Every day, millions of people tune into platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and even YouTube to listen to their favorite podcasts. In the United States alone, “podcasting is an increasingly popular pastime, and close to 70 million people listened to podcasts in 2023. This number is projected to rise even further, reaching over 110 million listeners by 2029,” says Statista in their October 2024 analysis.
They continued: “As awareness and usage has grown, so has consumption frequency. Survey data shows that more than 40 percent of the U.S. population listened to a podcast in the past month, almost three times the share recorded a decade earlier.” The global podcast industry is estimated to be worth a staggering $4.02 billion, mostly thanks to podcast advertizing and sponsorships.
This presents an overwhelming opportunity for you as a professional, whether freelancing full-time or seeking to launch a side hustle, to capitalize on this booming industry and make money while providing value to listeners through informative, entertaining, and educational content.
One of the great things about having a podcast is that you can use it to boost your existing freelance business. For example, if you’re a business or executive coach, you could decide to host a podcast related to your field of expertise. Every day listeners (who eventually turn into eager fans) will be tuning into your podcast from their dining room, while cooking, while on the commute to work, while doing the school run, or while on the morning run. This a great way to do content marketing, and it allows you to connect with your audience and maintain customer loyalty while building trust and credibility in your brand. At the same time, you can leverage your podcast to make money online. Could it get any better?
How To Make Money Online From Podcasts In 2025
Let’s explore some ideas for making money online through your podcast, turning it into a passive (and non-passive) income-generating machine:
- Partner with brands to drive sponsorships where they can get featured during your podcast episodes (this is one of the most popular ways to make money from podcasts).
- Create premium, exclusive content that goes behind a paywall, such as exclusive episodes and interviews, or behind-the-scenes content.
- Take it a step further and sell branded merchandise such as t-shirts, mugs, or other print-on-demand products which feature catchy slogans, quotes, or branding from your podcasts—this turns your podcast into an e-commerce business.
- Try affiliate marketing. Promote products or services using your unique affiliate links, talk about them in your podcast episode (integrate mentions naturally so it doesn’t come across as being spammy or irrelevant), then share the links in the description or notes for the show. Every time someone purchases through your unique link, you receive a commission.
- As it grows in popularity, use your podcast as leverage for other lucrative opportunities such as speaking engagements, live events, training and workshops, and even writing e-books or releasing courses related to the subject matter of the podcast.
How To Start A Podcast In 2025
If you’re feeling a little hesitant about starting and hosting your own podcast in 2025, here are a few helpful pointers:
If you have extensive knowledge, passion and excitement, or skill in a subject, and you observe a demand in that area, you’re more than capable and qualified to host your own podcast.
Note that podcasts on finance, self-help and motivation, and business tend to run exceptionally well and prove popular amongst listeners. The more you have practical, how-to applications that listeners can take into their everyday lives, the better for you.
Buzzsprout lists 10 easy steps to launch your podcast, which include:
- Develop a podcast concept
- Choose your podcast format
- Set up podcast equipment
- Choose your podcast software
- Record your first episode
- Edit your audio
- Create podcast artwork
- Set up podcast hosting
- Get listed in podcast directories
- Launch and grow your show
This year, launch your podcast and start building a loyal following of listeners. Engage with them, perfect your craft, and with time and persistence you’ll find that this becomes a highly profitable source of income.
Go ahead, you can do it.