How Do Podcasters Make Money?

What Generates Revenue for Podcasters?

For years people have asked me – how do podcasters make money? Truth be told – the possibilities are endless and the terrain is not nearly as defined as people think it is. Top Podcast is here to teach you the many ways that podcasts can be monetized. 

Advertisements

The most traditional way to profit off of expression is through advertisements. Along with the invention of media came the popularization of advertisements. Advertisements and content have been tied at the hip since they were invented. 

In podcasting, advertisements are typically priced by the thousands of listeners that may listen. This figure is referred to as a CPM, which stands for cost per thousand impressions. M is the roman numeral for 1,000 – to clear up any confusion. National advertisers will likely begin to bite on your podcast if you can prove that your show gets 30,000 to 40,000 listens monthly. Locally focused advertisers may be interested in locally relevant shows with just 5,000 monthly listeners and may be more open to collaborate. alt money pic

National brands and large media companies can utilize programmatic advertisements offered through large podcast distribution companies. Distribution companies are linking with major brands and corporations to automatically serve ads on many of America’s favorite podcasts.

Subscriptions

Not into advertisements? Try out Patreon or Indiegogo! If a podcast has a strong enough following or draw – it can go behind a paywall where dedicated fans pay to support their favorite creators. Many popular podcasts release one show weekly to a free mass audience with advertisements and then release a second episode free of ads behind a paywall to their loyal paying audience. 

Merchandise

You’re just as likely to see people wearing Barstool Sports t-shirts as you are to see them wearing band tees. Podcast listeners feel intimately connected to their favorite shows and thus are more likely to support their favorite creators. From “Call Her Daddy” Hoodies to shirts that simply say “friend of the pod,” clothing items offer high profit margins on relatively low sales and offer burgeoning creators an opportunity to make money.   

Distribution / Networks

If your podcast becomes large enough, you can develop a network of similar or like-minded podcasts. This is the exact strategy that rappers use to build labels and that Marvel is using with superhero properties. Look no further than Barstool Sports, SB Nation, Chapo Trap House, or NPR to see podcasts diversifying into multiple instances to make their revenue more dynamic. 

Networks like Earwolf and Mid-Roll grew large enough to be sold to a larger company for a profit. Similarly, the distribution rights to podcasts like the Joe Rogan Experience have been sold based on their massive audiences.

Everything You Need to Know About the New Apple Podcast App Update.

Did YOU Notice the Apple Podcast App Update?

On June 15th Apple Podcasts released an update allowing for premium podcasts, paywall features, and subscription services. In a press release, Apple stated “Starting today, listeners in more than 170 countries and regions can purchase subscriptions for individual shows and groups of shows through channels.” 

Along with the myriad of subscription options and modification tools, Apple also rolled out an ad-free model allowing listeners to pay extra for uninterrupted access to their favorite shows.

This is one of a number of moves Apple has made in an attempt to retain their title as the dominant podcast listening app. Apps like Patreon, Stitcher, Spotify, and Audible have bitten chunks out of Apple’s persistent market share – forcing Apple to adapt to an evolving market.

Three iphones displaying the App for Apple Podcasts with the new ios14.6 update

If you look closely at your Apple Podcast app, you’ll notice that you no longer subscribe to podcasts – you now “follow” them. This vernacular switch differentiates between the now available paid subscriptions and free follows. 

In conjunction with these new features – Apple rolled out original premium content through deals with CNN, Pushkin Industries, and Luminary. Spotify notably has been making expensive acquisitions of popular podcasts to draw more listeners over to their platform, this move sets Apple up to compete with Spotify’s strategy.

More to know about the new Apple Podcast Subscriptions:

  • Apple Podcasts Subscriptions and channels are available to listeners on Apple devices running iOS 14.6, iPadOS 14.6, and macOS 11.4 or later.
  • Subscription content will be accessible on Apple Watch with watchOS 7.5 or later and with HomePod, HomePod mini, and CarPlay.
  • Pricing for each subscription is set by creators and starts at $0.49 (US) per month. 
  • Subscriptions can be managed from Apple ID Account Settings, which is accessible from the top of the Listen Now tab in Apple Podcasts.
  • Apple Podcasts Subscriptions can be purchased and gifted using Apple Gift Card.
  • Each Apple Podcasts Subscription can be shared among six family members through Family Sharing.

