The internet has become the primary source of information and entertainment in today’s world. This is where people go when they want to learn or watch something new. Podcasting is one way that you can reach out to this crowd by creating original content on topics that interest them.
However, getting started as a podcaster isn't easy. The first step is finding an audience who will listen to what you have to say. Then there's monetization -- how are you going to turn listeners into customers? You need ways to drive traffic to your website, and you'll likely find those through affiliates like ClickBank, Shopify, CJ Affiliate, ShareASale, eBay Partner Network Inc., ConvertKit LLC, etc.
These companies offer various products which you can promote within your podcast so that listeners purchase them directly from you. For example, if you're promoting e-books, you could link back to Amazon.com/eBookstore and then share affiliate commissions with ClickBank, Shopify, CJ Affiliate, ShareASale, eBay Partner Network Inc., ConvertKit LLC, Google Podcast Ads, Audible Media & Entertainment, and more.
You don't necessarily need any of these services (or all), but using some form of affiliate marketing will help your podcast grow and earn revenue without much effort on your part. Here are three popular methods of doing just that:
Affiliates work with publishers like you, offering a variety of options for selling their own goods and services. Some of the most common types of products include digital downloads (such as eBooks, videos, audio files, software, etc.), online courses, membership sites, subscriptions, and physical items like T-shirts, posters, coffee mugs, keychains, and other merchandise.
When someone purchases one of these things from you via your affiliate link, you receive a commission based on whatever percentage you set in your account settings. That percentage ranges widely depending on the company you choose as well as what type of product you sell. Generally speaking, you should aim for around 20%--30%. But keep in mind that each company sets its own terms and conditions.
For instance, ClickBank charges 5% plus $0.25 per sale, while Shopify takes 3%, and ShareASale only requires 2%. PayPal also offers different rates depending on whether you sign up for a free trial or not and whether you decide to pay monthly or yearly. So take note of the fees associated with each service before signing up.
Most affiliate marketers start off with 1 percent commissions, which grows over time as you build relationships with buyers. A good rule of thumb is that once you've reached 10 sales, you can bump up the fee to 6 percent. And once you hit 100 sales, you can increase it again to 8 percent. Once you achieve 500 sales, you can reach 9 percent. On top of that, you can always raise your rate whenever you feel comfortable with the level of income you're earning.
If you think about it, having an active blog would cost you at least $50-$100 a month to host. If you were able to charge readers anywhere between $10 -$20 per article, you'd see a profit margin of 50%-200%. Not bad right?!
So now imagine charging $15 for every single episode you release!
That's exactly what many successful podcasters do. They create high value content and then market it to potential customers through affiliate marketing. In fact, here are six ways you can generate extra cash from your podcast:
1) Sell custom written articles.
2) Write guest posts for blogs related to your niche.
3) Create video tutorials teaching others how to accomplish certain tasks.
4) Offer consulting services such as web design, SEO optimization, writing, editing, social media management, copywriting, graphic designing, etc.
5) Host events.
6) Launch a contest or giveaway.
After setting up your ClickBank, Shopify, CJ Affiliate, ShareASale, eBay Partner Network Inc., ConvertKit LLC, Google Podcast Ads, Audible Media & Entertainment, etc. accounts, you simply add links to relevant pages on your site or blog wherever appropriate. There are even tools that allow you to automatically insert affiliate links throughout your existing WordPress theme.
Then you wait until someone clicks on one of your affiliate links. When they buy something, you collect your cut and pass along the rest to your chosen partner. Keep in mind that sometimes affiliate networks require you to provide additional permissions before you can actually run ads on your podcast.
Some examples of what you might put inside your podcast include:
"Buy Now!" buttons for digital products and courses
Links to landing pages with detailed instructions on how to complete the process
A "read more" button that leads to another page with similar details
An email opt-in form that allows you to capture names and emails for future newsletters and promotions
Don't forget to check the policies of each platform you plan to use because different platforms may have slightly different rules. It's important to read everything thoroughly so you know what you're agreeing to.
And finally, don't be afraid to experiment with formats to determine which ones resonate with your target audience. What works for one person won't necessarily fit everyone else.
Yes, if you upload your podcast file to iTunes Connect, you can submit it to Apple's affiliate program. However, since iTunes Connect has been discontinued, we recommend uploading your episodes directly to SoundCloud instead.
