Ways that We're Alive can make money.

[StepLaugh]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zLVJerNm_LQ/TMYjfFFdkkI/AAAAAAAAA8c/siJiKJtAGYw/s1600/WereAlive-Insidesm.jpg


In fact, we lose money. We're not close to self-sustaining yet.


Let's get together now and figure out different ways that WA could make some more money on this.

Yes donations are nice, but let's get creative.

I was thinking that Kc could sell one of the original scripts and have everyone sign it. I know good and well I'd buy one.

What do you have in mind?

[StepLaugh]

I was just thinking of extra ways that we could make the podcast at least break-even for KC and the crew. I suggested in the "Musical Episode" thread that maybe we could have a paid-for comedy/musical episode, which you could download for a small donation.

Nikvoodoo thought maybe some bonus interviews or scenes could raise money too. Perhaps as extras on the Season CD collection? Though I'd quite like the option to download some bonus stuff.

The downside is that it's MORE work for KC. But it might help raise some money. What do you guys think?

SOrry guys something happened to the thread, here we go again.

[SleepyGlenn]

I was just thinking of extra ways that we could make the podcast at least break-even for KC and the crew. I suggested in the "Musical Episode" thread that maybe we could have a paid-for comedy/musical episode, which you could download for a small donation.

Nikvoodoo thought maybe some bonus interviews or scenes could raise money too. Perhaps as extras on the Season CD collection? Though I'd quite like the option to download some bonus stuff.

The downside is that it's MORE work for KC. But it might help raise some money. What do you guys think?


SOrry guys something happened to the thread, here we go again.

Oh no, my thread got ATE!

[StepLaugh]

haha yeah .... my bad :p

[nikvoodoo]

Sorry, probably my fault. I tried to merge your thread and his which popped up around the same time asking the same thing.

My suggestion (without knowing the logistical nightmare I might be unleashing) would be to auction off a minor role in the show. I have no idea if this is even possible, but I think it would be a great idea.

[StepLaugh]

nah Nik, it was me, i deleted the moved thread, and it deleted the whole thing.

[nikvoodoo]

SWEET! I like it when it's not my fault ;) Sorry SleepyGlenn!

[Teethingbiscuit]

I've just made a request for content at AUDIBLE. I am not sure how they treat content providers but perhaps they can sell thousands more of season 1!
Here is the email addy <<content-requests@audible.com>>
Joseph

[Britt]

Let's have a lemonade stand.

...What?

[nikvoodoo]

Let's have a lemonade stand.

...What?

Hard lemonade? betcha we could make a few more bones if it's hard lemonade...

[Teethingbiscuit]

WA logo on MRE's!
I need a box for my bunker!

[nikvoodoo]

WA logo on MRE's!
I need a box for my bunker!

I love that one! Excellent product tie in!

Another "Bonus Content" thing I thought of would be have Michael Swan record an outgoing voicemail/answering machine message that people could then put on their phones. How cool would it be to have that voice as your outgoing message? You could sell it out of the store and post the script used for the message so people would know what its going to be.

And I will admit I completely stole this idea from "Wait...Wait...Don't Tell Me" from NPR. But Mr. Swan and Carl Castle have the same kick ass vocal awesomeness.

[StepLaugh]

Nikvoodoo, I love that idea, if Kc could arrange it.

[wooly]

I have a couple ideas that I have seen used with success on other fan sites & forums. I don't know if these forums generate the required traffic to make two of them worthwhile, but AFAIK these don't cost anything to start up, so any positive income is a gain. Another forum I am associated with uses these first several to cover all of their bandwidth costs + yearly server upgrades + running multiple side projects for the members like servers for IRC/Teamspeak/personal web pages/member blogs/etc. along with a nice emergency fund.

(1) A Cafe Press (http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/sell/index.aspx) merchandise store. Everything from T-shirts to coffee cups & mouse pads, customized with WA logos & artwork.
(2) Forum & site ads. Project Wonderful is one of the better systems. Pays decently and gives the site admin control over what ads get displayed.
(3) Forum subscriptions/donations. Allows members to show their support and gets a few perks like larger inbox, turns ads off, and a fancy "subscriber" or "team member" badge.
(4) A tie-in book store to Amazon, using coded referrer links that credit the referring site with a percentage. In this case it could be links to members' favorite zombie/survival/whatever books/movies/dvd with members here supplying reviews and lists.

Just a start. I'm still thinking about it. Never considered how to make money with an audio drama :)

In my experience listening to podcasts and old-time radio, it seems that sponsorship is the typical funding method, with the intro/outro ads coming from corporations that reflect the content, i.e. BMW ads in a show about cars. I have no idea who the related "industry" would be for a zombie-cast. Retailers of survival gear?

