Podcast FAQ

can you make money off a podcast

by Camylle Dietrich PhD Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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Do podcasts make money? Of course they do! Big names are getting large amounts of listeners and large amounts of ad revenue in return. According to AdvertiseCast, average 30-second CPM (cost per 1K listeners) rates are $18, while 60-second CPMs are $25.May 17, 2022

How can you monetize your podcast?

Ways to Monetize a Podcast

  1. Traditional Advertising and Sponsorships. This is by far the easiest method of monetizing a podcast because it requires minimal effort on your part.
  2. Join an advertising network. If you feel daunted by the idea of finding your own sponsor for your podcast, then you might prefer the idea of enlisting the services ...
  3. Sell Subscriptions To Your Podcast. ...

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How many listeners does a podcast need to make money?

If your new episode gets, within 7 days of its release:

  • more than 26 downloads, you're in the top 50% of podcasts.
  • more than 72 downloads, you're in the top 25% of podcasts.
  • more than 231 downloads, you're in the top 10% of podcasts.
  • more than 539 downloads, you're in the top 5% of podcasts.
  • more than 3062 downloads, you're in the top 1% of podcasts.

Can you really make money podcasting?

Yet, despite what many claim, it's absolutely possible to make money with a podcast. Plenty of show-runners are making a living doing that, right now. Others are happy to bring in enough to cover their hosting costs, or pay for a takeaway every few weeks.

How to make money from your tiny podcast?

How to Monetize a Podcast – Your Options

  1. Creating Courses. If you like to teach others the nuts and bolts of your subject matter, then this could be the method for you.
  2. One on One Coaching. If you’d like to get on calls and talk people through processes, teaching them live, instead of online, then this could work for you.
  3. Sponsorship. ...
  4. Write an eBook. ...
  5. Sell a Product. ...
  6. Sell a Service. ...

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How much money can you make from a podcast?

As an estimate, if your podcast has about 10,000 downloads per episode, you can expect to make between $500 – $900 per episode in affiliate sales.

How does a podcast earn money?

Sponsorships are the most common way podcasters make money. This is when the podcast promotes the sponsor during the show. You probably hear your favorite shows plug their advertisers a few times in every episode. How much you earn from a sponsor depends on the number of downloads your episodes earn.

How do I start a podcast and get paid?

How to Start a Podcast (and Make Money) in 13 Easy StepsDevelop a Concept for Your Podcast.Name Your Podcast.Get the Basic Equipment You Need to Start a Podcast.Choose Editing and Recording Software.Copyright and Trademarking Your Podcast.Create a Format for Your Podcast.Record Your First Podcast Episode.More items...•

Do podcasts get paid on Spotify?

Streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts pay out for streams, but the payout tends to be very low. Podcast sponsorships are one way, but for new podcasts, the likelihood of finding a high-paying sponsorship is slim unless you're already a well-established figure.

Do podcasts on Spotify make money?

Commissions From Affiliate Marketing: Affiliate marketing is another primary avenue for earning money on Spotify podcasts. You quote a unique link in your podcast through which your listeners can purchase products. The seller pays you commissions on purchases customers make through your link.

How long does it take for a podcast to make money?

Relying on the experience of Marc Clair, a podcast host, and producer, it may take as long as 18 months before you start seeing results. That's if you produce a show weekly. In his words, things can be faster than stated if you have luck, a marketing budget, and irresistible content.

What makes a podcast successful?

A podcast with focus is going to be much easier for potential listeners to understand. You might think a wide appeal will get a wider audience but more often a narrow appeal means there's less likelihood others are doing the same thing. And the listeners you get will be very excited to find you.

How much do podcasters make a year?

Income from Popular Podcasts The Dave Ramsey Show has 13 million weekly listeners and earns nearly $10 million in annual income. Shepard Armchair Expert earns $9 million a year with almost 20 million monthly listeners. The Bill Simmons Podcast earns $7 million yearly income. Chapo Trap House makes $2 million each year.

How much money do you need to start a podcast?

A good podcast microphone can be purchased for around $100. If you’re not planning on doing too much mixing, you can use free audio editing softw...

How much money can you make from a podcast?

The amount of money you make from a podcast can vary greatly, depending on the size of your audience, the number of monetization channels you have,...

How do people make money from podcasts?

The best way for new podcasters to make money is to use different monetization methods, which can run in the background while you work on building...

Can you make money podcasting on YouTube?

Yes, but it’s best to diversify and make your podcast available on other platforms in order to expand the scope of your attainable audience. That b...

What equipment do you need to make money podcasting?

Podcasting requires microphones for each podcaster and audio-editing software to edit and export your podcast. You may also benefit from a conferen...

What to do if you haven't started a podcast?

If you have not started a podcast yet, choose a topic that has the potential of attracting a large listener base. You can do a quick search in an iTunes library to see if there is a demand for a topic you would choose for your podcast. If there is a demand for that niche, aim to create the best possible content for it.

