• by Greg Masters , April 18, 2006

With more than 10 million listeners expected to download podcasts this year, advertisers hope to leverage this new media to reach consumers. San Francisco-based Kiptronic is attempting to simplify the process of matching podcasters with advertisers.

The Kiptronic Podcast Marketplace enables podcasters to turn their hobby into a business, and advertisers to target campaigns to a selected audience, says Jonathan Cobb, Kiptronic founder and CEO. A gardening store chain, for example, could reach users downloading podcasts focused on gardening. Ads are typically 30 seconds or less and inserted before or after a podcast. While Cobb admits that the response so far is difficult to measure, he says the service is "affordable enough for mom-and-pop shops." He says there is also interest from bigger businesses. Kiptronic also plans a video podcast offering.