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Ever wondered how much money a fresh-out-the-oven podcast can pull in? Spoiler alert: It’s not enough to quit your day job—but it’s an adventure worth every penny. Today, I’m spilling the beans on my 2.5-year podcasting journey, the stats, the revenue, and whether you should dive into the podcasting world (spoiler #2: maybe).
My Podcast: Hustling on Air
Two and a half years ago, I started a podcast from scratch. The topic? Side hustles! Because who doesn’t love a good side hustle story?
Each episode featured inspiring interviews with people crushing it in different fields. We covered everything from freelancing on Fiverr to farming pigs (yes, pigs). I’d ask all the juicy questions:
How did they get started?
How much money are they making?
Can my listeners replicate their success without selling a kidney?
The result? A podcast that became a small but mighty library of hustle hacks.
Let’s Talk Numbers: Views, Stats, and Global Fame (Kind of)
First, the basics:
Episode Length: Episodes ranged from 25 minutes (short and sweet) to over an hour (grab snacks).
Downloads per Episode: These varied wildly, from 768 downloads on a slow day to just under 3,800 on a hot streak. Average? About 1,500–2,000 downloads per episode.
Even cooler:
Total Downloads: Over 29,000 across just 13 episodes. Not bad for a newbie, right?
Global Reach: The podcast got downloads worldwide—even in countries I can’t spell without Google! And sure, most listeners were from the U.S. and Canada, but I’m basically international now.
Top listening apps? Spotify took the crown, followed by Apple Podcasts. And unsurprisingly, mobile devices, especially iPhones, were the MVPs of podcast listening.
So… How Much Money Did I Make?
Brace yourself, because the numbers aren’t exactly going to blow your socks off. Over 13 episodes, I made a grand total of $228.60. That’s about $13.45 per month.
Some months I made less than a dollar—yes, a single dollar—but on my best months, I made over $31. Talk about living the high life.
Here’s the thing: I used Buzzsprout to host my podcast and run ads. It’s perfect for small creators since it does the hard work of distributing your podcast to platforms and finding advertisers. But ad placements are pretty manual, so don’t expect a steady paycheck.
YouTube to the Rescue!
Here’s where things got interesting: I uploaded video versions of the podcast to YouTube and even made some shorts. To my surprise, these earned $1,690. Add that to the podcast earnings, and my total revenue was just shy of $2,000.
For context, the RPM (revenue per 1,000 playbacks) for podcast ads was $166. Compare that to my YouTube channel, where the RPM for the past 28 days was $786. Turns out, YouTube is a much more generous friend than podcast ads.
Other Ways to Monetize (That Didn’t Work for Me)
There are plenty of other ways to make money with a podcast. For example:
Platforms like Buy Me a Coffee or Patreon.
Offering YouTube memberships.
Adding sponsors or affiliate links.
Unfortunately, none of these worked for me. Maybe I wasn’t cool enough, or maybe I didn’t try hard enough. Either way, they didn’t add to my bottom line.
Profit vs. Costs: The Real Story
While $1,690 might sound impressive, it wasn’t all profit. Hosting the podcast on Buzzsprout cost $12 per month, which added up to $324.
After subtracting hosting costs, my total profit was $1,366. Not bad for a hobby project, right? Plus, I edited all the episodes and videos myself, so I didn’t have to shell out extra cash for production.
Final Thoughts: Should You Start a Podcast?
Podcasting was a fun and rewarding experience, but let’s be real—it’s not exactly a money-printing machine. Still, if you have a passion for storytelling and a knack for asking great questions, it’s absolutely worth trying.
What do you think? Were you surprised by how much (or how little) I made? Should I revive the podcast? Drop your thoughts in the comments below.
And hey, if you liked this breakdown, don’t forget to share, like, or tell your grandma about it. You never know—she might want to start a podcast about knitting.
Until next time, keep hustling and stay curious!
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