Podcast FAQ

how do you get paid for a podcast

by Korey Welch Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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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 to start a profitable podcast?

Take a look at several out-of-the-box podcast money-making ideas below:

  • Advertisements-Podcasts that have a vast following are highly sought by advertisers. ...
  • Rely on sponsorships-You can generate thousands of dollars a month if you can find sponsors. ...
  • Establish relationships-When you are able to establish good relationships; you make your podcasts more profitable. ...

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Can podcasts make money?

To be frank, most make $0. 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.

How to go about starting a podcast?

  • Choose a topic you’re passionate about and you’ll stick to
  • Research your target audience to come up with a plan for your show
  • Decide on your podcast title, description, and artwork
  • Buy and setup your equipment
  • Prepare for recording your first episode
  • Record your first episode
  • Edit and publish the episode
  • Launch and promote your podcast to the world!

How do people make great podcasts?

Part 1 of 3: Creating Interesting Content Download Article

  1. Listen to podcasts for ideas and inspiration. If you’re interested in making a podcast, you probably already like listening to them.
  2. Choose a podcast topic that you're passionate about. There’s no magic formula for making a hit podcast that draws in a huge audience.
  3. Determine which format suits your topic and style. ...

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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 many listeners do you need to make money on a podcast?

3. 5,000 listeners per episode almost guarantees a successful monetization. This is where a lot of interesting things start happening. Having more than 5,000 listeners per episode makes a podcast over 29 times more likely to be monetized successfully.

Can you make a living off of a podcast?

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.

Does Spotify pay you for podcasts?

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.

Is 1000 downloads good for a podcast?

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.

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.

How much money do Top podcasters make?

Here are some of the highest-earning podcasts, according to a study from Forbes and The Richest:The Joe Rogan Experience has over 190 million downloads per month, earning $30 million a year.Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark have approximately 35 million monthly downloads, earning $15 million per year.More items...•

How much do podcasters make a year?

Podcasters can make anywhere from $10.000$ per episode up to $500,000 per episode. But it can be intimidating to start out because of a long and tedious process. In order to promote your podcast, you must have the right equipment and put in a great deal of effort and time.

How to sell podcast ads?

There’s a lot of nuance to this, but you can sell ads on your podcast in three main ways: 1 Direct to brand: If you represent a podcast that meets a brand’s audience and demographic thresholds, you can sell ads on your show via preroll, midroll, or postroll advertisements directly to the brand based on a cost determined by both parties, which is usually represented on a CPM (cost per 1,000 downloads) model. These ads are usually product endorsements, direct response, and host-read. 2 Through an agency: Podcast advertising agencies operate either as an intermediary or broker for the brand, or as a marketplace. For example, agencies like Veritone One , Ad Results, or Havas Edge represent clients like LinkedIn , Noemie, and Embark. These agencies will vet the podcast and associated talent, and will plan a large, cohesive campaign on behalf of their clients. They have a very particular and specific way of purchasing ads, and usually plan quarterly. There are also podcast marketplaces such as Advertisecast that allow podcasters to list their shows and inventory for brands to browse and select. 3 Programmatic: One of the fastest growing segments in the podcast advertising marketplace is programmatic advertising, which you may recognize as non host-read ads that appear in podcasts. Brands will usually purchase programmatic space using audience demographics as opposed to selecting specific shows and genres. Some of the players in this field include Megaphone’s Targeted Marketplace , Art19, and Acast.

What is programmatic advertising?

Programmatic: One of the fastest growing segments in the podcast advertising marketplace is programmatic advertising, which you may recognize as non host-read ads that appear in podcasts. Brands will usually purchase programmatic space using audience demographics as opposed to selecting specific shows and genres.

Who is Jeff Umbro?

Answer by Jeff Umbro, Founder and CEO of the Podglomerate, on Quora: Whenever someone asks me how a podcast can be monetized, I go back to a 2014 tweet storm from Andreessen Horowitz cofounder Marc Andreessen. You can find a pretty version of that rant here, but Marc was very optimistic about where media was headed, ...

