What do you think about sponsors for each chapter within the episode

Posted August 27th, 2008 by scottsigler

I like it: The ads are short, so I don't mind at all

22% (12 votes)

It's okay: If it brings me more free fiction, I'll live with it

20% (11 votes)

I'm not sure: I guess I can live with it, but I'm not crazy about it

25% (14 votes)

I don't like it: This might get on my nerves after awhile

29% (16 votes)

I hate it: Ads inside the episode will make me stop listening altogether

4% (2 votes)

Total votes: 55

Printer-friendly version

Ads/Commercials are not

On September 11th, 2008 (16:21 GMT) Nuchtchas says:

Ads/Commercials are not evil. Thos are short, it breaks up the chapters (gives a good pause point if the listener needs one) and please, you got to pay the bills right?

product placement the way to go

On September 7th, 2008 (08:40 GMT) redhedtexan says:

perry dawsey walks around the corner,with a fist full of a dead trialein spewing blue ooze,and takes a big drink of his 16 ounce budwieser tall boy can,it was brewed to perfection,he thought to himself............

hell if it taste like chicken,bring me chicken!

rodney carigton

Pointless and Irritating to the rest of the world...

On September 6th, 2008 (09:41 GMT) Mark Ellwood (not verified) says:

I realise that sponsorship and advertsing is a necessity and that for the time being your biggest audience is in the USA. But for the rest of us - the growing army of junkies around the globe it might as well be white noise. So please - not in the middle of the epsiode - I have bought and read Infected but continue to listen to it because of the fantasic and atmospheric delivery. Just try and imagine how The Rookie would sound with an add in the miiddle of each episode - please don't spoil it.

ads for chapters

On September 5th, 2008 (12:23 GMT) nicksjunk says:

hey, if you get like 15 sponsors, does that mean you'll have to do 15 chapters per podcast? if so, I'm in baby....if not, i'm still strongly for it, i really like the ad before each chapter. i'm glad you're getting some sponsor cash to do the podcasts...scott gets cash, we get content, it's a beautiful thing.

i know you're committed to making your kick-ass stories available for free via podcast, but knowing you're getting some money for it on the side just reassures me you won't get fed up with the junkies & kill the concept.

I'm fine with the ads as

On September 3rd, 2008 (14:23 GMT) dave K (not verified) says:

I'm fine with the ads as long as they stay shorter then the chapter. It gives you (me) a few sec. to let whatever unspeakable horrors you just spoke time to sink in & me to think, oh wow whats he going to next. THANK YOU for the books. They are awesome, you & the other masters of podio books help geep me sane at work. If a few adds help u keep the chapers coming them its OK with me. KY, dave

My two-cents

On September 2nd, 2008 (13:38 GMT) qforlong says:

You mentioned previously that you don't use guest-actors due to the interruption of the "spell" that is woven by your narratives. This has at least as jarring a interrupted feel to it to me. I wonder if you could maybe have an intermission halfway through the podcast with all of the ads, or perhaps put the ads before your jibber-jabber so that we loyal Sigler fans will listen to them in order to hear our FDO(tm) deliver his latest death threats. I'm not sure what the best solution is, but I am sure that I don't like the chapter-by-chapter interruptions. It's not like a TV show, where I'm mostly brain-dead anyways. I listen to the podiobooks much the same way I read, and the sort of auto-hypnotic trance I get into is badly mauled by the interruptions. Anyhoo, I'm really glad you're back and cruising along again. Thank you sincerely for returning the loyalty you earned from your fans at each step in your evolution as an author/performer. We appreciate it!

