Start A Podcast - Business Ideas
Do you have knowledge and passion that you'd love to share with other people? Or perhaps you are a content creator and looking for ways to expand your revenue streams? If you match any of these criteria, then becoming a podcast host could be the perfect opportunity for you.
Podcasts are the new radio. Podcasting is one of the fastest-growing mediums for online audio, and it's not expected to slow down any time soon. But unlike traditional radio, podcasts are driven by content creators who have a passion for sharing stories with their listeners.
One of the main benefits that come with starting a podcast is the minimal investment needed to get started. All you need is a computer or phone with a microphone and a way to host it online. You can even create one on your own website if you want.
Starting a podcast requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.
If you're interested in how to sell podcast, or selling podcast online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.
Want to learn more? You can check out our full guide on how to start a podcast ➜
Learn more about starting a podcast:
Where to start?
-> How much does it cost to start a podcast?
-> See other successful podcast businesses
Key Stats
Startup Costs
| Min Startup Costs | Max Startup Costs | |
|---|---|---|
| Office Space Expenses | $0 | $7,000 |
| Employee & Freelancer Expenses | $151 | $352 |
| Website Costs | $223 | $7,215 |
| Business Formation Fees | $5,600 | $20,400 |
| Software Expenses | $162 | $3,094 |
| Advertising & Marketing Costs | $0 | $2,750 |
| Total Startup Costs | $6,136 | $40,811 |
Case Studies
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$16K/mo
•
$10K/mo
•
$419/mo
•
$5K/mo
Successful Businesses
| Business | URL | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Patti Smith | pattismith.substack.com | #572 |
|
RedeemerCast | redeemernashville.libsyn.com | #3,889 |
|
BrandonGaille.com | brandongaille.com | #12,708 |
|
Chartable | chartable.com | #22,515 |
|
Blubrry Podcasting | blubrry.com | #24,322 |
|
WNYC Studios | wnycstudios.org | #51,454 |
|
Ben Greenfield Fitness | bengreenfieldfitness.com | #52,870 |
|
Ecom Crew Podcast | ecomcrew.com | #53,457 |
|
Entrepreneurs on Fire | eofire.com | #61,948 |
|
Capradio | capradio.org | #67,928 |
|
Podcast Hosting and Analytics | fireside.fm | #75,774 |
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Description |
|---|---|
| Flexibility | You can put as much time into the business as you'd like. If you like the work and have some initial experience, you can start small and manage all aspects of the business on your own. |
| Meaningful business connections | You never know who you will meet as a podcast. This could be the start of an incredible business opportunity! |
| High customer retention rates | Once a customer invests in your product, they've invested their time and energy to utilize your product/service which is highly valuable to them. Typically, your product or service becomes indispensable to your customer. |
| Quick build time | The average time it takes to build your product is quick - typically around 3 months. This will allow you to bring your product to market faster. |
| Control of workload | With starting a podcast, you have the unique ability to choose how little or how much you want to work. You also have the freedom to decide which projects you want to work on, and can turn down the ones that do not interest you. |
| Gain exposure and experience | This career allows you to gain experience working for multiple different businesses - which will benefit your resume and also keep things interesting for you! |
| Cons | Description |
|---|---|
| Low margins | The gross margins for your podcast are typically around 72%, which can make it more challenging to incur new expenses and maintain profitability. |
| Time commitment | With starting a podcast, all responsibilities and decisions are in your hands. Although this is not necessarily a negative thing, work life can take over at times. This can place a strain on friends and family and add to the pressure of launching a new business. |
| Difficult to build trust with your customer | With starting a podcast, there can be minimal face-to-face interaction, which means it can be a lot more difficult to establish trust with your customers. You'll need to go the extra mile with your customer to grab their attention and business. |
| Impatient customers | You may offer an engaging user experience for your customer, but customers expect a lot and may be impatient if they aren't pleased with your product or service. |
| Difficult to scale | With a podcast, it can be challenging to find ways to scale. Check out [this article](https://www.inc.com/jeff-bussgang/scaling-a-business-is-hard.html) that discusses scaling your business and the challenges that come with it. |
| Learning Curve | When you start your own business, you no longer have upper management to provide you with a playbook for your roles and responsibilities. You should know the ins and outs of every aspect of your business, as every decision will come down to you. |
Marketing Ideas
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1
Affiliate Program
Affiliate marketing is a great way to bring in a new revenue stream, especially when you don't sell products or services.
Simply put, an affiliate program is an agreement where a business pays another business or influencer ("the affiliate") a commission for sending traffic and/or sales their way.
The affiliate typically gets a unique link where clicks and conversions can be tracked.
-
2
Direct Sales
Direct sales strategy implies a direct contact between a seller and a consumer without the involvement of any third party. Direct selling is popular in sectors where sellers communicate with their clientele personally. The sales technique occurs at non-store locations which include at home, work, or online.
For direct selling to succeed, hire a few (or many) salespeople to support the sales conversion process. It's critical that you assign them specific roles and responsibilities to nurture the client and provide excellent support.
-
3
Word of mouth
Word of mouth is when a consumers reflects their interest in a company’s product or service in their daily dialogues.
Therefore, word of mouth advertising is essentially a free advertising triggered by the customers experience.
According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family.
Therefore, in today’s hyper-connected world, a single recommendation through a word of mouth can have a huge impact to your business.
Hey! 👋 I'm Pat Walls, the founder of Starter Story.
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