Midroll Media, one of the largest ad agencies for Podcasts in the U.S., has just published a white paper called “The Surprising Secrets of Successful Podcasers.”In this useful and highly readable 22-page paper, Midroll offers practical and important tips to Podcasters, starting with the need for PASSION:

“If there is one thing we’ve learned over the course of starting two podcast networks, it’s that the most crucial ingredient in a successful podcast is passion. The best hosts have a real love for and dedication to what they’re doing and sharing— and that comes across on the microphone and draws listeners in. That same passion also helps with keeping focus while building your audience. So, what topics are YOU passionate about?”

The Midroll White Paper also gives tips on how to “monetize” Podcasts by bringing in advertising, and it says that the way you read your ad copy is critically important.

“Ad reads are where the rubber meets the road. This is what advertisers pay for. So doing a great ad read means you’re delivering for your advertiser. A good ad read also delivers value to your audience. A great podcast ad shouldn’t be something that listeners tolerate while waiting for the next segment. It should be something both informative and entertaining in itself..”

Of course, this paper is from a major advertising agency that wants to take care of finding advertisers for you, so it is not surprising they say, “Monetization can easily become one of the most significant significant demands of time and energy. While there are independent producers who sell all of their own ads, monetization is one of the strongest arguments for joining a network.”

You can download the entire 22-page PDF white paper.