Maybe an ad like "We're Alive is sponsored by CheaperThanDirt.com (http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/), retailer of weapons, ammo, and survival gear. If you hear Angel or Saul using (a specific weapon or piece of gear) you can find it on our website and own it yourselves!"

Is product placement a thought here? Find an advertiser that makes 36-hr energy drinks and make mention of how a character uses it to stay awake on watch, and looks for it specifically during scrounging missions. Things like that. (and edit the placement out for the retail CD sets).

I know that's a horrible example. I m not an ad exec. But you get the idea. Movies do it. Why not audio dramas?

[wooly]

Collectibles (https://www.sideshowtoy.com/?ref=topnav-home). Geeks (me included) love collectibles. Figures, autographed scripts, behind-the-scenes documentaries, wall maps (sold in sections as the WA world is revealed with the rest showing a vague "here be zombies" lol), CD inserts, limited-edition CD sets, baseball-style card sets, books of fan art, posters, iron-on patches, you name it.

An 8x10 glossy poster for each episode (using the existing episode art), autographed by each voice actor who is in that episode. Add in a binder with page protectors and CD holders and you have a an excellent custom way to store your season CD's. Collect the whole set, kids!

Put together enough and run a vendor table at Dragoncon/PAX/Comic-Con along with the online store.

Just more rambling ideas. Eventually I might have a winner :)

I normally hate to be so commercially-minded, but I do not wish WA to fail over money. It's just too good.

[Onslaught]

Well now I'm gonna have to type this up again. Oh well... Well as I said before you could have a drawing and you get your name put in the drawing everytime you donate a certain amount of money and the prize for the drawing could be like you could go and see an episode be made and you could meet all of the actors. Longest runon ever.

[Onslaught]

But then again... the person would have to pay for plane tickets if they didn't live close by. Well it was worth a shot.

[SleepyGlenn]

In my experience listening to podcasts and old-time radio, it seems that sponsorship is the typical funding method, with the intro/outro ads coming from corporations that reflect the content, i.e. BMW ads in a show about cars. I have no idea who the related "industry" would be for a zombie-cast. Retailers of survival gear?

Maybe an ad like "We're Alive is sponsored by CheaperThanDirt.com (http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/), retailer of weapons, ammo, and survival gear. If you hear Angel or Saul using (a specific weapon or piece of gear) you can find it on our website and own it yourselves!"

They could do that for Fishtanks! ... oh no wait.

[StepLaugh]

@wooly

That's some great ideas.

I do like the custom tags about being a team member/subscriber.

[fraggot]

I think all the people behind We're Alive should just start whoring themselves out, big bucks there :)

[Kc]

(1) A Cafe Press (http://www.cafepress.com/cp/info/sell/index.aspx) merchandise store. Everything from T-shirts to coffee cups & mouse pads, customized with WA logos & artwork.
We had one on Zazzle, and it was a horrible experience. The % of profit made on every purchase is VERY low and the cost of the items is VERY high. We've seen a huge increase in orders manufacturing and shipping our own shirts and merchandise. We're working on new items too, phone cases etc...



(2) Forum & site ads. Project Wonderful is one of the better systems. Pays decently and gives the site admin control over what ads get displayed.


Nice! Something we can look into.



(3) Forum subscriptions/donations. Allows members to show their support and gets a few perks like larger inbox, turns ads off, and a fancy "subscriber" or "team member" badge.


Hadn't even thought of that!



(4) A tie-in book store to Amazon, using coded referrer links that credit the referring site with a percentage. In this case it could be links to members' favorite zombie/survival/whatever books/movies/dvd with members here supplying reviews and lists.


The other ideas are also great. I will forward them along. Part of the problem is we don't have a full time merchandising and marketing person. We spend most of our time producing ;) Thanks for your input!

[Kc]

I think all the people behind We're Alive should just start whoring themselves out, big bucks there :)
I made We're Alive so I don't have to keep doing that any more! ;)

[Wicked Sid]

And now I have an idea for a short story, "Kc Wayland's Hard and Rough times on the Hard streets of L.A."

AAANNNDD, Scene. :rolleyes:

[StepLaugh]

I'm pretty sure Grayson could use more work XD

[StepLaugh]

Get ready guys, we are going to have custom titles, and custom tags to hand out for people who donate. Just to show off that you support WA. We should hopefully have it ready in a few days.

[nikvoodoo]

Mission Donation=Complete! Hope it helps!

[lectio]

Get ready guys, we are going to have custom titles, and custom tags to hand out for people who donate. Just to show off that you support WA. We should hopefully have it ready in a few days.

w00t!