This way, you can still gain access to the vast majority of mobile devices and computers worldwide. Plus, you'll avoid paying Apple anything. After all, your earnings come straight from your viewers' pockets.
Doesn't sound too complicated, huh? Well, it gets a little trickier than that. Remember, you must give permission to let Apple track your listener numbers and send them to advertisers.
Also, the number of subscribers you have determines how much you'll earn. You cannot change either of these factors after you've uploaded your shows to iTunes Connect.
But hey, it's worth the risk. Just remember to double check with your chosen provider regarding the amount of compensation you can expect.
It depends on several variables including the size of your audience, the length of your show, and how frequently you update your content. As mentioned above, you can try to maximize your profits by increasing the frequency of updates.
In addition, consider adding bonus material like interviews with experts, behind-the-scenes footage, or exclusive giveaways in order to encourage repeat visitors. Also, make sure you follow the same steps outlined above to ensure quality content and proper formatting.
With all that said, it usually takes four months to a year before your podcast starts generating significant amounts of money. By then, you should have enough experience under your belt to start building a following. Eventually, you'll reach the point where your podcast becomes profitable.
Once that happens, you can focus on making bigger improvements and expanding your business further. You'll soon discover that affiliate marketing provides endless possibilities for growth both personally and professionally.
Ultimately, however, the success of any endeavor hinges on two factors: passion and persistence. If you love what you do, you'll stay motivated no matter how difficult things seem at times. And if you remain determined during tough periods, your efforts will eventually bear fruit.
Podcasts are becoming more popular by the day and they're also earning their creators some serious cash in the process. But how does someone go about getting paid to produce content that people love listening to? There's actually quite a few different ways that you could make money from your own show, and several of them involve signing up with third-party companies who pay out commissions on sales made through those platforms.
One way to do this involves setting yourself up as an Amazon affiliate or a Google AdSense publisher. These options allow anyone interested in making money off their website (or YouTube channel) to sign up, set up their account, then start generating revenue just by posting links back to their site within the body of any relevant blog post or video they publish.
But there's another option available which allows you to generate income without ever having to touch a single link – it's called "affiliate marketing." This method of monetization takes place outside of your own domain altogether and pays you directly whenever someone clicks on one of your product links to purchase said item. You don't even need to send traffic anywhere because it all happens automatically when customers click through your ads. It's basically like being able to sell your products straight away instead of waiting around until someone buys them online.
The good news is that many of the same services that power affiliate programs for other types of websites work just fine for podcasts too. The bad news…well, not really, since everyone loves free stuff! So let's take a look at what opportunities are currently available for podcasters looking to build a passive income stream from their shows.
Spotify has already been running an ad-supported version of its music streaming platform for years now, so if you want to promote anything related to music production, DJing, or playing live gigs, you'll probably find plenty of potential advertisers willing to buy space on your show. However, unlike most of the other sites we've looked at here, Spotify doesn't offer you a commission based upon sales generated through its system. Instead, the service simply provides you with a unique code to display on your episodes. If someone purchases something using that code after hearing your episode, you will receive 25% of the sale price minus whatever fees Spotify charges for processing payments.
You can use the following codes to insert into specific spots during each episode:
Sellers Code: SPOTIFY_CODE
Buyer Code: BUYER_NAME
If you would rather see a full list of possible offers provided by Spotify, check out our guide below:
For both Amazon and Google, you should choose between two different advertising formats depending on whether you'd prefer to focus purely on boosting brand awareness OR promoting actual sales. For example, you may decide to include sponsored posts where listeners can learn more about certain brands featured in your show, while others opt to put only actual product listings on their pages. Each company offers multiple promotional packages suited towards either approach, meaning that you have lots of choices to pick from.
Amazon Associates Program
This is the standard affiliate program offered by Amazon itself. As long as you meet basic requirements, such as creating an official profile page on Amazon Business and listing your podcast along with your personal information, you can apply for this program. Then, once approved, you'll be given access to tools allowing you to create customized campaigns and track results via reports and graphs.
A big perk of the Amazon Associate Program is that you won't have to worry about building relationships with new clients. Once you sign up, Amazon handles customer interactions entirely for you, leaving it up to you to merely provide links back to your own website. This means you can continue producing high quality shows regardless of whether or not you're actively seeking new business partners.
