Podcast affiliate marketing is how I made my first money from podcasting, and it didn't need a single sponsor to notice me.
That matters, because most new podcasters are told the same thing. Build a big audience first, and then sponsors will come.
So they wait for downloads that can take years, while their show earns nothing at all.
Podcast affiliate marketing means recommending a product on your show with a special link or code. When a listener buys through it, the company pays you a commission, which is a small share of the sale. You earn per sale, not per download, and that one difference is why it works for small shows.
Why I Trust Affiliate Marketing More Than Sponsorships
I have been doing affiliate marketing since 2003, long before I recorded my first podcast. My first ever commission was $4.37.
I stared at that PayPal notification for about ten minutes. Not because of the amount.
It was because someone I had never met had bought something I recommended, while I was asleep.
Years later, at 41, I found out affiliate marketing worked on podcasts too. At 42, I made my first sale through a podcast.
Today, my podcast income is more than my old corporate salary was. I'm not telling you that to impress you.
I'm telling you because it took years, and because it started with one small, specific recommendation. Not with a big audience.
Why sponsorship is the wrong first goal
Sponsors usually pay per thousand downloads, a rate called CPM. That stands for cost per mille, and "mille" just means thousand.
Typical rates run roughly $15 to $25 (₹1,250 to ₹2,100) per thousand downloads. Now do the maths for a new show.
At 200 downloads an episode, that works out to $3 to $5 (₹250 to ₹420) per episode. And most sponsors won't talk to you below a few thousand downloads per episode anyway.
Affiliate commissions don't care how many people listened. They care whether the right people did.
Twenty listeners who trust you and need the tool can earn more than 2,000 who don't.
How to Monetize a Podcast When Nobody Is Offering You Sponsorship
The simplest way to monetize a small podcast is to recommend tools you already use, through affiliate programs that pay a commission on each sale. Start with two or three products your listeners need soon. Mention them only when they help the episode, and send people to a page that explains them properly.
Here is the order I would do it in:
- List every tool, product or service you actually use for the topic of your show
- Check which of them have an affiliate program, by searching the product name plus "affiliate"
- Pick the two or three your listener would need soonest
- Apply, which is usually a short online form
- Mention one of them in an episode where it naturally solves the problem you're discussing
- Put the link in your show notes and on a resources page on your website
That's the whole system. Everything else is about doing it well.
Podcast affiliate marketing works best with tools you already use
Your listener can hear the difference between a product you use and a product you're reading an ad for. So can you, if you're honest.
The strongest affiliate mentions sound like a friend telling you what they use. A line like "I record my guest interviews on this, and here's why" lands.
"This episode is brought to you by…" followed by a script someone else wrote does not. Listeners have heard thousands of those, and they skip them.
Here's a real example from this site. Buzzsprout is on my list of recommended podcast hosts, and that link is an affiliate link.
When an episode is about choosing a host, I mention it, because it fits the problem. Nobody feels sold to, because they came for that exact answer.
Where the money really comes from
It is worth being clear about this early. Most of your affiliate income will not come from one great episode.
It comes from dozens of ordinary episodes, each with a link, each still findable months later. That is the part most people underestimate, and it is why starting early matters so much.
Podcast Affiliate Programs Worth Looking At First
Most podcasters can find good affiliate programs in three places. Which one fits depends on what your show is about.
Software and online tools
Software tools often pay the best commissions, commonly 20% to 30% of the sale. Some pay every month the customer stays subscribed, which adds up over time.
If your show is about business, marketing, productivity or creating things, start here. For a podcast about podcasting, that means tools for hosting, recording and email.
I use BirdSend for my email list, and I recommend it through its affiliate program for exactly that reason. I would recommend it either way.
Amazon Associates for physical products
If your show talks about physical things, the Amazon Associates program is the easiest place to start. Think gear, books, kitchen equipment or baby products.
Nearly everything is on Amazon, and your listeners already trust buying there.
The commissions are smaller, usually a few percent depending on the category. But people often buy other things in the same visit, and you usually earn on those too.
