Blue Wire's Q&A series is back with CEO Kevin Jones. Kevin sat down with a British reporter and answered questions about the business side of the podcast industry. Before starting Blue Wire in 2018, Kevin worked at local radio stations in Washington D.C. and San Fransisco. He also had jobs writing and reporting about sports before starting his own successful podcast on the San Francisco 49ers, Striking Gold. All of that gave him a fairly complete picture of the sports media industry prior to founding Blue Wire. In this Q&A, he speaks about how the shifting landscape in sports works from a business perspective. Here's what he had to say:

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Will the lines between podcasting and radio become blurred as digital takes over?

I see a tech company or other companies buying newspapers and radio stations and rebuilding them. Is it Amazon, Apple? Do they all dive in and gobble up? And yes, once that happens, once a tech giant disrupts the media industry further like they have e-commerce and advertising, you will see the line completely blurred. Radio signals are just an older form of communication that one day will be faded (probably not eliminated forever).

What kind of revenue can a successful pod generate?

Blue Wire is going to clear 7 figures in revenue this year. Athletes generate bigger buys. Influencers banded together on our network is a powerful audience brands are tapping into.

What constitutes a commercial flop?

A flop is when a podcaster doesn't promote his/her work correctly, doesn't tweet enough other commentary to spur interest, record on inconsistent days. They expects thousands of listeners over night. The people who want to be handed an audience are often the ones who sadly just aren't cut out for podcasting. You need an entrepreneurial commitment and to bet on yourself. Over time, enough people will care about the conversations you are having. That's our pitch to people.  

Is it important to have a balance of commercially successful pods and 'loss-leaders' which boost the brand?

Of course. I think most podcast networks have an 80/20 rule. 20 percent of the podcasts are breadwinners. But even my own 49ers podcast is in that bottom 80 percent, and I know the conversations and content I'm creating alters the opinion of the fan base. The premise of Blue Wire is that these social-first creators are the new Sports Radio hosts. Yes, distribution is smaller now for these audiences. We think there is a transfer of power happening between older beat reporters and these sports influencers we're working with. Fans care more about their favorite influencer than the journalist.

What are the most effective branding opportunities in podcasts?

A package of cover artwork, pre roll ad, mid roll ad and social post. We tell people dipping your toe into podcast spending, you probably won't be thrilled with the results. It takes a plunge underwater from the brand to spend for a bigger package and then a surge of loyal listeners start understanding that this brand is funding their favorite podcast. And a sense of loyalty starts to form, unlike any advertisement on Facebook, Google or YouTube.

If you missed our other Q&A's, you can find them @bluewirepods.com under the News section.