I would love to see an ebay auction to 'tuckerize (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuckerization)' a character - I'd bid on that.

[Teethingbiscuit]

Can it be set up so that the monies at the end of an ITunes card that will wind up at some random number under $.99 can be donated by any listener? It would allow nearly every listener to put forth pennies (hopefully again and again)

Knowing the rep of Apple this is probably not an easy task to pull off. That darn unusable end of the card!
Teeth's conspiracy

[SleepyGlenn]

Get ready guys, we are going to have custom titles, and custom tags to hand out for people who donate. Just to show off that you support WA. We should hopefully have it ready in a few days.

Ah Boo! I donated a fair amount a while back :-p I will have to donate again. As long as KC doesn't think I'm being a cheapskate this time if I donate just enough to get forum tags.

[Kc]

Ah Boo! I donated a fair amount a while back :-p I will have to donate again. As long as KC doesn't think I'm being a cheapskate this time if I donate just enough to get forum tags.

We'll be fair. I think Steph will be running the donations.

[StepLaugh]

Yeah I'll handle all of that stuff.

[StepLaugh]

For all those interested in helping donate to We're Alive

CHeck this out.

http://zombiepodcast.com/forum/showthread.php?1043-Wanna-help-donate-to-We-re-alive-Want-cool-perks

[Solanine]

A uk store. Or cafe press store through which uk listeners could buy. I'd love to support the show while getting a cool T-shirt with Shirley on it. Unfortunately it is next to impossible for people living in the uk! Possibly a paid subscription model where subscribers get content maybe a couple of days early?

[evslarg]

hey, to make money maybe you could get a famous person or band to sponser you? then like have them as characters or something... that would be pretty cool

[Eviebae]

Another "Bonus Content" thing I thought of would be have Michael Swan record an outgoing voicemail/answering machine message that people could then put on their phones. How cool would it be to have that voice as your outgoing message? You could sell it out of the store and post the script used for the message so people would know what its going to be.

Oooo, that's a good idea. A ring tone or an app would be nice too.

[Ra1th]

YES! a ring tone that is the zombie call/roar, i'd so buy that!

[Onslaught]

YES! a ring tone that is the zombie call/roar, i'd so buy that!
Fade In: A kid in class is sitting at his desk about to fall asleep when... ROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

[Airborne_101mf]

Damn....I sure Hope KC realizes how many smart and ingenuity minded people he has following his show....

[Eviebae]

Damn....I sure Hope KC realizes how many smart and ingenuity minded people he has following his show....

Yes, and we should all get cookies...or cake...

[Alex]

Fade In: A kid in class is sitting at his desk about to fall asleep when... ROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! GENIUS!!!!!!! I can already the the look on my Algebra 2 teacher's face!!!!!!

[Guts Malone]

My 2 Cents...
I suggest you move Grayson up to a "full time" staff member and create a search for a new We're Alive Temp. With all the loyal followers out there, I bet there is the individual who would scramble to hand out scripts, set up mics/audio stuff, background and maybe, car pool with Jim Gleason. That would create the buzz and would be a boon to any radio/broadcast student. Come up with sudo requirements, like top ten zombie movies, what would you do to get on the show, write an episode, etc. A small entrance fee would be required for the application/package and all proceeds would be donated to We're Alive podcast. Not sure all the details, but I sure the listeners could come up with more.

Also, regardless on what ideas have come up, I'm willing to help out with some free website space and graphic design to any of the moderators/members who want to run a contest or something to keep the show afloat. It's nothing epic for bandwidth like Youtube, but it would keep costs down.:cool:

[Ra1th]

My 2 Cents...
I suggest you move Grayson up to a "full time" staff member and create a search for a new We're Alive Temp. With all the loyal followers out there, I bet there is the individual who would scramble to hand out scripts, set up mics/audio stuff, background and maybe, car pool with Jim Gleason. That would create the buzz and would be a boon to any radio/broadcast student. Come up with sudo requirements, like top ten zombie movies, what would you do to get on the show, write an episode, etc. A small entrance fee would be required for the application/package and all proceeds would be donated to We're Alive podcast. Not sure all the details, but I sure the listeners could come up with more.

Also, regardless on what ideas have come up, I'm willing to help out with some free website space and graphic design to any of the moderators/members who want to run a contest or something to keep the show afloat. It's nothing epic for bandwidth like Youtube, but it would keep costs down.:cool:

oh i'll fight people for that job!, but i have to ask who are you? how do you know so much? are u WA staff? we can change your title accordingly if so

[Guts Malone]

Ah, just a avid listener and fan of radio drama's. But the the Temp isn't a new idea. In Toronto, Ontario, the local TV station, Much Music, ran a contest called "The Temp" about 4 - 5 years ago. The guy that won is doing the ET Canada.
No not a WA staffer, but a background in print/web site design for a major home reno company. I not looking for a plug, just want to be part of a good thing.