It’s not a little more difficult to follow free podcasts. The button that used to say “subscribe” now defaults to “play most recent episode.” The new follow button has been move into a dropdown menu at the top of each show.

Frustratingly enough, you can no longer delete unwanted episodes from “latest played” episodes. The swipe left gesture that normally deletes files no longer does so, now it only un-downloads.  On the back end of Apple podcasts, the company has deleted the beloved “refresh button.”

Before 2021, if your podcast wasn’t uploading quickly to Apple Podcasts – you simple pressed the refresh button within iTunes Connect. In a recent update, Apple has decided to take that feature away.

Keep up with the streaming wars here on Top Podcast. 

Podcast of the Month: How Did This Get Made?

The Top Podcast Podcast of the month is: How Did This Get Made?

How Did This Get Made? is a movie podcast where the hosts recap terrible films and cult-classics. You may recognize the hosts from popular television shows such as The League, Grace and Frankie, and Black Monday. Hosts Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas have firsthand film experience and are not holding back when they critique the work of others.

For more than a decade these three hosts have been dissecting blockbuster films like the Fast & Furious franchise, as well as unearthing films that no one has ever seen such as Governor Gabbi. This podcast is interactive, to understand the episodes you need to watch the movie and host Paul Scheer does mini-episodes where you can call in and leave your own comments.

How Did This Get Made? is perhaps the most popular, longest running movie podcast still producing episodes. Check out the movies they’ve covered to see if there’s anything that catches your eye and then give it a listen!

Listen to: How Did This Get Made? an Earwolf Production 

Honorable mention: Phuck With Philly

On Phuck with Philly hosts M.C Ali, Rondo, and Keenan from Limbo bring you the most interesting people in the Philadelphia area. They’ve hosted activists, musicians, artists, athletes, comedians and much more. Whether you’re trying to catch up with Philly rap legend Cassidy or learn about the infamous Philly Elmo, Phuck with Philly has you covered. Enjoy chill vibes and irreverent comedy every week on Phuck with Philly.

Podcast of the Month: Comedy Bang! Bang!

The Top Podcast Podcast of the month is: Comedy Bang! Bang! 

Comedy Bang! Bang! (CBB) is an improv comedy podcast hosted by Scott Aukerman. The show features a variety of comedians acting as strange characters, as well as famous actors and comedians who come along for the ride. CBB is approaching it’s 700th episode and has been recording since 2009, but the show remains as funny as ever.

Host Scott Aukerman has reached the pinnacle of podcast success,  bringing his podcast to life in the form of a television show, which aired for 5 seasons on IFC. His show has introduced numerous hilarious comedians to an audience hungry for silly and funny content. You can expect to hear comedians like Paul F. Tompkins, Lauren Lapkus, Ego Nwodim and Thomas Middleditch as myriad of crazy characters. Comedy Bang! Bang! is a vehicle for escapism, a way to shut down the craziness of the outside world and bask in some nonsense.

December is the best time to hop on the CBB-bandwagon, as the show recaps the years best episodes.

Listen to Comedy Bang! Bang!

podcast logo kyw

Honorable mention: KYW Newsradio In Depth 

KYW Newsradio In Depth is a news program that applies a local approach to many national news stories. Interested in learning about changing drug laws? Listen to KYW journalist Charlotte Reese explain the elections effect on the drug war. Interested in learning about Joe Biden’s cabinet? Listen to KYW journalist Matt Leon interview a former Federal Reserve chair. In Depth lives up to its namesake packing a ton of information into bite-sized episodes.

Not Suprising News: Host-Read Podcast Ads Drive Higher Engagement than Non-Host Ads (per Nielsen)

Shocker alert. Nielsen is out with data that asserts host-ads are more effective than non-host read ads. Not that this is new to any of us who’ve been embedded in the podcast industry for years, but we figured we’d dive a little bit deeper into industry trends impacting host-read ads. To someone who’s been involved in the podcast industry before it became sexy, I’ve always been a proponent of the organic nature of the baked-in LIVE HOST READ AD, even more-so than a dynamically inserted host-read ad. To me, the measurement of a true host read ad is when it’s delivered natively within the fabric of a podcast.

