If you’re alive in 2025, there's a decent chance you listen to a podcast. At the very least, you know someone who listens to a podcast, and they’ve likely recommended several ones for you to also listen to.
You can’t escape it and you shouldn’t. At Real Ways to Earn, we highly recommend that you jump on the podcast-listening train and then start your own podcast.
Why? Because you can actually monetize it. Read on to learn more.
How To Earn Money With a Podcast
Step 1: Start a Podcast
Do you have a best friend who you have great conversations with? Do they make you laugh non-stop? Do you think other people may want to hear your conversations and laugh along with them? Then you’ve got a podcasting partner.
There was a meme going around of a person sitting on the ground next to a large wall advertisement of people laughing and enjoying ice cream, and the person sitting on the ground was looking up at the picture, laughing too, as if he were hanging out with his friends. The text read, “How I feel when I listen to podcasts.”
I’ve never seen any meme or any other piece of media perfectly encapsulate what listening to podcasts is like, other than this one.
When you listen to a podcast that you really love, it feels like you’re having a conversation with your best friends (albeit one that you don’t exactly participate in but hey, if you do talk to the podcast hosts, no judgment).
So how does one go about starting a podcast? After you’ve picked a co-host (or two) that you really vibe with, pick a brand or a theme.
One of my favorite podcasts is My Brother, My Brother, and Me. Three brothers named Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy host a weekly podcast for the modern era in which they give advice to both listeners who write in and Yahoo Answers users who don’t write in. They go to the Yahoo website in the Answers section, find user questions about random problems, and give those folks advice on their podcast. Trust me, it’s hilarious.
I use this as an example because the McElroys’ format is specific. Choosing something that you either have expert-level knowledge about, is funny, is something you want to learn about with someone else, or all of the above is the best podcast recipe to follow.
Once you have a theme or brand, a co-host, and some topic ideas, get to recording. You can even record several episodes in advance, as long as your topics are evergreen content.
When you are able to, invest in good sound equipment. You're going to need a good podcast microphone, and these are available on Amazon in many different price ranges. Sound quality is key in a podcast.
Make sure to record in an enclosed, quiet space. Sorry, no kids or animals should be running around. You can upload your podcast on several different hosting platforms and then publish it on Spotify, iTunes, etc.
Step 2: Find Sponsors and Advertisers for Your Podcast, or Why Your Brand Matters
Why is it important to choose a theme or brand? Because that’s how you can obtain sponsorships.
It especially helps to have a niche area of a market cornered. Is your podcast about true crime? It’s likely that a security system will want to sponsor it if it takes off. Are you chatting about cats and coffee? There could be a cat cafe in your city that will buy airtime on your show.
No matter how you set it up, getting sponsors is key to a successful podcast.
And again, if you’ve listened to any podcast recently, you’ve probably heard a million advertisements for mattresses in boxes, super soft bedding, and even TV shows or movies. Those are sponsors, and they pay big bucks for podcast creators to talk about their products or services.
Outside of gaining immediate podcast fame, how do you show advertisers that your podcast is worth investing their marketing budget into? You offer a value proposition.
If you can show sponsors that you have a certain amount of weekly users who also purchase meal delivery kits, then that is a key value proposition. Information is everything.
How can you figure out what your listeners buy? Take a survey. Ask your audience what they enjoy and what kinds of products they regularly use. Don't sit around waiting to be discovered. Ask your listeners for help.
Another key way to get sponsors to jump on board is to create a sponsorship model. For example, if you use a CPM (Cost Per Impression Model), you could earn a certain amount per thousand downloads for a 15-second pre-roll or a 60-second mid-roll slot.
The money may not be huge at first. You may only get fifteen dollars per one thousand downloads, but that adds up over time.
Step 3: Affiliate Marketing
Is your show a deep dive into the history of the Industrial Revolution? Are you discussing the newest smart home gadgets to hit the market? If your show is technical or if you often mention your sources in the show, then affiliate marketing may be for you.
Affiliate marketing is best used for evergreen content, so you can continue to generate passive income over time.
Use affiliate links for products that make sense for your audience. Promote things you actually like and believe in. Make it useful to the people listening.
Step 4: Listener Donations
I'm sure you've heard of Patreon. It's one of the best ways to earn money with a podcast.
Podcasters who are active on Patreon earned over four hundred million dollars last year. Shows like RedHanded are making over fifty thousand dollars per month. The Yard makes over two hundred thousand dollars monthly. That is real income.
A quick tip is to mention your Patreon at the end of your episodes, but you can also link to it in your show notes and social bios. Offer things like bonus episodes, merch, early access, hangouts, and more.
You can start donations at just five dollars monthly, which helps even more people feel like they can participate and support your work.
Step 5: Help Others Set Up Their Podcasts
Podcasts fall right in the middle of the marketing world. Podcasting is still a relatively new medium, and there are people out there right now who would pay for help getting started.
If you have some experience under your belt, consider offering setup services, editing, or show promotion. There are podcasters on Reddit right now hiring for these exact things.
Get the word out through social media, post about your services, or offer a low-priced beginner's package. You can even promote on marketplaces like Fiverr or use short video clips to show what you're capable of.
Bonus: Use Spotify’s Monetization Program
Spotify now offers a revenue-sharing program for creators who upload video podcasts. This is brand new and only available in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia at the moment.
You can monetize directly through Spotify, either through subscriptions or ad revenue, making it easier to get started without managing everything yourself.
Bonus: Sell Digital Products or Merch
If you have a loyal audience, think about what they might want from you. Could you create a guide, sell a workbook, or launch a simple merch store?
This is becoming a major income stream for podcast creators. You can link to your products in your episode descriptions, social media, and even offer discounts through your Patreon.
Bonus: Grow with Social Clips
One thing many podcasters are doing now is using tools that automatically create short, captioned video snippets from longer podcast content. You can use these on TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and more.
This can grow your audience and attract new listeners who prefer visual content.
Summing Up
Podcasting is not a quick way to get rich, but with time and consistency, it can absolutely pay off.
Many podcasters on Reddit report earning only one hundred dollars per month for years before finally reaching three or four thousand monthly. It is a long game, but it is doable if you stick with it.
Now matter how you choose to go about it, podcasting is a home business idea worth considering.
Good luck to you if you decide to start one!
Article written by Anna Jones of Girl.copy
