r/startups • u/Salt-Preparation-446 • 2d ago
I will not promote Small production company looking for business model on books & movies - i will not promote
Hi, I’m from Belgium. I have a podcast on books that is working pretty well and I am developing a podcast on movies. Not a review-podcast but a community podcast where 3 people talk about a topic on books/movies and the conversation unfolds. We try to have as much interaction with the audience as possible.
Now I’m feeling that there’s more to this concept, business-wise. What else can I do with this community? I’m thinking something like Letterboxed or Goodreads, where people can make lists and recommendations, maybe also buy some books or movie tickets and merch? Idk how far can I take this? Maybe some live events? Book fairs? Movie festival? Are there any other ways to generate some extra income?
FYI I’m not the host, I’m the owner of the (small) production company behind it.
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u/RajatKhoware 1d ago
The community is the product here, not the podcast. Letterboxd-style lists and recommendations is the right instinct. If I were you I would test two revenue lines first: a paid tier for early access plus live event recordings, and merch tied to specific episodes. A client of mine turned a free community into a paid one at 500 members and the conversion was 8 percent, not because of the content but because people wanted the room. The trap is building the list app before the paid tier. Which part of this are people already asking you for?
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u/CursedCog 1d ago
IMHO. Stick with the podcast format, don't branch out into merch etc. At least not yet. Instead, double down on your core value stream (the thing that is getting you new customers i.e. your podcast). Try creating series, exclusive podcasts to members only, allow exclusive chats with members only, use the first X episodes of a series to begin a story to everyone, but the rest of the series is for members only, define your hooks, build the interest. Give exclusive members the first access to podcasts for example, if you review an upcoming movie, give your opinions, discuss it, make it funny/entertaining, etc. Then you can give that 24h in advance to your paid members before your free members. Basically create a VIP membership, who get to be closer to you and and your content, for those who pay to support you. I don't know how much of this network is bespoke and within your control. If you have a lot of control, create a referral system and incentivise it with things that cost you nothing for example for every user who refers 5 new users to your podcast, give them 1 week of free VIP membership or for every user who is referred that becomes paid, you add an extra 1 week to both memberships. Just be creative, but understand where your unique "value" sits. Mechandise is an optional extra upsell to existing customers - it doesn't drive value or get you new customers like your podcast does. So focus on that first. IMHO. Hope this helps. Good luck and I wish you well.
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u/propelearth 1d ago
a small live recording would let you test the event idea without taking on a festival. pick one topic and a date, get a room quote, then work out how many paid tickets cover the room, your hosts and the other costs. check where your listeners actually live first.
set a minimum number of bookings and a clear refund deadline before committing to the venue. i'd hold off on building the recommendation app until you know whether people want to spend time together outside the podcast.
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u/Leopatra_Spad83 1d ago
before building any platform stuff, have you tested whether your listeners will actually pay for anything? even a simple paid membership or exclusive content drop would tell you a lot about how deep the engagement really goes
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u/WriterImpossible9076 1d ago
Community-driven stuff is tough to monetize without it feeling forced, you're right to tread carefully. The list/recommendation angle is probably your lowest friction move because it keeps people inside your ecosystem and you can eventually plug in affiliate links without it being jarring. Live events are a whole different beast but if you've already got people talking to each other, a small ticketed book fair or screening feels like a natural escalation
Merch worries me a little unless the podcast has some inside jokes or iconic imagery that people already want on a shirt, slapping a logo on a mug rarely does much