WHY IS EXPLORATION RADIO UNIQUE?
We are a vested free enterprise and fiercely independent.
Our content is never sponsored nor influenced by outside sources; and is free and available everywhere, anytime, to anyone that wants it.
We feel the mining and resources industry is more than just the metals we extract. We aim to create attractive, topical and engaging content to showcase that.
No topics are off-limits to us. We are a “broad church” in what issues we cover and intend to stay that way. There are a lot of issues facing our industry and all of these are fodder for our podcast.
We have a high level of engagement with our listener base – particularly strong in the under 35-year-olds in our industry.
And our audience is still growing.
“Exploration Radio is always interesting, topical and a great professional development resource for geoscientists, industry professionals, and anyone interested in all aspects of mineral exploration everywhere, anytime. The podcast is particularly beneficial for geoscientists working in the field, on commute rosters or overseas, interested in keeping informed about developments and ideas relevant to both the present and future of their profession. Listening to Exploration Radio is a valuable, readily accessible source of continued professional development.”
-
AHMAD SALEEM
Ahmad is the co-creator of Exploration Radio. The idea for the podcast grew out of his desire to avoid doing his PhD research. It worked.
Ahmad started his career as a geologist working on various international projects. Recently he has worked with a number of technology start-ups and investment firms.
-
STEVE BERESFORD
Steve is the co-creator of Exploration Radio. He is the generator of topics covered on the podcast and occasionally jumps in the interview chair with Ahmad.
Steve has been Chief Geoscientist for a number of mining companies along with being a professor at several universities in Australia.
-
SHAUN JEFFERY
Shaun handles all aspects of podcast production. From research and recording to editing and uploading.
Combining a passion for storytelling with over a decade in podcast and audio production. He sprinkles the final touches of editing magic into every episode of Exploration radio.
SO FAR ON EXPLORATION RADIO
EPISODE 8 & 9
A Ship Called CRAESTAR
In the mid-1960's, CRA was exploring for copper deposits in the SW Pacific. They had success with a deposit called Panguna on the island of Bougainville. But exploring other islands was proving to be a challenge. The company needed to be quick and to stay ahead of their competitors. Traditional methods were too slow. They needed a new way. They needed to innovate. The solution the company came up with... the MV CRAESTAR, a retrofitted fishing trawler with a helipad and an analytical geochemical laboratory on board. The ship was a floating exploration base. It could go anywhere in the Pacific.
What does the CRAESTAR program teach us about innovation on the front line... and what lessons can we learn from it?
Let’s explore.
EPISODE 19
Skateboarders and Base Jumpers with John Vann
An exploration geologist and a mine geologist walk into a bar. They start talking about skateboarding and base jumping. What happens next? They learn what those activities can teach them about mining and exploration.
Let's explore.
EPISODE 24
Real-Time Analytics with
Thor Kallestad
Mining has always been considered a laggard in adopting real-time analytics when compared to the oil and gas industry. This was not because of a lack of interest. In reality, there were some good reasons why this did not work in mining. Until now.
Let’s explore.
EPISODE 38
The Lost Cities of Gold with Keith Barron
In 1998, Keith Barron went to Ecuador to participate in a Spanish language school for a month. On this trip, he met a local historian, Professor Octavio Latorre. That chance meeting started a nearly 2 decades-long search for 2 gold mines run by the Conquistadors in the 1500s deep in the Ecuadorian jungle.
Let’s explore.
EPISODE 48
Cheese, Crackers and the Discovery of Gruyère
Kyle Prentice and Justin Osbourne take us through their involvement in the discovery of the Gruyere deposit.
Let's explore.
EPISODE 53
Amalgamated Aardvarks Being Funded by Hope and Narrative with Rick Rule
In this episode, our guest is Arthur Richards “Rick” Rule IV, better known as Rick Rule. He needs no introduction.
Let’s explore.
EPISODE 54
Coaching Culture with
Paul Roos
Paul Roos is an Australian Rules Football icon. He played 17 years in the Australian Football League, coached for another 12 and has been inducted into the Australian Rules Football Hall of Fame.