Google Ads
As far as the Google Advertising Platform goes, this is a bit trickier than the previous option due to the fact that you must first register as a verified advertiser before you can begin placing advertisements on blogs, forums, social media, etc... In order to qualify, you'll need to submit a small amount of proof showing that you have earned $50 worth of revenue in the last 12 months. After that, you're ready to add sponsored links wherever you'd like.
There are two main differences between the two programs listed above. First, Google requires you to verify your identity before granting you access to the toolset, whereas Amazon lets you jump right in. Second, you're required to maintain more control over your campaign's design, targeting, budget, and overall performance. While this flexibility comes with added responsibility, it's still worth considering if you plan to invest heavily in digital advertising.
eBay Partner Network Inc.
Since 2009, PayPal has partnered with eBays affiliate network to help sellers earn additional profits from every transaction completed on their behalf. Since the launch of the partnership, eBay users have had the chance to join the eBay Partner Network and enjoy exclusive perks including discounts for items purchased on eBay Marketplace, special promotions, and extra referral rewards. To date, thousands of businesses have signed up, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars spent throughout the course of time.
However, despite the huge success of eBay Partnerships, the program remains somewhat controversial among affiliates. Many argue that the benefits aren't enough to justify the cost involved in joining, especially since eBay no longer offers direct payment to participants. Others claim that the program makes it difficult to market their own merchandise alongside that of eBay, leaving them unable to compete for sales. Still others feel that the program unfairly favors established merchants over smaller ones.
In short, you shouldn't expect to reap massive gains from eBay's program unless you're already doing extremely well. That being said, if you're planning on selling physical goods anyway, you might as well try your hand at driving some extra profit out of things you already know people want.
ConvertKit LLC
ConvertKit was founded in 2012 and quickly became famous for providing email automation software designed specifically for marketers. Nowadays, the company boasts nearly 1 million subscribers worldwide and continues to grow rapidly. One major benefit of choosing this particular platform is that it's easy to integrate into WordPress themes, giving you the ability to customize your emails however you'd like. Plus, you can easily embed videos, images, text boxes, audio files, polls, surveys, and much more. All of this adds up to a simple yet highly effective way to increase engagement rates and boost subscriber loyalty.
Of course, it doesn't stop there. Unlike many of its competitors, ConvertKit also offers you a variety of advanced features meant to improve the user experience. Some of these include preformatted fields, autoresponders, customizable landing pages, drag & drop forms, unlimited A/B testing, and automatic tracking of open and clickthrough rates.
To learn more about how ConvertKit works, read our comprehensive review below:
Netflix isn't technically an affiliate program per se, but the company certainly encourages fans to share their recommendations online. When viewers leave positive reviews for titles recommended in the show, Netflix earns a portion of the proceeds collected by the person submitting the rating. Because Netflix tends to favor movies that tend to appeal to younger audiences, you may end up seeing a lot of young adults sharing their opinions about various films.
While it's true that you don't necessarily need to watch the entire movie in order to rate it favorably, you do need to give sufficient detail regarding why you liked it so much. In addition to adding comments describing what aspects of the film struck you as particularly enjoyable, it helps to point out elements that didn't come across as strongly as expected. Doing so ensures that viewers understand why you enjoyed a title so much and thus increases the likelihood that they'll share similar sentiments themselves.
Podcasts are among one of the most popular forms of media today, and it's easy to see why. The format allows people to listen on their own time, without having to worry about commercials or other interruptions. Podcasting has also allowed people who have something interesting to say to share that information through audio.
But how does someone monetize this medium? There are several ways to make money from a podcast, including selling merchandise, hosting webinars, offering coaching services, and more. But what if you want to sell products directly from your podcast? That could prove difficult since there aren't many options out there.
However, there are some good affiliate networks which allow podcasters to earn commissions by promoting specific brands and products associated with them. Here we'll talk about those and explain how they work so you know whether any of them will fit well into your podcast series.
The first important thing when working with an affiliate network is to understand how the process works. To start, let us take a look at what happens once you decide to join a particular platform. You sign up for a free account and then create a new post (called a "show") where you discuss the product or service you're trying to recommend. Then you add the link to whatever website sells the item you want to promote. Finally, you send traffic to the site via social media or email marketing.