Courses, memberships and communities
If there's a course or paid community your listener needs next, many of them pay generous commissions.
Only recommend ones you've taken yourself, or know very well. A bad course recommendation costs you trust you can't easily earn back.
A Five-Question Filter Before You Recommend Anything
Before any product goes into an episode, I run it through five quick questions. If the answer to any of them is no, it doesn't go in.
- Have I used it myself, for long enough to know its flaws?
- Would my listener need it in the next three months?
- Would I recommend it to a friend if there were no commission?
- Can I explain what it does in one plain sentence?
- Is the company easy to deal with if something goes wrong?
That third question does most of the work. If the honest answer is "only because it pays," your listener will hear that in your voice.
The fifth one matters more than people expect. When a listener has a bad experience with a product you recommended, part of the blame lands on you.
Filtering this way means you'll turn down some high-paying programs. That's fine. A smaller commission on something you believe in beats a big one on something you have to talk yourself into.
Podcast Affiliate Marketing on Air: How to Mention a Product
Affiliate marketing for podcasters is different from writing about a product, because listeners can't click. They have to remember something, and then act on it later.
These are the habits that make that work.
Give them a short link they can say out loud
Nobody remembers a long affiliate link with a tracking code in it. So make a short one on your own website that redirects to it.
On this site, I use links like thepodcastinguniversity.com/go/buzzsprout. It's easy to say and easy to type.
There's a bonus, too. If the affiliate program ever changes its link, I update where mine points, and every old episode still works.
Or give them a code
A discount code is even easier to remember. For Zencastr, I tell listeners to use the code "thepodu" for 30% off the Pro plan.
It gives them a reason to act. It also tells the company the sale came from me.
Tell a short story, not a feature list
Nobody buys because of a list of features read out on a podcast. They buy because of a moment they recognise.
Try a line like "my guest kept cutting out, so I moved to a tool that records each person separately." That does more than five features ever will. The listener hears their own problem, and then the fix.
Put it in the middle, not the end
Where the mention sits in the episode matters. Plenty of listeners stop before the final minute, so a product mentioned only at the very end reaches the fewest people.
The best spot is usually the moment in the episode where the problem comes up. You are explaining the problem, you mention what you use to solve it, and you carry on.
It takes ten or fifteen seconds. It doesn't feel like a break in the episode, because it isn't one.
Mention it once, in the right episode
One natural mention in an episode where the product solves the problem is worth ten generic ad reads. Don't mention every affiliate product in every episode.
Your listener will start tuning out, and they'll be right to.
The Show Notes and Resources Page Do the Heavy Lifting
Most affiliate sales from a podcast don't happen during the episode. They happen later, when someone goes looking for the link.
So every episode that mentions a product needs a show notes page with that link on it. Show notes are the written summary of an episode, usually on your website and in the podcast app.
Your website should also have one resources page. List every tool you recommend, with a line on why you use it.
That page keeps earning for years. People find it through Google, through your episodes, and through other people sharing it.
The footer of this very post is a small version of one. If you're still choosing where to host, my guide to the best podcast host covers which hosts make show notes pages easy.
Why a Small Show Is Actually an Advantage Here
This surprises most beginners. With affiliate marketing, being small can work in your favour.
A small show usually has a tighter, more specific audience. A big general show might have 50,000 listeners with a hundred different needs.
Your 150 listeners might all share one exact problem. That makes it much easier to recommend the one thing that solves it.
Small shows also tend to have more trust per listener. People who find a small show often feel like they know the host, because they reply to emails and get answers back.
When that person hears you recommend something, it sounds like advice from someone they know. That is worth more than any ad read on a show with a million downloads.
So don't wait until you feel "big enough." The best time to build this habit is while your audience is small enough to know by name.