[j0be]

We're Alive could always do something akin to what &quot;Wait...Wait. Don't Tell Me&quot; does. Except they do it for contest winners. <br />
<br />
They have Carl Castle leave a voicemail for that fan. However, a slight...

[MrScott101]

honestly the ringtone would be a huge idea, people who didn't even know about the show that would find a zombie ringtone that was worth getting would get it. Especially the kids in highschool!!

[Guts Malone]

oh i'll fight people for that job!, but i have to ask who are you? how do you know so much? are u WA staff? we can change your title accordingly if so

Actually, I feel rather bad not running the idea past KC first... sorry KC.

How to gets the bucks rolling in
List items/service/opportunities on ebay. Ebay has all the tools, it doesn't cost bidders to open an account and it could be tied into KC's existing Paypal account. The listings could be amped up with what is already in place: a well visited forum (especially on Mondays), the Facebook Page and Youtube. It's easier to work with what is already in place than re-invent the wheel. Another way to get the word out is via email. MailChimp (http://www.mailchimp.com) It's free, easy to use and creates a subscriber list.

T-Shirts
Printed on white with the We're Alive logo/website printed in black ink. Black ink on white is the cheapest way to print shirts. Once color is added the price goes up. For short runs, say 20 - 40 at a time, graphics can be printed off on iron-on transfer sheets from Staples. Once the orders get bigger, find a silk screen printer. The thing with t-shirts, to make it profitable, the shirts have to be purchased in bulk. Then price per item goes down. Add the printers name and the cost might go down.
We did a neighborhood block party can ran off 40 shirts on an inkjet printer. The shirts were picked up from Walmart. Costco would of been a better deal for shirts and maybe Iron-on transfer sheets.

Bumper/Window Stickers
Unless you're handy with an x-acto knife, it have to be outsourced to a dude with a die cutter. Printed in white with transparent background is the cheapest.

Posters
Another good idea. Anything larger that 11" x 17" would have to prepared for production and be sent to a printer. Color is more than black/white, but, good deals can be found on-line. Finding a person with a short run digital printer would be ideal. I can volunteer my time to prepare the files for print.

Ringtone
That's a cool idea. I've got an intern that could prepare the file. Just has to be an MP3 right? Can KC release a couple seconds of an audio clip?

Get Students involved
In my final year finishing up a diploma in Advertising, we had real clients from the community that would present a marketing problem to our class and we would all come up with ideas. Once the idea is chosen, the client would then make a donation to the grad fund. It's a great opportunity to tap into the synergy and get it down.

Contest
Just a note about using the word "contest"; there can't be a fee involved to enter the contest. i.e. no purchase necessary. (At least in Canada) I know the Podcast is in the States, but, there might be something similar. Ask a lawyer.

[j0be]

One thing that could be done easily is have Michael Swan state that this is a fan supported podcast either before or after the podcast. Encourages people to donate, whereas our current implementation doesn't really have any call to action. (asking them to join the Facebook page once doesn't count)

[mascaria]

One thing that could be done easily is have Michael Swan state that this is a fan supported podcast either before or after the podcast. Encourages people to donate, whereas our current implementation doesn't really have any call to action. (asking them to join the Facebook page once doesn't count)
I would say encourage people to join the forum and donate. The facebook is neat but the forum is so much better.

[WestonWisdom]

I would say encourage people to join the forum and donate. The facebook is neat but the forum is so much better.

I agree, having joined the forum recently, I don't regret my decision, the amount of interaction and debate makes it worth the plug, joining the facebook group only gives occasional updates.

[j0be]

The facebook is neat but the forum is so much better.
Oh definitely. But letting people know that there really isn't an alternate stream of income encourages donation from more than just those who visit the forums. As much as we love everyone in the forums, some people really aren't into forums.

[aprilhw3]

I want a Burt bobblehead!

[Joosbawx]

swag is always good...and I'm more than happy to sport a t-shirt with something cool on it, or about something cool, which is usally a good way to promote the show, too.

So my idea is this...have a contest to create a We're Alive t-shirt design. I'm sure there are a lot of creative individuals here on the forums and that listen to We're Alive and We're Not Dead that we'd see some pretty awesome t-shirt designs. The winning design could then be turned into t-shirts and hoodies (or whatever else you decide) and pre-orders could be taken so KC and others would know how big the production run needs to be. The contest could actually be held regularly...every 60 days or something...if the first one goes well. Kind of like an extended teefury.com for We're Alive.

thoughts?

