The first ad I ever heard in a podcast was on The Onion Radio News — a simple, five-second ad telling me about Chili’s new limited-time-only menu item, which I think was a Hickory-smoked hamburger of some sort. The ad was innocuous, straightforward, and it made me smile. Why?

 Because I knew what it portended: hobbyists able to earn money doing what they love. (Also, perhaps, because I love food. I eat it daily — even multiple times a day.)

 Podcasters will podcast whether they make money or not, as evidenced by the fact that they were podcasting long before there was any chance of revenue. But to be paid to do what you enjoy — that right there is the American Dream.

Podvertising, as the kids these days call it, is going to enable more folks to make money on the side as they discuss their interests. And that may well help them pursue their interests even more!

The secondary beauty of podcast advertising is that it will enable advertisers to reach niche markets. Perhaps there’s not much call for, say, a left-handed smoke shifter. But anybody listening to the All About Smoke podcast — which will surely be hosted by some fun-loving pyromaniac — will make a great target audience for ads selling the Acme Smoke Shifter® brand of products.

Maybe I could use one to make that burger after Chili’s stops making it. Shift that smoke right into the meat.Â

Then detail my success in my new Culinary Experiments podcast.

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