Most podcasts earn little, and ads, the income everyone thinks of first, usually arrive last. That matters most when the show is the business: a true-crime series, a comedy hour or an interview show that has to cover its host’s rent. It matters differently for a company podcast, which can earn its keep without selling a single ad.
As a full-service podcast production agency, we think a business show should aim at leads and sales conversations instead.
We rebuilt this guide around published platform rules and sourced data, and we dropped the CPM and income tables that had no source. It also answers a question we hear a lot: can a podcast make money without ads? Yes, and for many shows that’s the better place to start.
Where podcast money comes from
Every podcast income stream lands in one of two wallets, and knowing which one you’re filling explains why so many shows earn less than their hosts expect.
- Outside money: A sponsor, a platform or an ad network pays you to reach your audience. This includes advertising, sponsorships and platform programs.
- Direct money: Your audience or your business pays you, or the show creates revenue for you. This includes paid subscriptions, listener support, products, services and leads.
Outside money depends on size. A sponsor pays for reach, so you need a large, measurable audience. Direct money depends on trust, and a small group that values you can fund a show or a business.
Ads are the most famous way to earn, yet they need the biggest audience. Paid memberships often open much sooner, and Spotify’s published thresholds, below, show how wide that gap is.
Podcast monetization costs: taxes and fees most guides skip
Most monetization guides list the income models and skip what you actually keep. Start with tax: podcast income is taxable. In the US, the IRS puts the self-employment tax rate at 15.3%, made of 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare, and you must file Schedule SE if your net self-employment earnings reach $400.
We’re not tax advisers, so treat this as general information. Rules differ by country and business type. Ask an accountant before you count the money as yours.
Platforms take a cut too. Patreon charges creators who launched after August 4, 2025 a 10% platform fee, plus payment processing, currency conversion and payout fees. Buzzsprout keeps 15% of subscription revenue, and Spotify pays out Partner Program earnings after fees and taxes.
Say a sponsor pays you $1,000. After a platform cut and self-employment tax you may keep well under that, though we won’t put one take-home number on it because your fees and taxes will differ. Track every cost from day one. Hosting, software, editing and paid guests all count against income, and a simple sheet of money in and money out is enough.
Sources of revenue for podcasters beyond ads: merch, events and networking
Merchandise and live shows come up in almost every monetization guide, usually without costs, margins or attendance figures. We won’t invent those either, but here’s how we see each one, especially for creator, comedy and true-crime shows where the audience already behaves like a community.
Merch works best for shows with a strong identity and running jokes or catchphrases fans want to wear. Count the cost of making and shipping before you count the sales. Live events turn listeners into a room, and ticketed tapings can become a real income line for entertainment shows, but they take planning, a venue and a team, so test the idea with a small event or a paid live stream first. Networking pays in doors rather than dollars: a guest, a collaboration or a cross-promotion can lead to a client or a sponsor later.
Whatever kind of show you run, the fastest money usually starts with something of your own to sell. For a company show, that can simply mean letting the podcast earn indirectly by supporting the sales you already have.
What the platforms require
Spotify publishes its monetization rules, which makes them the most reliable numbers on this topic. The table below sums up what each platform asks for.
| Program | What you need | What you earn | Source |
| Spotify Partner Program (ads) | 3 published episodes, 2,000 consumption hours and an audience of 1,000 on Spotify in the last 30 days, a legal address in an eligible market | 50% of recognized revenue from Spotify-monetized ads in your episodes | Spotify support page |
| Spotify Memberships (formerly Podcast Subscriptions) | 3 published episodes, 100 consumption hours and 100 listeners on Spotify in the last 30 days | 90% of membership revenue, per Spotify’s October 2026 launch | Spotify support page |
| Patreon | A page and a paying audience | Platform fee of 10% for pages launched after August 4, 2025 (older pages keep legacy rates), plus payment processing, currency and payout fees | Patreon pricing page |
| Buzzsprout subscriptions | A Buzzsprout-hosted show | Buzzsprout keeps 15% of subscription revenue (an 85/15 split) | Buzzsprout help center |
Look at the gap. Spotify’s Partner Program asks for 2,000 consumption hours and 1,000 audience members in 30 days, while its new Memberships feature asks for three episodes, 100 consumption hours and 100 listeners. A small, loyal group can start earning long before a show qualifies for ad revenue.
Staying in the program has its own test. In each six-month window, you need a new episode and at least $10 in earnings. Earnings are paid out after fees and taxes, and Spotify requires two-step verification once you hit $1,000 in a month.
A quick reality check on the Spotify thresholds
Numbers like 2,000 consumption hours sound abstract, so here’s the math. If the average listener plays 30 minutes of an episode, 2,000 hours equals 4,000 listening sessions in 30 days. If the average is 15 minutes, you need 8,000 sessions.
That’s an illustration, not a Spotify rule. Spotify counts consumption hours and audience separately, and you need both. It does show why a long, engaging episode helps, since hours come from time spent listening.
It also shows why a niche show can struggle. Picture 800 devoted listeners who each play many hours. You can pass the hours test and still miss the audience test, so check both numbers in your dashboard before you plan around the program.
Memberships are a much lower bar: three episodes, 100 listeners and 100 consumption hours in 30 days can meet it, which makes them a sensible first test. If your host doesn’t support paid tiers, read our guide on how to choose a host.
How big is podcast advertising?