[Joosbawx]

Sorry to double-post, but I had another idea before someone else did, I guess...

What about releasing the scripts for We're Alive episodes via .pdf or some other secure format? With all the theories that are brewing on the forums it would be cool to have a search-friendly document to reference the dialogue and action of the story. It could be serialized and released in batches...like a comic book...or all at once...or one season at a time, etc.

[j0be]

Sorry to double-post, but I had another idea before someone else did, I guess...

What about releasing the scripts for We're Alive episodes via .pdf or some other secure format? With all the theories that are brewing on the forums it would be cool to have a search-friendly document to reference the dialogue and action of the story. It could be serialized and released in batches...like a comic book...or all at once...or one season at a time, etc.

The first episode actually does have a pdf floating around the forum. It was released for a contest We're Not Dead is doing.

[Joosbawx]

The first episode actually does have a pdf floating around the forum. It was released for a contest We're Not Dead is doing.

Yup, fully aware of that. The suggestion is that I would be willing to pay to have access to ALL of them.

[Brent]

You guys could try affiliate marketing I do that off, and on for a friend, im sure this site could bring in a lot doing that

[Private Parts]

very interesting stuff! i wish i had some ideas to help the podcast grow!

Parts

[mem]

sell autographed scripts and things like that. also a ceramic pegs statue so i can knock it off a ledge in honor of all those fallen flower pots.

[kafu288]

You could always try and sell the We're alive tv/movie/animated webseries rights. The beauty is, so long as they keep it animated, they could just keep most of the audio. <br />
<br />
You could also open up...

[Private Parts]

- reef systems inc used to crack me up :( i wish we still had them ads! i think it was my ringtone at one point.... <br />
<br />
- remember its not just itunes that offers it, theres also the site player...

[darklord desmond]

well i posted in these two places earlier http://http://zombiepodcast.com/forum/showthread.php?1304-How-we-can-help-list ------ http://http://zombiepodcast.com/forum/showthread.php?1200-Infecting-More with some ideas and combining the two seems like the best thing to do if it’s accepted it will also bring in fresh blood and if it works really well WA might attract people willing to invest.

An option is to look at a deal with permuted press they specialise in publishing horror and zombie podcasts and books there’s also podiobooks

These are just ideas and all of them can be taken as single pieces and tell me if im been an idiot.

[Solanine]

Punctuation is there for a reason Darklord desmond. To make sentences readable! Jk

[darklord desmond]

Thank you for the comment but id like to point out our language is not linier as we perceive it to be or say it is. we can ague about my full stops some other time.

[Solanine]

Will Itunes allow a pay what you want feature? If you were to allow that the hardcore fans could pay just alittle per episode while new people could get a taster without committing. Possibly make it so Donators get the podcast a day earlier? The thing with timed release is that it could create a segmented fan base. People wouldn't feel able to use the forums because of fears of spoilers. @darklord desmond We could "ague" about grammar all day but tbh mine is terrible as well. Also I'd like to officially welcome you to the forums, I noticed your a relatively new member. That said, I only joined in winter (I lost my original account when the new forums were created.

[Ra1th]

Will Itunes allow a pay what you want feature? If you were to allow that the hardcore fans could pay just alittle per episode while new people could get a taster without committing. Possibly make it so Donators get the podcast a day earlier? The thing with timed release is that it could create a segmented fan base. People wouldn't feel able to use the forums because of fears of spoilers. @darklord desmond We could "ague" about grammar all day but tbh mine is terrible as well. Also I'd like to officially welcome you to the forums, I noticed your a relatively new member. That said, I only joined in winter (I lost my original account when the new forums were created.

That's a terrible idea, making people pay for each episode, u'll lose damn near all your fan base

[COsurvivor]

You cannot go from a Free to "Pay per Episode" this forum will dry up and shrivel like the living dead.

Why not come up with a shirt with images of some of the Chapter art? I like the shirts, but text alone on a shirt doesn't do it for me. That will get me to buy a shirt for sure...

[Joosbawx]

I will reiterate my suggestion of of a fan submitted t-shirt design contest. Winner gets voted on by the forum community and the t-shirt is then offered for pre-order. Take the orders before you...

[itsallgoodie]

I like it, problem is that the crowd of buyers needs to be big enough that it is worth Kc going through all the trouble. *although it doesnt have to be Kc, it could be a fan done thing through and...

[COsurvivor]

what if there is a Fan voted artwork... that way everyone gets an idea and can become interested in it. Build interest, builds future buyers.

[bequita]

I like it, problem is that the crowd of buyers needs to be big enough that it is worth Kc going through all the trouble. *although it doesnt have to be Kc, it could be a fan done thing through and through* its creative i just think we would have to know that enough people would buy however often imthinking monthly at first.

