You produce a series of podcasts in which you discuss topics of interest with industry leaders in a Q&A format. Your sales department tells you they are “having trouble selling it” because one vendor certainly doesn’t want to sponsor the post of another (who might actually be an expert on a given topic). They suggest selling the podcasts outright: the sponsor is the interviewee. Do you:

* Say no way, podcast content must remain pure at all cost.
* Go along with sales idea, figuring you can keep the content pure by virtue of your interviewing tactics and editorial integrity?
* Do a separate series of “sponsored podcasts,” which you handle much like webinars (and white papers) in which case, the fact that it is paid content is transparent to the user, but hope that the value of the content will still make it a compelling listen?
* Include a disclaimer that states that the advertiser is in no way associated with the content portion of the podcast?


Note: this scenario, based on real-life experiences, was developed for the 2007 ASBPE Editorial Conference. Visit www.asbpe.org/about/code.htm to read about the group's Code of Ethics.

Some of our magazines have had success selling the sponsored podcasts/webcasts, but not the smaller ones.

I think that it is the editor's job to keep the content generic, just like we do if an industry person writes an article for our magazine. Have your sales staff emphasize that to the other potential sponsors.

This is yet another example of the walls between edit and sales being torn down. You see it also in online videos. The editor should not be shilling for advertisers and that is what you're talking about if an editor interviews a sponsor of a podcast or video. And the editor should not be participating even if the product is labeled "advertorial" in some way. I believe the ethics guidelines are clear on this.

One alternative (if you're an editor comfortable with doing video or audio interviews) is to interview a reader on a subject of interest to other readers. The challenges presented would be discussed. This can then be sold to an advertiser providing a solution to that challenge. I emphasize, though, that the interview should be motivated by reader need.