007: The Easiest Way to Monetize Your Podcast with Ads
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You’ve likely heard ads on podcasts and assume that’s the best way to make money podcasting. You might have also heard them and stopped there as you’re unsure how to monetize a podcast and convinced your reach isn’t big enough to attract advertisers.
Heck, even if you have those kinds of numbers, you still might feel stuck. I’m here to un-stick you — providing you with an accessible-to-all-podcast-sizes option you might not be in the know of, to help you monetize a podcast through ads.
Make sure to stick around to the end of this episode for the insider secret most companies won’t tell you when you partner with them. Plus I will share our guide to the best tools for podcasters for FREE! The guide includes ways to save time for every part of the podcasting process and it features discounts exclusive to you because what are pals for?
Podcasting takes a lot of work, and pod babes deserve to make money from their podcasts. Getting advertisers to pay you for reading out ads is generally reserved for shows with tens of thousands of downloads. There is, however, another way to get companies to pay you for promoting their products, and it’s accessible to podcasts of every size. It’s called — pause for dramatic effect — affiliate marketing.
Who is she? You ask. Is she right for me? Are we going to be good together?
Sit down, relax, let me introduce you. You’re going to get along great.
So what is affiliate marketing?
Basically, it means you’re earning a commission by recommending other people, companies or products to your listeners. I like affiliate marketing for a few reasons. First, it’s not a product you have to create, like bonus content or a new service. Goodbye adding more work to your plate in order to bring in cash! Secondly, if you’re doing it well, the products are things your listeners are already purchasing. The only difference is now they’re buying through you and the company will reward you for that which is super cool.
So what are the tricks to affiliate marketing to get these rewards you speak of?
You need to know who your audience is and what will be relevant to them. If your podcast is all about taking care of your mental health, you’d want to steer clear of anything that doesn’t suit your message — like fast fashion fads, diet culture or subscriptions to magazines that gossip. Rather, you’d consider partnering with things like accessible mental health services, meditation apps or self-help authors. These make sense to your brand and your target listeners can actually benefit from the products and services you are advertising. It’s important for your advertising to align with your podcast’s message no matter what stage your podcast is at because you want to make sure it will still make sense when someone discovers your show years later or revisits an old episode.
The best way to make sure you stick to ads that are true to your message and your heart is to make a list of companies, services, products, podcast software, courses, apps, books, guides, merchandise and communities that you would like to promote. These could be digital or physical products. If making a list leaves you stumped, ask your audience directly! Poll your listeners in a tweet, make a call out on your podcast for people to write to you, ask a question in your Instagram stories — whatever you need to do to gauge what they find helpful, what tools do they use, and what do they need when it comes to your topic? Then you know you are giving them exactly what they want and match the right product or company to their needs.
Once you’ve got your list, you can begin reaching out and asking for samples, with the understanding there will be an affiliate sign up introduced to your podcast based on your experience using the product or service. What that might look like in terms of how many mentions, and what kind of coverage you will need to give them, will vary based on the company. And not all companies will send free trials and samples to affiliates, but it never hurts to ask. You also want to advertise from a place of experience. In other words, you shouldn’t ask your listeners to buy something you haven’t tried before. Most companies will appreciate an authentic recommendation so don’t be shy and make the ask.
Signing up for their affiliate program is then your next step (and if you’re already familiar with their product and don’t need to request a sample, this could be your first step)! If you’ve already been dealing with someone about your samples, they’ll send you the information you need to sign up. If this is your first contact with them, most companies will have the link to sign up as an affiliate on their website. If you don’t see a link, go ahead and reach out to them through their support email. As an added bonus, a lot of podcasters and content creators with a qualifying website or app can participate in Amazon’s affiliate marketing program which is a great one-stop-shop for monetizing your traffic. This does take away the more personal touch and loyalty you’d get going directly to the brand, so do what feels best for you.
It’s important to find an authentic way to tell your listeners how this item can solve their problems. You’ll find it easier to share your own personal story to really sell it because you believe what you’re saying and where better a place for storytelling than a podcast? You want to make sure your listeners trust you, and if you can tell your own story about how this has positively impacted your life, it will be a win-win for you and your listeners.
So what happens next?
