Create your own subscription podcast w/ Stripe and Castos

Today I’d like to talk about creating your own subscription podcast without the middle man taking a cut of your revenue.

Before we get too far down into the blueprint for monetizing your podcast, there are some hard requirements I’m mentioning in this episode:

1. You must be okay with starting a free Stripe account.
2. You’re using Castos to host your subscription podcast feed or feeds.
3. Bonus: If you want to make other automation magic happen, I also recommend a free Zapier account.

Why start a subscription podcast over advertising?

What’s your knee-jerk reaction when you hear that the average podcast ad rates are $25 per 1,000 downloads? If you’re like most of us, your podcast is barely hitting 500 downloads per episode — you can’t even buy a cup of coffee let alone that new Porsche.

Most advertisers are looking for the largest audience possible, not the most valuable audience possible. That’s a topic for a different podcast.

When it comes to earning revenue, if you’re a brand new podcaster or a veteran with a niche audience, going by industry standard advertising isn’t going to make us rich.

Then there’s the quality and experience factor.

Don’t get me started on automated ad insertion from larger ad networks or other podcast hosting companies. Not only are we giving up control of the ad quality, it’s an abrasive experience for the listener. A 2020 report from Nielsen shows that host-read ads perform better anyway. Host-Read Podcast Ads Pack a Brand Recall Punch – Nielsen

If you’re going to do ads, you might as well sell them direct and read them on your own show. Again, different podcast episode for a different day.

Subscription podcasts at Castos vs the world

I rarely thank Apple for much in podcasting these days, but I am thankful that this 2.6 Trillion-dollar company decided to compete with us.

Crazy right?

We’re going through another defining moment for content creators. Just like Facebook and others encroached on our blog traffic, big audio businesses are doing the same to our podcasts.

Apple offers subscription podcasts through their platform at a 30% cut + a $29 annual fee. The kicker? You have to manage your podcast on their website. The content is only available to listeners using Apple podcast app.

As a creator, you’re suffocating your total possible reach. Apple is making my case for me.

Subscriptions at Castos

1. We don’t take a 30% cut. Each podcast hosting plan has a set of private subscribers.
2. You can create as many private subscription podcasts as you want.
3. Listeners can access the content on Apple or Google devices, using our free Castos mobile app or their favorite podcast app.

Let’s get back to that tug of war for your content: We’re building a subscription podcast system that podcasters will love. While Apple and others want you to exist exclusively in their platform, with their fees, and their algorithm — Castos is building a subscription platform that allows you to be anywhere & everywhere.

What type of subscription podcasts work best?

Here’s the thing: there are no rules; monetize as you see fit.

Want to run ads + have a premium subscription podcast? Go for it. I say however you can monetize your show is good enough for me. It’s a lot of work to get to where you are...