Haiden Hibbert
Making money off a podcast is a goal for many creators, and one of the most effective ways to achieve this is by offering exclusive content to your paid subscribers.
By providing bonus material, early access, and unique experiences, you not only create added value for your most loyal listeners, but you also establish a sustainable revenue stream. It’s a win-win!
In this post, we’ll share how to sell podcast episodes online by setting up gated content with MemberSpace, as well as 15 creative bonus content ideas that you can offer to your paid subscribers.
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Table of Contents
Exclusive content ideas for podcast subscribers
The easiest way to monetize your podcast is to have listeners sign up for a paid subscription, where they will receive access to exclusive content. You can allow free listeners to preview episodes, but the most valuable, enticing parts of the episodes should be behind a paywall.
There are tons of ways to do this with MemberSpace, but here are 10 creative ideas to get you started!
1. Give the first half of the episode away for free
Nothing keeps people listening like a cliffhanger. If you want more of your podcast listeners to convert into paying subscribers, offer them part of episodes, but not the whole thing. Then, end the free version just before you get to the most interesting part of your episode and let your listeners know they’ll need to subscribe to hear the rest.
2. Share exclusive bonus episodes behind the paywall
Another way to get people to pay for your podcast is to share additional content not available to free listeners, like bonus episodes. Invite guest experts to co-host bonus episodes, providing in-depth discussions and specialized knowledge exclusively for paid subscribers.
3. Give early access to episodes to paid customers
Your most loyal listeners will want to listen to your episodes as soon as they drop, so this strategy works great if you have a dedicated fanbase. Offer paid subscribers early access to special episodes, such as season finales, milestone episodes, or highly anticipated interviews before they are released to the general audience.
4. Release deep dive episodes
Another intriguing way to convert free listeners into paying subscribers is to release extended episodes where you dive deeper into specific topics covered in regular episodes, offering more detailed analysis or additional content.
5. Offer ad-free episodes
If you monetize your podcast with advertising, consider providing an ad-free listening experience for paid subscribers, allowing them to enjoy your content without any interruptions.
6. Share behind-the-scenes content
If you have dedicated listeners who have been around for awhile, they’ll love to see how your podcast comes together behind the scenes. You can share a glimpse into the podcast production process with paying subscribers, including bloopers, outtakes, or discussions on how episodes are created.
7. Host Q&A sessions
One of the best ways to foster a loyal fanbase and gain the attention of new subscribers is to involve listeners in your episodes. Get more people to pay for your podcast by hosting an exclusive Q&A session where paid subscribers can submit their questions and receive personalized responses directly from you or featured guests.
8. Host exclusive live streams or virtual events
Another way to engage with your audience is hosting live streaming events or virtual hangouts specifically for paid subscribers, allowing them to interact with you and other dedicated fans in real-time.
9. Offer subscribers access to a community or forum
If you have an interesting podcast, chances are listeners are already talking about you online and sharing what they love most about your episodes. Capitalize on these conversations by creating a private online community where your paid subscribers can connect, engage, and discuss podcast episodes and related topics. This is a great way to further their investment in you and your brand.
10. Send out a premium newsletter
Another way to provide value to your paid subscribers is to offer them content in addition to your podcast. Send a regular newsletter to paid subscribers, summarizing key takeaways, exclusive content, and behind-the-scenes updates from your podcast.
11. Sell exclusive branded merch
Selling branded merchandise is an excellent way to sell your podcast content. All you need do is find a local artist or designer to collaborate with in creating the merchandise, then bundle the merchandise with a selection of some of your best podcast episodes.
12. Take on public speaking events
Public speaking is not exactly selling your podcast episodes online, but it can certainly help you grow an audience, build a personal brand, and drive sales for your podcast content online.
13. Create an online course
Creating an online course is a great way to teach your audience more about the topics you cover on your podcast. Online courses are often simple to follow and can help people achieve specific goals that they would not be able to obtain otherwise. Offer these courses for a one-time cost or as a subscription.
