participate, and how do you deal with situations where we have too many people?

Handling five or six participants is ungainly. Doing it with up to 25 is going to be difficult to manage. I'm thinking of possibly using a more traditional online meeting service, which entails a monthly fee, however.

We can also do text-based chats. We have a rudimentary chat system now in the Paracast+ area, and there are more sophisticated tools, at a price, which will let us retain premium access, and set up separate users, guests, and moderators. But it may be better to offer an online audio conference as an extra-cost special event that would allow anyone to attend.

As you see, I'm still exploring the possibilities as to what works best.

2. After The Paracast: We do occasionally have extra guests, or continue a discussion on the premium podcast. We could do a segment at the start consisting of commentaries about the previous episode, of course, with one of the forum regulars or special guests. Thanks for the suggestions.

3. Videos: We need to grow the membership for Chris to see a $$ incentive to put more time into videos. They aren't cheap or quick to shoot. We had one documentary producer who wanted to upload some content, but we're still waiting for something to happen.

 

[ChrisJohnsen]

A few more remarks now that the Internet works again:

1. Skype chats: You can have up to 25 participants, but it will take a little juggling to restrict it to people who only subscribe to The Paracast+, meaning we'd have to invite members who want to participate, and how do you deal with situations where we have too many people?

Handling five or six participants is ungainly. Doing it with up to 25 is going to be difficult to manage. I'm thinking of possibly using a more traditional online meeting service, which entails a monthly fee, however.

We can also do text-based chats. We have a rudimentary chat system now in the Paracast+ area, and there are more sophisticated tools, at a price, which will let us retain premium access, and set up separate users, guests, and moderators. But it may be better to offer an online audio conference as an extra-cost special event that would allow anyone to attend.

As you see, I'm still exploring the possibilities as to what works best.

2. After The Paracast: We do occasionally have extra guests, or continue a discussion on the premium podcast. We could do a segment at the start consisting of commentaries about the previous episode, of course, with one of the forum regulars or special guests. Thanks for the suggestions.

3. Videos: We need to grow the membership for Chris to see a $$ incentive to put more time into videos. They aren't cheap or quick to shoot. We had one documentary producer who wanted to upload some content, but we're still waiting for something to happen.

Skype Chats: Yes, I can see how lots of people could turn into chaos with everyone talking over each other. There were only 3 people asking the hosts questions in our Listener Roundtable episode and I even found that frustrating and the 2 hours absolutely FLEW by with so many questions left unasked. I still think the idea of a subscriber-only chat is good but clearly the execution needs to be fine-tuned. Ideally, the solution needs to be a "zero cost" option, as the objective here is to generate higher revenue via subscriptions and put much needed money into the show's coffers. Perhaps eligible subscribers who are interested sign-up in advance for a small amount of spots available once a "private roundtable w/a special guest" is announced and the participants are picked at random? Or, using your idea of a text-based chat, much like a Reddit "AMA" session, would also be an interesting option. Maybe even a combination of the two depending on the "special guest" and level of interest. Again, the idea is to come up with a zero cost, or super-low cost, easy to execute, value-added proposition to the Paracast+.

Best of the Paracast: This new addition could be the strongest area of "value-added" to generate more paid subscriptions. The 10+ years of show archives are gold, Gene, GOLD! (Seinfeld reference) They need to be highlighted and creatively summarized (why they are interesting, relevant, controversial, etc) so that both subscribers (and non-subscribers) can see what shows they may have missed that are essential for better understanding the paranormal. Only subscribers can download or stream them but non-subscribers need to be able to see the show titles AND their descriptions so that they can read about what they are missing out on by NOT being a subscriber. As a subscriber, I would love to go back and listen to older shows that featured great guests and/or discussions that are considered "classics." I can't do that now, as I've been spoiled by shows with no ads. I also feel strongly that from a marketing perspective, it should be called "Best of," as opposed to "Classics." Calling something "classic" implies "old" (that Gene Steinberg, what a classic!), whereas "Best of" implies something of high quality and interest.

ATP: I'm aware of the infrequent occasions where extra guests participate. I guess my overall point would be to think of additional ways to further elevate the content and enhance the value of these "subscriber-only" episodes, as they already exist but with a bit more thought and effort could be even more enticing to encourage new subscribers to check out what they are missing.

Video: No question this is the most challenging section to generate interesting content for. Not only does it need to be compelling and relevant but as you pointed out, creating video content can be extremely time consuming and potentially expensive. Probably not worth spending much time on unless the raw video content really warrants the time, trouble and expense.

Exclusive Articles/Posts: I think this area is worth pursuing. It's a theoretically easy way to create additional, unique content for the site that adds value and doesn't require the hosts to do the "heavy lifting."

I certainly sympathize and identify with the immediate need to put food on the table. I have no idea what your days and weeks consist of beyond hosting and editing the show, that's none of my business. However, if The Paracast/Paracast+ is currently the primary way you are trying to generate more income for yourself and Chris, then the more immediate the need to add value for subscribers so that the subscriber base will grow faster and put more money into the show's bank account.

On a separate but related note, how much listener demographic information do you have and/or get from GCN regarding your listenership? Obviously that kind of information, the more in-depth the better, is crucial to targeting the right type of advertisers for the show and subsequently selling them on the value of advertising on The Paracast. One advertiser I think would be perfect for the show is Squarespace. I'm sure many Paracast listeners have their own blogs and websites about which they share their thoughts on the UFO phenomena and paranormal. Also, web-hosting companies like GoDaddy, A Small Orange, HostGator or InMotion (I use them) or smaller email hosting companies like Hover (I use them also). Obviously listing a few companies that COULD be advertisers is easier said than actually locking down an ad commitment but I wonder how much effort is being made in this area at the current time?

Respectfully,
CJ