How much does Joe Rogan make?

Joe Rogan hosts an entertaining podcast that discusses trending topics and interviews public figures of interest. He is estimated to make about $30,000 per episode. With about 5 episodes per week produced, his estimated monthly podcast income is $600,000.

Is podcasting equipment expensive?

If there are few search results, there isn’t much demand – so you have little chance of growing to a point of earning an impressive income. Podcasting equipment can be costly. Not everyone has the ability to invest into podcasting equipment.

1. Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is a performance-based form of marketing where a business offers rewards to affiliates who are able to successfully bring customers to them. Affiliate marketing is a great way for any creator to monetize their content.

2. Sell custom merchandise to fans

Give your fans the opportunity to show their support for your podcast by selling custom merchandise like t-shirts, stickers, posters, mugs, tote bags, journals, and more.

3. Offer tiered memberships through Patreon

Patreon is a very popular platform for monetizing podcasts because it allows fans (called “patrons”) to offer support in regular monthly payments. Creators can sort subscription options into different “tiers,” with each tier receiving different benefits.

4. Host live podcasts and collect tips

Hosting a live in-person event can be a great way to make extra money as a podcaster, but finding gigs is tricky for new podcasts. Live venues may allow you to perform, but unless your podcast is big enough to bring a lot of business, they’re less likely to pay you to perform.

5. Write and self-publish a book for your fans

Like authors, podcast hosts are typically viewed as being a voice of authority on a particular subject, making the transition from podcast host to writer almost seamless. Perhaps that’s why so many popular podcasts have been spun off into books written by their creators.

6. Join a podcast advertising network

A podcast advertising network is a platform that connects brands and podcasts that have a shared target audience, acting as liaisons for brands looking to advertise to podcast listeners.

Podcasts make money when they have multiple income streams

The most profitable independent podcasts use multiple revenue streams to create a steady flow of income as they focus their attention on growing their audience.

How do podcasters make money?

1. Sponsorships. Sponsorships are the most common way podcasters make money. This is when the podcast promotes the sponsor during the show. You probably hear your favorite shows plug their advertisers a few times in every episode. How much you earn from a sponsor depends on the number of downloads your episodes earn.

Why do podcasts have negative cash flow?

In fact, many podcasts have negative cash flow because they spend money buying equipment and paying hosting fees before they earn a single dollar. Creative work like podcasting doesn’t make any money until people choose to watch you. It takes time for listeners to decide you have value.

What is affiliate sales?

Affiliate sales are similar to sponsorships, but instead of getting paid by the download, you get paid based on what you sell for another company. The other company pays you a commission for each sale. Audible has a popular affiliate program that a lot of podcasters and YouTubers take advantage of.

Does audible have an affiliate link?

Audible gives you a special affiliate link to promote. When someone uses your link, you get credit for the sale and earn $15. If you monetize with affiliate sales, make sure the company gives you a simple link that’s easy for you to say and your listeners to understand. Good affiliate URL: www.sponsor.com/your-name.

How much did podcast ads cost in 2018?

Ever listened to a show that took a quick break to run an ad? There’s a good reason. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, marketers spent $479 million on podcast ads in 2018.

How much money did Joe Rogan make from his podcast?

According to Forbes, the stand-up comic earned $30 million from his show in 2019. But this wasn’t an overnight success story.

Why do advertisers like to air spots on podcasts?

Sponsors and advertisers love to air spots on podcasts because they usually have highly engaged audiences. More than half of podcast audiences listen to a full episode of a show—and 41% of listeners will play through most of an episode. This means the majority of listeners will actually listen to an ad!

Why is affiliate marketing important for podcasts?

Affiliate marketing is a smart place to start for new podcasters because you don’t have to pitch anyone or set up deals with a sponsor. You just have to sign up with a company who runs a program.

How many affiliate offers does Jenna have?

Jenna only shares five affiliate offers with her audience over the course of a year. They just happen to be products that she loves—that is the key to affiliate marketing. (Just make sure you disclose any affiliate links with your audience. For legal reasons and to make sure you’re building trust with your listeners!)

What do content creators worry about?

Many content creators worry about feeling sales-y or bugging their audience members. We’ve all been there. Don’t worry, if you focus on sharing incredible content with your people, you’ll naturally open the door to recommending your own products.

Do you have to sell on the show?

You don’t have to sell directly on the show . If you’re a service provider, you can offer a free 15-minute consultation where people can book a call with you. Just make sure to set up a special link so that you can track who comes in from your show!

1. Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is essentially getting paid to refer listeners to another company’s product. Where do you find those partners? The most efficient way is to go through a network like Amazon, Buzzsprout or Podcorn.

2. Sponsorships

Popular podcasts will draw the attention of advertisers that will pay you to plug their products in ads that air during your show. (Sponsorships are one way people make money on TikTok, too.) Sponsors typically pay $18 to $25 for every thousand monthly downloads, also referred to as CPM.

3. Donations

Get financial support directly from your listeners through one-time and monthly donations.

