Well, that sounded interesting. I had never heard of VoiceAmerica, so my initial thought was that someone had read my blog or my Examiner.com articles, or my web page and was interested in a radio interview about some aspect of any of those topics. Rather than calling back right away, I began to look around online to see what I could learn. I'm suspicious that way.
I did find the website for VoiceAmerica and I did find a staff person named Scott Duffy. So far so good. So I emailed Scott Duffy directly to explain the phone message I had. I got back a cryptic response of "Oh, I was just about to call her, so, what do you want to do?". To which I responded something to the effect of "huh? You called me, what do YOU want to do?". It was sort of confusing.
I continued to look around the website and tried to find some reviews about the company, complaints about the company, any buzz about the company. And honestly, for the most part, the information about the company is coming from the company. They have a "Host Kit" you can download, and it is a bunch of advertising for them without any substance or detail.
The best I could piece together is that VoiceAmerica is an online, talk radio business that for a fee (how much, I have no idea), will allow you to pay them to have your own talk show. OK, that's sort of interesting. But I'm just a poor blogging housewife with no money. Where did they get my cell phone number? Why were they calling me? I have no money. I have never expressed a desire to host my own talk radio show. But here's "Mr. Duffy" acting as though I contacted THEM.
So, I did get another message from Scott Duffy apologizing for any confusion, and stating that I must be "a hot commodity to have made it to the desk of both of his assistants". OK, dude, that's a bunch of crap. He also said "they were looking for people to host shows etc and were interested in me". Never said why. They man had no idea who I was or why he might be interested in me. He made it sound as though they were looking to hire when in fact, their business is ALL about recruitment.
My conclusion? VoiceAmerica must do some random trolling for bloggers or people with an online presence who might be desperate enough to get more public exposure to pay someone to let them talk on a radio show once a week online. I don't doubt that this is the case for some people trying to build their businesses by using this medium for advertising themselves. I think VoiceAmerica must do some cold-call soliciting, pretending to be interested in the individual even though they have no knowledge of them.
There are not many complaints with the BBB online for this company. I saw only two that were old and had been closed so I was unable to view them. Therefore, the BBB gave them an A rating. I'm sure they are legit, but they raised all of my red flags about being pandered to. I believe my last email to Mr. Duffy, in the part of the email where he says I must be a "hot commodity", I responded "OK, now I KN OW you're blowing smoke, because I'm not on anyone's list of hot commodities". I thanked him for his "interest" but stated that I was not interested in paying him so I could host my own radio show. That's the last I heard from his office.
See, I'm thinking, eventually, somebody should be paying ME to be on the air, not the other way around.
I can't say that VoiceAmerica is not legit. They have some interesting looking broadcasts. If I liked talk radio, I might even listen to some of them. You can check it out on their site.
But first of all, I really hate it when so-called professionals use titles instead of their names. "Mr. Duffy"? I don't even call my doctor "Dr.". People say it's a matter of showing respect. I say it's a matter of trying to view oneself as more important than someone else. I mean, they used my first name in their correspondence with me, so why am I interested in "Mr. So and so"?
Secondly, don't pretend you know me, are interested specifically in what I can do for you, when you have no idea who I am and are really soliciting for me to pay YOU for a service. That chaps.
Lastly, be upfront with your business proposition. There is no place on the website, or in the kit that states that they want you to pay them for them to provide you with an "opportunity", much less the specific terms and amounts. I'm assuming they schmooze you with their wonderfulness and then send you a contract with that info spelled out later. Put your terms and fees on your website alongside the service you provide. Be honest and straightforward. Nothing makes me angrier than hidden agendas and misleading advertising. It sort of puts them on par with Multi-Level Network Marketers who want to "share an opportunity" and "it doesn't involve selling, it involves sharing the opportunity with others", but they often won't say up front what company they are with and what it is they "aren't" selling. Barf.
Rant over. I'm sure their programing is fine. But this experience with them made my ass ache.
