Podcaster Tips

Advertising and sponsorships are the most common ways of monetizing a podcast. But it is a fact that earning from advertising really varies and more often than not, it is sometimes not enough to cover the podcaster’s expenses in maintaining a podcast site. And sometimes, as our podcasts becomes popular, our hosting-related expenses likewise increase.

That is why there are times when advertising is not enough to cover all expenses and so, you can notice that many podcasters nowadays sells personalize merchandises on their podcast site. Selling merchandises that are related to their show augment their income especially if they already have a large audience. This somehow increases their popularity too because their listeners sometime buy their merchandises as a gift or giveaways. In this way, podcasters do not only earn but enjoy free promotions too!

Some good podcasts that has pretty nice stores are the Keith and the Girl and Kids Wife Work Life. Have a look on Keith and the Girl store and Kids Wife Work Life store, you can see that their merchandises are not limited to shirts as they now have key chains, caps, jackets, flask, and even DVDs. Nobody Likes Onion and FormulaPod has stored too here and here that sell cool T-shirts. Very inspiring, aren’t they?

This may need some investment and extra effort on your side because you need to conceptualize your own design and look for suppliers. But do not forget to be subtle in promoting your store or your merchandise; remember that even you do not want to be reminded frequently about checking out any store and you do not want your audiences to think that you are just podcasting to promote your store.

Never plug your items at the middle of your show. Just mention it on the end part of your show and if they really like you, there is a big chance that they will try or recommend your merchandise. Podcast audiences are smart, they understand that producing a podcast is not free and podcasters need to generate some income to continuously provide free shows; but again, nobody wanted to be forced to buy anything or to donate some amount; so be subtle in selling your merchandise.