Podcasts are becoming a mainstream form of entertainment, with 23.5% of all internet users tuning in regularly.
Thanks to their growing popularity and easy access to quality production tools, starting your own podcast and making money from it is more achievable than ever.
But how do podcasts make money? Whether you’re looking to start a podcast independently or under a network, we’ll explore ten effective ways to make money podcasting.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you make a purchase through those links. This comes at no additional cost to you.
Key takeaways
- Maximize income by combining various monetization methods. These include selling custom merchandise, leveraging affiliate marketing, offering memberships with an annual or monthly subscription, and securing sponsorships.
- Print-on-demand services, like Printify, help creators make money podcasting by selling branded podcast merchandise. With no upfront costs or inventory management, it offers a low-risk income stream.
- Earn commissions through affiliate marketing or secure sponsorships based on CPM, with typical earnings of $20 per 1,000 downloads or listens.
- Use platforms like Luminary, Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts to earn via subscriptions, ads, and premium content, generating stable income.
- Host live events, license your content to others, or offer services and digital products to further monetize your podcast and engage with your audience.
How to make money with podcasts
Podcast listeners are some of the most active internet users, which creates a great opportunity to make money podcasting.
Many integrate ad-reads, paid sponsorships, merchandise, or product promotions throughout their show. A podcast host may also offer paid subscriptions, do crowdfunding, or join a podcast advertising network to generate revenue from multiple streams.
Let’s take a closer look at how do people make money from podcasts.
1. Sell custom merchandise
Selling podcast merchandise like t-shirts is one of the best ways how to make money with a podcast. It yields the great results if you have an established, loyal audience and pair merch sales with other monetization methods.
To reduce risks, use Print on Demand (POD). It requires no upfront investment or inventory management. Services like Printify will print your custom products when a podcast listener orders, so you only pay when you sell.
We offer over 1000high-quality products, free design tools, and seamless integrations with platforms like Shopify, TikTok, Etsy, and WooCommerce. With 24/7 support, automated shipping, and top-notch print results, you can quickly start selling branded merch without hassle.
2. Affiliate marketing
Another way to make money with a podcast is through affiliate sales. Join an affiliate marketing program to receive a unique link and track how listeners interact with it.
Once a listener clicks on your custom URL and completes an action, you receive a commission. Affiliate product purchases are one of the best ways on how to monetize a podcast, even when you’re just starting out.
Successful affiliate podcasters earn money through skillful engagement, so integrate these ads in a way that persuades your dedicated audience – but make sure to disclose affiliate links.
If your target listeners are budding entrepreneurs and business owners, check out the Printify Affiliate Program. Promo codes are available upon request, giving your listeners a better deal.
How much do podcasters make via this affiliate program? You’ll receive a 5% commission over a 12-month period. On average, an active Printify affiliate earns $1,000 per month – but with no earnings cap, there’s no limit to how much money you’ll make.
Make it happen today!
3. Offer memberships
Around 13% of podcast listeners have paid access to a podcast, making memberships a great way to make money. Give listeners exclusive features like early episode access or bonus content, and offer pledge tiers at different price points as a one-time or monthly fee.
Popular platforms like Patreon and Memberful offer easy membership setups with various payment gateways and perks. Memberful also supports RSS feed integrations and custom plans with branding and analytics options.
For a self-hosted membership platform, use a high-quality content management system like WordPress. Open-source plugins make it possible to integrate payment and podcast functionality in one place. To ease the process, consider hiring a freelance website designer from platforms like Fiverr or Upwork.
4. Sell services or digital products
Expand your income streams by offering additional media or services that supplement or dive deeper into your podcast content.
Here are a few options:
- Online courses: Create virtual lessons or host workshops that offer valuable insights and educate listeners to build a loyal audience. Platforms like Udemy, Skillshare, Coursera, and Thinkific are great options for publishing paid content.
- Services: Offer services like public speaking, editing, freelance writing, or podcast consulting. Guest host or appear in other media to reach a sizable audience.
- Digital products: Create products like books, YouTube videos, or music related to your podcast. These digital assets attract more listeners and generate income. Promote them in your podcast feed, descriptions, newsletters, and on-air mentions.
5. Receive donations and tips
Receiving tips and donations is one way to earn money from podcast work and have multiple revenue streams. Expressing gratitude to listeners is crucial to supporting your crowdfunding efforts.
Do this by improving your quality of work and maintaining exclusively free content. Limit on-air ads, increase your audio budget, and deliver value to the community.
Make money with podcast donations by connecting your platform to gateways like PayPal and Venmo. Provide direct links to your online wallet and integrate donation buttons in email lists, newsletters, media posts, and descriptions.
Make it happen today!
6. Sponsorships
Sponsorships pay based on cost per mille (CPM), with sponsors paying for every 1,000 impressions. For new podcasters, a typical CPM is around $20 per 1,000 views, though this varies depending on your audience and niche.
As part of your podcast monetization strategy, use relevant keywords to search for businesses within your niche. Explore podcast marketplaces like Podcorn to connect with potential sponsors and prepare a content summary, trailer, and podcast analytics before sending offers.
Research competitors to see which sponsors they use, as these businesses may be interested in partnering with more podcasters. A few companies known to sponsor podcast ads include HelloFresh, The Great Courses Plus, and Casper Mattress.
7. Podcast advertising networks
If you have a successful podcast and an established audience, learn how to make money from podcast advertising networks. These ad agencies connect advertisers with podcasters by analyzing similar brand identities and shared market audiences to create optimized ad campaigns that fit both parties.
Some of these networks also ease your workload by offering custom advertising strategies and consulting services, potentially making you more money.
