Podcasting Hacks

Make Money with Podcasts

Google ads are an easy way to generate revenue that will offset your bandwidth costs. Learn to use this effective advertising mechanism.

Monetizing podcasting is a hot topic in the podcast community. People are trying to make money on all aspects of podcasting, including the hosting, software, networking, and audience itself. Podcasters are trying to see if they can cover the costs, or more, of podcast production and hosting through advertising.

The most direct way to do this is through ads placed in the show itself. There is no standard for this yet. I recommend that you develop an ad policy that covers ad duration, format, and content. You will also need to add a spot for ads in the format of your show.

If this podcast is an individual work, you will need to come up with a payment method. PayPal (http://paypal.com/) or a similar service can work well for this. You will also need to work out the tax details on your own or with an accountant. Payments from other companies will need either corporate billing information or a Social Security number that they can register in their books if you are in the U.S.

Traditionally, making money on the Web meant selling ad space on your web site or blog. This means driving people to your site both before and after they listen to your podcast. You should always mention your blog in the show and encourage your listeners to visit the site to find additional materials that supplement the show. I also recommend using full-text ...