I think there are websites where you can create different designs and then sell as they are ordered instead of buying a whole bunch of one desing in bulk. You can set your price, so you may not make as much per shirt but you can still have a bunch of designs offered at once. Let me see if I can find one that will help me sound like I understand how the internet works...

[bequita]

Here we go. Something like zazzle.com, but the proceeds would go the show of course.

[itsallgoodie]

make sure that the printing is decent quality.

[Robalypse]

I've spent a good bit of time thinking about this. One of the major ways the show could really start attracting advertisers is if the fans could bump the damn show up to where it deserves to be at the top of the iTunes charts. Some adds on some of the top podcasts out there could really go a long way towards increasing subscribers to the podcast, as they're already people who have digital media players. I know Greg Fitzsimmons opened up a small advertising spot to sponsor his, "Overheard" segment, where in the last bid on E-bay was won for like $20 bucks and he did like a 30-45 spot for the person. It's an ongoing thing on his show now. I kept hoping Chris Hardwick or at least Jonah Ray (who is the big zombie fan on the nerdist) would show some love for the podcast on the Nerdist prior to the Meltdown event, but that didn't seem to happen.

Another idea would be to create seperate, premium side stories that aren't integral to the main storyline, but would be must-haves for fans. Like I would love to see a bit of a Scratch back story, like what she went through to get to the prison to save Latch, or her first meeting with Durai. That would be awesome! I'd pony up some cash for those for sure. You could do one on Victor, Marcus and his role in first establishing the colony, etc.

[Joosbawx]

cafepress.com is one route to go where you can set your own prices so Kc, etc., would know how much they're making per shirt/hoodie/whatever.

if this is something that would be officially endorsed I would be willing to put the effort into researching this more to find some viable options.

I am speaking of a fan submitted t-shirt design contest, of course.

[Tandem25]

How about a live WA/WND podcast at Smodcastle?
It's in LA.
You can do a reading, the WND episode live and a Q&A.
Sell t-shirts, signed season sets and stuff at the door.
They have a huge fanbase and could pimp you for a month before the show.
I don't know what it'll cost but if you break even it's still win/win.
I think it would expand the WA fanbase exponentially.
Since there was a "turn away" crowd at the live show it's possible to fill that small theater.
Plus it'd give me an excuse to go to LA.

[Hellbringer]

tweak.com . was checking them out and they sell shoes. There's "runners" on We're Alive. Imagine owning a pair of shoes with the "We're Alive" logo on them.

I think I like the idea because I like to run.

[COsurvivor]

We need to be realistic here... have to much stuff and you lose money not enough still lose money... an area of realistic goods to be made and distributed with low overhead is best.

Sorry, but shoes are not a good idea.

[Hellbringer]

We need to be realistic here... have to much stuff and you lose money not enough still lose money... an area of realistic goods to be made and distributed with low overhead is best.

Sorry, but shoes are not a good idea.

eh, it was just an idea. figured if penny-arcade was trying it, why not here? no biggie.

[Gefroan]

you could make money by selling cheap models of charcters or in story items.... like burts gun, the tower, charcters, humvee, the helicopter (coast guard pelican) monuments respecting the dead who fought bravely for the tower dureing the seige of the tower.

[Grognaurd]

Revenus Streams and Advertisement

The most effective Ads are those that go right to the heart of the target audience. But, in most cases it costs one money to obtain this publicity. Here is a way around it.

You already have the scripts in a computer file I would assume. My guess is it would not be very difficult to convert them from their current format to one compatable with Amazon.com's ebooks section. Say $0.99 per chapter or so. Any downloads will give you a little cash. But, it also gives free advertisement to techy-nerds (ebook/podcasts capable) who are interested in Zombies. BULLSEYE! Just put a link to the podcast in the description of the ebook or one of your reviewers does it for you.

[Malinari]

Have you guys considered cross promotions with "Outbreak Undead"? It's a zombie survival rpg that was released last year. Seems like a match made in heaven.


http://outbreakundead.com/index.html

[HardKor]

Have you guys considered cross promotions with "Outbreak Undead"? It's a zombie survival rpg that was released last year. Seems like a match made in heaven.


http://outbreakundead.com/index.html

Its been advertised on the show. I haven't had a chance to check it out but I've heard good things

[Malinari]

Its been advertised on the show. I haven't had a chance to check it out but I've heard good things

Yeah, just made it to the chapter those adverts start in today. Too late to the rodeo.

