Can you make money from a new podcast? Can you make money from any podcast? Most people start a podcast with no real idea of how, or even if they’ll ever make money from it. Then they’re surprised when it isn’t profitable later on.
Knowing your long-term monetization strategy from the start changes everything: how you structure your episodes, what calls to action you use, and ultimately who your audience becomes. So I want to encourage you to think about and plan for this before you start your podcast.
But if you’ve already launched your show and you’re within those first 20 episodes, or even if you’ve been podcasting for a while and you’re thinking, “Elizabeth, I’ve been doing this for some time, but I’m not making any money and I don’t know why” this episode is for you too.
We’re going to work on a plan to make money from your podcast now—better late than never.
I also want to say this: your podcast doesn’t have to be profitable from day one. It’s also completely fine to start a podcast as a hobby with no plans to make money from it. You just need to be clear with yourself that that’s your intention.
So in this short episode, from one podcaster who’s been doing this for a long time to another, I’m sharing how to make a simple money plan for your show before you start it.
This comes from someone who’s produced over 320 episodes and who created this kind of plan before ever hitting record. I had a clear vision of how the show would generate income from day one and I’m still here, six years later, loving podcasting. I think that early planning made all the difference.
So let’s dive in.
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All right, guys—let’s have the money conversation that every podcaster needs to have.
You don’t need to make money from your show on day one. It’s great if you do, but it’s not a requirement. What is important is knowing where you’re headed. You need a game plan—a vision and strategy that guides you as you record episodes, launch your show, create marketing assets, and build your email list.
You should have clear steps in place to move you toward monetization. Ask yourself: How will I bring people from the podcast app into my world (whatever that world looks like)?
This kind of planning doesn’t have to take hours, but it can completely change how you show up for your podcast and how you show up for it.
The idea of making money from your podcast is something I’m really passionate about, because it’s something I’ve done successfully in my own business. My podcast is a huge asset—it allows me to sell my own products, earn through affiliate marketing, and partner with sponsors. It’s not a financial burden dragging my business down; it’s something that lifts it up. And beyond that, it’s genuinely fun for me.
I feel so strongly about this because I see so many podcasters give up. They shut their shows down or switch to a paid-membership-only model because they’re thinking, “I love doing this, but I’m not making any money. What’s the point?”
That’s why, in my course, Podcast Success Blueprint, I put a big emphasis on monetization. Most podcasting courses only include one or two quick videos on making money, and then they move on. The main focus tends to be: Get the show live. Launch it. Submit it to Apple and Spotify.
And while that’s important, it’s also a huge mistake to stop there, because monetization matters just as much.
When I first created my course, about a year ago now, I made sure monetization wasn’t an afterthought. I noticed it was missing from so many other programs, and I wanted to change that. If you’re putting in the time to record, edit, market, and publish your show, you deserve to see a return on that effort.
So in Podcast Success Blueprint, there’s an entire module dedicated to this topic, called Make Money Podcasting. In that module, I go really deep to help you think strategically about the financial side of your show. So if that sounds interesting to you, definitely check out my podcast course here.
But for now, I want to guide you through three steps to get clarity on your money plan for your podcast. Once we go through them, I’ll also share a few reflection questions to help you think through this even more. I’d encourage you to grab a journal or open a blank Google Doc afterward and brainstorm your answers.
Step One: Decide on Your Goal
The first question to ask yourself is:
Is your podcast a marketing tool for your business, a community builder, or a standalone business?
Most podcasts fit primarily into one of these categories—sometimes there’s overlap, but usually one serves as the foundation. So, let me explain some of those with a few examples to help you think about which category is right for you.
Using your podcast as a marketing tool
My own podcast is a marketing tool for an already existing business. This is probably the most common type of podcast, and it’s also the category that most of my podcast students fall into.
An example of this would be a show that serves as a marketing tool for a business that already exists. That business could sell literally anything—it could be selling courses, websites and design services, or even physical products. It could really be anything, but the key is that the podcast is a marketing tool for that business.
