Weekly Podcast Tip #11: What's New at Apple Podcasts

This week's newsletter was going to be all about monetizing your podcast, and it still is in a way because Apple announced on Tuesday that it will now offer Apple Podcast Subscriptions!

We'll hold off on the other methods for monetization until next week, but I wanted to dive into this news a little bit and how it might impact podcasters and listeners.

App Updates

First, there are some updates to the app and to the Apple Podcasts Connect dashboard. What I like about the new dashboard, is the ability to designate someone as the admin, show manager, etc. This is great if you do eventually decide to outsource because you can invite that person into the dashboard, rather than sharing your Apple ID.

Second, there are new in-depth analytics and marketing tools that will help you analyze the data, see how listeners engage and grow.

Third, if you have more than one podcast you can create a channel for your brand. Organizing all your shows into one channel will make it easier for listeners to find your other content.

I love these updates because they not only streamline the process but can help you grow in return.

Apple Podcasters Program

Ah, what we've all been waiting for! With subscriptions, Apple now gives you a way to monetize your podcast through one of the most popular distribution platforms.
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With subscriptions, you can offer your listeners exclusive content, ad-free listening, early access to episodes, and access to archived episodes. You'll receive 70% of the subscription price, minus taxes, which is on par with other services like Music and Apps. If your subscriber accumulates one year, you'll receive 85%.

This is huge for podcasters. Currently, podcasts send listeners off-platform to Patreon, and while this is successful (and allows the podcaster to set the offering), offering a way to subscribe in-app might mean more subscribers as they stay in-app to subscribe.

Read more about my thoughts on the changes in Apple is Reconnecting with Podcasts.

Next week, we'll take on more ideas to make your podcast a money-generating machine!