How to Start Earning on Spotify Podcast?

To make money on Spotify podcasts, you need to integrate a combined approach and use several monetization methods simultaneously. Podcasts have rapidly become a staple in digital entertainment, and Spotify, a leading streaming platform, is at the forefront of this trend. With thousands of podcasts available, spanning various genres and topics, Spotify offers an unparalleled selection that caters to diverse interests and tastes. From educational series to thrilling, authentic crime narratives, the platform ensures that there's a podcast for every listener. This abundance and variety contribute to the medium's popularity and present a lucrative opportunity for creators. Understanding how to monetize podcasts on Spotify is crucial, as interesting content can become a significant source of revenue.

When podcasts arrived on Spotify

In 2018, Spotify entered the podcasting arena with popular series such as Spotify Dissect, and It's a Pixies Podcast, which quickly became hits among music enthusiasts. After that, other podcast genres began to appear on the platform.

Given the rapid growth of the genre's popularity, Spotify users began to take an interest in monetizing content. There are many contradictions regarding the formation of monetization, and this issue, like many others, needs to be resolved. Therefore, we will now explain in detail all the nuances of making money from podcasts on Spotify.

Learn more about how the Spotify algorithm works for artists

How to Earn in Spotify Podcast? 

Spotify's approach to monetizing podcasts creates unique conditions for creators. In contrast to traditional models, the platform usually refrains from making direct payments to podcasters. Such a method is rare as it is used only in extraordinary circumstances, such as in high-profile cases like the exclusive license agreement with The Joe Rogan Experience.

To make money on Spotify, you must build a dedicated listener base and promote their product. The promotion involves active audience engagement and content creation. The size of the audience and the number of listeners will determine how successful your product monetization will be.

Now, to the technical part. To answer the question, "How get paid on Spotify podcasts?", you should remember this platform's criteria for content creators. To get paid for your product, you need to:

1. Have at least two episodes of your content published. They also should be available in the regions where Spotify subscriptions are available.
2. Be US-based and have two episodes released.
3. Enable ambassador ads. To get access to advertising, you must publish one episode in 60 days and have at least 100 listeners within this period. (You can buy 1000 Spotify plays at our service today)
4. Follow the platform's content policies. You should comply with copyright laws and avoid hateful, discriminatory, violent, or explicit sexual content.
   

Top Spotify Podcasts You May Hear About

Joe Rogan, who delivers the most exciting show on Spotify, holds first in the USA's top 20 Spotify podcasts. Joe's Deal with Spotify costs over 200 million dollars and expires in early 2024. His show gained lots of controversial reactions, especially in early 2022, when he published several anti-vax episodes. 

Today, Spotify offers access to more than 5 million shows available for listeners in 170 countries. Despite severe losses over last year, Spotify CFO Paul Vogel said the company expects to achieve gross margins of up to 50% over the next five years.

How Do Podcasters Get Paid on Spotify?

In the previous paragraph, we discovered the basic requirements needed to start getting paid for your content. Strictly following requirements is not enough; you must create unique and engaging products that others will follow. Select a niche that interests you the most and dive into it. If you want to be a storyteller, you should be well-prepared for every next episode and have a plot for your story. If you build your podcast in a discussion format, you must select a relevant topic and discuss controversial questions concerning you and your audience. 

Pay attention to the feedback if you are only starting your podcasting activity on Spotify. Building a loyal listener base and creating content that truly resonates with the audience is essential. That's how you will get more attention as more and more users learn about your podcast and subscribe to it. It is precisely what advertisers and sponsors look for in the first place. While it can take a lot of time and effort to build an audience and gain popularity, with this step, it is possible to monetize content on the platform. Now, let's discuss the monetization methods to discover how to get paid on Spotify podcast.

Automated Ads

It is an invite-only program where creators are chosen to have a membership. The ads read by voice-talented personalities are inserted into your episodes through the Spotify Audience Network. For each ad placed in your podcast, you receive half of the total revenue (the other half goes to Spotify). The revenue may be adjusted after the payout.

To remain an active member of the Automated Ads program, you need to publish new episodes at least every six months. If you don't, the platform reserves the right to deactivate your program membership.

Affiliate Marketing

It is one of the most common ways to monetize your Spotify podcasts. It means you promote services and products in your podcasts. You receive a unique affiliate link and earn a commission for every sale made through this link. How to start taking a profit from Affiliate Marketing? 