Using your podcast as a community
A community podcast is often what you see when you think of an influencer who has a show. These are usually interview-heavy podcasts that revolve around a specific niche or interest. In this case, you’re probably not selling your own products—at least not yet. Maybe you’ll do that eventually but for now, the monetization usually comes from ads and affiliate marketing. These types of shows tend to be very ad-driven.
Using your podcast as a standalone business
Then there’s the standalone business model. This is where the podcast itself is the foundation of the business. The business starts because the podcast starts. You may eventually add other offers, but the podcast is essentially the product—the source of the business. Often, the name of the podcast and the name of the business are the same.
Basically, figuring out which of these three categories you fall into will help you determine what role your show plays in your overall business strategy.
And again, you don’t have to overthink this one. Is your podcast a marketing tool, a community builder, or a standalone business? You probably already know which one it is.
Like I said, the marketing tool model is the most common—but I’ll share this: I actually have another podcast and business idea that’s been on my heart and mind, something I plan to start in the next few years. I’ll keep the details a secret for now, but when I think about that idea, because I’ve already done this step of planning, it definitely falls into the standalone business category, where the podcast itself would be the foundation of the business.
The podcast you’re listening to right now, though, is a marketing tool for my current business.
So anyway, get clear on which one of those you are and what your goal is for your show.
Read more: The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Podcast in 2025 (8 Things You MUST Do!)
Step Two: Pick Your Monetization Model
This is a big one. Your monetization model represents what you’re working toward, even if it’s not what’s happening in your first few episodes. From day one, you’re planting seeds that align with your long-term income strategy. This is your vision for how your show will eventually make money.
In my course, Podcast Success Blueprint, I teach sixteen different ways to monetize a podcast. They fall into a few larger categories, and the great thing is, you can absolutely use multiple models at once—I do that myself on this show.
So don’t feel boxed into one path. For example, if you’ve identified your podcast as a community builder, you don’t have to stick to one monetization method forever. Each season of your show, or each phase of your business, can use different strategies.
There are so many ways to earn from your podcast, but to get your ideas flowing, here are three that I personally use:
- Selling your own offers
- Sponsorships
- Affiliate marketing
Now, think about your show’s vision. Which of these makes sense from day one? Which might you grow into over time?
When I say “from day one,” I don’t mean you have to be making money right away—it just means you’re laying the groundwork for that goal in your first few episodes.
If your podcast is a marketing tool for an existing business, selling your own offers is a great place to start. Mention your products or services naturally and consistently. It can be part of your early content strategy.
If you don’t yet have offers but plan to create them, you might begin by focusing on email list growth. That way, when your product or service is ready, you already have an engaged audience to sell to.
If you already have a strong following or great industry connections, sponsorships might make sense early on. Maybe you expect your show to gain traction quickly or have potential partners in mind—great, that’s an opportunity.
And finally, affiliate marketing. This is one I recommend for everyone. It’s simple to implement and works naturally within your content. I go into detail on how to do this inside Podcast Success Blueprint, but it’s one of the easiest, most flexible ways to start generating income as your audience grows.
If you’re not familiar with affiliate marketing and you’re thinking, “I’ve heard of it, but what exactly is it?”—let me explain.
Affiliate marketing is similar to sponsorships in that you’re promoting another company, but it’s different because there’s no formal contract or upfront payment involved. Instead of a company paying you a set amount to mention them, you share a special link or coupon code that’s tied to you as an affiliate.
When someone makes a purchase or signs up through your link, you earn a commission. In other words, you only make money when the company makes money. It’s a win-win: they gain a new customer, and you get paid for driving that sale.
I absolutely love affiliate marketing, and I think every podcaster should use it in some way.
Now, just to help you visualize how all of this works in practice, let me walk you through how I’m personally using all three monetization methods—selling my own offers, sponsorships, and affiliate marketing—in this very episode.
You’ve probably noticed that while I’m teaching and sharing valuable content, I’ve also naturally woven in references that support my business financially. None of it (hopefully!) feels pushy or distracting—it’s just part of how the episode flows.
So, here’s how I’m doing each one:
Promoting my own products
I’ve mentioned my course, Podcast Success Blueprint, several times throughout this episode. That’s intentional. It fits naturally with the topic, and it’s something I truly believe helps my audience.