As experienced marketers know, host-read ads (baked into the show) have always been the cornerstone of the podcast industry. With Radio media companies becoming more active in the medium (or taking over), some of us worried (and still worry) about the industry retaining the purity of ‘LIVE HOST-READ ADS’.

Dynamically inserted host-read ads are becoming the ‘name of the game’ as Radio looks to aggressively monetize their podcast networks. We literally are watching first-hand the slow death of ‘LIVE HOST-READ ADS’ within certain networks.

Nonetheless, in Nielsen’s unsurprising study, they found that 71% of respondents ‘recalled’ the advertised brand after hearing a host-read podcast ad compared to 62% of those that heard a traditional spot. Let’s dive a little deeper into these predictable metrics:
Notable highlights: 

  • Host-read ads outperformed traditions audio spots in causing the audience to seek additional information about a product
  • Produced a 33% lift in brand familiarity
  • Created a 67% higher increased affinity for a product/brand

When speaking to brands about the medium, I’ve always said that ‘live-host-read ads’ provide the purest form of native advertising. My friend at Pandora, Melanie Shiffman, stated it even better when she once told me:

A live-read podcast ad is the ultimate referral

I love that phrase and use it regularly when speaking to brands. Note that this Nielsen study said nothing about baked in ‘LIVE-HOST-READ-ADS’, which provide even greater uplift for brands than dynamically inserted host-read ads. I don’t need a study to confirm that for me.

As Radio companies slowly diminish the purity of traditional podcast advertising by relying on dynamically inserted ads (be it host-read or not) it’s going to be challenging to continue to say that podcast advertising provides the ultimate referral. Nonetheless, there is no better platform in attaining that highly coveted ‘lean-in’ listener that brands desire.

I’m not giving up on calling podcast advertising ‘the ultimate referral’…but the industry is slowly stealing the purity of what podcast advertising once was. Study that.

 

Five Insightful and Entertaining Black Produced Podcasts

As a summer of unprecedented unrest persists in major cities, a fractured country and the race divide is at the forefront of many conversations. One look at your social media feeds these days, and it’s unmistakable that we live in the most polarizing era of our lives (for most of us under 45).

In this article, we’re going to highlight podcasts hosted by people of color. It’s something that we at TopPodcast should have featured long ago, and we promise to highlight podcasts of all cultures and creeds moving forward, assuring our visitors will be introduced to a diverse plethora of relevant cultural podcasts. In this piece we will take a look at a wide variety of shows ranging from comedy to parental advice from black produced hosts and writers. You can choose to listen to any podcast right here on TopPodcast.com, and then subscribe to where you listen regularly.

This American Negro hosted by Marquise Richards.

This American Negro is a podcast that aims to dismantle the barrier between academic research and the marginalized groups they do the research on. Topics include the legacy of Malcolm X, discussing the education system, and Black Theater. This podcast will explore cultural events, personal experiences, and history to poke at a more nuanced conversation. Marquise is indignant towards the problems that the Black community faces, that energy combined with his inquisitive nature provides for an educational and interesting listen.

Mom and Dad are Fighting hosted by Jamilah Lemieux, Dan Kois, and Elizabeth Newcamp

In this podcast series Jamilah Lemieux, Dan Kois, and Elizabeth Newcamp share triumphs and failures. The hosts offer advice on parenting kids from toddler to teens. Slate has brought these three together to shine a light on the variety of hurdles that parents face. Jamilah Lemiuex is a writer, cultural critic and an extremely powerful voice as a black feminist, her perspective is valuable and one that white people could benefit from hearing. This podcast has a dash of comedy in a pot of sincerity. If you are looking for parenting advice from a multi-racial crew, this is the show for you.

The Read hosted by Kid Fury and Crissle

Like a few other podcasts, the Read was adapted for television. However, Kid Fury and Crissle still host a weekly podcast covering hip-hop and pop culture’s most trying stars. Throwing shade and spilling tea, no star is safe from Fury and Crissle. The Read gives insight into black culture that is not necessarily available in the mainstream. 

