The decision to monetize your podcast seems like a no-brainer. You’re already putting a ton of time and effort into your podcast, and you love doing it, so why not get paid for it? However, once you decide you want to monetize your podcast, the big question is how you’re going to do it.
There are tons of programs and tools you can use to make money through your podcast. You can advertise your own products and services through your podcast and drive listeners to your business, or you can advertise for another brand and collect money for the ad spot.
Today, we’re going to talk through the second option. Specifically, we’re going to look at monetizing your podcast through Acast, a podcast-hosting platform.
How Does Acast Work?
Acast is a company that hosts and distributes podcasts for free. However, with a paid membership, they also source and place ads in your podcast episodes that you get paid for. Not into the idea of pitching your podcast to advertisers? With Acast, you don’t have to.
You can sign up for the Influencer plan at $14.99 a month or the Ace plan at $29.99 a month. Both plans are billed annually and include a 14-day free trial.
Through Acast Marketplace, their ad teams match you with advertisers that fit your brand. For example, if you host a health and wellness podcast, they’ll partner you with health and wellness brands looking to advertise on relevant podcasts.
Acast prices ads on a CPM rate, which means cost per 1000 listens. The bigger your audience, the more money you can make on Acast ads. Once they secure your advertisers, Acast automatically inserts ads into the beginning, middle, and end of your episodes. They even put them in previously aired episodes.
Is the Acast Marketplace Right For You?
Acast is great for podcasters with medium to large-sized audiences, especially if you want to benefit from monetizing your podcast without doing all the work yourself.
However, keep in mind that you’ll want to select the timestamps for where Acast inserts ads into your show. Acast automatically inserts an ad in the middle of your show, but you can select where the ad is placed so it’s not awkward if it cuts you off mid-sentence. If you go with Acast, make sure you double-check how your episodes sound and adjust the ads as needed.
For podcasts with small audiences, there are more profitable ways to make money from your podcast than with Acast. Check out my full series on monetizing your podcast over on the Clocking In Podcast.
Final Thoughts On Monetizing Your Podcast
In the end, the decision to monetize depends completely on what you want out of your podcasting experience. If you want to grow your podcast into a thriving brand that supports your business, there are several great ways to monetize it, including with Acast.
To determine the best way forward for your podcast, schedule a one-on-one session with me so we can talk over your options.
The links included in this blog post may contain affiliate links, which means when you sign up or purchase through them, I will make a small commission. I only share products that I love and trust!