The industry is growing. The 2025 IAB and PwC Internet Advertising Revenue Report, covered by Radio Ink, put podcast ad revenue at $2.862 billion for 2025, up 17.6% from the year before. Total digital audio reached $8.4 billion.
That’s a big pool, but it doesn’t mean your show gets a share. Most of the money goes to a small number of large shows and networks. We couldn’t find a primary source for average income by download count, so we don’t publish one.
Plenty of guides print tables of CPM rates and yearly income for 1,000, 10,000 and 50,000 downloads. We cut that kind of table from the old version of this page, because none of its figures came with a source.
The ways podcasts make money, ranked by when they pay
1. Direct products and services
This is direct money at its simplest. You sell a course, a book, coaching, consulting or a software seat, and the podcast builds trust. It works at almost any audience size, as long as you have something worth buying.
2. Paid subscriptions and listener support
Listeners pay for bonus episodes, early access or an ad-free feed. Spotify (through Memberships), Buzzsprout and Patreon all offer paid tiers, and this is where creator and true-crime shows often do best, since bonus cases, ad-free feeds and early drops give superfans a reason to pay. You need an audience that cares, but it doesn’t have to be huge.
3. Affiliate links
You earn a commission when listeners buy through your link. A Buzzsprout guide by a creator with 13 million downloads reports occasional single payouts of about $100, and later monthly payouts of roughly $500 to $700. Treat these as one creator’s story.
4. Sponsorships
A brand pays you a flat fee or a fixed rate to mention it. The same Buzzsprout guide describes a deal that started at $50, was negotiated up to $300 for three ad spots and a giveaway, and a later deal worth $3,525. Deals vary widely and depend on trust and fit.
Before you accept one, ask what the sponsor wants listeners to do and how you’ll measure it. Would you use the product yourself?
A sponsor that fits your audience protects your credibility, which every other kind of income depends on. A bad fit may pay once and cost you listeners for months.
5. Programmatic and platform ads
Ad networks and platforms insert ads and share the revenue. This usually needs the biggest audience, and the money arrives last. Spotify’s Partner Program is the clearest published example.
Disclosure rules you should know
If a brand pays you or gives you free product, you have to say so. The FTC’s guidance for influencers says to disclose any financial, employment, personal or family relationship with a brand. It also says the disclosure should be clear and placed with the endorsement itself.
That page doesn’t mention podcasts specifically, but the FTC’s endorsement FAQ says that when an endorsement is made out loud, the disclosure should be made out loud too. So say it in the read itself rather than burying it in show notes. For anything beyond that, check the FTC’s full Endorsement Guides or ask a lawyer. This is general information, not legal advice.
Don’t read an ad as if it were your personal opinion without saying it was paid for. That risks both trust and a legal problem. Say the word sponsored plainly, near the start of the read.
What this means for a business show
Run a company podcast? Then most of the advice above aims at the wrong goal, because a business show usually doesn’t need to earn from ads. It needs to create sales conversations, shorten the sales cycle or support customer relationships.
A better yardstick is the number of good-fit sales conversations where the show came up. Review the results on a steady schedule, such as every 90 days, and give a new show time before judging cost per customer.
Don’t lean on downloads. Platforms count them differently, which makes them shaky ground for proving business results.
So for a company show, treat revenue as indirect. Our guides on tying episodes to pipeline and closed deals and the B2B podcast ROI timeline explain how to measure it. To see how it fits the sales process, read how B2B podcasting for lead generation actually works.
Which path fits your show?
| Your situation | Start with | Why | Avoid |
| Solo host, small loyal audience | Paid subscriptions or listener support | Lower thresholds on Spotify | Chasing ads first |
| Host with a service or product | Direct sales | Works at any audience size | Selling every episode |
| Niche show with trust | Sponsorships and affiliate links | Fit matters more than size | Undisclosed paid reads |
| Growing show on Spotify | Partner Program once you meet the thresholds | Published rules, 50% share | Counting on downloads alone |
| Company or association | Indirect revenue: leads and conversations | The show supports sales | Measuring success by downloads |
Want help choosing a model? A production partner can plan the format and measurement, and our overview of what a B2B podcast agency does shows where that fits. Our post on the cost of a B2B podcast sets the investment next to the possible return.
Three money mistakes to avoid
- Planning around ads too early: A new show builds a budget around ad revenue it may not earn for a long time. Start with the money you control.
- Skipping the sponsor disclosure: A paid read goes out without a clear disclosure, which costs trust and can create legal risk.
- Treating downloads as proof of value: Downloads are counted differently across platforms, so they work better as a trend line than as a price list.
Each of these is cheap to fix before launch and expensive to fix after a year of habits. Choose your path, write down what success means in plain terms and check the number every 90 days.
What we can’t tell you
We can’t tell you what your show will earn. Income depends on your niche, your offer, your audience and your trust, and no table captures that. We cut the old CPM and income-by-download tables because we couldn’t source them.
We can tell you where the published rules are, which paths open first and which mistakes to avoid. Rules change, so re-read each platform page before you plan around it. Write down the date you checked and set a reminder to look again in three months.
Conclusion
Outside money needs scale, and direct money needs trust. Start with the money you control and add the other once you qualify.
Check each platform’s current rules, pick one path and measure it every 90 days. Want a show built around a business goal? Book a call and we can sketch the numbers together.