Bodega Boys hosted by Desus Nice & The Kid Mero

This podcast is toxic, non-educational, and filled with context and inside jokes. I can’t stop listening. Desus & Mero sky-rocketed to stardom after their show on Viceland became a mega hit and moved to Showtime. Truth be told, the Bodega Boys Podcast is one of the filthiest and least politically correct pieces of media available, however their jokes are never hurtful. If you enjoy improv comedy, pornography, and 90’s hip-hop, this show is for you.

Code Switch hosted by Shereen Marisol Meraji, Gene Dembym, and Karen Grigsby Bates

Code switching is a term that means “switching your cadence and speech depending on who you are talking to.” In a primarily white society, black and brown people feel the need to ‘whiten-up’ their language to avoid judgement. This NPR podcast has the tagline “Race in Your Face” Hosted by journalists of color, this podcast tackles subjects of race head-on, politics, pop culture, history, sports and everything in between. This show provides tremendous insight into issues faced by people of color. 

Top 5 History Podcasts Out Now

Podcasts have been a phenomenal tool for revisiting older stories. History has provided countless hours of podcasting content, below are five of the best history podcasts available on your preferred podcast platform. 

Hardcore History

Dan Carlin has a sultry-voice reminiscent of old-time news stories. These epic multi-hour monologues explain a variety of different stories from throughout World History. In the Hardcore History series about Genghis Khan, he paints a portrait of the world Khan lived in while considering Genghis as a person. Pop in your air-pods and disassociate as Dan Carlin transports you to another time and place.

Behind the Bastards

This series takes you through the lives of some of the worst men in history. Unfortunately, history’s gender bias has resulted in many of the “bastards” covered in this show being men. In  this show Bellingcat journalist Robert Evans takes you through the minds of the worst people to ever live, whether it be medical grifters, messiah figures, or standard dictators. The podcast gives great perspectives that help to explain many of the world’s conflicts. 

Blowback 

A podcast specifically about the Iraq War doesn’t seem to qualify as “history” at first glance, however this show does a deep dive into the action leading up to the Iraq War. Brendan James and Noah Kulwin walk you through a highly-produced and researched history of the Iraq War. This series is incredibly intricate and complex, weaving in comedian H. Jon Benjamin as the voice of Saddam Hussein while simultaneously empathizing with dead civilians. Only available on Stitcher Premium.

Slow Burn

Leon Neyfakh takes eight episodes to delicately explain the Watergate crisis. This Slate piece explores Watergate from start to finish, while also considering living through the drama. He asks “What have we learned?” as he witnesses glaring similarities between the past and the present.

In their most recent season, Joel Anderson talks Biggie vs. Tupac

the memory palace

Hosted by Nate Dimeo, the memory palace is a world of its own. The airy feel of this show makes you feel like you’re floating in space as you learn stories that seem other-worldly. The AV Club noted the show’s “emotionally concentrated energy” which I find to be the most effective way to explain the blending of emotion and history into one show. This show often makes you feel as if you know nothing about anything as you ponder other people’s lived reality.

There we have five of the top history podcasts available now on iTunes, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, and everything in between.

The Joe Rogan Experience is Moving To Spotify

The Joe Rogan Experience is Spotify Bound.

Joe Rogan’s podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience” is a large percentage of male podcast listeners’ introduction to podcasts. For nearly 1,500 episodes the stand-up comedian and MMA announcer has operated as an independent behemoth in the media sphere. Starting on September 1st, 2020 “the entire JRE library will become available on Spotify.”

Rogan announced that the show will stay exactly the same and assured his listeners that he is not a Spotify employee. The deal is being referred to as a “multi-year licensing agreement” by Rogan and those “in the know.”

The exact dollar amount of this deal is unknown, however the Wall Street Journal reported that the deal is worth more than $100 million.

The Joe Rogan Experience has grown to be the largest and most expansive platform for long-form interviews in media today. Presidential candidates make their pitch to the JRE listeners, MMA fighters and Veterans tell tales of war, and comedians go on to goof around. JRE is an all encompassing entertainment product with little to no limitations. 

We all thought the streaming wars were over, but now podcasts have entered the arena. Most media executives would’ve called you crazy if you told them that a podcast would be worth 9-figures ten years ago. This is a huge step forward for the podcast industry and one of many interesting moves in the medium.