I'm not sure how i like the

On September 2nd, 2008 (10:09 GMT) freakopedia says:

I'm not sure how i like the ads in the middle of the story cause it breaks the story up to much losing some of the tension and excitement. However, as a business man I do understand about making sure sponsors are properly put in so that this free feed and content will continue to be delivered to us. On the other hand I like the ads in the beginning due tot he fact the I'm in my car while listening and if there was an ad or sponsor I want to go back and check out I only have to go to the beginning to get the info I needed. I did this to use the code when i got stuff from GoDaddy.com and later when i bought my Sony Blue Tooth headphones. But no matter what is done I'll continue to listen, but this is just my two freakin cents. Hurdy gur, Freakopedia

Strategic Advertising

On September 1st, 2008 (20:29 GMT) Ash says:

Hi Scott,

I just thought I would give you a little honest feedback. Having a marketing background, I understand why you need to leverage sponsorships etc., however, I think there must be a better way to do things. One of the best things about your stories is the fact that you feel total and utter immersion when you hear the episode end to end. The advertising (especially the personal endorsements) in between totally snapped me out of that place that you are so good at taking listeners.

A few alternatives to try may be:

- If you absolutely must mention a sponsor in the middle, just mention them once like "Chapter 52, brought to you by Go Daddy.com" and then into the story

- Another idea (and this may not work in every case) is to incorporate the sponsors web sites into the story. You could get them to host Easter Eggs which would entail listeners having to visit the sponsors web site to get strategic story related info etc. These could be images, a few paragraphs of written text etc.

I think your sponsors would respond very well to increasing traffic in this way. Anyway, keep up the good work

Ash

Sydney, Australia

I'm okay

On September 1st, 2008 (06:39 GMT) zaphodbblx says:

I voted that I'm not sure but honestly, I'm okay with it...It just brings to mind one of Mark Yosimoto Nemkoff's books(Art of Surfacing) that had tons of short episodes and was pushing the same crappy movie over and over again(btw the pitches aren't on the new mevio feed).Just dont do the same commercial every 5 seconds mmmmkay?

The ads are fine

On August 31st, 2008 (08:53 GMT) Asher says:

You have to pay the bills, so we put up with the ads. Make sure that your advertisers know that you're placing the ads in the middle of the podcast, rather than at the beginning where people can fast forward or at the end where people can just click stop. Gustatus similis pullus.

It's Okay

On August 30th, 2008 (14:46 GMT) amaster says:

I don't mind the ads on the long chapters, but on the short chapters, it is annoying.

Sitting here with my computer hooked directly into a vein in my arm.

See my writing at http://Writing.Com/authors/amaster

the bills must be paid

On August 30th, 2008 (10:17 GMT) redhedtexan says:

hell man sell out as mutch as your comfortable with then screw the rest man.the way to go may be shameless product placement.subtle but non-obtrusive.

sir your bleeding i don't have time to bleed do you have time to duck?

Advertising

On August 30th, 2008 (05:06 GMT) DERRINALPHIL says:

I am from Australia but I buy my Rockport Shoes from a store in California and get them shipped to Australia. They are cheaper and I can access a much bigger range than are available in Australia. Advertising is useless if you are never going to buy the goods. Possibly Scott should look at where the suscriptions come from?

What's the difference from shopping online?

On August 30th, 2008 (10:12 GMT) scottsigler says:

You buy from California, so what's the difference from buying from an online retailer? Eastbay will ship to Australia, no? I prever online advertisers or "big brand" advertisers because their products are available in most countries in which I have listeners.

OK but disruptive

On August 30th, 2008 (03:10 GMT) mkaz says:

Ads are OK, but I'd prefer them all at the beginning of the story and not interspersed throughout like commercials.

'I don't like it!' He petulantly cried!

On August 30th, 2008 (01:32 GMT) jur451c says:

First off, I love these free stories, infected rocks, nocturnal is awesome and I fully understand your need to make some cash to fund the ongoing fiction, however I find that this really stunts the flow of the story, a bit like turning the feed off and talking to someone about something completely unrelated for a minute before continuing with the story. If this needs to continue to help finance the podcasting then I guess I'll learn to live with it, but I would rather have the ads at the beginning or end, I always listen to the ads but am unlikely to act on them as I am from the UK. (i'm not even sure if I could take up these offers outside the US).

