Podcast Monetisation

10 ways to monetise your podcast

Podcasting is one of the strongest media formats for audience building, brand awareness, and monetisation.

Brands have traditionally focused their marketing efforts on the 16-34 age group, a demographic known for their discerning and hard-to-reach nature in terms of brand communication.

Regarding podcasts, Millennials constitute the primary audience, while Gen Z represents a significant growth opportunity. Research underscores the fact that podcast listeners in both of these generations tend to outspend their non-listening counterparts, with millennials outspending non-listeners by as much as 179%.

In the United Kingdom, podcast consumption has steadily risen year after year, with an estimated 21.2 million listeners in 2022. These trends align with the findings of a 2021 survey, revealing that 71% of respondents were familiar with podcasts, and 41% had tuned in to a podcast in the month leading up to the survey. These statistics underscore the growing popularity and awareness of podcasts among the general population.

Podcasts offer excellent commercialisation opportunities, including:

1. Podcast ads

Pre-produced ads played before (pre-roll) and during the podcast (mid—roll). This is generally media supplied by the advertiser/agency and dynamically inserted by the hosting platform.

– Dynamic Episodic

Targets a specific episode

– Dynamic Catalog

Target specific podcasts, time frame, or genre/category of shows

– Programmatic

Target GEO (City, country, Lat/Long) demographics, behavioural, time frames, etc.

2. Host read

The host reads out the ad copy. This ad remains in the podcast forever.

3. Affiliate links in video

This works for YouTube hosted video podcasts, offering a direct link to the advertiser’s website, marketplace, etc.

4. Affiliate links in description

Direct link to the advertiser’s website, marketplace, etc. placed in the description of the podcast.

5. YouTube monetisation

Ads are inserted into the video content by YouTube for qualifying accounts.

6. Product feature

– Review

The host reviews the product or service.

– Organic mention

The host mentions the brand name/product/service into conversation rather than a pre-scripted ad-read).

– Competition prize

A product/service is offered as a prize to the podcast listeners.

7. Guest interview (organic)

The host interviews a brand ambassador/representative

8. On-location recording

The episode is recorded at the brand’s location.

9. Subscription

Listeners subscribe to the podcast to receive an ad-free version of the content and/or additional content.

10. Merchandise

The host pitches their own merchandise.

Identifying the right monetisation options for your podcast will depend on your brand, audience, and the advertising opportunities offered to you. Some brands may have stipulations that aren’t suitable for your content. It is always best to consider your audience’s experience and deliver ads that are aligned to their demographic, and relevant to your content.

If you would like to discuss monetising an existing podcast, or starting a new one, please get in touch