[audiodramadirectory]

Couple ideas:

1. Adapt the scripts to a series of novels. Publishers want as close to a guarantee as possible and you have a few things going for you. The show's been getting very positive exposure, the zombie craze is big right now and most of all, 4 MILLION downloads is not a small number. I talked to a guy recently who was part of the media group that did the LOST Transmissions promotion for ABC where they were showing fan letters to the show near the end of the series and he was saying how if it doesn't have 7 figures he doesn't care. But you're not just a promising podcast or a hopeful fan with a hobby, this show has had 4 million downloads in a relatively short amount of time, that should give a lot of leverage.

2. I agree with the premium episode idea. Going to a pay model for episodes would lose a lot of people but doing extra side episodes for a couple bucks each would be good. Leviathan Chronicles is doing that and it sounds like it's working well for them. At minimum they've been paying for themselves (he said in the latest 'soapbox')

3. An iPad/iPhone/Mobile/online Flash/Xbox Arcade/PS3 (whatever it's called) game(s). Nothing too complicated, but a fun little zombie game that ties into the show (without spoiling anything) and just costs a few dollars. Could probably get a college student to do it cheaper than a full on developer. Possibly even a contest for students, the student who designs the best game for the show in a 1 month period (or however long) gets a cash prize. Then you have options too and they have portfolio pieces. The game could stand as a revenue stream on it's own and bring in a steady stream of new listeners.

Something I'm positive KC and the crew already know but I'll mention cause it might help focus some of the ideas. (wow that sounds really cocky of me, I mean it to be helpful, not condescending, promise!) The show could always use more listeners but focusing purely on getting more people without some revenue stream already in place won't make anymore money. What they need is something that makes money consistently and regularly (donations and gimmicks will always be in flux and can't be relied on) and that way the more people they get listening the more it feeds into the solid revenue stream.

[audiodramadirectory]

Also, a subscribed donation model, not required payment, just a regular donation. Decoder Ring Theatre does this and has a 'members only' section of extras for those that sign up (artwork, free stuff, staff interviews, etc...) Back when Gregg would report on the figures, I think he got somewhere in the vicinity of 40%-45% of what I understood to be what they'd need to keep going indefinitely, and that's just from the monthly donors and not counting any other revenue stream.

Just sign up for a couple dollars a month, something once you sign up you can forget about and it won't really matter. If you guys did it I would sign up, to put my money where my mouth is I already have done this with 2 other production groups, I signed up for a couple dollars for one of them a month and a couple dollars for another. For me it all adds up to like 5 or 8 dollars a month so I don't even miss it each month but there's no way I would remember to donate each month on my own. I also would probably never have just donated like $60 to someone outright, but I don't mind $5 a month.

[audiodramadirectory]

This guy emailed me at The Audio Drama Directory, I sent him to the Audio Drama Talk forums but I never followed up to see if he said anything there. Here's the email:

"We are launching a newAudio drama only radio station. It's a Global Online streaming station. We are keen that audio production company use us as another channel to get their creative work in front of an audience. Every 12 weeks, we will be totting up listener votes and cutting a $500 cheque toward production costs for the drama that proves most popular to the listeners. Could you release these details via your site or newsletter please. We have signed 4 production companies up already. We will take as much content as can be thrown at us."

Actually it just occurred to me that I'm not going to post this guy's contact information on a public forum, but instead of deleting this post (I'll forward the email on to KC), I'll leave it up for this reason, if any of you reading this have a favorite radio station, maybe look into their contact info and see if you can find out if they're looking for syndicated content?

[Cabbage Patch]

Another option for selling scripts would be to go through Drive Thru RPG (http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com). They are a leading seller of downloadable role-playing games, they serve as a unified storefront for a wide variety of content vendors, and I've seen them sell "scripts" before. Besides providing an alternate channel for sales it would provide a mechanism for cross-promoting to the world of zombie RPG players (and there are a lot of them available).

I've seen a number of on-line retailers that have done zombie-themed promotions lately, which says to me that there's at least someone there who's zombie-drama friendly:
US Cavalry Store: http://www.uscav.com/zombies.aspx?cm_sp=Zombie-_-HOME-_-Oct2010D
Sears: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/dap_10153_12605_DAP_Zombie?origin=zeta&storeId=10153&catalogId=12605&expCheckout=&orderEmail=&langId=
Think Geek: http://www.thinkgeek.com/cdc-zombie-apocalypse-supplemental/index.shtml

Does anyone know anyone at AMC? Before too long they're going to start advertising the next season of "The Walking Dead", and if last year was any example they're going to use paid media ads and a lot of social networkings. It seems to me that advertising on "We're Alive" would offer an amazing value for them (certainly beats putting ads outside of funeral homes).

[mythicgr66]

I dunno if some one has already suggested it but what about putting the audio to an animated storyboard.