Oh Shelly great post! I was excited to read your blog post, lot of useful stuff here. Had a great time in your blog!
ReplyDeleteBusiness Letters
I loved Wlllow's analogue of a bandstand for free speech. :) I am a new Host on Voice America that has already earned about $12,000 from my show in the first month with a strong listening audience. The host before me has about 1,000,000 listeners, and so we can confirm what Willow was saying in her blog, that her guess is VA is truly a legit outfit. With Voice America, you OWN your OWN show, which means you work it as your own business. It is the survival of the fittest. You can track your show's success to determine how much traction you are gaining with your audience. So, you are paid in direct proportion to the value you bring to the marketplace. So I admit, if someone thinks they cannot gain traction with a listening audience, then rework your content, until you think you can. At that point, jump on Voice America, and get the same great experience I have had. :)
DeleteSo, um, I really have to say here, that I don't think you read my blog post very carefully, if at all before posting a promotional post for Voice America.
DeleteIf you had read it, or read it carefully, you would know that I did not legitimize V.A. I am highly suspicious of it and not at ALL interested in learning more about it than I already have.
I just took a look at your profile and can only assume that you are affiliated with VA more as a business promoter than as an actual client/user of VA.
This type of business promotion is not my cup of tea AT ALL. I see red flags re VA and reviews I've seen online. So buyer beware. Do your research. In no way am I endorsing VA...anything but that. But if you like it, let the record stand that some people are finding success with it.
I think it is hokey.
You've got all the jargon and lingo down for hard sales for snake oil. Just sayin'
LOL. I was being nice, rather than taking you head on. One of the best strategies for blogging is to create controversy, so I get what you are doing. We teach blogging, so I don't disagree with your methods. Keep it up. :)
Deletenot at all. The goal of my blog is honest opinion and not to create controversy even though I'm aware that sells on successful blogs (which mine is not cuz I try to avoid controversy). So in the spirit of that...this dance is over. This will be the last of your comments I post. Not being too productive. You're trying to sell something...promote something, not sharing your personal experience as an average blogger who utilized the services of VA and is having good fun with it. I see you more as a shill or plant by VA for damage control. PFFT...hardly anybody even reads my blog...it's primarily for my own enjoyment. If I make some money through monetizing, that's gravy.
Delete"Shelly"?? Who's that?
ReplyDeleteThanks, I'm glad you enjoy it.
I got a call from them just this afternoon. The initial investment is $6700 and then the per show cost is $200-500. The exec producer I talked to told me that the per show cost could eventually be covered by advertisers or a sponsor. Hmmmm
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! That totally sounds like a rip-off scam. I can't even fathom doing something like that.
ReplyDeleteI understand the knee jerk reaction to say this, but if you think about where our economy is right now. Trillions in debt almost on a quarterly basis, and a taking economy equate to a distinct lack of expendable income. I have advertised on Traditional Radio Stations before, and there is a reason they are all struggling...they don't get results for their advertisers. Why? Because people have moved online to determine where to spend their scarcely remaining expendable income. Blogs and social media in general are growing as an industry, while tradition media is tanking. So,to be aligned with an up and coming industry with Radio as opposed to a flailing traditional radio industry is a huge plus. Also, to be associated with online radio that knows how to be creative in their sales process is comforting, not disconcerting. Advertising as an industry during times of minuscule expendable income levels needs all the help it can get, and guerrilla marketing is needed as well as many other strategies that promote products and services are needed to get this economy jump started so people start spending again. Economics 101. So, to me...online Radio and Blogging should be friends, not at odds. Just a thought...
DeleteI'm fine with online Radio and Bloggers being friends. I'm just not impressed with what I've seen, heard, and my first-hand phone experience dealing with representatives of VA.
DeleteFor an average person, IN THIS ECONOMY or in any other, a stay at home blogger hoping to make a buck here and there...that type of investment is not even on the planet of reality. Anyone thinking that that type of investment is reasonable for a blogger is not in touch with reality. For example, that "investment" is nearly three times my monthly household gross.