You’ll be given a unique code or link that will direct traffic to purchase, notifying the company of your affiliation with every payment. For every person who buys using your code or like, a portion of that purchase will go to you. You should put this link in your show notes and if applicable on your website and social media, making it easy to access with a click. If it’s too hidden, they might lose interest after trying to hunt for it and move on to the next thing. You know we’ve all done that!
If you’re wondering how much podcasts make from ads, the answer is as Cady Heron would say, the limit does not exist. This is by no means a get rich quick trick, as nothing good is. Rather you are hopefully building trust with your audience as an expert, hopefully offsetting some of your podcasting costs, and creating strong connections with companies you love. Soon enough, they’ll come to you with their latest product vs you having to go to them.
As promised, here is our bonus tip: many companies don’t publicize this, but they easily have the ability to create discount codes for certain affiliates. When you incentivize your audience to use a new brand or product with a discount code, it can be easier for them to say yes, because savings are hard to resist. Especially if you’ve done you’re homework to ensure the thing you are advertising is something your audience likely already wants or needs, offering a bargain will feel like the cherry on top. Not to mention it feels exclusive for your loyal listeners.
Go on! Send an email to the company asking for a discount code. Remember, if you don’t ask, the answer will always be no.
✦ There you have it!
Choose affiliate marketing and start earning commission by recommending like-minded products and services.
Make sure what you’re recommending makes sense for your audience.
Create your wish list!
Reach out for samples then sign up as an affiliate.
Tell your own story as to why this deserves your audience’s attention.
For that extra level of oomph, ask for a discount for your listeners, and see those clicks go off!
Affiliate marketing isn’t as scary as it sounds and getting advertisers on your podcast is not an impossible feat. My goal, as always with these episodes, is to take the hard work and do it for you, leaving you with a simple guide to success. My passion is making success accessible to female podcasters no matter where you’re at on your podcasting journey. I hope you are inspired to start writing your dream affiliate wish list and ready to bring in the money you so deserve.
To practice what we preach, we reached out to a few of companies and created a guide to the best tools and apps for podcasters. It is chock full of discounts on everything from remote recording tools, to graphic design apps, to hosting platforms.
If you’re looking for tools to save you time and money, download the guide now using the link in our show notes. And yes, we do make commission from purchases you make, so thank you in advance for the support.
Computer-Generated Transcript with Time Stamps
[00:00:00] If you're a podcaster looking to make some money from your existing show, then you're in the right place today. I'm sharing the best way to make money through advertising that doesn't require any minimum. Number of downloads. Stay tuned.
[00:00:21] Hey, my name is Lauren Popish and I'm obsessed with podcasting a little meta, right. I started podcasting after a public speaking event. Gone wrong. Sparked a phobia of public speaking that almost ended my corporate career. Now I help women use podcasting to share their ideas, grow their businesses, start movements and leave their unique marks on the world.
[00:00:48] My company, the wave produces shows for some of the most influential women in health, business, spirituality, beauty, and more. And in this show, I'm [00:01:00] taking all of the strategies I've used to help my clients top the podcast charts, and I'm bringing them to you. If you're hoping to start grow. Or monetize a podcast you're in the right place.
[00:01:13] This is Podcast Like a Girl.
[00:01:21] You've likely heard ads on podcasts and assumed that's the best way to make money podcasting. I know I did. When I got started, you might have also heard them and stopped there as you were unsure how to monetize a podcast and convinced your reach. Wasn't big enough to attract advertisers. Heck, even if you have those kinds of numbers, you still might feel stuck.
[00:01:45] Well, I'm here to unstick you, providing you with an accessible to all podcast sizes option. You might not know about to help you monetize a podcast through ads. Make sure you stick around to the end of this [00:02:00] episode for the insider secret. Most companies won't tell you when you partner with them. Plus, I'm going to share our guide to the best tools for podcasters totally for free.
[00:02:11] This guide includes ways to save money for almost every part of the podcasting process. And it features discounts exclusive to you because that's just what pals are. Podcasting takes a lot of work. You and I both know it. And pod babes deserve to make money from their podcasts. Getting advertisers to pay you for reading out ads is generally reserved for shows with tens of thousands of downloads.
[00:02:40] There is however, another way to get companies to pay you for promoting their products. And it's accessible to podcasts of every size it's called. Pause for dramatic effect, affiliate marketing. Okay, who is she? You ask? Is she right for me? Are we [00:03:00] going to be good together? Sit down, relax. Let me introduce you.
