How to Make Money with Your Podcast | Monetizing Your Content

Leverage sponsorships and advertising

Now that you have the basics nailed, let’s take a look at how to make money with your podcast. One of the most common ways to monetize a podcast is through sponsorships and advertising. As your podcast gains traction and garners a sizable audience, companies will be more interested in promoting their products or services to your listeners, especially with a podcast that has quality content and multiple episodes already published on hosting platforms. It also helps if your podcast has multiple good reviews left by your fans. Reviews help to add perceivable value to your podcast. You can always remind listeners to leave five star reviews simply by asking them to either during an episode or on a social media post. Both are ideal!

How to find podcast sponsors

If you aren’t already a massive podcast with millions of downloads, it’s likely that companies aren’t begging to sponsor episodes quite yet, which is why you are in charge of finding sponsors early on in the game.

Earlier we covered understanding your niche, as well as knowing your target audience. Why is this important? 

Knowing your niche helps to identify companies and potential sponsors that align with your brand. It wouldn’t make a lot of sense for a true crime podcast to be sponsored by a car dealership. Odd pairings like this scream “cash grab” and can be a turnoff for listeners.

When you know your niche, do some research into brands that align with your brand. Search the web for similar companies and dig through their website. You might be surprised to see how many brands actually have a section on their website about sponsorships and affiliate partners! Next, track down the emails of the marketing team, customer service team, sponsorship team, or PR team. Send them an email introducing yourself, your podcast, and explain exactly why you want this particular company to sponsor your show, and how it will be a success. Make sure to keep your writing short and to the point, while including specifics like download stats or your audience demographics.

Podcast sponsorships, affiliates, and ad placement

Typically when a company sponsors a podcast, unless they’re paying for the show’s complete production, they’ll likely only be sponsoring a few episodes at a time. Some may be contracted to sponsor three or four episodes, some may only choose to do one episode at a time for a test run. It all depends on that company’s processes and the contracts they have in place. Often the host will read an ad during the episode promoting the company’s service or a product, and will be asked to give personal endorsements. 

You’ve probably heard of affiliate programs or codes. This means that a podcast host is an affiliate or partner of a brand. They have a personalized code or link they can use to direct listeners to the brand they’re partnered with. Every time a listener purchases something using that specific code or link, the host will earn money. That being said, the amount of money and how often it’s earned, depends on the contract between the host and the affiliate company. Whatever you do, make sure to disclose your affiliates with transparency to maintain trust with your audience.

Ad placements vary as well! We’ve seen sponsorship contracts come across our desk asking hosts to include ad reads at the beginning, end, and middle of a podcast episode. Some have only asked to be included at the beginning and end of the episode, while others ask for an endorsement in the middle of the episode, as well as a post on the show’s dedicated social media account promoting the sponsorship. 

Other podcast money-making opportunities

Live podcast events are a great way to make money with a large audience following. Taking your podcast on the road can be a thrilling way to connect with your audience and generate income. Fans are often willing to pay for the opportunity to see their favorite podcast hosts in person, participate in Q&A sessions, and engage with like-minded listeners.

Another way to generate income in podcasting is to create merch related to your podcast and sell it to your audience. Include a link to your merch in your social media as well as in each episode’s show notes so your audience knows exactly where to find it. Your podcast’s merch could include the usual items like tshirts, stickers, and pins, or you could get creative with the items based on your budget and podcast tone. For example, The Office Ladies podcast sells jewelry, beach towels and gift bags. The Crime Junkie podcast sells water bottles and tote bags. The Joe Rogan Experience sells gym towels and duffels. With a plethora of sites available to help you create merch, it’s easy to get creative and find unique products your audience is sure to love. 

Lastly, another option is to use a platform like GoFundMe or Kickstarter to raise funds donated by your community. You can even use Patreon to raise money and offer rewards based on different subscription tiers. 

Final thoughts

Monetizing your podcast requires dedication, patience, and creativity. It's essential to strike a balance between revenue generation and maintaining the integrity of your content. By focusing on quality, niche, branding, and various monetization strategies, you can turn your passion for podcasting into a sustainable income stream. Remember, success won't happen overnight, but with persistence, your podcast could become both a labor of love and a rewarding source of income. Happy podcasting!