Is there a subscription for podcasts?

Subscriptions: Podcast subscriptions have sprung up in a few different forms in recent years, but are by no means new. It’s a simple enough concept – if you put your podcast behind a paywall, you’re typically transitioning from a free, ad-supported podcast to a subscription based service.

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.

Why are mid roll ads more valuable?

Mid-roll ads are more valuable because the audience is captive at the time. Sometimes the sponsor will give you a script to read. Other times the sponsor will give you more flexibility. When you first start pitching advertising, we recommend asking for $15 for pre- and post-roll ads and $20 for mid-roll ads.

How long do preroll ads run?

Pre-roll ads run at the beginning of the show, usually for about 15-30 seconds. Post-roll ads run at the end of the show, also for 15-30 seconds. They are worth the same to advertisers.

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.

What is direct support?

Direct support is when you simply ask your fans to send you money to support your show. If your content and personality are good, there are plenty of people who will happily throw you a few dollars so you can keep producing episodes.

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.

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.

Who is Roberto Pacinelli?

Roberto Pacinelli is the VP of The Best Media and Senior Digital Marketing Strategist with a career in digital marketing spanning over 19 years. Roberto and The Best Media have helped thousands of small, medium and large businesses succeed online across Canada, USA and the world with many business owners recognizing Roberto and his team as their Key to Success in helping their businesses earn millions of dollars as a result. Call Roberto Pacinelli at 416 253 0934 or email him at [email protected].

What is Anchor's listener support button?

Anchor’s listener support button lets your audience donate money directly to you. Anchor takes a 30% fee plus Stripe’s $.25 processing fee for each transaction. You will have to set up a Stripe account to collect donations on Anchor.

What is a poda?

Podia is an all-in-one digital membership platform for selling your private podcast, digital products, courses, and email newsletters. Because it offers so many features, this platform is perfect for podcasters who plan to branch out in what they offer their audience over time (eg. publishing a course or Ebook).

What is a substack?

Substack is a fast-growing platform for independent writers and thinkers who want to earn money through a subscription content model. And while this platform is predominantly for written content, they have rolled out a feature for paywalled podcast content as well.

What is supercast podcast?

This platform is built specifically for creating your own podcast SaaS company. It comes with beautiful analytics (MRR, churn, location of your users, etc), a customizable landing page for users to sign up, Apple and Google Pay integrations for your listeners to easily subscribe, and an affordable rate of .$59/user/month (plus Stripe processing fees).

How does Buy Me a Coffee work?

Buy Me a Coffee lets you collect one-time gifts and donations from your audience. They take a 5% transaction fee, so you can keep 95% of your earnings. They pay out through both Stripe and Paypal, so you can choose whichever is best for you.

What is membership podcast?

Membership podcasts are private podcast episodes that hosts create for their paying subscribers. Typically, fans sign up for a monthly subscription to access the content on a unique RSS feed or a password-protected website. One important note to make is about the word “Subscribe.”.

Why are affiliate sponsorships important?

Affiliate sponsorships are a great first step towards creating revenue because you can get started for free and you don’t need to have a large audience in order to set up affiliate accounts.

12 Proven Ways for Monetizing a Podcast

There are more ways that podcasts can make money than you might think. Dive into the options below to learn how you can make money as a new or experienced podcaster.

How Much Money Do Podcasts Make?

The amount of money that you can potentially make through podcasting depends on several factors.

When Should I Monetize My Podcast?

One of the biggest questions people have about monetizing their podcast is whether or not it's too early to monetize. Some podcasters wait until they get 50,000 downloads per month before they put ads in their show, while some start selling merchandise at 5,000 downloads per month.

Most Popular Podcast Advertising and Sponsor Networks

Implementing advertisements into your podcast can be one of the easiest ways for you to earn some money. Once you finalize a deal with a sponsor, you can start raking in the dough!