Keep up the good work!!!!

I don't get it

On August 29th, 2008 (15:13 GMT) Gillsing (not verified) says:

Perhaps some people actually do fast-forward to where they think the story will begin? I wouldn't know. But as far as I'm concerned, I'd be a lot more receptive to sponsorship messages at the beginning and end of a a podcast than to commercials that interrupt the story. So I think that not only is the story hurt by the commercials, the commercials themselves are hurt by being placed in the middle of the story. And for no good reason too, since I still listen to the them when they are placed before and after the story. I'm not a TV audience. I'm not going to zap to another channel or leave my MP3-player while commercials are playing.

Fast-forwarding isn't the issue

On August 30th, 2008 (10:40 GMT) scottsigler says:

The problem with front-loading the ads is that I get new people trying out the stories all the time, and if the first thing they hear is 5 minutes of me blabbering and ads, they might not even make it to the story to see if they like it. Part of my job is to keep growing the number of listeners and readers.

That's why I started putting all the ads in the back of the episode, but most listeners -- just like me -- turn if off when the story is done. So I'm trying to find a way to get an advertising message across to people just like me, which is hard to do.

I get it

On September 1st, 2008 (06:49 GMT) zaphodbblx says:

A small break in the middle would most like do the trick and anyhow if your allready a fan and don't mind waiting for podiobooks theres no ad...like I said im okay with it!

If there's no ad in the Podiobooks feed I could care less...

On September 1st, 2008 (13:15 GMT) sadock says:

I usually wait for the whole story to come out anyways, unless I'm producing as we go. Then I've got an ulterior motive, so I abstain. More ads means more work for me ;)

-- hit Podiobooks.com for undiluted crack by our FDO! --

Totally ruins the feeling of the story.

On August 29th, 2008 (09:08 GMT) Amiko says:

I hate it - will not stop to listen but I hate it . Please put the announcements in the beginning of the episode as I understand that putting it in the end won't be so "sexy" for the sponsors.

Ye Who brought more than 2 books cast ye first stone

On August 29th, 2008 (05:29 GMT) DDevlin says:

We don't like ads in TV that's what I getting from people but TV is Big and everyone is paid for there time and work in TV. Podcasts cost nothing but the time of the podcaster who provides you with great content. In return they ask for a little support. Time is valuable to the podcaster who spends 10 hours of recording and editing to provide you with 30 minutes of great story. Ad placement cost us the listener no time compared to the of the podcaster and I support the things that I like and enjoy I need shoes in support for Mr.Sigler I will shop Eastbay and if ads help Mr.Sigler for his time then thats great.

i voted "its okay"

On August 29th, 2008 (04:26 GMT) jannypie says:

obviously it breaks the rhythm of the story, i'm sure scott knew it would. the siglerverse i was imagining in my head was broken and i had to get back into it each time. but i like the way scott speaks any time so it didn't bother me that much to actually hear the ads themselves. and when he said "a new way of advertising" i immediately feared the characters were going to do product pitches within the story, so at least it isn't that bad!

----

blog | twitter

Product placement?

On August 29th, 2008 (14:53 GMT) Wolf says:

He rolled over his left shoulder and swung wide with the six-inch Emerilware steak knife from Macys clutched unforgivingly in his right hand.

Dew pinched the Apple I-phone from Circuit City between his shoulder
and ear, steered with one hand, and with the other punched an address
into the Buick’s dashboard GPS computer, a rather nice model from Tom-Tom.

Just Dew it!

ha

On September 1st, 2008 (06:06 GMT) zaphodbblx says:

Funny...you're joking right? :)

Only half

On September 2nd, 2008 (10:57 GMT) Wolf says:

Think about it. Whenever you see the hero of the latest blockbuster take a drink from a can of soda, it's extremely obvious as to what brand it is. The logo is always facing the camera and the shot takes a little bit longer thab needed just to show that Sheriff B G Nightstick is thirsty. Product placement is nothing new and, if done right, can showcase a product without being a blatent commercial. The only other alterantive is subliminal advertising. (BTW, Scott, there's something to think about)

Just Dew it!