4. Merchandise

Have a logo and an audience loyal enough to wear their support on their sleeve (or coffee mug)? Then you can make money with branded merchandise. But you’ll also need an e-commerce store, someone to make your products and a place to store your inventory.

What happens if you don't have time to do a podcast?

It's often said that if you don’t have time to build a community, then you don’t have time to do a podcast. Audiences are galvanised by interactions and conversations, not only with you as the podcast host, but with other listeners who share a passion for your topic.

What is the default method for podcast monetization?

Sponsorship. Sponsorship and advertising is often seen as the “default” method when it comes to podcast monetization. One problem with sponsorship, though, is that many companies are still fixated on numbers rather than interaction and engagement.

What does Podcraft talk about?

On Podcraft, we talk about microphones, hosting services, podcasting tools, and a tonne more. That's just because we're interested, and we know our listeners are too.

Does sponsorship pay well?

Unless you're getting thousands of downloads, or have a hyper-niche topic, sponsorship doesn't pay all that well. You need to ask yourself if what you'd stand to earn is worth potentially interrupting your audience over.

Community Q&A

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About This Article

This article was co-authored by Emily Schmitt. Emily Schmitt is a Technology Writer for wikiHow. Emily is a tech and social media enthusiast who has written dozens of articles on popular apps and services. Emily has experience as an editor of the Davidsonian, the on-campus newspaper at Davidson College.

Can you use your brand to push sales?

Of course, this won’t pay dividends when you’re just starting out. If people aren’t familiar with your brand, you can’t use your brand to push sales.

Can you sell consulting services on podcasts?

You can also offer paid access to such things as online courses, exclusive interviews, and other content that leverages demand for your product (that would be you). You can even sell your consulting services if your podcast touches on a subject with which you have considerable expertise.

Is there a monetization formula for podcasts?

No two podcasts are the same , so there isn’t any particular monetization formula that will work equally well for all podcasters. This means that, once you’ve built an audience, you’ll have to experiment with different monetization methods before you find the right mix of techniques.

Is it hard to monetize a podcast?

However, even if you have a solid idea for a podcast and begin to build an audience, monetizing a podcast can prove difficult. Monetizing a podcast to the point where you stand to earn a life-sustaining amount of money is even more difficult.

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Affiliate Marketing

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Affiliate marketing or performance marketing is where you get a commission when you refer people to other companies. You will typically earn money when someone makes a purchase. Affiliate marketing works best when you promote products or services that you use or are familiar with, so you can authentically promote them. …
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Courses

  • Many popular podcasters create their own online courses to teach similar content to what they talk about on their podcast. Online coursesare a great way to teach something in an easy-to-follow way where someone can get a specific result once they’ve completed it. It helps to have an email list so you can let your audience know about your course both on your podcast and throug…
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Services

  • You can offer services that tie in with the content on your podcast. I used to analyze and critique online ads on a podcast and the service I offered was Google AdWords and Facebook Ads management. By showing that I knew what I was an expert on the topic, people knew that they would get expert-level ad management. This made it much easier to get clients without having t…
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Coaching & Consulting

  • Coaching & Consulting is somewhat similar to offering a service, but you usually don’t do the work for them. Instead, you help or guide them on how to improve. Common industries that have a lot of consultants and coaches are fitness, diet, business, and teaching, but I’m sure there are consultants in every industry.
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Crowdfunding & Donations

  • You can ask for donations to help support you and your podcast. More entertainment-focused podcasts would be a good fit to monetize in this way. A common platform for accepting donations is Patreon. They make it really easy to offer additional content or bonuses depending on the amount of money people support you with. They even give you the ability to have a separ…
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Premium Content

  • Premium content can really be anything you want, but some of the common ways podcasters offer premium content are with: 1. Additional interviews 2. Behind-the-scenes content 3. Ad-free RSS feed 4. Early-access RSS feed 5. Q&A with the hosts Have fun coming up unique ways to deliver additional value to your community for a few dollars per month. The Daily Wireis a podca…
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Events

  • Hosting events is not only a great way to make money, but bring together your best fans and bring them even more value. One example I heard of from Pat Flynn was the Walker Stalkerconference. It was started by a podcast that talked about The Walking Dead TV show. They do events all over the world and even get the actors involved. That sounds awesome! Another example from Sam …
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Physical Products

  • Physical products are things like t-shirts, mugs, and other swag. The Generation Why Podcast offers a ton of different products, plus premium content, and a very active Patreon page. You can use a site like Teespringto make sure you get enough sales before they get printed – that way you don’t get stuck with a bunch of products.
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Books

  • Leveraging a popular podcast into book sales is another excellent way to make money and increase your authority. You can use your podcast audience to get those initial sales and reviews that will help your book stand out too. Two examples that I’m familiar with (and have purchased) are: 1. Pat Flynn wrote the WSJ bestseller Will It Fly? 2. Chris Ducker recently came out with Ris…
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