His consulting company, Performance by Design, has a nice quote as part of its marketing pitch: don’t leave culture to chance. I like that.
Let’s explore.
EPISODE 55
Building Better Satellites with Andy Koronios
Professor Andy Koronios is CEO & Managing Director of the SmartSat CRC.
He led the bid to establish a space industry-focused Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) aimed at catapulting Australia into the global space industry through collaborative research and development with over 100 participants from industry, government and academia.
The SmartSat CRC is the biggest space industry-research collaboration in Australia's history.
Let’s explore.
IN THE PIPELINE
THE OYU TOLGOI STORY
SPACE EXPLORATION AND THE FUTURE OF RESOURCES
THE DISCOVERY OF ARGYLE
MH370 AND MINERAL EXPLORATION
BLOCKCHAIN AND MINING
BRE-X THE ANATOMY OF A SCAM
In 5 years, we have produced 50+ episodes that have been downloaded >250,000 times.
Each episode is individually downloaded on average between 4000-6000 times. And these downloads continue to grow with new content released - indicating our audience is still growing and has not stabilized yet.
WHY PARTNER WITH US
LISTENER DEMOGRAPHICS
Demographic data suggests our audience is broadly represented in age, gender and professional status, with:
half being young listeners (graduates, students). This is the fastest growing sector.
a quarter being mid-career professionals.
a quarter being executives and older professionals
Our audience is equally represented within and outside the mining industry.
MARKETING ON PODCASTS
Podcasts is proven to be one of the most effective advertising mediums.
A 2022 BBC World Service study found the engagement rate of podcasts was 47% higher in comparison to radio and 27% higher than TV.
And the audience for podcasts continues to grow significantly.
As this format grows, some brands have become interested in the value that podcasting can bring to their business.
Podcasting allows brands to communicate to a captive audience. With lifestyles on the go, the power to have podcasting on demand will enable companies and brands to tell their story anywhere, at any time, directly to their audience. This establishes authority in your industry, creating brand advocates along the way.
As this format is still little known, few brands seek such partnerships. Podcast listeners are not saturated with brands seeking to promote products to them.
Therefore, listeners give more attention to the content made for companies as there is less competition for their attention. This format tends to have an exciting return on investment for companies interested in marketing online.
Effectiveness of in-podcast advertising is clearly to do with that people tune in to podcasts because they want to absorb information. One Spotify report found that 60% of listeners tune in to educate themselves.
“Podcast [listening] is a very ‘lean-in’ activity” says chief operating officer of National Public Media Bryan Moffett. “Someone tunes in because they want to listen and want to absorb it.
HOW WE ADVERTISE
Choose the best placement
Podcast ads usually have three different placements: pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll. As the names suggest, pre-roll ads take place at the beginning of a podcast episode, mid-roll ads take place in the middle, and post-roll ads come in after the episode is over.
Pre- and post-roll ad placements are shorter and cost less. However, it is easy for listeners to miss them since they aren’t a part of the episode.
Mid-roll ad placements are slightly longer and cost more. They typically garner more engagement as they appear within the podcast’s content. Using a host-read ad allows the episode to seamlessly transition into the advertisement without disrupting the tone of the show.
According to a study performed by Nielsen, host-read podcast ads were “significantly more likely to be described by respondents as authentic and believable, and less likely to be felt as forced.”
When you let a podcast host read your advertisement, it follows the original tone of the show and is integrated seamlessly to match what the host is talking about. To have an authentic ad, encourage the podcast host to try your product. Listeners can distinguish when a podcast host has tried a product, compared to when they haven’t.
People listen to podcasts because they enjoy the content and trust the hosts, therefore, it is seen as a trusted endorsement.
We can work with your company to craft a unique and effective advertising experience.
WHY WE ARE LOOKING FOR SPONSORS
Sponsorship funds will go directly towards content creation as we move to a weekly podcast covering direct costs related to producing content (studio rentals, equipment, editing/producing time (through hiring a full-time producer).
We pay for all other costs ourselves and the hosts do not get a salary or compensation for their time.
It is a labour of love.
