How To Make Money From Your Branded Podcast

A popular way to monetize your podcast is to run ads before (known as pre-roll), during (mid-roll), or at the end (end roll) of your episodes. There are three main types of ads that are commonly used on podcasts:

1. Host-read ads: Your podcast host reads ad script
2. Pre-recorded ads: The company you partner with sends you an ad to insert into your podcast
3. Sponsored segments: A portion of your podcast episode is given over to your partner

Branded podcasts are all about providing valuable expert advice, so sponsored segments are a clever way to pick the brains of professionals and offer extra resources to your listeners.

If you’re struggling to choose between ad types, I recommend host-read, since they blend into your podcast with the least disruption, making it less likely for your audience to skip through or stop listening.

Finding Brands To Advertise

Sourcing brands to promote on your podcast can be tricky – you want to run ads that are relevant and valuable to your audience, yet you don’t want to drive your audience away by promoting competitors. I’d recommend sourcing brands that complement, rather than directly compete, with what you offer. 

For example, rather than advertising a gym or a workout app, a personal trainer would do better working with a meal prep service or a supplement brand. Adjacent brands are likely interesting to your audience, yet they won’t risk you losing business.

Once you begin to establish your brand in the podcast space and build a loyal following, you can consider providing premium content and subscriptions.

This commonly used podcast monetization strategy involves publishing content behind a paywall. There are multiple strategies you can use for your gated content. Popular options include:

• An alternative revenue stream for brands who don’t want to run ads on their podcast
• Your podcast, but as an ad-free listening experience
• Produce additional content, such as podcast episodes or e-books

Gated content and subscription models require a lot of commitment to create, maintain, and promote. Before you get started, ask yourself:

• Are my gated content ideas unique or sought after enough for my listeners to pay for?
• Do I have the time to dedicate and resources to increase my weekly episode output without lowering quality?

To provide access to your gated content, you’ll need to set up a subscription or membership tiers. I recommend using the Patreon platform, which not only gives you a space to share premium content with subscribers, but also provides promotional tools to help you reach a new audience.

Running events and experiences exclusively for your podcast listeners is a win win. For your audience, it demonstrates that you care, and for your business, the experiential marketing method will boost your memorability and bring in revenue.

You’ll earn your money through selling tickets, which you can do on a site such as Eventbrite. The amount of revenue you make will depend on how costly the event is to coordinate, which is why I find digital events to be a great option for those with a low budget.

Follow these key pointers for a successful podcast event:

• Start selling tickets early
• Promote the event on your podcast and other channels
• Collaborate with complementary brands to create unique events for both audiences
• Find a relevant sponsor to help cover expenses and provide discounts for your audiences

With dedication and a loyal listener base, it’s possible to make money from your branded podcast. Each monetization method works best for certain groups. For instance, running ads will work best for podcasts with a larger audience, whereas offering subscriptions and organizing exclusive events can work well with a small but dedicated listener base. Whichever option you choose, be sure to put your listener’s experience first and continue to provide high value content.