If you’ve built a decent podcast audience, you might be hoping to monetize your show with gated content. There are plenty of membership tools for podcasters, but you’ll want to make sure that you choose the right option.
Naturally, you can sell memberships through platforms like Apple and Spotify. However, it’s best to look for dedicated tools that let you offer multiple tiers, engage with your audience, and offer a unique listener experience.
In this post, we’ll take a closer look at podcast memberships and whether they’re a good move for your show. Then, we’ll explore the best membership tools for podcasters. Let’s get started!
What Are Podcast Memberships?
Although many podcasters let people listen to their episodes for free, you might consider setting up podcast memberships or offer gated content. This provides much needed stability for your show.
(it’s important to note that memberships don’t always have to be paid ones – even if you require a signup and login to access content, it can help building a better relationship with your audience)
Memberships are an excellent way to monetize your show. For starters, it’s more user-friendly than alternatives like podcast ads which can be disruptive. Plus, memberships offer extra value for listeners, helping you build a loyal following. You really “own” your listeners/members when you use a dedicated membership tool (as opposed to using a 3rd party like Apple or Spotify), so you can move your subscribers between platforms, send them emails or whatnot.
Typically, podcast memberships provide perks and benefits such as:
- Premium content (e.g. bonus episodes, exclusive blog posts, online courses)
- Community access
- Early-release episodes
- Ad-free listening
- Discounts on products like merchandise
- Live episodes (e.g. Q&As)
When someone signs up for a membership, they’ll usually commit to an annual or monthly billing plan. This recurring revenue facilitates a level of predictability and stability for your business.
It’s usually best to offer multiple membership options so you don’t limit your audience base. Also, you might still want to make some episodes available for free.
If you prefer to create a fully private podcast, you can set up a free membership tier that offers access when listeners subscribe with their email address. A free membership also lets people see the value of your content first, making it easier to attract paying members.
When to Consider Offering Podcast Memberships
Now that you know more about podcast memberships, you might be wondering whether they’re a viable option for your show.
We think podcast memberships work best in the following instances:
- You’re a serious podcaster with the skills and experience to offer high-quality content.
- You’ve built a significant audience, but also nurtured a strong, loyal community.
- You operate within a specific podcast niche so you don’t face much competition.
- You have a super unique or exciting show (e.g. you regularly interview high-profile guests or industry experts).
- You want to set up a business podcast to share internal company content.
- You need to create a private podcast for a select group of people (e.g. to deliver educational content to students).
Note that it’s important to price your subscriptions fairly so you don’t put people off. You’ll also need to consider how you’ll promote your premium podcast to get more paying members.
3 Best Membership Tools for Podcasters
If you’ve decided that podcast memberships are a good fit for your show, you’re going to need a tool/platform to create and sell them. Here are three of the best membership tools for podcasters.
1. Beamly
Beamly is a website building platform that includes full podcast membership features – this really allows you to create your own little spot on the world wide web. When your podcast memberships are fully integrated with your website, you’re also not limited to audio-only content – you can also add paywalls to custom pages, blog posts, or even videos.
Beamly also doesn’t take a fee from your subscriptions. (besides the standard Stripe processing fees). The problem with many subscription services is that the provider usually pockets a slice of your earnings. (8%-12% on Patreon or 30%+ on Apple Podcasts)
Plus, some platforms significantly limit your reach. For example, if you only stick to Apple Podcast Subscriptions, it would require people to have an Apple device and ID for payments. (also a decent chunk of your listeners are probably not using Apple Podcasts directly)
That’s why it’s best to carefully choose your monetization platform and set up your own podcast website where you can offer memberships. If you lack technical skills, you can fast-track the process using a website builder like Beamly:
The best thing about creating your own site is that you’ll retain full ownership and control of your content, your members, and essentially your business.
On top of that, you’re able to maximize your earnings, since you’ll only pay the transaction fees for your payment processor.
A website acts as a central hub for all kinds of content like podcast episodes, YouTube videos, blog posts, forums, and more. This allows you to diversify your content, reach new audiences, and leverage search engine optimization (SEO) to gain exposure in the search results.
Beamly also supplies a beautiful collection of pre-made website templates to ensure that your site looks professional:
Note that Beamly comes with membership functionality built-in, so you don’t have to rely on third-party integrations. It also supports free memberships, as well as letting you sell paid plans via Stripe:
With a website, you have the opportunity to combine memberships with other monetization strategies like podcast ads, donations, and merchandise.
2. Patreon
Patreon is a widely-known platform that lets creators offer subscription products. It’s one of the best membership tools for podcasters looking to build tight-knit communities.
For example, the service allows creators to develop close relationships with audiences through audio posts, private messages, and community forums. The latter is perfect for asking listeners to suggest podcast topics and ideas.
Patreon is also an excellent choice if you’re looking for a secure way to deliver exclusive content. This is because it offers a private RSS feed, which you can share directly with your subscribers.
However, it isn’t recommended for seasoned podcasters since there’s no way to set up your own site or platform, or customize the page to suit your brand. Depending on the features you need, expect to part with 8-12 percent of your earnings.
3. Buy Me a Coffee
Buy Me a Coffee is a great tool for podcasters who are at the start of their journeys. Perhaps you want to see how popular your memberships might be before looking for a more powerful solution.
It’s a flexible service that supports podcast memberships, subscriptions, and donations. This makes it appealing to listeners because, while they can sign up for a membership, they’re also able to make a contribution without the long-term commitment.
Like Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee offers direct communication features which helps you build close connections with your audience and show fans your appreciation. However, as is the case with many membership platforms, they takes a 5% cut of all transactions.
Conclusion
Offering podcast memberships enables you to generate recurring revenue. It’s also an effective way to adding value to your show and build a strong sense of community.
Further reading – If you are considering different platforms, you can look into Beamly’s membership website platform, and subscription website builder pages to learn more about the wide feature-set of the platform.
With built-in membership options, Beamly makes it really easy to launch your own website. You can also build unique subscription packages. Plus, it’s one of the only membership tools that lets you keep 100 percent of your earnings. Get started for free today!