That does sound totally backwards. If you're providing them a service, like bringing in more listeners, they should be paying you. They're probably just providing a bandstand for free speech ... which isn't AT ALL free.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Willow -- I, too, had trouble finding any kind of host feedback and so glad I ran into you and your commenters. I got the same kind of enthusiastic call but am naturally skeptical, so I will tell VA: "Thanks, but no thanks." --MusicCitySue (Nashville, TN)
ReplyDeleteRegarding the Biz2Business pro-VoiceAmerica poster.
ReplyDeleteGoogle shows similar posts turning up from about 5 years ago on another blog with the same exact claim. The poster a newbie on the show, doing amazing the first month, made $12K the first month.
Hint to Biz2B, maybe change the details or writing style if you want to sound like an unsolicited newbie poster on different blogs over the years.
Also, a newbie would not come across like such an expert. Lecturing people in Econ hardly proves the worth of the program, since the company is still cold calling, if you get the drift.
To spell it out, if it's such a great opportunity for the hosts, after all these years with the "perfect information" (Adam Smith) of the internet marketplace, you'd expect there'd be less need to cold call.
I too got "the call." After a few minutes with Google have decided to go with other posters, thanks but no thanks.
Thank you for your comments. I have just been contacted by them and also wondered how they go my name. I am a business owner and lecturer but I am far from the leading expert in my feild and was quite confused how their "research" found me. Now I know...
ReplyDeleteI just got a call and emailsolicitation from VA yesterday. This is my initial research into the legitimacy of VA, as like, Willow, I am skeptical about such things. Already I find I have been lied to. I asked what the investment was and what the minimum commitment was. I was told $6,700 for 13 weeks. No mention of the additional $200-$500 per show that a previous poster mentioned. You lie to me AT ALL in the initial contact, the conversation is over. Thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteI hear ya! Deception or "creative marketing" that leaves out or hides costs until they have you already partially invested, is not even close to how I ever want to do business. Reminds me of being invited to dinner because somebody really needs to discuss something with me...to find out they want to "share the Amway/Shaklee/Jewelway/Manetec/whatever opportunity" Makes me so mad they are no longer my "friend" after that...cuz here I think they're gonna tell me they have cancer or something and no...they want me to get in on their MLM gig. HATE it. If your "opportunity" is so fantastical, you don't need to trick people...or as an earlier poster stated, if the opportunity is so great, people would come to YOU, you wouldn't have to cold call with cryptic/deceptive messages. Holy wow...there is no way on God's green earth that $6,700 for ANYTHING for ANY time period is in my budget...it's so far out of the realm of reality for me it brings on a gasp followed by..."are you effing KIDDING me????"
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I read your blog, Willow, as I was also contacted by them Monday. When I questioned how I was "discovered," I too was told Duffy's assistants are always looking for experts. While I am considered an "expert" in my field, Duffy had no idea what my expertise was:-( Your post was the only one I could find that actually talked about this company. Glad I told him I was headed out of town & would think about it:-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Willow!
Hi Mary! Thanks for taking the time to comment. I'm always happy to know when something I've written has been useful, helpful or at the very least, entertaining. I hope you'll visit other posts and "stay a while". Welcome!
ReplyDeleteI have been broadcasting for several years now both internet and commercial radio. I also received a email solicitation, however, I found their website to be short on details. I eventually called them, but was surprised that I did not receive a same day response. There are legitimate broadcasting platforms on the internet that provide various broadcasting services for a nominal fee. I know, I use them. For $6,700.00 they should be able to provide specific details on how the money is generated and prove it. Just be careful. The platforms I use post their costs and level of services on their website for everyone to see and compare. Thank you for posting your blog on this subject.
ReplyDeleteJust got "the call", with an easy-entry ego, I'm glad you've helped identify the hucksters.
