Asking for Donations in your Podcast in 3 Steps

How to monetize your podcast in 2021

In this article we are going to discuss three short steps on how to ask your audience for donations within your podcast. This monetizing method will help you make money off your podcast without the use of ads!

Podcast advertising has just been named the most effective digital advertising channel in 2021 with the highest click-through rate. Closely followed by Google ads and Facebook ads, the podcast industry is revolutionizing our daily lives, so we think that you should get paid for your awesome content.

What is ‘asking for donations within a podcast’?

Asking for donations within a podcast is as it says on the tin. More often than not, if you have a great podcast, with loyal listeners, a steady download rate and consistent episodes, your audience are going to want to reward your awesome content. Sometimes asking for donations is as easy and simple as it sounds, but there is a trick to it which will leave both you and your audience feeling rewarded in the deal.

Starting off your donation campaign

Starting off your donation campaign can be easy in three steps. All you need is to provide great content that is worth paying for, motivate your audience by outlining your goals and giving them the opportunity to reward you for your awesome content.

‍

Step One: Specify Your Needs and Motivate your Audience

First you will need to start off by motivating your audience and specify why you are carrying out a donation campaign. The first step to motivating your audience is to be consistent. You need consistent episodes, consistent listeners and you need to be consistent with your audience engagement.

You can only start a donation campaign if you have already given your audience more than enough awesome content so that in return they feel like they would want to reward you for it. Your engagement rate needs to be super high so that your audience know how much they mean to you and how you’re not taking them for granted.

You should be responding to your audience in your podcasts, giving shouting and liking and responding to their comments on social media so they feel special enough to want to financially reward you.

They continue to describe why you are doing this campaign (this will be further emphasized when you are outlining your goals to your audience). Do you want to make even more awesome content but are lacking in financial funds? This motivation could make your audience donate as they would rather pay a small fee than lose your show.

Do you want to start making juicer content and so for those who donate to your fund you will allow them to be privy to an exclusive group who have access to a code to unlock the exclusive juicy content?

All of these options need to be considered when you are motivating your audience. They will want to financially reward you but allowing them to be part of an exclusive group or mentioning their name in your podcast, may give them the extra push to donate to your fund.

‍

Step Two: Outline your goals

You need to make your audience want to give you their money. Explain why you are asking for donations. Do you need money to buy new equipment so that you can bring your audience clearer, better content? How will it benefit your audience?

If you have already provided your audience with free awesome content for some time then you simply can ask for a donation, or a token of gratitude in return for your many consistent episodes. However, this will only work if you have a great engagement rate with your audience and you have consistent listeners downloading your episodes every month.

With asking for donations, although they have a similar concept to crowdfunding, (which you can find an article for here) you don’t suggest a target amount unlike crowdfunding and you don’t necessarily set a time on it.

Asking for donations is a more relaxed version of crowdfunding, although not necessary you can say that you are leaving your donation page up for eg. 3 weeks, but there isn’t the same timer, countdown impression as there is with crowdfunding.

Step Three: Give your Audience the Opportunity to Donate

After having outlined your goals, motivated your audience and you’re truly in a great position to ask for donations, you need to give your audience the opportunity to donate to your fund.

This is where your newsletter and social media platforms are crucial! In these resources you will provide your audience with a link or donate button where they can donate however much they choose.

Let your audience know exactly how they can donate to you. Set an Instagram story talking to your audience, providing great engagement and then at the end tell them to swipe up if they want to be part of your donation campaign. When the transaction is completed you can also send a link with exclusive, juicy content exclusive to those who donated.

How to Promote your Donation Campaign

Promoting your donation campaign is very similar to promoting your podcast. You can use social media with shout out and tag campaigns or mention your donation campaign on Reddit or slack channels. YouTube can also be a great way to spread the word of your podcast and its campaign.

However, to keep it simple, mentioning that you are asking for donation in your newsletter and podcast itself, along with your podcast’s social media are the most effective methods to making your audience aware of your donation campaign.

If you liked this article, check out our other one on crowdfunding in your podcast.

Your EBook is on the way! Make sure to check your spam folder

Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.