How To Increase Your Podcast Audience and Listenership

There are many ways to help increase the number of listeners your podcast receives. And of course, the more consistently your listeners tune in, the better the chance to monetize them.

How Do Podcasts Make Money FAQ

Here are the most frequently asked questions about making money with podcasts.

Understanding How Much Podcasters Make

Now you know how podcasts can make money. There are many ways that podcasters can generate revenue, and the choice is yours on which method (s) to pursue. The more popular your podcast becomes, the more likely people will donate or sponsor your content. So keep up the excellent work!

What is private discussion group?

Private Discussion Groups provide access to you as an expert in your field but also to other people involved in whatever you are podcasting about. It will deliver value to people through:

What happens when you record a podcast?

When recording a podcast for a long time, ultimately, you will become a proficient speaker. Leverage those skills and become a professional speaker that gets invited to host conferences and events.

Why is publishing a book important?

Publishing a book is a great way to build a brand and earn money. Publishing and printing are easy, fast, and affordable nowadays. Books are a great category of products to sell as they have high rankings on Amazon, and people actually make purchases based on those ranking.

What is Fulfilled by Amazon?

Fulfilled by Amazon model is where you send a stock of your products to Amazon and let them take care of the whole delivery process. It will be enough for you to advertise a product on your podcast.

Is a podcast a valuable asset?

A podcast can be a very valuable asset. If you structure it correctly and build a community around problems and solutions, you may decide to sell that podcast later to a new owner. This way of monetizing has been extremely popular with blogs and even YouTube channels.

Is podcasting a good way to market your business?

Podcasting is obviously a great way to market your physical business. So why not reverse engineer that model and start with a podcast discussing a range of products and then after gathering following launching a physical store where you can offer your products and services.

Is a podcast a marketing channel?

A podcast can be both a product and a marketing channel. Once you complete your journey of creating a show, having a website, mailing list, monetizing, etc. you should be quite knowledgeable about online marketing and engaging online audiences.

What are the Income Sources for Podcasters?

There are several income sources available for podcasters. These include:

How Much Do Most Successful Podcasters Earn?

Podcasters charge for ads based on the number of people who have listened to the episode.

Conclusion

Exactly how much do podcasters make? You should know by now that it depends on several factors.

1. Affiliate Marketing

Podcasters earn an affiliate commission by promoting companies and products to their audience. Every purchase made through an affiliate link earns you money. Affiliate marketing is more effective when you promote products and services you know and use yourself.

2. Sponsorships and Advertising

Sponsorships are often the first thing beginners think of when seeking to make money from their podcast. Numerous podcast ad networks connect podcasters with advertisers. The networks find advertisers, carry out negotiation terms and procure scripts on behalf of podcasters.

3. Courses

Many established podcasters develop their own courses to teach similar content online. Courses are effective in teaching easy-to-follow content and give students tangible feedback upon completion. You’ll want an email list to reach your audience and let them know about your course and what it entails.

4. Coaching and Consulting

Coaching is similar to offering an online course, but instead of filming segments for a large group, you focus on developing relationships with individual listeners and teaching them a skill directly. You can also promote your consulting and coaching services through your podcast.

5. Crowdfunding and Donations

When you have a loyal following, you can ask for monetary donations to support your podcasting journey. Crowdfunding usually works best in more entertainment-focused podcasts. Platforms such as Patreon, GoFundMe and Indiegogo can help you solicit funding from your audience in exchange for special rewards — things like merch or exclusive episodes.

6. Premium Content

Premium content in podcasting can take many forms. Here are some of the common ways you can offer premium content related to your podcast:

7. Events

Hosting events as a podcaster not only helps in making money but is also a great way to bring together your top fans for more value. Take the Walker Stalker conference, for instance. Walker Stalker began as a podcast for fans to discuss the Walking Dead TV show, but it has grown immensely.

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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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