Affiliate Income vs Sponsorship: A Straight Comparison
Here is how the two main ways to earn from a podcast compare side by side.
| Affiliate marketing | Sponsorship | |
|---|---|---|
| Downloads needed to start | None | Usually a few thousand per episode |
| How you get paid | A share of each sale | A fixed rate per thousand downloads |
| Who picks the product | You | Mostly the sponsor |
| Fits your episode naturally | Yes, you choose when | Often a scripted read |
| Earns from old episodes | Yes, for years | Rarely, once the campaign ends |
| Income stability | Uneven at first | Steady once signed |
| Best for | Small and growing shows | Established shows |
This isn't a choice you make forever. A regional recipe podcast I built, The Tastes of India, has since landed 4 branded podcast deals.
But affiliate income is the one you can start with today, at any size. Sponsorship can come later, and it will be easier to get with a real track record behind you.
How to Make Money From a Small Podcast: The Honest Maths
At first, not much. My first commission was $4.37, and an early good week was $132.75.
That is not "quit your job" money. But it was proof that I could earn outside a salary, and that proof kept me going.
The maths of a small show looks something like this. Say you get 150 listens an episode, and you recommend a $50 (₹4,200) tool with a 30% commission.
If just 2% of those listeners buy it over a few months, that's 3 sales and $45 (₹3,800). It is not life-changing on its own.
Now picture 40 episodes, each still online, each with a link in the show notes. That is where the money actually comes from. Not one big episode, but a back catalogue that keeps working while you make the next one.
Troubleshooting: "I Added Affiliate Links and Nobody Bought"
This happens to almost everyone at the start. These are the usual reasons.
The product doesn't match the listener. A marketing tool on a parenting show won't sell, however good it is. Go back to your podcast listener profile and ask what that person needs next.
You mentioned it but didn't explain it. "Link in the show notes" with no reason to click gets ignored. Say what problem it solves for them, in one plain sentence.
There's no page to land on. If the link only lives in your podcast app description, many listeners never see it. Put it on a show notes page on your website too.
It's too early. Affiliate income from a podcast builds slowly, over months. Episodes keep earning long after they're published, so the first few months always look the quietest.
Disclose Every Affiliate Link
This part is not optional. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission requires you to tell people when you earn from a recommendation.
Its guidance on endorsements explains exactly what counts. The UK, the EU and India have similar rules for creators.
It's simple to do. Say it on air, something like "that's an affiliate link, so I earn a small commission if you buy." Then add a short disclaimer to your show notes page.
It also builds trust. Listeners don't mind you earning from a recommendation. They mind finding out you hid it.
Here's the thing. Saying it out loud also changes how you choose products. When you have to admit you earn from something, you think twice about recommending anything you wouldn't stand behind.
Before You Earn, Make Sure There's a Show
Affiliate marketing works on a podcast that exists, shows up consistently, and is clearly made for someone. If your show is still an idea, the money part comes later.
For the wider picture of every income option, read how to make money from a podcast.
My 7-Day Podcast Launch Challenge gets you from idea to a live show in seven gated days. By the end, your listener is clearly defined, and that decides what you'll ever be able to recommend to them.
Listen to the Podcast Episode
In this episode I talk about how to monetize a podcast when nobody is offering you a sponsorship. That is where almost every new show starts, and plenty stay there far longer than they need to.
I explain why sponsors are the wrong first goal for a small show, with the simple maths of what 200 downloads is worth to one. Then I walk through affiliate marketing: recommending tools you already use, and earning a share when a listener buys.
I also share where this started for me. My first ever affiliate commission was $4.37, back in 2003, and years later I made my first sale through a podcast.
What I cover in this episode:
- Why sponsorship pays so little until you reach a few thousand downloads
- What affiliate marketing is, in plain words
- How to find affiliate programs for the tools you already use
- How to mention a product on air without sounding like an ad
- Why short links and codes matter when listeners can't click
- Why you should always tell listeners when a link earns you money
Three tools I recommend for podcasters:
- Buzzsprout for podcast hosting
- BirdSend for building an email list of your listeners
- Zencastr for recording guest interviews, with the code thepodu for 30% off Pro
No show to earn from yet? The 7-Day Podcast Launch Challenge takes you from idea to a live show, with a clear listener in mind, in seven days.
