Simple ways to monetize your podcats

The low-lift podcast monetization stuff

1. Turn on programmatic ads in your hosting provider

Most hosts, like Megaphone, Acast, Spreaker, Buzzsprout, Captivate, RSS.com, Podbean, and Ausha have some form of automatic ad marketplace sitting in a settings tab. Once you opt in, you're allowing ads to be programmatically inserted into your show — they usually sound like radio-style ads. You opt in, pick which slots you'll allow (pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll), set any category blocks, and the host dynamically inserts ads into new and back-catalog episodes.

Each hosting provider has a different process for setting this up, but here's a general route:

• Find "Monetization," "Ads," or "Marketplace" in your host's dashboard.
• Enable pre-roll and one mid-roll to start. Avoid stacking tons of ads.
• Block categories you don't want associated with the show.
• Check the minimum download threshold — some hosts require one.

Expect low CPMs and know that there may be some unfilled as slots. Also, note that if you're inserting a mid-roll ad marker, make sure it doesn't start in a middle of a sentence. This is not a paycheck... it's baseline revenue running in the background while you do the harder things below. When your show regularly gets tens of thousands of downloads per episode per month, it might make sense to turn on programmatic ads. If your show is on the smaller side, it may be more harmful (disruptive to your audience) than it's worth.

2. Enable ads inside your newsletter

If you send a newsletter alongside the show, most modern platforms have a built-in ad network you can switch on. beehiiv's ad network is the obvious one — you set your rates and accepted categories, and they match you with advertisers. Substack, Kit, and others have partner or sponsor marketplaces of their own (but they may not be as sophisticated or robust just yet).

Newsletter inventory often monetizes better per person than podcast downloads, because opens and clicks are measurable in a way podcast listens aren't. If you don't have a newsletter yet, that's a separate decision — take the quiz before you start one.

3. Become an Introcast publisher

Introcast places short host-read style intros and promos into shows as a publisher network. You can sign up as a publisher, get alerted when advertisers want to appear on your feed, then record your promo. You get paid by impression.

The process for getting set up on Introcast is intentionally a more involved, time-intensive one. You'll have a meeting with someone on the Introcast team to ensure you understand how successful campaigns run. Shows with tens of thousands of downloads per episode per month should be able to make decent money using Introcast.

• Apply as a publisher and connect your RSS feed.
• Set which campaign types and categories you'll accept.
• Check it doesn't conflict with exclusivity terms in any direct deals.

4. Put a real "work with us" page on your site

Direct emails from potential sponsors can only come if you give them information and put it in a place they can easily access. The bare minimum media deck: one page, your audience description, download numbers, formats, and an email address. Then link it in your show notes.

One more thing worth saying plainly: if you want sponsors, you need a deck for your podcast. It's the thing a brand asks for the moment they're interested, and not having one ready is where a lot of conversations quietly die. Watch this video to learn what goes into the deck.

The heavier lifts most creators avoid

These things do take time. They also pay meaningfully more and are usually better matches for your audience, which usually creates a better partnership between your show and advertisers in the long run.

5. Use Pod Leads Weekly to see which brands are already advertising

The hardest part of direct sales isn't the pitch... it's knowing who to pitch. Pod Leads Weekly tracks brands actively running host-read podcast ads and hands you the decision-maker contacts. There's a Chrome extension too, so you can pull sponsor data while you're browsing rather than building a spreadsheet from scratch.

A brand already buying podcast ads has a budget, an internal champion, and no need to be convinced the medium works. That's most of the sales cycle gone before you write the first email. Pod Leads Weekly generally tracks bigger brands, which might be harder to get a yes from if your show is on the smaller side. But you never know... you might have the right niche audience that a brands wants to get in front of.

6. Listen to podcasts in your niche and write down advertisers

This is the free version of the above, and it can be extremely effective. Pick five shows with an audience that overlaps yours. Listen to three recent episodes. Write down the brands, products, and services that are paying to be advertised on their shows.

Those brands have already decided your listener type is worth reaching. You're pitching a company that demonstrably buys this exact type of media AND category.

Bonus round: for every brand on that list, find two or three competitors. Competitors watch each other's marketing obsessively, and "your competitor is running host-read podcast ads in this space" is one of the more persuasive opening lines. 

7. Sell one thing your listeners already ask you for

Look at your DMs and email replies. If three people have asked for the same template, checklist, or hour of your time, that's a product with proven demand and a build cost of an afternoon. Most podcasters skip straight to a $500 class and skip the lower dollar thing people were actually requesting.

Where to start

Try the lower-lift stuff this week (if you decide it's for you!! It may not be) so it's compounding in the background. Then give yourself one hour a week for the sponsor research. In two months you'll have a real prospect list and a baseline of passive revenue.

When you're ready to pitch, use the sponsor pitch templates and read how to handle podcast sponsors so you don't sign away your back catalog in the first contract.

Frequently asked questions