The transition to Spotify will be complete as of 2021.

How to Record a Podcast with Zoom

The Coronavirus Pandemic and ensuing quarantine has taken podcasters and broadcasters out of the studio and onto Zoom. Just a few months ago, Zoom was a conference call app just like Skype, GoToMeeting, and WebEx, but weeks into the quarantine Zoom has proven to be the teleconference app of choice.

Zoom’s easy recording function and superior sound quality have attracted producers, like myself, who are typically skeptical to video interviews. 

How to Record?

Zoom has conveniently placed the “record” button prominently on the primary toolbar. Upon ending your “Meeting” – the audio file should load directly onto your laptop. Simple as pie.

Podcast-Settings

It’s important to remember that Zoom was originally created for conference calls, meaning Zoom planned for multiple parties to be speaking into internal mics & Bluetooth headsets in their cubicles. This matters because Zoom’s interface naturally performs noise cancelling, reverb, and other audio adjustments to your conference call. 

Podcasters likely have external mics or an in-home studio. In order to get the standard quality of your podcast equipment, go to “Audio Settings” then click “Preserve Natural Audio.” 

Always have a backup.

As a rule of thumb, ask your podcast guest to record the meeting along with you. If I’m recording a podcast in person I will record with two mics just to be careful. Even if both you and your guest are recording on Zoom, consider recording both of your audio tracks on your laptop for safety sake. 

In recording, I try to be as careful as humanly possible. During this pandemic, I recorded an episode of my podcast using my iPhone and a microphone because I was worried about Zoom’s reliability.

Basic vs. Pro

If you need to use Zoom consistently, you may want to consider upgrading Zoom from the “free” basic settings to the Pro settings. The free settings allow you to have 1 on 1 Zoom calls for 40 minutes and works just fine. If you need more guests or more time, the $15/month plan may be a better fit.

Once you’ve recorded all your podcast audio, simply export it to your editing software and make your masterpiece.

The Line Between Video Podcasts & Television Talk Shows has Blurred.

The Coronavirus Quarantine is a unique and generation defining event. Aside from the obvious medical and financial repercussions, the quarantine has resulted in some strange side effects. This unprecedented pandemic has brought the ever transforming media landscape full circle as talk shows move into their hosts houses.  

The divide between “professional” and “amateur” content has been closing over the last decade. Podcasts and radio shows are of equal quality, YouTubers are signed to the same talent contracts that athletes and actors are, and online content creators are making the leap into television and film regularly. 

As podcasts grew popular, video podcasts boomed alongside it. The format of “video podcasting” took years to find its footing, however podcasts like the Joe Rogan Experience and radio shows like Howard Stern, Sway in the Morning, & The Breakfast Club found a large audience on YouTube. These video podcasts meshed well alongside popular vloggers and YouTubers, but were distinctly different from anything accessible on television or in the mainstream. 

2020 Quarantine

Fast forward to 2020, New York City and Los Angeles are now on lock down halting the production of most major media properties. To begin the pandemic talk shows and professional wrestlers performed to empty crowds or scattered members of their staff for live tapings. By the time March 2020 rolls around, all casts and crews have been quarantined in their homes. 

Now Stephen Colbert, Desus & Mero, and Seth Myers are all forced to host their shows from their homes using video chat. NBC, Showtime, and CBS scrambled to set up the very same equipment that video podcasters have had set up in their homes for years. 

Comedian Chris D’Elia’s Congratulations Video Podcast currently has better production value than the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. While Joe Biden’s Presidential Campaign struggles to figure out a Facebook Live stream, comedian Tim Heidecker hosted an eight hour-long live stream episode of his “Office Hours” podcast featuring celebrities and listener call-ins.

The gap between a “talk show” and a “video podcast” has never been narrower. Political video podcasts like The Ben Shapiro Show and The Majority Report with Sam Seder look unscathed during this quarantine, meanwhile the Daily Show can’t seem to figure out the acoustics in Trevor Noah’s apartment. 

We all understand that things will never be the same after this COVID-19 pandemic. It will be interesting to see how the media landscape returns when the quarantine is done with.