Is It Worth Paying To Be On A Podcast?

Q: Is it acceptable to pay to be a guest on a show?

A: It depends. If you’re going to, make sure it’s the right fit, but don’t get your hopes up for a monetary ROI.

According to my friend Trent Anderson at Podchaser, 7.5% of podcasts are pay-to-play.

If you submit yourself to enough podcasts, you will eventually be asked to pay a fee or sponsor the show to be a guest.

Don’t take it personally - Hosts put lots of time and effort building their podcast and there is an opportunity to monetize it through the high demand of people wanting to be a guest.

Do make sure it’s a good fit though. Things to consider:

🔹 Overly broad podcasts are less likely to give you a monetary ROI ❌ 

🔸 Niche podcasts that places you in front of your ideal customer might be worth it 🤔

🔹 Top Ranking podcasts will get your story to a large audience, be good for SEO, and give you great content to repurpose with an authority in your space - there are far worse ways to spend marketing dollars 💰

🔸 If you want as many free interviews as possible, then don’t feel the need to pay. Respectfully decline the invitation and just go find another one that is free 🤝

Ultimately, the decision is yours - I don’t see a problem with paying to be on a podcast if the end result aligns with your goals, but never get your hopes up for an ROI.

Pro Tip - The fee can usually be negotiated down if you’re nice. Just say you’d love to make it work, but $X is out of your budget and ask if they will accept $Y.

Head over to Spencer's LinkedIn where you can submit a question on any of his posts - ⁠https://bit.ly/3zlEnVb⁠

Website - ⁠https://www.outlieraudio.com⁠

Outlier Audio Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/outlieraudio/⁠

Personal Instagram - ⁠https://www.instagram.com/spencercarpenter/⁠