LOL

On August 29th, 2008 (14:22 GMT) sadock says:

I'd almost rather him do this than put them in between chapters. It might get old quick, but it would be hilarious for a while.

-- hit Podiobooks.com for undiluted crack by our FDO! --

Acceptable but a bit disruptive

On August 29th, 2008 (04:32 GMT) Jus (not verified) says:

Clearly, you're giving us free entertainment and that can't last forever without a revenue stream, so the ads are understandable. I think placing them in between the chapters is disruptive to the storyline, especially on the shorter chapters. If the ads were at the beginning or the end, it would be much better, although possibly harder to sell to the sponsors. Thanks for all your hard work.

ads before, ads after NOT during show

On August 28th, 2008 (18:22 GMT) 26 (not verified) says:

the problem I had with the ads was that they were recorded later with a cheap mic or something, and they just sounded fake, maybe thats just cause I've heard some of them on other (podshow) mevio podcasts..... "this chapter brought to you by"? what is this ??? PBS???

I don't mind in between chapters

On August 28th, 2008 (18:54 GMT) gmanvsfreeman says:

but you just might want to put them in the beginning or the end.

G-Man

Nine million terrorists in the world I gotta kill one with smaller feet than my sister. - John McClane

Ads - yes, in the middle of content.... Not so much

On August 28th, 2008 (16:36 GMT) Anonymous (not verified) says:

I definitely see that ads help finance podcasts. I know there is a limit to how much anyone can expect the podcaster to bear - for the glory. But honestly, I think that most often good episodes are around 30 minutes. Easier to grab during the day, easier to produce - etc. An ad in the middle of 30 minutes - not so attractive because as others have said, it is hard to balance with maintaining the flow. Ads the beginning and end? No problem. And charge a premium for those hot "beginning" spots and less for the "trailers." Or do what I've heard some others do - stick an ad at the closing of the episode, but before the "banter." I'm like most people - I like hearing what is going on with the author. If I didn't I'd subscribe more to PodioBooks than the iTunes feed or Audible. That gives you three spots in a 30 minute podcast with a sliding scale. Most for the opening, less for following the episode content (and it should be short spot so you don't lose your peeps) and the least for the trailers. Just my dos pesos.. MiguelD At home - where ever I roam http://www.memoriafoto.net

Good thinking here

On August 30th, 2008 (13:54 GMT) sadock says:

I like this proposal. Seems like the best compromise for everyone concerned. Scott gets $$$, junkies suffer minimum annoyance, story doesn't suffer at all.

Good on Ya Miguel D! Register so we can hit 4000!!!

-- hit Podiobooks.com for undiluted crack by our FDO! --

Top and Tail seems to be the best compromise...

On August 28th, 2008 (15:50 GMT) Wiffyjustus says:

The ads will still get heard, the flow of the story is unbroken. I reckon putting the "Top" ads in between the "story so far" and the story proper is perfectly fine. And, hey, who doesn't listen to your ramblings after the story any way. The ads will do their job at the top and tail of the story. It's your call of course, you gotta make a living.

Goes against the whole concept of podcasting

On August 28th, 2008 (15:42 GMT) sadock says:

The podoshere is one of the last bastions that is relatively ad free. It's totally your call, but one of the things I always liked about your 'cast was that no matter how big you got, you left the promos at the end of the episode and gave me a quick synopsis to let me know if it was worth my time. That also goes towards the notion of free.

If you start inserting ads into the middle of stories, you're in effect forcing people to listen to them. This costs them time. So it may not cost them money. I would say it is no longer free. I don't even have television anymore. I pay for Netflix and watch what I want when I want. Time is very valuable (often moreso than money) to many people. You will be alienating that portion of your audience.