[00:03:04] You're gonna get along just great. So what is affiliate marketing? Basically? It means you are earning a commission by recommending other people. Companies or products to your listeners? I like affiliate marketing for a few reasons. First it's not product. You have to create like bonus content or a new service, or a course.
[00:03:27] Good by adding more work to your plate in order to bring in cash. Secondly, if you're doing it well, the products are things, your listeners. Already purchasing or have wanted to purchase. The only difference is that now they're buying it through you and the company will reward you for that, which is super cool.
[00:03:48] So what are the tricks to affiliate marketing to get these rewards that you speak of? So glad you asked you need to know who your audience is and what will be relevant to them. If your [00:04:00] podcast is all about taking care of your mental health. You'll want to steer clear of anything that doesn't suit your message, like fast fashion ads or diet culture, or subscriptions to gossip magazines.
[00:04:13] Rather you should be considering partnering with things like accessible mental health services, meditation apps, or self-help authors. These make sense for your brand and your target listeners can actually benefit from the products and services you're advertising. It's important. Things you're advertising to align with your podcast's message no matter what stage your podcast is at, because you wanna make sure it still makes sense when someone discovers your show years later, or revisits an old episode.
[00:04:46] The best way to make sure you stick to ads that are true to your message. And your heart is to make a list of companies, services, products, podcast, software courses, apps, books, guides, [00:05:00] merchandise, and communities that you would like to promote. These could be digital or physical products. If making a list leaves you a little bit stumped.
[00:05:09] Ask your audience directly pull your listeners in a tweet, make a call out on your podcast for people to write to you, ask a question in your Instagram stories, whatever you need to do to gauge what they find helpful, what tools they use and what do they need when it comes to your topic, then, you know, you're giving them exactly what they want and you can match the right product or company to their needs.
[00:05:36] Once you've got your list of viable companies and products, you can begin reaching out and asking them for samples. With the understanding, there will be an affiliate signup introduced to your podcast based on your experience using the product or service, what that might look like in terms of how many mentions or what.
[00:05:56] Coverage you'll need to give them will vary based on the [00:06:00] company that you work with and not all companies will ultimately send free trials and samples to affiliates, but it really never hurts to ask you also wanna advertise from a place of experience. In other words, you shouldn't ask listeners to buy something that you yourself haven't tried, and most companies will appreciate an authentic recommendation.
[00:06:20] So don't be shy and make the ask. Signing up for their affiliate program is then your next step. And if you're already familiar with their product and don't need to request a sample, this could be your first step. If you've already been dealing with someone about your samples, they'll send you the information.
[00:06:39] You'll need to sign up for their affiliate program. But if this is your first time, contacting them, most companies will have the link to sign up as an affiliate. On their website. If you don't see a link though, don't worry. Just go ahead and reach out to them through their support, email, as an added bonus, a lot of podcasters and content creators with a [00:07:00] qualifying website or app can participate in Amazon's affiliate marketing program.
[00:07:04] It's the largest in the world, which is a great one stop shop for monetizing your traffic. This does take away that kind of more personal touch and the loyalty you'd get going directly to the brand. Plus, do we really wanna be sending more people to Amazon? Maybe not. So do what feels best to you, but know that that's an option.
[00:07:28] Hey there, I'm taking a quick break to tell you about an event we're hosting in a few weeks on September 1st. Something I talk about a lot on this podcast is just how hard it can be to help new listeners find your show. Someone who I look to for the most sustainable ways to market my podcast is Jeremy Enns.
[00:07:49] He's a longtime podcaster and the founder of the Podcast Marketing Academy. Jeremy has agreed to join me for this event to share the daily, weekly, and [00:08:00] monthly habits you can take as a podcaster to achieve continual podcast growth. I had a call with Jeremy this week and he said, these aren't necessarily tasks to add to your weekly to-do list.
[00:08:13] Instead he wants to help you identify the work you're already doing for your show and tweak it to achieve the optimal results. I know I'm going to be taking notes because honestly, that sounds great. This event is taking place on Thursday, September 1st from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM Pacific. If you wanna join us for this event, tickets cost $35 and are on sale now by going to our show notes, or by going to the community page on thewavepodcasting.com.
[00:08:46] I hope to see you there now back to the show.