When you host your own show, don’t shy away from mentioning your expertise or your offers. If you’re teaching on a topic, it only makes sense to let listeners know how they can go deeper with you—whether that’s through a course, a service, or a product. You’re serving them by giving them the next step.
Read more: 3 Real Ways to *Actually* Make Money from Your Podcast
Sponsorships
If you’re listening to this episode within about two months of its release, I’m currently in the middle of a sponsorship partnership with a company I absolutely love: Christian Healthcare Ministries. I’ve partnered with them three times now on multi-month sponsorships, and it’s been such a great fit for both sides.
So, let’s talk more about that sponsorship. Christian Healthcare Ministries is amazing—they’re actually the company my family uses for our healthcare. We’re a family of five, and they’ve been such a great fit for us.
Right now, I have a multi-month partnership with them that includes not only podcast ads but also some social media content and other promotional elements.
That’s something I want you to think about, too: podcast sponsorships don’t have to be limited to just an ad read. You can create deals that include more deliverables and bring extra value to both you and the company.
If you’re listening to this episode close to its release, you’ve probably heard that ad—or maybe you’ll hear it later in the episode. I use dynamic ad insertion, which is a method I highly recommend and also teach inside my course. In my opinion, it’s one of the best ways to handle podcast ads in 2025, 2026, and beyond.
Affiliate Marketing
Now, for the third monetization method: affiliate marketing.
I haven’t mentioned any affiliate links in this specific episode yet, but when it makes sense, I do. I try to keep it natural and relevant and not push it. If there’s a product or service I genuinely use and love, I’ll mention it and share my affiliate link or discount code.
Inside Podcast Success Blueprint, I teach how to set up an affiliate system that makes this process simple—so you always have your links and codes ready and can easily share them in your episodes.
If you go back and listen to other episodes of my show, you’ll hear me weave in affiliate mentions organically. I also use pre-recorded ads that point listeners to my Tools and Resources page—a page on my website where I list all the companies I’m an affiliate for, along with any special discounts or codes my listeners can use.
Read more: My Top 3 Hacks for Making It EASY to Make Affiliate Income
So there you have it, three monetization methods, all demonstrated right here in this episode:
And remember, those are just the beginning. There are many more creative and niche ways to monetize, which I cover in detail inside my course.
So, before you even hit record, take some time to map out a general monetization plan. Ask yourself:
- What can I aim toward long-term?
- Is there an affiliate I could mention early on?
- Is there one of my own products that fits naturally into this topic?
- Could I offer a freebie in this episode that helps me collect email addresses from day one?
Thinking about these things in advance helps you record those early episodes with purpose and direction.
Now, even though I don’t think you should put too much pressure on your early episodes, it’s still worth being intentional with them. Here’s why: when your show is new and doesn’t have many episodes yet, people often go back and start listening from episode one—even if your show doesn’t need to be heard in order.
That means those early episodes can end up being some of your most-listened-to over time. So it’s a great opportunity to start implementing your monetization ideas right from the beginning.
And if that thought feels intimidating—like, “Oh my gosh, what if someone listens to my first episode a year from now, and I’ve gotten so much better since then?”—don’t stress. You can always replace the audio later. Keep the episode in the feed, but upload an updated version whenever you’re ready.
I just really want to encourage you to think about these things early on because it will help your show grow with purpose from the very beginning.
Step Three: Map Your Funnel
Now, “mapping your funnel” might sound a little more complex than it really is. At its core, it’s just about asking:
How will a listener who just found your podcast go deeper with you?
What’s the journey from point A (your show) to point B, C, or D, where they buy from you or connect with you in another meaningful way?
That’s all a funnel really is: a guided path that connects your podcast audience to the rest of your business.
I actually think this part is really fun—it’s like building a web. You have all these different “hubs” in your business, and your goal is to connect them so that people move naturally between them.
For example:
- You want the person who listens to your podcast to join your email list.
- You want the person who found you through a freebie or blog post to start listening to your podcast.
- You want your social media followers to check out both your show and your offers.
It’s all about creating flow between the different entry points into your business so people can engage with you in multiple ways.