ReplyDeleteThanks
Leif
I'm sure THEY don't appreciate my take on it, but I only claim it as my opinion and my personal experience. There might be people having a perfectly lovely experience. If so, I'm happy for them.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the post-I ALSO was contacted by phone. I certainly do not have the kind of advertising budget required to play in that field. The call to have my "five minutes" is not worth me going into debt for years.
ReplyDeleteI think it is strange that you don't think a company should charge for their service. Do you charge for your service? Because you can't afford the service Voice America offers you are upset with them? If I ask how much something costs and I can't afford it, I don't get upset and rant about what I can't do. How can you make a fair judgement when you did not work with them? I think the comments by someone who has used their service is more reliable.
ReplyDeleteYou make a very good point. It's a misnomer to say I'm evaluating "the business" because I don't know anything about it.
ReplyDeleteI should clarify that I am evaluating my experience with their marketing technique, which I personally, evaluate as manipulative, evasive and deceptive. From that perspective, I'm not interested in going any further to know more about the business based on my first interactions. It *IS* fair to determine that based on their approach and lack of clarity, that I don't feel confident to do business with them (assuming I personally could afford to).
Of course businesses should charge for their services. At no point in this article did I say a business should not charge for their services.
Those charges should be expressed upfront, with full disclosure on the outset, which this business does not do. This tells me they are not confident in their price point as they feel they must manipulate you into interest before telling you the price.
The way they market the business, actually led me to believe that they were so interested in what *I* had to offer *THEM* that they made it sound like they were offering me a job...a job *they* would pay *me* for. So my beef is with their honesty, or at the very least *clarity*, in marketing.
They market through ego stroking...and by the time you figure it out, you might be too embarrassed to say no.
And for me, just me, the price is so far out of my league or my personal or business budget that I can't even fathom it.
I'm speaking for myself, of what I experienced, and my perception and opinion of it. I'm not saying I'm right. I'm expressing a view. Just one of many possible views.
I just got the same call. I even thought it was pretty dumb that I was going to spend time looking it up! You have helped a ton! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comments and candor. I just got "the call" and assumed they were going to be paying ME from the way the caller was talking. I do occasionally get invited to give lectures to groups in my profession, and he seemed to know that. No mention at all of an initial payment of $6,700, not to mention the other expenses. I agree totally with Willow about deceptive marketing. Yes, we are in a recession, but honesty and morality is also in short supply in this country. I'll pass. Anonymous
ReplyDeleteI too got the call from a snake-oil sounding like salesman. Looked at their website then your blog. I kind of new it was a scam but after reading the blog posts pretty much summed it all up.
ReplyDeleteThanks Willow!
Thank you Willow and friends for these intelligent and engaging posts about VA. Two days ago I also received the VA cold call. While I've recently expanded my practice, I'm truly just a quiet entrepreneur. My ego bit this hook at first. I'm very thankful that I came across your blog/review and these comments. There is something "shady" about their approach.
ReplyDeleteHey all,
ReplyDeleteI get these calls all the time. If you want your voice to be heard, do your own podcasts and then write some articles on ezinearticles, etc to get the word out. Do some basic SEO and the audience will find you. You can set up adwords on site and then once you get a good listening audience, advertisers will call you to place ads on your site. Basic equipment is a good microphone and editing software. You can get the software for free online. Just fill your podcasts - keep them short 5-8 minutes - with good content that people will find useful. You can then take the podcast and spin them into an article for more SEO juice.
I received a call from the producer yesterday too. He wanted me to syndicate 13 shows, once a week. I specifically asked them what is the cost and he said it is free and that advertizes will pay for this. So I got a different response then some of you. But he could have misled me.
ReplyDeleteI asked him how he found out about me and he reported that he has a team of researches that looks online. I do write little articles on Facebook, and I do give public talks but I don't feel I am an expert in the field.
He said he is looking for emerging experts....
The interesting this is that I told him that I don't think I am the right person for this and that he is probably looking for someone more advanced in their carrier, or has published a few books on the topic. His response was- thank you very much and goodbye. He basically hung up on me.