And, if the ads get excessively annoying, a certain portion of the audience will leave. You are definitely brilliant, and highly entertaining. There's no question of that. But you're going to lose some folks with advertising, no matter how you do it. You've made the decision to support your 'casting with corporate sponsors, now you just have to decide which portion of the audience to alienate.

You're not going to be able to make everyone happy when you've got over fifty thousand listeners. That's why democracy is the worst form of government in the world, except for all the others.

-- hit Podiobooks.com for undiluted crack by our FDO! --

concept of podcasting

On September 1st, 2008 (06:20 GMT) zaphodbblx says:

I thought the whole concept of podcasting was getting your work recognized so you can do this whole writing thing professionaly? Ok not everyone is casting for that reason but by and large......

Uh, no.

On September 1st, 2008 (13:55 GMT) sadock says:

Perhaps if you isolate the people telling stories from the rest of the podosphere, you *might* be right, but I'd still say not. When taken as a whole however, there are thousands of podcasts. Possibly hundreds of thousands. I don't know the exact number.

Podcasts cover pretty much everything magazines do, possibly more. Given, the quality isn't always the best, but the variety is much greater and the overhead is much lower. That's one of the beautiful things about podcasting. You can get out your message to a wide audience for an extremely low monetary cost. All it really takes is an investment of time to make it sound decent. Some people don't even bother with that.

Taking on advertisers is covering what overhead costs? The equipment has long since been paid for. Essentially, podcasters who take on sponsors are using that money to pay themselves for the time they use to podcast. I have no idea of the money involved. I assume it's larger based on popularity.

And isn't the podcast itself an advertisement for the author in a way? It gets folks addicted to their work and will likely get them to buy books off the shelves. That's how it worked with Scott and Mur anyways. So authors who chose to continue podcasting their work are continuing to self promote. It's to their benefit.

But everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I certainly don't have all the facts. There may very well be data that I am unaware of which would cause me to change these opinions. But, given what I know, podcasts should remain ad free for the most part. Some at the beginning and end are fine, but putting them in the middle seems to be crossing a significant line to me.

-- hit Podiobooks.com for undiluted crack by our FDO! --

Ruins the momentum

On August 28th, 2008 (09:27 GMT) robby says:

Hi, longtime lurker, constant reader/listener here. I got very depressed by the three ads. They interrupted the flow of the story, and I couldn't help but feel a little betrayed by Scott. I know ads are a natural progression for any popular site, but I thought being loyal and buying Scott's books was enough. Guess not. The three ads made me feel very sad, and I'm not sure I could continue listening to chapters separated by annoying advertisements. I know I can treat it like TiVo, and skip ahead when the ads come on, but it seems like too much work. Sorry.

Betrayed?

On August 28th, 2008 (13:31 GMT) Peaux (not verified) says:

Really? You felt betrayed by him? Although I agree with you that the ads ruin the momentum to say you were betrayed by Scott is a bit strong. Hell, to say you would stop listening because of a 15 second ad is a little absurd. Scott, IMHO you should cut the ads until the beginning and ending. Listening to an audio book is a very personal experience, you become immersed in the story and the ads between the chapters is like being yanked to reality...the reality we enjoy avoiding by listening to your stories. Will I continue to listen? Absolutely!

I'm grateful for anything but between chapters ruins your vibe

On August 28th, 2008 (09:20 GMT) grend says:

You need to get paid, your commitment to free fiction both to market yourself AND as a commitment to your fans is damn awesome, but Ads in between the chapters flies in the face of general audience desires and might cost you eyeballs. PVRs, iTunes make great money because the most rabid fans like the feeling of not being uninterrupted by the ads. You do what you need to, I'll keep listening, but I'll honestly enjoy it less if I get removed from the flow by ads every chapter. Thank you for all your work, FDO

Oops

On August 28th, 2008 (08:50 GMT) irdmoose says:

Forgot to post AFTER logging in. Also neglected to say, I don't mind the ads. In fact, I'd rather have them if they help keep The FDO's stories free, since I'm too broke and too cheap to buy a hardcover (once I pay off my truck I'll buy every book Scott's written).

