Podcast Corner: Patreon and other methods of making money
With Spotify having bought the Ringer and its slew of podcasts, and subsequently the Joe Rogan Experience, which will go exclusive on the service later in the year, the business of podcasts has never been bigger. Podcasts, in their nascency, were very much DIY affairs, and many have had to return to their garages with those skills to continue their output during coronavirus.
But for the rest of the podcast world that hasn't been swept up by Spotify or its competitors, where does the money come from? Ads are the obvious answer (hello MeUndies and Squarespace), but increasingly it seems, podcasters are starting Patreons, the service which facilitates subscriptions, where creatives can offer exclusive perks in return to the paying customer. Before they reach this stage, podcasters may have built up a listenership, or an audience via another medium.