Check out these exclusive platforms that have great advertising potential:
- SXM Media is an advertising powerhouse with celebrity-hosted shows like The Mel Robbins Podcast and Pod Save America. It’s well-known in the podcasting scene and provides its own host-read ads.
- Megaphone is a Spotify subsidiary that offers ad integrations and analytic insights. The platform hosts shows such as The Rewatchables and Today Explained, among other entertainment-focused podcasts.
- Authentic prides itself on having more brands in podcasting than any other agency. It has more than a decade of experience in top-quality premium content. The platform hosts famous shows like Girls Gotta Eat and The Daily.
8. Monetize with podcast platforms
Consider monetizing with podcast hosting platforms like Luminary. It’s a subscription-based solution that focuses on exclusive content and high-quality production. Creators earn an upfront payment and a share of the platform’s revenue, gaining stable income from podcast subscriptions and ad-free shows.
Other podcast directories like Google Podcasts and Spotify offer multiple ways to earn through sponsorships, ads, and a revenue-share model. At Spotify, creators can charge for podcasts and keep the earnings after transaction fees, typically $20 per 1,000 episode downloads.
Create podcast merch or find sponsorships to increase your income even further.
Apple Podcasts is another great option with a large audience and multiple monetization routes. After paying an annual fee, you receive 70% of subscription earnings, which increases to 85% after a year. Plus, you keep 100% of any advertising revenue.
9. Host live events
Hosting events is an exciting way to engage directly with your podcast audience while making money in the process. Live shows, Q&A sessions, or even interactive workshops build a deeper connection with your listeners.
Charge for entry, offer VIP packages with exclusive perks, or even bundle event access with other premium content. The key is to provide an experience that goes beyond the typical podcast episode, whether with live performances, behind-the-scenes insights, or networking opportunities.
Platforms like Eventbrite and Ticketmaster make it easy to sell tickets, while a streaming service like Zoom, Crowdcast, or YouTube Live supports virtual events that reach a global audience.
Events also facilitate additional podcast revenue streams, such as branded merchandise and affiliate sales. You could even secure event sponsorships, providing another way to monetize your podcast.
10. License content to others
Licensing your popular podcast content is a fantastic way to generate passive income while expanding your reach. You’ll earn royalties and exposure by letting other media platforms or content creators use your podcast episodes, sound bites, or audio clips.
Platforms, radio stations, or even production studios may seek to license content for repurposing on different channels. For example, a media company might feature segments of your podcast in their shows.
Make sure to understand the royalty payment structure and terms of licensing agreements, including whether the usage is exclusive or non-exclusive.
By leveraging the value of your existing content, licensing can become a reliable revenue source as your podcast grows in popularity.
When to start monetizing your podcast
We recommend creators monetize sooner rather than later, regardless of how many listeners they have or the number of new episodes planned.
Here’s a quick cheat sheet on when you should start implementing podcast monetization methods:
- Sponsorships. When you have around 1,000 listeners, look for sponsorships or advertisers since you’ll be paid based on a CPM rate.
- Merchandise. As soon as you have regular listeners. Use a marketing channel like social media to analyze audience engagement. Design POD products at any time without upfront costs or inventory.
- Affiliate program. Once you have a clear niche and around 1,000 impressions per episode.
- Memberships. When your traffic remains consistent over multiple episodes or shows a constant growth rate, start offering paid membership tiers.
- Donations. This is possible anytime. Develop a transparent budget plan and advertise your donation page at the beginning or end of an episode.
When you start a podcast, it’s unlikely you’ll make money podcasting immediately. To speed up your chances, upload the first couple of episodes in larger batches to give your target audience a sense of the podcast’s quality.
After that, stick to a consistent schedule to grow a dedicated audience and expand revenue streams.
Turn your podcast into profit with Printify
With Print on Demand, you’ll never have to worry about upfront costs or managing inventory.
Sign up
Create a free Printify account to access our global network of Print Providers.
Choose products that match your podcast
Browse our Catalog of over 1,300 popular, customizable products. Pick the ones that align with your podcast’s theme and audience.
Add your designs
Upload your logo, artwork, or memorable podcast quotes to create unique merchandise that your fans will go wild for.
Sell while we do the rest
List your products on sites like Etsy, Shopify, or even your own website. Once an order comes in, our Print Providers will handle the printing and shipping while you work on promoting your store and creating your next big episode.
FAQ
Wondering how do you make money from a podcast if it is free? Through various methods like sponsorships, affiliate marketing, selling merchandise, offering memberships or premium content, and ad revenue from advertising networks.
Donations, live broadcasting, and licensing content are additional ways podcasters generate income, even with a free-to-listen model.
The Joe Rogan Experience is considered the highest-paid podcast. His newest deal with Spotify is estimated to be worth $250 million.
This deal, combined with sponsorships and other income sources, makes Rogan the top earner in the podcast industry.
Starting a podcast can range from $100 to $500, depending on equipment and software. Basic costs include a good-quality microphone ($50-$200), headphones ($50), recording and editing software (often free or low-cost), and podcast hosting services ($10-$50 per month).
Additional investments for better equipment, professional editing, and marketing may raise costs as your podcast grows.
Make money from your podcast: Wrapping up
In this article, you’ve learned how to monetize your podcast through a range of techniques. The most successful podcasts leverage various strategies to appeal to their audience and reach financial goals.
Whether podcasting is your main focus or a side hustle, advance your journey with custom merch, bonus episodes, early access, an online course, donations, and sponsorships or ads. Start getting paid for your next audio masterpiece and join the ranks of podcast stardom.