You sign up for the platform's affiliate program. Fill in the program and provide basic information about your business and audience. Spotify takes a few days to analyze your application to approve or deny it. If your application is approved, you'll receive access to your affiliate dashboard, where you'll find your unique link.

After that, add an affiliate link to your blog. Find the part of the content that will be a perfect place for the link and insert it with the optimized text anchor. When people purchase something using your link, you earn $7,35 per sale. 

Sponsorship

How to earn in Spotify podcasts through sponsorship? You find a sponsor whose products or services will be advertised in your show. You add advertising integration with a pre-prepared text or improvise and develop your interpretation during or before the podcast. To attract sponsors, you have to create a recognizable profile with a big audience and share engaging content that will draw sponsors' attention.

Advertisements

Podcasters can promote services and products via ads in their episodes by cooperating with ad networks. Adds could be added before the beginning, in the middle of the podcast, or when it's finished. Content creators could control the target audience and ads that match their brand and values. How much do you get paid for podcasts on Spotify with advertisements? It depends on terms of cooperation with advertisers as they offer pricing depending on the number of audience and profile stats.

Courses

Creators could earn money on podcasts by selling courses related to their niche. They can promote such products to drive traffic and generate income.

Donations

Are there other ways to earn on Spotify podcasts? You can do it by adding links for direct donations (Patreon, PayPal, etc.). Still, why should people donate to you? Create additional podcast episodes for donors, offer early access to new shows, or show some exclusive footage (for example, behind-the-scenes footage, funny recording fails, or your real-life moments). 

Here's a video about earning on podcasts that shows several strategies for monetizing your content. The author explains how the described monetization methods work and what you need to do to start using these methods. For example, there’s an explanation of how brand partnership works and how people choose brands to cooperate with (something that connects with the podcast theme and may be helpful for the audience). 
Make Money Podcasting: 7 Ways to Monetize a Podcast in 2023

Use Premium Subscription

Another way how to earn on Spotify podcast. By adding a premium subscription, you offer your audience an add-free episode or access to exclusive materials the same way you did with donations.

If you have been creating podcasts for a long time but haven't reached the desired audience coverage level, consider getting a Spotify promotion. This is a wise investment in the development of your account and a step towards increasing your audience. This will be a great advantage regardless of how you want to earn on Spotify podcasts.

How to Set Up a Podcast Subscription on Spotify?

Setting up a podcast subscription is an essential step for everyone who wants to earn on their Spotify podcasts. With it, you charge money from people when they listen to your episodes. To use a Spotify podcast susbscription, you need to have at least two published episodes and at least 100 listeners in the last two months. At the current moment, Podcast subscriptions are available for creators in the following regions:

• Asia (Hong Kong and Singapore)
• North America (Canada and the United States)
• Oceania (Australia and New Zeland)
• Europe (Austria, Bulgaria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Poland, United Kingdom, Ireland, Latvia, Italy, Finland, France, Germany, Cyprus, Malta, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Romania, and Portugal)

To set up a podcast subscription:

1. Access the monetize tab.
2. Choose the block named "Subscriptions" and click on the button "Get Started."
3. Adjust your Stripe account. If you have already done this, skip this step.
4. Select the price to be paid per month and select what episodes you want to include in your paid subscription.

If you have scheduled episodes that will be published soon, you can also add them. How to mark an episode as subscription-only content? First, create a default episode. Afterward, go to the episode options page and toggle it as subscription-only. 

How Much Can You Earn With a Podcast Subscription?

Access the monetize tab to see what income you will have depending on the current number of subscribers. You get 100% of the subscription price, excluding fees. Also, you can change the monthly subscription price, but you need to do it wisely. The average cost of a premium Spotify subscription is between $5 and $10 monthly. The higher price may disappoint your listeners, as the new rate won't be relevant. You can somehow change your content (make longer episodes and publish your content more often).

Final Thoughts

By maintaining and constantly improving your podcasts, you will be able to significantly increase the number of listeners and implement one of the monetization methods described above. Besides, by continually improving the presentation and organization of your episodes, you will quickly gain popularity among your fans. You should also consider advertising your product and maximizing the distribution of your podcasts to increase your monetization revenue. How much you get paid for podcasts on Spotify depends on what the creators do to get on top of Spotify and increase the number of listeners and subscribers.