There are a lot of ways to structure this, and the best approach will depend on your podcast’s purpose and the way your brain works. Inside my course, I teach a few different funnel models that fit various show types and business goals.
How I’m Putting This Into Practice For A Future Podcast
And, as I mentioned earlier, I have another business idea I plan to start in the future—one where the podcast itself will be the foundation of the business. Funny enough, when I was outlining this episode, I pulled out my business journal (tapping it right here next to me!) and started sketching out how that funnel might look for that future project.
I actually have my journal open right now, and I was looking at an entry dated April 9th of this year. That’s when I did exactly what I’m talking about here: mapping out funnel ideas for a new podcast concept I’ve been dreaming up.
Now, I’m nowhere close to starting this business. I don’t even have a name for it yet—no start date, no launch plan. It’s just an idea I’ve been imagining and developing in my head. But I went ahead and did this “map your funnel” step as part of my broader planning process.
In that journal entry, I wrote out that the foundation of this future business would be free podcast content. Then I listed three specific ways I’d want to monetize that podcast directly. I also mapped out how I’d use email marketing from day one to start building toward those monetization goals—even though, realistically, some of those offers won’t exist when the show first launches.
I even brainstormed potential products that could come later, once the podcast audience is established.
That’s what I mean by mapping out your funnel. Depending on how your brain works, this process might look a little different for you.
You could literally draw arrows like:
Someone discovers you through your podcast → They hear a call to action in an episode that sends them to your website → From there, they book a discovery call or purchase a product, and now they’re a client or customer.
This step is so valuable. You deserve for your podcast to be something you love doing, but also something that contributes to your business, not something that drains it. Ideally, it should function as a marketing tool and a business asset, not an expense.
And I can tell you from experience: I did this same exercise when I started this podcast back in early 2018. I had a clear vision for how a listener could go from hearing an episode to taking action—whether that meant reaching out to hire me as their website designer or purchasing one of my website templates. Those were my offers at the time, and that clarity made all the difference.
So, that’s your third and final step: map out your funnel.
Read more: 3 Business Strategies For Moms Who Want To Run a Successful Business While Staying Home With Kids
Answer These Questions To Help You Answer "Can I Make Money From a New Podcast?"
Now, I want to encourage you: grab a notebook, open a Google Doc, whatever works best for you, and take a few minutes to brainstorm your monetization plan right now. Think about your goals, your audience, and how your show can naturally lead people deeper into your business.
So here are some reflection questions to go along with the three steps I shared. Use these to guide your brainstorming:
What is your podcast?
Is it a marketing tool for your business, a community builder, or a standalone business? Define this clearly so you can start viewing your show through that specific lens.
What are different ways you can make money from your show?
Dream big here. Maybe right now you’re thinking, “I could never land a major multi-month sponsor.” But what would it look like to work toward that goal? Start mapping out steps in that direction.
How can you move people from point A to point B?
Point A is your podcast—where listeners discover you. Point B is where they become a customer or client. What tools, conversations, or content could help bridge that gap? Think about things like episode ideas, calls to action, or email opt-ins that could guide that journey.
When do you want to start monetizing?
Is it from episode one? After ten episodes? Or maybe never—because it’s purely a hobby for you? Be honest with yourself about your goals.
What can you do right now to build a foundation for monetization?
Even if you’re not ready to sell anything, what’s one small thing you can do from episode one, like starting an email list, to set yourself up for future success?
Write out your answers, and let yourself dream. See where those ideas take you.
And before we wrap up, I just want to say, as someone who’s been podcasting for a long time and genuinely loves it, it’s still such a joy for me. Right now, I’m sitting here recording during my baby’s nap time, and I truly love this work. I want that same experience for you.
Podcasting can be fun, impactful, and deeply rewarding. It lets you connect with people in a unique way, but I know one of the biggest reasons people give up, even when they love it, is because it’s not making money. That’s exactly why I want to help you change that.
If you want to go deeper into how to build a podcast that grows both your business and your income, check out Podcast Success Blueprint. I’d love to have you in the course community, where I teach everything about growing and monetizing your show.
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