Frequently Asked Questions
These are the questions I hear most about earning from a small podcast, answered plainly.
What is podcast affiliate marketing?
It means recommending a product on your podcast with a special link or discount code. When a listener buys through it, the company pays you a commission, which is a share of the sale. You earn per sale, not per download.
How many listeners do I need for affiliate marketing?
None to start. Commissions depend on whether the right listeners buy, not how many listened. A show with 50 loyal listeners can earn affiliate income, while sponsors typically want a few thousand downloads per episode.
Which affiliate programs are best for podcasters?
Start with tools you already use for your show's topic. Software tools often pay 20% to 30% commissions, sometimes every month. Amazon Associates suits shows that talk about physical products.
How do I share affiliate links on a podcast when listeners can't click?
Give them something short to remember, like a simple redirect link on your own website or a discount code. Then put the full link in your show notes and on a resources page. Most purchases happen later, when someone goes looking for it.
Do I have to disclose affiliate links on my podcast?
Yes. In the US, the Federal Trade Commission requires you to disclose when you earn from a recommendation. Say it briefly on air, and add a written disclaimer to your show notes page.
How much can a small podcast make from affiliate marketing?
Small amounts at first. My first ever commission was $4.37, and an early good week was $132.75. The income builds as more episodes, each with a link, keep sitting online and getting found.
Is affiliate marketing better than sponsorship for podcasts?
For small shows, usually yes, because you can start at any size and old episodes keep earning. Sponsorship pays more steadily once you reach a few thousand downloads per episode. Plenty of established shows end up doing both.
How do I find affiliate programs for products I use?
Search the product name plus the word "affiliate," and look for a partner or affiliate page on the company's website. Most applications are a short form. Many programs reply within a few days.
How often should I mention affiliate products on my podcast?
Only when the product actually solves the problem the episode is about. One natural mention in the right episode beats a scripted read in every episode. Listeners tune out fast when every episode has an ad.
Can I use Amazon affiliate links on a podcast?
Yes, through the Amazon Associates program, as long as you follow its rules and disclose the link. Commissions are usually a few percent, depending on the category. It works best for shows that recommend gear, books or other physical products.
That $4.37 Was Enough
My first commission would barely buy a coffee. But it proved something many new podcasters never get to see.
A small audience can pay you, if you recommend the right thing to the right person.
You don't need a sponsor to notice you. You need one product your listener needs, one honest mention, and one page where they can find the link.
So what's the one tool you already use that your listeners would thank you for recommending?
Resources that I recommend
Here are some of the resources that I recommended in this episode and the ones that I recommend in Podcasting.
- Ubersuggest – The Keyword research tool that I recommend
Below are the tools that I recommend for podcasting —
- Buzzsprout – Podcast hosting
- Behringer Audio Interface – You will need an audio interface if you are using an XLR microphone. This is my recommended audio interface.
- Behringer Audio Interface (budget option) – A lower-cost alternative if you're just starting out and want to keep costs down.
- Zencastr – Zencastr is the easiest option to record interviews, both audio-only and audio+video. This is a must for an interview podcast.
- Audacity – This is the best and most feature-rich free audio editing software. It gives you a lot of options while editing your interviews.
- Samson Q2U – My recommended microphone
- Audio Technica ATR-2110x – My recommended alternative microphone
- TidyCal – My recommended calendar and booking solutions
Thank you for joining in
I hope you enjoyed the information that I shared in this episode.
Do subscribe to the show on your favorite podcasting platform in order to stay updated with the latest episodes that I release.
The Podcasting University is available on almost all podcasting platforms. The link to the prominent ones are mentioned below –
Planning to start a podcast?
Then you might want to join my "7-Day Podcast Launch Challenge".
Disclaimer: Some of these links above are affiliate links. If you decide to make a purchase from the links above, I will earn a small commission from your purchase at no extra cost to you. Also, The Podcasting University is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
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