There are plenty of ways you can promote and monetize your Podcast, starting with the platform where you are streaming. But we are here to talk about how Podcast merch is a great promotion tool, side income, and branding strategy. If you are a podcaster, you should definitely keep an eye on it!
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If you’ve ever wondered, is it worth it to sell merch? We can tell you in advance: It will pay off. Let’s go over a few reasons why!
Why Create Podcast Merch?
- Because it is a great way to promote
- Because it is a great way of passive income
- It can help you reach new audiences you have never reached before
- Gives your audience a chance to support you
- Gives you a chance to market your podcast in a whole new way
- Opens up new conversations with your audience
- Raises awareness about your podcast
You can research for any of your favorite podcasts, and you will find they offer their own merch designs. My favorite murder podcast merch:
When is the Right Time to Make Podcast Merch?
There is no perfect timing to make podcast merch; however, we advise you to avoid doing it when you are just starting out. It is best to create and promote merch when you already have a consistent audience. This way, you can be sure someone might be interested in supporting you.
How to Make Merch for Your Podcast
1. Choose Your Merch Model
Print on Demand
Print on demand is a great option if you are looking for ways to design your own merch while a third party takes care of all the production, customer service, and delivery. POD platforms take care of all of it for you. This merch model will require a minimum investment of your time; no stock or storage is needed.
You can choose from many different POD sites depending on what your needs are. Some POD sites are specialized for podcasters like Printful, Bonfire, Podcastmerch, Podswag, and more. Take into account each platform’s fees, the type of products available, how fast their delivery is, and the quality of their products.
You might even want to order some merch first to see the whole experience for yourself. This to us seems kinds of great because you can focus on your podcast while someone else takes care of your merch for you.
Open Your Own Store
Another option is to manage your own storefront if you don’t care about having an inventory or spending more time getting involved in the whole process. You could also use some kind of hybrid program. Having your own shop could be great for you to obtain higher profits, but it involves investing your time, having stock and storage available, looking for a supplier, and so on.
Whatever works best for you! Get closer to all the cons and pros of each business model and make a smart choice.
2. Make Stunning Designs
This is the most fun part! You can make creative designs for your audience, make something that would be irresistible!
All your designs should be clearly branded; however, you can get a little more creative than simply using your logo. You can use a catchphrase, popular hashtags you’ve used, quotes, use a funny moment from your podcast, and so on.
Make a few different designs and test how they perform. With time you will get a closer idea of what your audience really likes.
3. Pick Your Top Products
Start small, there is a whole world of products you can offer, but it is better to avoid overwhelming your audience. Just choose a few options for starters. You can offer products like t-shirt, hoodies, water bottles, buttons, pillows, socks, mugs, travel mugs, phone cases, and more.
Consider what products might be useful or trendy for your niche. What do they look for when acquiring merch? In this particular case, your audience won’t be making a purchase to obtain a good; they are buying from you to say they love your podcast and they’d like to support you.
Let’s go over a few merch ideas to monetize your Podcast:
Podcast T-Shirt
A piece of clothing with your own podcast swag.
Limited Edition Merch
Create an urge from your followers by promoting limited edition goods.
Collaboration Merch
Find a relevant influencer for your talking topics and create a collaborated design.
Create Seasonal Products
Have a Christmas edition of your merch, Halloween, Pride, or any other special occasion! You can also switch temporarily to sweaters, hoodies, tote bags, depending on the season.
Offer Custom Designs
Offer custom designs for your followers. This can work great for gift ideas. Your fans will surely love it.
If your podcast applies to kids, pets, yogis, or any specific niche, you can offer special garments for them. For example, If you are talking about eco-friendly lifestyles, offer eco-friendly merch. In general, keep all of your podcast merch consistent with your overall message.
4. Promote
Cultivate a relationship with your audience where you feel comfortable enough to promote your merch. Here are a few ideas to do this smoothly:
- Send the new on your merch to your mailing list.
- Share it on your social media channel and communities that are built around your Podcast.
- Call it out on your episodes!
Podcast Cover Maker
There are a few other wonders in Placeit you can use in your favor to grow your podcast brand and market it like a pro. We’ve talked about creating branded merch as a great way to promote your podcast and earn some extra income! But we had to mention, you can also make your podcast cover using this tool. It’s super easy, and it only takes a few clicks to make your life waaaay easier.
Last Words
And that’s a wrap! Creating awesome merch for your podcast is a great way to make some extra cash for your production, promote your podcast, reach new audiences, and create brand awareness among your followers. It is definitely something to try because it is super simple to set. Using print-on-demand platforms, you can set your shop in no time.
If you are looking for more art designs to enhance your podcast brand take a look at these podcast covers and design one of your own. Also, find other ways to promote your podcast on this post.
The post How to Monetize with Awesome Podcast Merch! appeared first on Placeit Blog.