I got "the call" yesterday. Sounded too good to be true; that is, they do all the works except for content development. That is up to the host as the subject matter expert. You work with the Producer to fine-tune your concept and they support your format, do marketing, etc., then you split (not sure what ratio) advertising revenue.
ReplyDeleteNo one mentioned actually dollars, entry costs, etc. but as it did for Willow, it raised my antenna. Great to find others with experience so I don't have to learn the hard way!
Thanks for an informative blog and great follow up comments.
I happened to come across this blog online tonight and thought I would share some info. I have hosted a show called The American Businessperson on the VA network for nearly 2 years. The fees as stated above are correct and there are certainly less expensive ways to get your "expert" message out there. I have researched other conduits for this type of media and found early on that there are quite a bit of production costs to producing a live Internet show. I do feel that the cost was worth the value for the assistance you receive along with the coaching and contacts VA provides to its hosts. They do a great job in producing your show from start to finish and do help you secure sponsorship.
ReplyDeleteI too received a call from VA back in 2010 referring to me as a "business expert", but their research was valid for their claim (I developed more than 20 companies at that time). I'm not sure if there is a different research coordinator there now, but as an entrepreneur I saw the opportunity in developing a live talk show with the support of a network that seemed to have a good market share. I put a business plan together for strategizing the show and it was a loss for the first several months. After nearly a year of shows, I started to pick up advertisers and monetize the show. The show is now a profit center for me and has helped my other companies' exposure as well.
Like any business endeavor, it was a tough road to get the show to where it is today (approximately 82,000 listeners per month), but I do feel that I wouldn't have accomplished it without their help. They have a strong brand and multi-million person listenership which helps each host with cross promotion. I believe if you treat the opportunity as a business and commit to it, you can succeed with them and I feel fortunate for the "cold call" I received back in 2010.
Rich
Hi Rich,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your articulate response. I'm so glad that for you this was a viable option and that it has worked out so well for you. I appreciate a counter response that is respectful, and thorough. Much success to you! Thank you for reading and thank you for responding.
Thank you so much for your blog! I am the business development coordinator for a small business. I got "the call" a couple of hours ago and at first it sounded great. I am constantly trying to get our information out to the general public and being "invited" to do a radio program would be great for credibility.
ReplyDeleteHowever in general we are paid for our expertise either in cash or in free advertising. This is definitely not something that will fit in our business model.
Thanks for the information!
Willow,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post! I'm the PR and Social Media Coordinator for a non profit and you saved us a lot of head aches today.
I was gone and had a message from them when I returned home from a 5 week trip. I am glad I have seen this blog, now I will do nothing more, it is not for me.
ReplyDeleteThanks
This post was very helpful indeed! I received a call a couple of days ago and after reading this and their cryptic website it just does not feel right.
ReplyDeleteYes, it is a helpful blog. I also felt all the ego stroking and although I was suspicious I was also curious. I wondered, "does anyone really listen to radio, still?" and "why wouldn't I just post a video on UTube?" I am the owner of a small business and although I do speak internationally and teach, it seemed doubtful their researchers had selected me for being special. So, now I know a bit more, such as that live internet radio actually exists, some people listen to it (I prefer video), and most importantly that this company really is charging a lot of money (they told me $6,700 for 13 shows and "you get it all back if you are successful")for something I won't need! Thank-you for the education.
ReplyDeleteYes, while it might need the needs of some, I'm not one of them. I NEVER listen to radio. My husband does quite a bit and enjoys talk radio. And for a SMALL business, I mean a TRULY SMALL business, there is no way to justify that expenditure wisely on a true gamble.
ReplyDeleteReceived a call and an email. When I emailed back asking for more specifics, their response was rude, immature, highly unprofessional, and bordering on being a lecture. Not a good way to make a sale.
ReplyDeleteEwww. Well that just ices the cake, doesn't it??
