How to Get Podcast Sponsors

Many podcasters use sponsorships as a means of generating income through their podcast. If you’re doing the work, why not get paid for it? A podcast sponsorship deal is a classic marketing tactic where a company pays an influential person (in this case, you) to promote its product to an existing audience.

A sponsorship can be a great opportunity to provide value to your listeners while also developing an additional stream of income. If you’re considering monetizing your podcast but wondering how to get podcast sponsors, you’ve come to the right place. 

Read below for more on how to get sponsors for your podcast.  

Determine the readiness of your podcast 

Podcast sponsors can help you to cover your production expenses and can even help you to maximize your podcast’s ROI. However, before considering getting a sponsorship, it’s crucial to evaluate whether or not your podcast is ready for one. Two key things to look for include the following: 

Quality

If you’re wondering how to get sponsors for your podcast, first consider its quality. 

Does your podcast sound professional or low-budget? Sponsors will want to associate their brand with a podcast that has consistent, high-quality episodes. A sponsor is paying to have their product promoted, so they will likely try to avoid bad PR and choose a podcaster who puts effort into their craft. 

When considering the quality of your podcast, there are two main categories, the technical side and the content itself. 

Here is a small podcast quality checklist: 

• Is my audio clear? Is there any background noise or buzzing? 
• Is the content of my podcast providing value to my listeners? Is it interesting, helpful, funny or informative? 
• Do episodes get published regularly?
• Are the episodes consistently high-quality, or do some seem rushed? 

Listener base   

Do you have a consistent listener base? If not, you may need to hold off on getting a sponsorship for now. You won’t earn very much without a very large listener base, and depending on your niche, some sponsors may not consider podcasts below a certain number of listens. Think about it; it’s a lot of money for a company to spend if they don’t gain from it. 

If you want to see how much money you can make, try Podbean’s free podcast revenue calculator. 

How to get podcast sponsors  

Now that you know your podcast is ready, how can you get a sponsorship deal? Sometimes, depending on the reputation of your podcast, companies will come to you and ask if they can advertise on your show. Oftentimes, for smaller shows, this isn’t the case, and you will need to do the leg work yourself. 

Here’s how to get sponsors for a podcast: 

Join a podcasting network

Podcast networks are a great way to get your foot in the door on sponsorship deals. If you’re still in the early stages of your podcast journey and don’t have a huge listenership yet, a podcast network is a great way to earn money as you grow. 

One of the major benefits of podcast networks is that the network will match you with sponsors. This way you don’t have to make all the pitches to sponsors yourself. 

Make a pitch yourself 

Don’t wait for a company to make the first move. If you know a brand you want to work with, make a pitch yourself! Within a podcasting network, you don’t always have the freedom to choose who you want to work with. 

For smaller podcasts that aren’t a part of a podcasting network, this is a great opportunity to make a name for yourself and potentially score a great sponsorship deal. 

The next section will be a breakdown of how to make a pitch to a potential sponsor. 

How to pitch to sponsors for your podcast

Determine which brands you want to pitch to 

Look for brands that are relevant to your podcast and would therefore add value to your listeners’ lives. Random advertising can appear gimmicky and may cause your listenership to decrease, which is not ideal.  

Since listeners value your opinion and your podcast, podcasting is a powerful but sensitive medium. If your audience begins to feel less like a community and more like a collection of customers, it will reflect badly on your podcast brand. 

When choosing a potential sponsor, ask questions like: 

• Who is my audience?
• What do they need or want?
• How can I improve their listening experience? 

Sponsorship is an opportunity to enter into a partnership with a brand. So, in addition to making sure the company fits your niche, make sure you’re comfortable supporting the brand as a whole.

Do some research within your niche 

There’s a podcast for just about everything under the sun, and each podcast suits a particular niche. To get a sponsorship, know your niche. Take a look at similar podcasters to see what kind of sponsorships they have and the placement of their ads. 

Research is important, but you know your audience best. Use direct feedback on your content to determine what sponsors would provide your listeners with the most value. 

Pitch well

Like in baseball, you can have a great batter and team, but if the pitcher can’t throw well, the game will be at a standstill. 

Once you’ve identified your ideal sponsors, find several brands within that niche and pitch to them. Yes, you should pitch to more than one. You may not be able to get a sponsorship offer from all of the brands you pitch to – that’s normal.

Here’s another sports metaphor: the more shots you take, the more chances you have at scoring. Even if you don’t score very often, you get better in the process.

Make direct pitches to the brands you want to work with. Keep it informative but brief. 

What to include in your pitch: 

• Introduce yourself 
• Give a brief summary of your podcast 
• Mention how advertising on your show could be beneficial to the company 
• Invite them to a call to discuss it further 
• Include a polite sign-off

Pro tip: to find out who to contact, look up the company on LinkedIn to find the head of their marketing and communications or PR department.     

Make your choice! 

Once you’ve made pitches to different sponsors (and have hopefully received some offers!), it’s time to choose one. You’ve learned how to get podcast sponsors, but this final step is sometimes the scariest. When making your decision, consider in the company itself, the sponsorship models, your company, and your audience.

It’s important to choose the right sponsor, as a sponsorship deal can make or break your podcast. 

Conclusion

Podcast sponsorship is a great way to turn your podcasting efforts into something profitable. The right sponsorship deals will add value to your listeners’ lives and help you earn your listeners’ trust all the more. 

To find sponsors for your podcast quickly and easily, switch to Podbean today.