14. Offer 1:1 consultations
Regardless of how well-established your brand is, you can offer consultation or coaching services as an expert in your field.
Given that three out of four podcast listeners tune in to podcasts to learn something new, the chances are that some of your listeners need help with something.
15. Gate your backlog catalogue
This strategy will work excellently well for experienced podcasters who have, over the years, been able to build up a back catalog of evergreen episodes. Instead of creating new premium content, you can restrict access to your older episodes.
This means you’ll add a paywall for users to listen to the older material.
Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History is an excellent example of a podcast host implementing this strategy. His recent episodes are free to download, while his older stuff costs $1.99 on his website.
A couple examples of how to sell podcast episodes…
Sounds Good by Branden Harvey
This MemberSpace customer hosts a podcast that celebrates the people, ideas, and movements shaping the world for the better. While they offer podcast episodes to the public, paid subscribers get notifications about new podcast episodes, as well as exclusive access to their online community and other premium content.
Mrs. Honeybee’s Private Podcast
The Honeybee Library is a private podcast where paid subscribers can purchase a “library card” to get access to a library of children’s bedtime stories for a monthly or yearly fee. New podcast episodes are added every Sunday.
How to sell podcast episodes online
Choose a podcast tool to help you accept payments
First things first, you can’t sell podcast epiosdes online without the right tool.
With MemberSpace, you can easily set up a paid subscription for your podcast, giving you the ability to offer exclusive content to your loyal listeners. Whether it’s bonus episodes, early access, or behind-the-scenes content, MemberSpace provides a hassle-free solution that integrates with any website builder.
Here’s how it works:
- Sign up for a MemberSpace account.
- Connect MemberSpace to an existing or new Stripe account and get paid as soon as your first listener signs up.
- Record your podcast, add it to a page on your website, and restrict access to that page. MemberSpace will automatically grant access when a listener subscribes.
- Set pricing for your podcast subscription.
In addition to accepting subscription payments, MemberSpace has tons of other features to help support the growth of your podcast, such as:
- Email campaigns
- Dunning
- Subscriber management
- Flexible plans and billing
- Integrations (Stripe, Zapier, Rewardful, etc.)
- Custom styling
- API access
How to promote your paid podcast
Now that you have a fantastic podcast and ideas sell your podcast episodes online, it’s time to turn your attention towards promoting your podcast and reaching a wider audience! Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Include your listeners in your episodes by allowing them to call in and ask you for advice or share real-world experiences. This is a great way to encourage word of mouth.
- Record your podcast on video and share clips of it on YouTube.
- Send reminder eblasts to your email list when a new episode has dropped.
- Create social media profiles dedicated to promoting your podcast.
- Appear as a guest on other podcasts in your niche.
- Run regular giveaways where listeners can participate in a competition or win a prize. Announce the winners at the end of an episode.
- Create other digital products, like ebooks, videos, and courses and promote the podcast from there.
- Add call-to-actions to subscribe for the podcast throughout your website.
- Ask listeners to subscribe, share, and review your podcast show at the beginning and end of each episode.
- Piggyback on your guests’ audiences. Email your featured guest once the podcast episode is live, asking them to share it across their channels.
- Consider investing in paid podcast ads to reach a wider audience.
- Submit your podcast to podcast directories and aggregators
- Start a newsletter for your podcast as another way to engage with your fans and promote your podcast to them
- Create a podcast trailer to promote your podcast on social media, email, and more! The trailer should explain what users can expect when they listen.
- Part of your podcast promotional strategy should be to diversify the format and channels for your content. Hence, repurpose your podcast content for social media, forums, and online groups.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re just starting your podcast or you’ve been building a community of listeners for a while, you can sell podcast episodes online by offering exclusive content to paying subscribers with the help of MemberSpace. In just five minutes, you can set up your subscription and start gating your content. Sign up for a MemberSpace account today.
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