The world of podcasts is growing at an astonishing pace, and it was only a matter of time before the podcast behemoth updated it’s offering. As of this week, Apple Podcasts has rolled out its new Podcast Subscription model. As a podcaster, to take advantage of this new way to monetize your show, you need to sign up for the Apple Podcasters Program.
How to monetize using Apple Podcasts
This new development (which is akin to Patreon’s model) means that all podcast creators will have the option to earn revenue directly from their podcast content. It is expected, as this fully rolls out in early May, that the Premium content that sits behind a paywall, will cost listeners approx. ¢50 per show per month that they subscribe.
There is one big difference between Apple’s offering and those already servicing podcasters with this type of monetization offer. Payments will be taken directly by Apple from within the app, connected to the Apple store, and no data about the fan/listen/customer will be passed to the content creator.
Whilst this entails ease of purchase for the listener, it is potentially frustrating for the creator, as having access to the email of the purchaser means that it is easier to nurture and upsell in the future.
Will I still be able to access podcasts for free?
The simple answer is ‘yes’. There will be three levels of payment option: Free, Freemium and Premium.
It will be up to the individual podcast host to decide which content goes where (or if they will have any subscription model at all).
There is a caveat though – any paid for content must remain Apple-exclusive, and will be uploaded on the Apple Podcast Connect portal rather than through the usual podcast hosting platform.
What are the benefits of the Apple Podcasters Program?
You might be wondering what the incentives are for charging a listener who is already a fan of your work to listen in. Here are a few examples of what kind of episodes or content might sit behind the paywall to entice the listener to support you monetarily.
- Ad-free listening. Let subscribers focus on the show without distractions or the need to promote
- Additional episodes. Give subscribers access to additional episodes that keep them engages
- Early access. Offer subscribers access to new episodes before everyone else.
- Subscriber-only shows. Give subscribers shows that are available exclusive-only
- Archive access. Unlock access to all the past episodes – this will likely become commonplace, and the easiest way to make money from your podcast.
The features of the updated Apple Podcast for Creators
There’s no doubt about it, Apple are upgrading the podcast experience across the board. There will be additional tracking and data metrics inside the new portal, more options for analysis of trends and listener behaviour and the ability to manage more than one show from within the new ‘Channel’ set up. It’ll be simple to create Apple-branded content to promote your show, and it’ll be significantly easier to embed your podcast in more places. You can find out more about the Apple Podcast for Creators here and to read their announcement click here.
If this is all sounding rather complicated, and you want someone to take care of your podcast and all of the back end stuff whilst you focus on the content delivery (you record the raw audio, and we take care of the rest…find out more about what we have to offer at www.ThePodcastAgency.com.