You should note that you don't necessarily need to use all three methods to succeed. For example, using Facebook ads to drive traffic to a website may not be effective enough to generate sales. However, depending on your audience, sending emails or posting messages on Twitter or Instagram may be just as successful.
Once you've sent visitors to the merchant's page, you earn commission based on the amount of revenue generated. Some platforms also offer referral bonuses to help increase your earnings further. These often include a percentage bonus paid upon signing up a new customer, while others give additional rewards like gift cards or discounts.
It's very common to receive payments within 30 days after completing your sale. If you choose to accept payment via PayPal, Amazon Payments, Stripe, Braintree, Clickbank, Payoneer, or another third-party payment processor, you will usually receive the funds shortly afterward. If you opt to accept credit card transactions, the transaction will typically go through immediately.
If you'd rather avoid dealing with a middleman, you can always set up a direct relationship between yourself and the retailer. This means setting up a custom URL which redirects users back to the merchant's website. Once again, you earn a commission based on the amount of purchases made, though this method requires extra effort since you must build relationships with each individual seller.
Apple offers a number of different types of apps available across its various app stores. One way to market such products is through the iTunes Store, which includes content produced by independent creators. Anyone can submit their applications to the store and wait to hear back, but only approved ones will appear in the main section.
To apply for approval, however, you must complete a questionnaire describing your application. It asks questions ranging from the type of material included throughout the course of your app to whether or not it contains objectionable language. After filling out the form, you must upload screenshots showing off your app before submitting it for review.
After getting approval, you can advertise your app on your blog, YouTube channel, and elsewhere online. When potential buyers search for similar items, they'll find your submission listed alongside others. Depending on how well you rank for certain keywords, you may even achieve top spot. And if you manage to convince customers to purchase through your listing, you'll earn a portion of every sale.
There are numerous companies dedicated to helping podcasters turn their passion into profit. We looked at five of our favorites below.
ShareASale: With over $1 billion earned last year alone, ShareASale is one of the largest affiliate networks around. As one of the oldest names in the industry, they boast partnerships with hundreds of thousands of merchants worldwide, making it easier than ever to tap into their vast resources.
CJ Affiliate: CJ Affiliate began life as CjLinkz, founded by two brothers named Craig and Jason Jenkins. While still relatively young, they have built a strong reputation for themselves thanks to their efforts to provide quality tools and support for podcasters looking to grow their audiences. They also host events regularly where they invite guest speakers to speak about topics relevant to podcasts.
eBay Partner Network Inc.: A subsidiary of eBay, EPN provides access to millions of sellers looking to list their goods on the world's biggest marketplace. You can either partner with the company itself or connect directly with a variety of retailers.
ConvertKit LLC: Another great option for podcasters seeking to expand their reach beyond listeners, ConvertKit makes it simple to create lead magnets, squeeze pages, landing pages, and ebooks. Their flexible pricing model gives everyone the chance to try things out for free before committing to paying monthly fees.
Audible: Audible is perhaps the easiest place to begin earning income through podcast advertising. All you need to do is sign up for an account and upload a sample episode of your podcast. From there, you can select a few episodes to showcase to potential advertisers.
While there isn't one single solution for all podcasters, we think the following four stand above the rest. In no particular order, here are the reasons we believe they're worth considering.
Shopify: An increasingly popular choice for small businesses looking to launch websites, Shopify lets anyone design and customize a shop front, complete with themes and templates. Since it's designed specifically for entrepreneurs, it comes packed with features aimed at streamlining operations. Plus, you won't need to learn anything else about coding or HTML to use it effectively.
Google Podcast AdSense: Google recently launched a brand-new way for developers to display advertisements inside their podcasts. Instead of placing ads randomly throughout a track, PodAdSense uses machine learning algorithms to identify appropriate spots along the duration of each recording. By doing so, advertisers can target individuals based on age, gender, location, and interests.
Amazon Associates Program: Amazon has been a leader in digital commerce for years now, and as such, it doesn't come as much of surprise that they would develop an affiliate program tailored specifically for podcasts. Though there's little difference in terms of functionality compared to other solutions, it remains one of the simplest to navigate, particularly given the fact that it's integrated directly into the Kindle Fire tablet.
So, which of these four companies do you think would suit your needs best? Or maybe you've got your eyes on something entirely different? Let us know down in the comments!
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.