I attended Digital Hollywood (you can check out my coverage by watching the EXPOzed Podcast) and learned a lot about monetizing your content, however, it seems that most people feel the only way to monetize your digital content, that is, your web videos, podcasts, blogs, website content, etc. is to get sponsors and/or advertisers.

That set my mind thinking that there has to be other ways to make money.  So below, I’ve started a list of ways that may (or may not) work.   It’s a starting point.   If you have other ideas, please email me and I will add it to this blog entry.

1. Pay Per Episode - Charge for each episode, say, 25 cents or 10 cents.   Each customer can download whatever episode they want.
2. Subscription (yearly, quaterly, monthly) - Charge for access to your content with a subscription, much like cable.
3. “All you can eat” Day Pass - Charge for a 1 day “all you can eat” pass to access all your content on the site.
4. Sponsorship (Pre-roll, Post-roll, Instertitials, Overlays, Host Read) - This is like TV in the 50s.   “This week’s show sponsored by….xxx brand.”
5. Ads (Web Page Banners, Companion Ads, PPC ads) - Sell web page banners for your web site, have companion ads that show up as your video plays, or sign up to Google’s and/or Yahoos Pay Per Click ads).
6. eCommerce
   • Product placement - Place product in your video, such as a “diet coke” that a character in your show drinks while speaking.
   • Product placement with hot spots to store. - Same as product placement, but make it hot (usually works only in Flash) so that when a user clicks on a product inside a video, it links them to a store to purchase it.
   • Show notes with products linked to store. - Same as product placement with hotspots, but link the products in the show notes.
   • Affiliate programs - Think “Amazon.com” affiliate program.  There are thousands of others for you to hook up with.  For example, you have a show where you review cameras.  Sign up for a camera affiliate program and link any products you mention to that affiliate program store.
7. Live Shows - Charge for live shows of your pre-recorded shows.
8. DVDs (Standard Def and Blu-Ray) - Package up your shows and sell them through DVDs.
9. Expertise
   • Podcasting consultation - You are creating a bunch of podcasts.  Lots of people want to do this.  Why not teach people how to podcast?
   • Subject matter - You have a show on training dogs?  Well, start charging people to train their dogs.
   • Seminars - Create seminars on either podcasting and/or subject matter (as defined above) and charge people to come learn.
   • Speaking engagements - Start speaking in conferences and shows and charge for that.
10. Hyper Syndication with Revenue Share - Distribute your digital content through many sites (such as MySpace, YouTube, etc.) and share in the revenue of the advertisement.
11. Show “fan” products for sale. - Have a popular show?  Create t-shirts, coffee cups, etc. and sell them.
12. Download for “burn to DVD” option - Charge for an option to download a DVD ready version of your show so that they can burn it to DVD.
13. Build your own feed (from different shows, episodes with keyword search) - Charge for the ability to allow users to pick different episodes from different shows in your network and create a feed that automatically updates.
14. Sell your shows through Amazon unbox - Strike a deal with Amazon Unbox to sell your shows through.
15. Rent your videos through Netflix - Same as #14.  Strike the deal with Netflix.
16. iTunes rental / purchase deal - Same as #15. Strike the deal with Apple.
17. Production services - You create a lot of shows?  Why not offer those services to other companies that need / want to create shows.
18. Tip Jar / Donations - Ask people for donations via Paypal.
19. Custom Content - Add content to your site from other websites that is complementary to yours and charge that company for the impressions (CPM) to their content.

Added on 5/24/2008:

• URTurn.com - Allows you to monetize your time on social networks.
• SpreadShirt.com - Sell T-Shirts with custom designs on them for your services and/or products.