Podetize Founder Tracy Hazzard on Leveling the Podcast Playing Field

Podetize is the most comprehensive podcast service and hosting company in the industry. We focus on the 98% of podcasters who are unable to monetize their shows through traditional advertising methods. With a unique blend of software-as-a-service, creative-as-a-service, and marketing-as-a-service, we make podcasting simpler, stickier, and more rewarding to podcast hosts, listeners, and partners.

My partner, Tom Hazzard, and I had a company focused on product design for more than 25 years. Like many other entrepreneurs, we tried many alternative organic ways to increase our visibility in the market. Nothing worked until we started podcasting. We started our first show, with a geeky focus on 3D printing, called “WTFFF?!” in late 2014. Within five months, we had 25,000 listeners, and large market players like MakerBot wanted to sponsor our show. When we started to evaluate what to charge and how to insert the ads into our entire show catalog (more than 100 episodes at the time), we were surprised to discover the lack of an effective or affordable solution. So we invented our own method to fill a major void in the marketplace. A few months later, we were making thousands off our show, and other podcasters were shoving credit cards at us to “just do it” for them. We went from 10 client shows in 2016 to more than 1,000 shows successfully launched as of 2021.

My partner (husband and co-founder) and I have been working together in product development for more than 30 years. We have 108 team members around the world and add scale as needed every quarter. A key addition to our team recently is ERock Christopher, a strategic advisor who has helped with investor relations and business development. Our team has evolved, with others providing code development skills, marketing and social media advisors, customer service, communications development, creative, human resources, and more. We are a lean organization on leadership overhead and strong on inspiring remote work productivity since 2017. As a predominantly female-led organization with more than 70% of our team being women, we’re excited to help foster more diversity in the podcasting space. 

By obsessively focusing on making podcast monetization for all a reality, we are leveling the playing field between the giants and the independents. Podcasting has an extremely high fail rate — called “podfading” — with eight out of 10 podcasts failing to get past 20 episodes or one season (including the ones developed by big studios). Historically, we have had less than an 8% fail rate because our clients are strategic about why they are podcasting, what their goals and outcomes should realistically be, and have alternatively monetized their show. Additionally, because of our range of personalized support, we have added the human touch into bespoke creative services, software subscriptions, and live customer success support. Imagine what will happen to the industry when the majority of podcasters can finally monetize their show.

Our main focus is on clients and subscribers looking to use podcasting to grow a business or their influence. New podcasters find out quickly that our way of podcasting goes well beyond audio and listener growth. It translates into higher industry and digital authority, including organic, web, and social growth. We help potential podcasters remove technology and confidence barriers, so they get started podcasting faster and more effectively.

The short answer is that unlike our competitors, we are focused on only the most active and engaged podcasters in the community. We are not here to have the largest numbers of podfaded subscribers or the tiny fraction of high earners only. We want the active ones with consistent success. The market is segmented into three basic verticals: production, hosting, and advertising. Almost all of our competitors stay within one vertical or maybe cross into a second. We encompass all three verticals and have even added two more — recording and promotion services — predominantly available from only really small resources. By creating the most comprehensive platform, we empower our clients and subscribers to have one convenient login, receive ongoing strategic coaching and mentorship, and affordable access to podcasting success. Podetize has a half-decade track record of proven results with more than 1,000 shows successfully launched to date.

We already invested our $745,000 Small Business Administration economic injury disaster loan money into new product development. We are now ready to launch and scale those additional products. We intend to use the capital raised to market those new product launches to grow our subscriber base substantially. Depending on how much is raised, we can 10x our client base within one year.

We lead by example! Investors should know that we walk the walk (and obviously talk the talk) right alongside our clients and the industry. My co-founder and I start a new podcast each year to test out the continued viability of our process and strategy. We are always researching and testing on behalf of our clients, so we can understand how to better serve, support, and improve their shows. We use our own process, team, and tools, so we can provide timely feedback, refinement, and strategic advice to clients at all stages. 

For our investors, that means our new podcast is just for them. Called “Worthy News & Notes,” this podcast will be available to only investors through the use of a private podcast feed from a special investor’s section on our website and through the Republic portal. It will keep them updated on our progress, the changes in the market, and our real-time view of the impact on our business and the industry. We believe that communication is essential to building trust and integrity into the investment process.

While the goal of many ventures is to get a high valuation acquisition, we are working toward first and foremost building a strong and sustainable business model and community. So when we are purchased, it will be because our continued model of operations will provide even more value post-acquisition. Tom Hazzard and I are challenged and excited by becoming the company of choice for independent podcasters in the industry, providing an alternative to the soon-to-be archaic broadcasting model. We are open to the future exit paths of acquisition, initial public offering, or continued private operation, and we plan to stay a part of that future to continue to bring stewardship and guidance to sustain the vision and outcome for our clients and the podcasting industry.

As one of the few women founders leading a seven-figure company in the podcasting industry, I am troubled by the focus on vanity metrics. Whether it has been investment firms focused only on user acquisition numbers regardless of subscriber traction and success or companies “buying” advertising to create a false sense of demand or the false overstatement of listener numbers prevalent by top players in the industry, the lack of focus on value creation and support for underserved value creators is extremely troubling. That is why I turned down other investment methods and selected equity crowdfunding for the ability to stay true to the vision of what we are building and to prove that actual value creation matters. 

My advice to other female founders is to play to your strengths and where you build the most value. Believe in yourself to carve your own path and pursue your vision with that strength at the core.