[00:08:56] It's important to find an authentic way to tell your listeners [00:09:00] how this item can solve their problems. You'll find it easier to share your own personal story, to really sell it because you believe what you're saying and wear better a place for storytelling. Then a podcast. You wanna make sure your listeners trust you.
[00:09:16] And if you can tell your story about how this has positively impacted your life, it will be a win-win for you. And your listeners. So what's next, you'll be given a unique code or link that will direct traffic to purchase notifying the company of your affiliation with every payment, for every person who buys using your code or link.
[00:09:38] A portion of that purchase will go directly to you. You should put this link all over the place in your show notes. And if applicable on your website and social media, just make it really easy for people to access with a single click. If that link is too hidden, let's say on a page, within a page of your website, folks might lose interest, trying to [00:10:00] find it and move on to the next thing.
[00:10:02] We all know that we've done that when purchasing something is too hard. So make it really easy for them. If you're wondering how much podcast can make from ads, the limit as Katie Herron would say does not exist. This is by no means a get rich quick trick as nothing good in life is rather you are hopefully building trust with your audience as an expert, hopefully offsetting some of your podcasting.
[00:10:29] And creating strong connections with companies you love soon enough, they'll be coming to you with their latest product versus you having to go to them. As promised. I have a special bonus tip. Most companies don't publicize this, but they easily have the ability to create discount codes for certain affiliates.
[00:10:50] When you incentivize your audience to use a new brand or product. with a discount code. It can be easier for them to say yes, because savings are just hard for [00:11:00] all of us to resist, especially if you've done your homework to ensure the thing that you're advertising is something your audience likely already wants or needs offering a bargain will feel like the cherry on top, not to mention it feels really exclusive for your loyal listeners.
[00:11:17] So go on, send an email to the company, asking for a discount code. Remember if you don't. The answer is always no, there you have it. Choose affiliate, marketing, and start earning commission by recommending like-minded products and services. Make sure what you're recommending makes sense for your audience, create your company or product wishlist.
[00:11:39] Reach out for samples and then sign up. As an affiliate, tell your own story as to why this deserves your audience's attention. And for that extra level of oomph, ask for a discount code for your listeners and see those clicks go off. Affiliate marketing isn't as scary as it sounds and getting advertisers on your [00:12:00] podcast is not an impossible feat.
[00:12:02] My. As always with these episodes is to take the hard work out and do it for you, leaving you with a simple guide to success. My passion is making success accessible to female podcasters, no matter where you are in your podcasting journey. I hope you're inspired to start writing your dream affiliate wishlist and ready to bring in the money you so.
[00:12:27] To practice what we preach. I reached out to a few companies that I love and created a guide to the best tools and apps for podcasters. It is chalk full of discounts on everything from remote recording tools to graphic design apps, to hosting platforms. If you're looking for tools to save you time and money, download the guide now using the link in our show notes, and yes, we do make commissions from purchases you make.
[00:12:53] So thank you in advance for your support. Until next time. [00:13:00] That's all for today. Pod broads. Thanks for listening. Keep podcasting and enjoy the ride.
[00:13:09] I know just how many podcasts you could have been listening to, which is why I'm so grateful. You decided to spend the last 20 minutes with me. Speaking of. If you're a podcaster and you've ever wondered what else you could be doing with your week. If you didn't have to edit, write show notes and create marketing materials for every podcast episode, then let the lady pros at the wave.
[00:13:32] Treat you to some me time. Get 15% off your first month of a production package. By going to the wave podcasting.com/podcast editing services and enter podcast like a girl, all one word lower. At checkout. Now the only question is which podcast you're gonna spend. All your new found time binging. See you back next week.[00:14:00]
[00:14:12] That's all for today, pod broads. Thanks for listening, keep podcasting, and enjoy the ride.
[00:14:21] I know just how many podcasts you could have been listening to, which is why I'm so grateful you decided to spend the last 20 minutes with me. Speaking of time, if you're a podcaster and you've ever wondered what else you could be doing with your week if you didn't have to edit, write show notes, and create marketing materials for every podcast episode, then let the lady pros at the wave treat you to some me time.
[00:14:47] Get 15% off your first month of a production package. By going to thewavepodcasting.com/podcast-editing-services and enter podcastlikeagirl, all [00:15:00] one word lowercase at checkout. Now the only question is which podcast you're gonna spend all your new found time binging. See you back next week.
