Getting your buyer’s attention these days is becoming increasingly difficult. It used to be that you just bought some advertisements and put up some blog posts and you were good to go. However, as traditional channels become less successful, SaaS firms are turning to more complex forms of media production to reach their target audiences. HubSpot unveiled a program this week to provide money and a platform for producers to develop podcasts and distribute them on the HubSpot website. The firm intends to benefit from having access to a greater range of material while also providing a platform for producers to reach a larger audience.
In a blog post announcing the development, Kieran Flanagan, SVP of Marketing at HubSpot, stated, “Breaking through in the saturated podcast industry can be tremendously challenging, especially for artists who are beginning from scratch.” “Through HubSpot Creators, we’re able to use our position as a content leader to elevate the profiles of young creators that share our aim of helping millions of businesses develop better.” Creators receive a monthly payout that increases as their audience develops, as well as access to the company’s platform and possible greater reach. Seed, Series A, B, and C are HubSpot’s four growth stages, which match to venture capital concepts.
As students go through the system, they will have access to more resources like as editors and producers. CRM Essentials’ creator and chief analyst, Brent Leary, thinks the strategy is brilliant. “By embracing creators and assisting them in telling their stories, HubSpot is able to expand its content ecosystem while also being a part of the larger creative ecosystem.” “As they develop their own content strategy into various formats and channels,” Leary told TechCrunch, “that approach can help HubSpot to create crucial relationships with individuals and groups.”
In 2006, HubSpot debuted as an inbound marketing tool, utilizing blogs to generate interest in a company’s products and services. While the content marketing concept has changed, Flanagan said in a LinkedIn article introducing the new program that the original inbound marketing concept still resonates and has grown in relevance as product-led growth has matured. Building communities — individuals who matter to you as a business — around these content pieces is also important.
Communities, according to Flanagan, establish a method to generate even more interest, either directly (a proportion of these individuals become customers) or indirectly (a percentage of these people become consumers) (they at least share your content with a broader world). The corporation is kicking off the initiative with eight podcasts titled “Content is Profit” and “(Un) Sexy,” among others. These podcast topics all connect to HubSpot’s goal as a sales and marketing platform, providing information that HubSpot believes will generate interest in its products and services.
It’s worth mentioning that HubSpot isn’t the only company that offers such services. MailChimp and LinkedIn both use a similar strategy for creators. Is, however, relying on these platforms to establish an audience the best method for creators to do so? What are the costs and benefits? HubSpot will pay creators a minimum of $1,000 per month for making their weekly podcast, regardless of how many downloads it receives, according to a non-public creator conditions sheet shared to TechCrunch by a source. This appears to be a fantastic bargain for rookie podcasters, as it can take a long time to build an independent program to the point where it is profitable. In addition, podcasters in the lowest “seed” category are awarded a $5,000 one-time marketing investment.
However, in exchange for this quick inflow of revenue, podcasters must give up certain rights. Participation in HubSpot’s public creator program offers HubSpot a permanent license to their show, including the right to edit it and create derivative works based on it, according to the terms of the agreement. HubSpot has the right to replace a host if they are unable to meet their responsibilities. Despite the fact that show creators retain ownership of their work, HubSpot’s perpetual license makes it clear that this financial support comes with conditions.
“HubSpot respects the rights of artists,” a HubSpot spokeswoman told TechCrunch. “They feel this strikes a reasonable balance between creators and HubSpot.” “For artists who exit the program in good standing, HubSpot may consider waiving exclusivity.” LinkedIn recently started a podcast network of its own, but failed to reveal details regarding its creator agreement. LinkedIn informed TechCrunch that its podcast partners “retain total rights over their material,” but didn’t go into detail about the licensing deal. However, as more SaaS businesses develop their own podcast networks, podcasters will have to weigh the value of their creative independence vs the cash available through these programs.