ReplyDeleteHey Willow -- pretty good analysis. I just analyzed the "brokered" talk radio market for a client and here's what I learned. This is nothing new in terms of being a part of overall broadcast or marketing strategy. In fact, you more than likely listen to "brokered" -- meaning the host pays a portion of the hard costs, usually about half to cover the cost of production, the people, the software, the bandwidth, the marketing, etc. and then there is some sort of split of advertising, or possibly the host keeps all of the advertising -- it all depends.
ReplyDeleteThink of the auto show, or gardening show, or even the "real estate" shows that you see on Saturday or Sunday TV -- ALL brokered time.
What I did find out about VoiceAmerica, versus something like BlogTalkRadio is that they actually have have REAL PEOPLE engineering your show, producing weekly show promotional materials, etc. versus just giving you a place to spout off!
They do have numbers to back everything, I think you just have to ask for them, they sent them to me right away.
One thing that I did learn is that even though they have like 5 million listeners a month or something like that, with a NEW show, especially if you haven't done radio/tv before, don't have a list or a site with a lot of convertible traffic you essentially are starting off with ZERO listeners.
It's a little different than the "lead in traffic" that you hear about on Broadcast TV in that because the shows are live and on demand and distributed through a litany of services like iTunes and RSS feeds, a lot of listeners aren't listening "live" -- they subscribe and listen at their convenience, like on their iPod at the gymf or something. I know I do this with the 3-4 podcasts I listen to every week, they just sync up with my MP3 player and magically appear, then I listen to them while I'm doing yard work, or after the kids are in bed and I have a chance to pay attention.
This actually makes is very convenient for the listener and gives a better chance of building an audience over time of "loyalists".
Thought I'd pass this along since I just spent a week getting paid to research it for a company that wants to do a show a day, instead of just one per week.
One thing also to understand is that people who complain about getting phone calls for stuff that costs money, usually don't have any money and should just say so and politely hang up. I do it 10 times a day when people call my business trying to sell me marketing stuff. Just makes everyone's life easier!
Also, consider this -- in the world of websites, any punk with the ability to do a one click install of WordPress and $59 for a theme can have a site that "makes them look like they are huge"! So if you've done that, and you get calls because you are presenting yourself as a big wig, rather than complain, you should thank your web designer for doing what you paid them!
Really like the site Willow, I've now spent an inordinate amount of time be-bopping around reading reviews!
Thanks for the info. You make a good point that if you can't afford something, to politely say no and hang up. That would only be one aspect to my concerns about Voice America...the cost.
ReplyDeleteI also object to the deceptive cold-call marketing technique of stroking the ego with statements like "we're really interested in offering you your own radio show, you must be really popular to have made it to the director's call list as an expert in your field". Of which, I am not an expert in ANY field. So the script is a business practice that I object to as well.
As others have stated, when they asked more pressing questions, the cold-caller was evasive, and in some instances just hung up on the person they had called.
I have a problem with cold calls in general. My home is my safe zone to not be bothered by people I don't know, trying to sell me things. And make no mistake, this is selling something and at a high price for the average joe being contacted. I'm on the National Do Not Call Registry.
If I, as a business person, am interested in having a radio presence, I go seeking those who can assist me...not the other way around. I'm a housewife. It made no sense for my name to get pulled, and based on other comments, they just troll numbers without a lot of targeting. That smells funny to me.
I'm glad this option looks like a good fit for you and I appreciate your feedback. It may be a good option for others too.
Just a quick reminder to those submitting comments. I read and approve or do not approve the comments prior to posting. It is my goal to submit constructive opinions and to disallow destructive rants. Please submit well-thought out, constructively written comments so that your comment may be included. I just want to keep the tone of my blog to the most positive possible, even when unfavorable opinions are being presented.
ReplyDeleteI've had to delete a few recently. It's OK, if you love this service, but don't be passive aggressive or insulting to those who do not. It's OK if you really are not in favor of this service, but express yourself constructively and respectfully.
Thanks.