New format jitters

On August 28th, 2008 (08:20 GMT) Moose (not verified) says:

Just listened to the episode. I found the ads in between the chapters to be a bit distracting from the story and pacing. I'd say give it a try for at least two more episodes then let the Siglerites vote on it. My initial reaction was, "Why wasn't this pre-roll or post-roll?"

Please No Advertisements Between Chapters.

On August 28th, 2008 (08:10 GMT) SparklingPrisma says:

I understand the need for advertisements but I would rather not see them in-between each chapter. Here I am in my sick twisted world listening away and then all of a sudden bam reality hits me and shakes me back with a silly advertisement. However if the FDO needs additional funding, then I will swallow the advertisements down like a good little junky.

Keep them coming

On August 28th, 2008 (08:56 GMT) tquillin says:

Your making money, we're saving money and getting free kick ass content. Can't beat that with a stick, or a pink torpedo. Keep up the good work.

Breaking the pace

On August 28th, 2008 (04:09 GMT) NeutrinoNJ says:

Sorry, ads within the stories pull me away from the action. I'd prefer either at the beginning or end. Obviously do what you have to so you can keep providing us GREAT!! content.

Not crazy, but it helps the cause

On August 28th, 2008 (02:27 GMT) panderson1979 says:

We'll probably get used to this - sponsorship is the inevitable sacrifice to keep things free. Would it be possible to have the ads top and tail an episode? You know, straight after your intro, we get an ad, then do the story chapters uninterrupted, then more ads, then back into your closing chat to the Junkies? I think I'd get unhappy with an ad interrupting the story (or assume it's part of the story!), so this avoids that problem, and the ads will still get listened to, cos we know we've still got the FDO's homily to listen to.

http://www.thelongwatch.com

http://www.captainjuan.com

If it get's you the big bucks... go for it.

On August 28th, 2008 (01:25 GMT) Wiffyjustus says:

No one particularly likes ads. (at least no one that I know). But they are necessary to pay the bills. Yeah, I'd love to have a world free of ads... But it ain't gonna happen. I think it's a great way for you to build your war funds. Justin

Ads, no prob

On August 27th, 2008 (23:22 GMT) Twowire says:

Doesnt bother me! If I can continue to get my FREE hits of Sigler Crack the least I can do listen is to a few ads to help you out. I mean you gotta pay the bills. The other option, possibly, no sponsership, no ads, no income thus no crack! No can do! I need my Sigler Crack!

[brood en brood met brood ertussen] - My Mothers famous answer to whats for dinner!

I agreeeeee

On September 8th, 2008 (09:17 GMT) Forrester (not verified) says:

We can't risk losing the fix! KEEP THE ADS.

Adds in the middle of the storyline

On August 27th, 2008 (22:41 GMT) lyallp says:

Ads are precisely why I don't watch TV any more. Regardless, I understand that something has to pay the bills.
Maybe put out separate MP3's?
Chapter,ad,chapter,ad, etc
That way, the mp3 players will play them in order and those that are so offended by the ads can simply press the skip button. Better yet, they can delete them prior to loading them up on the mp3 players.
Separate mp3's also means you can vary/target the ads, based on region - as listening to ads that are not really that relevant to me in Australia, is pointless.

...Lyall

of course, now that I have thought about it some more....

On August 28th, 2008 (05:48 GMT) lyallp says:

Probably the separate mp3's won't cut the mustard.

Stick to the beginning and end adds, I didn't mind wading through those.

Even the end adds as I quite enjoy Scott's little chats after each episode.

I think the 'interruption' of storyline by adds is what lights my fire.

...Lyall

Online users

What do you think about sponsors for each chapter within the episode

Comment viewing options

Post new comment