Owning Your Audience Is the Business Model with Michelle Jackson

If you don’t own your audience, are you actually building a business?

This week on PodBiz, Michelle Jackson, founder of Creators Getting Paid, breaks down why most creators struggle to monetize and what’s actually required to turn a podcast into something sustainable. Her work sits at the intersection of independent creators, community building, and revenue transparency, giving her a clear view into what’s working and where people get stuck.

The throughline is simple: monetization isn’t about doing more content. It’s about building something around the content that converts.

“There’s no one way to monetize a podcast… each podcast is completely different.”

That flexibility is part of the opportunity, but also the problem. Without a defined structure, most creators default to focusing only on the show itself.

“If you get nothing out of this whole conversation… you need to be collecting your audience.”

Because the gap isn’t effort or even consistency. It’s ownership. This conversation looks at what actually needs to be in place beyond the podcast feed, and why building an audience you control is the difference between a project and a business.

In this episode:

• Why there’s no single path to monetizing a podcast
• Why most podcasters struggle to believe they can make money
• The difference between building a show and building a business
• Audience ownership vs. platform dependency
• Email lists, newsletters, and what actually matters
• Why content alone doesn’t convert
• When to pause, pivot, or rebuild a podcast
• Crowdfunding and alternative funding models
• The tradeoffs of running multiple creative projects

Episode Moments

(01:13) Where the money in podcasting actually depends

(02:58) Deciding to monetize your work

(05:18) Why owning your audience is critical

(10:29) Email lists vs. newsletters

(14:17) Turning content into community

(19:04) Why most content doesn’t convert

(21:27) Taking a break to build something better

(23:29) Crowdfunding as a funding model

(27:08) Why podcasters get stuck at the show level

(37:18) The cost of splitting focus

(41:12) The opportunity for more creative podcasting

About Michelle

Michelle Jackson is the founder of Creators Getting Paid, a platform focused on transparency around how creators earn revenue. She works across independent creators and organizations, helping them build sustainable income through audience ownership, community development, and strategic brand ecosystems. She is also a long-time podcaster with over a decade of experience across personal finance and creator economy content.

Some Additional PodBiz Buzz“I think, first of all, just deciding that you want to monetize your show… like unapologetic, I will make money.”“You need leads. You need people. You need a community to sell that to.”“Most people’s content is really boring… they’re just not taking risks.”“If you only focus on one project, it will grow faster.”

PodBiz is the podcast about the business of podcasting. Hosted by industry veterans Norma Jean Belenky and John Kiernan, the show features conversations with creators, executives, and platform leaders to answer one question: Where’s the money in podcasting?

Each episode dives into monetization strategy, adtech, branded content, IP development, and audience growth. Guests include leaders from Acast, Captivate, Crooked Media, Buzzsprout, True Native Media, Podfest, and more.

Learn more: njbmedia.co | thepodhouseproductions.com

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