Like the walking dead animated comic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=riKsI6covPA) witch is like an animated tv show but in black and white or you could do it like Afterworld (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd3stfOcpq8&playnext=1&list=PL07E03F5180A9F18A) in witch its a minamilistic type of animation (only move items that need moving the rest is stationary, better yet watch the link)

Im not talking about doing it in black & white (The walking dead) or with 3D characters (Afterworld) but in those styles using the art work you have already show us as that art work fits in with this world as its gritty and dark.

[Cabbage Patch]

How about going into the book-marketing business? One of my favorite zombie-themed authors is Craig DiLouie (I started a thread about his book "Tooth and Nail"). So I'm looking up the listing for the audio version when I discover that this guy has written a new zombie-themed book, and it's been out since January! My first thought, they sure did a lousy job marketing this product.

There are dozens of zombie genre books on Amazon. Most are from smaller publishers, and none of them seem to be getting any love from corporate marketing departments because they're such niche products. Most of the marketing is being done by word-of-mouth, through outside reviews on fan sites, and by cross-referencing on retailer sites like Amazon. Even this anemic marketing was enough to get the DiLouie book into the top 30 Kindle downloads of the week, but it's clear to me that they're not even scratching the surface of the potential market for these books.

So what if there was an organization that could put those books in front of an enormous audience already pre-disposed to this particular niche? And what if that organization was ideally suited to provide added-value to limited marketing dollars?

I figure you average at least a hundred-thousand downloaders! Not to mention the "We're Not Dead" podcast. Both are prime locations for marketing zombie books, Kindle downloads, audiobooks, etc. If even a small proportion of your audience buys a book it has the potential to increase sales exponentially.

I think you should identify the publishers of the zombie books and offer yourselves up as a one-stop marketing solution for them. What you have to offer is:

1. 100,000+ regular downloaders on iTunes, plus the listenership of "We're Not Dead".

2. You develop the ads and produce them. You already have a team of writers experienced in working in an audio environment, professional voice actors, and access to state-of-the-art recording facilities.

3. You act as middle-men, placing the ads you produce on other zombie-themed podcasts. You pay them a share of the ad revenue (keeping a portion as your agency fee), and they bring a wider audience, making you even more attractive to the publishers.

4. You bring in added-value features. I'm thinking starting discussion threads on specific books to generate discussion and user input for them. I also think it would be very cool if you could do audio dramatizations of key parts of individual books.

[Malinari]

Did the zombie hunting-cry ringtone idea ever get developed? I'd love to have a good fidelity version of the call on tap for my groups rpg sessions.

[beesting]

Ok, here's my 2 cents, as a family we'd buy collectibles, but we'd also buy scripts or ebooks that are side stories. I think if there were things I could get my kid I'd be more likely to buy them, but then I'm probably one of a small crowd with a child under 10 who listens to the show. I think do more in person things, live streaming events, I know I'd pay to view them if I couldn't make it in person. Also a ring tone would be awesome, I can just imagine being in a meeting with a client and a zombie screams from my purse!

[beesting]

Also just thought of this, you could totally do a zombie survival camp. Take a weekend, charge admission and teach people things like how to make water drinkable, how to garden, how to shoot a gun,...

[zombiegunslingr]

I know that Victorinox aka the people that make the swiss army knife , do limited runs of custome blades . Another podcast i listen to that doesnt have half the listeners just did a run . the final order was placed when all 500 pieces were bought . so why not do something like that , a neck knife or a "were alive" multi-tool . just an idea .

[Drew227598]

I love that one! Excellent product tie in!

Another "Bonus Content" thing I thought of would be have Michael Swan record an outgoing voicemail/answering machine message that people could then put on their phones. How cool would it be to have that voice as your outgoing message? You could sell it out of the store and post the script used for the message so people would know what its going to be.

How about a Muchael Swan alarm clock, "We're alive and it's 7 AM" or something along those lines

[Nullifier]

Yet another idea for a T-Shirt.
Here's my idea.
Shirt Caption:

I raided the Mallers & all I got was this crappy shirt!

Colours, Plain Black
Grey with Blood stains
Olive Drab with Blood stains

[Davo]

I would say there would be the potential for a we`re alive TV series (would be great if done properly and remained true to scripts), would be good money involved if rights sold to TV company. A zombie TV series hasn`t really been done in past, so would be reasonably original.

[GD_Elite]

I would say there would be the potential for a we`re alive TV series (would be great if done properly and remained true to scripts), would be good money involved if rights sold to TV company. A zombie TV series hasn`t really been done in past, so would be reasonably original.

I'm going to suggest that you look up the walking dead.