Serial Renewal and the Power of Crowdfunding

Posted By Stephanie Faris

BreakingModern — Podcasts have traditionally had a niche market, mostly made up of listeners who were passionate about the chosen topics. The process of downloading podcasts was initially just difficult enough to scare away the average consumer, as it required an MP3 player to be connected to a PC.

The cloud has made it much easier to access podcasts on an iOS or Android device, letting consumers choose between playing a podcast or saving it to their devices. Until recently, all that remained was a breakout hit — something that would draw the consumer market in and push podcasts to the mainstream.

The Serial Phenomenon

The podcast structure makes it ideal for the talk show format, which has dominated the medium for years. In late 2014, a new podcast called Serial appeared, inviting listeners to tune in to the story of a 1999 Baltimore murder. The story unfolded gradually, one episode at a time, as narrators explored the story of a high school senior’s disappearance and her ex-boyfriend’s possibly wrongful conviction.

Over the podcast’s 12-episode run, a cult following developed, with fans embracing the show as passionately as fans of TV shows like The Walking Dead and Lost do. Fan podcasts and websites emerged as fans became wrapped up in the case. The crew broadcasted the podcasts while research was still in progress, which invited listeners to do their own investigating, leading to a shared experience.

Fan Support

By the time Serial reached the end of its 12-episode run in mid-December, fans were describing themselves as obsessed and addicted. When producers announced the show couldn’t continue without donor funding, those fans were eager to pitch in. Thanks to a combination of fan donations and sponsorship, Serial will now have a second season.

Audience donations are nothing new to the field of entertainment. Public TV station PBS has survived on viewer donations for decades, even hosting telethons to raise funds. But Serial‘s donation request seems familiar, now that we’re in an era of crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter. With a piece of entertainment as popular as Serial, consumers are often more than happy to pitch in $10 or more in exchange for having access to a great piece of programming for an extended period of time.

What Serial Did Well

Serial’s producers were fortunate to have money from a previous endeavor to fund the initial season. Prior to Serial’s success, the producers had a mildly popular podcast series called This American Life. Using the proceeds from that, they were able to produce and promote the new series, gradually building an audience for it.

This ramp-up period allowed Serial to build a loyal fan base who were willing to put money into making sure the podcast succeeded. Essentially, producers hooked consumers with the first season, then asked for donations for it to continue. Many Kickstarter projects start out with a prototype and great description, but to get significant crowdfunding, a new product or service must generate buzz somehow. Serial had an interesting-enough format to pull listeners in and keep them coming back, week after week.

What’s next for Serial? Producers only know that Season Two will take place. No date or topic has been announced, but it’s safe to assume producers will likely profile another case, possibly murder-related, in a format similar to the first season. One problem with asking fans for donations is that it creates a pressure to avoid disappointing that fan base, especially if producers hope to move to a potential Season Three.

In the meantime, you can listen to all 12 episodes of Season One on Apple iOS. If you have an Android device, producers recommend you use the Stitcher app, available for Android on Google Play. Detailed instructions are available on the Serial site.

For BMod, I’m Stephanie Faris.

Featured/First image credit: © Syda Productions / Dollar Photo Club

Second image credit: © tashatuvango / Dollar Photo Club