Podcasters earned more than $350M from their real fans on Patreon last year

Podcasts are so much more than just something you listen to on your way to work. Podcasting has even moved on from an audio-only experience: now, fans have their choice of video podcasts of all forms— like, VODs, live streams, and shorts. Podcasts are media empires with live shows, merch lines, brand deals, book contracts, and a million other things. So if you were wondering: No, not anyone with a mic can be a successful podcaster.

At the center of it all, podcasters are CEOs of their own companies, which means they’re responsible for figuring out how to reach, grow, and energize their communities. And any podcaster will tell you that’s often the hardest part of the job. Right now, most of them rely on social media platforms that are actively making it more difficult for them to reach their people because they’re built to prioritize algorithms that keep people scrolling.

Podcasters need a partner (not just a platform) that gives them the freedom to do everything they want, plus the stuff they haven’t even dreamed up yet. That’s why podcasting is the second biggest category on Patreon: because podcast creators want that control to run their business exactly how they want.

40K podcasters are earning an income on Patreon as they build and grow their businesses

Podcasting can be one of the most intimate forms of creativity. Think about it: People listen to the same show every week at the same exact time, bake it into their schedules, even plan their days around it. Those are the real fans, and those are the ones who are on Patreon.

Whether they’re free or paid members, they’ve taken the extra step to sign up and choose to be a part of a creator’s community so they can keep up with everything they make, ask questions, vote in polls, and talk to other fans. The best part is, podcasters on Patreon have a single place where they can reach all of these real fans — the ones who want more.

That direct line is more important to creators than ever, especially as big media companies make it harder and harder to secure that reach. Former NPR journalist Yowei Shaw recently launched her independent podcast “Proxy” on Patreon after realizing signing with a company meant signing away control.

Now, she can pursue exactly what she wants to make, and she can do it with her community. “We'll do it together. Like a buddy comedy... but for emotional investigative journalists,” she says in her first ever Patreon post.

Podcasters earned over $350 million from real fans on Patreon last year

This connection doesn’t just benefit creators. Fans are excited about it too.

Regulation Podcast (previously F**kface) and 100% Eats (previously FaceJam) also recently took their shows independent after Warner Bros shut down the popular entertainment firm Rooster Teeth. Since then, they've fostered a thriving community of paid and free members in their first months on Patreon.

Those fans come back every month for bonuses, drafts, watchalongs, ad-free episodes, community events, and to hang out with other members.

Across Patreon, millions of real fans are doing the exact same thing. They’re joining Patreon to get all the exclusives they can’t get anywhere else, and oftentimes, they’re opting to pay for those extras because real fans know that creators’ work is worth it.

Some of those extras are happening IRL too. For example, creator, artist, producer, and host of the podcast exes and o's Shannon Beveridge is partnering with Patreon for a live recording of the show. Hundreds of fans already signed up to attend and will get access to extras like photo ops, exclusive merch drops, a gallery of Shannon's original work, and more.

As a result of celebrating and deepening relationships with fans, creators in 2023 earned $350 million from real fans purchasing memberships and digital products sold in their shops.

Podcasting as it should be

With Patreon, podcasts are about so much more than just listens and likes. They’re about building communities with their own language and inside jokes — those are the types of things that stick with people. When creators can truly connect with their fans and impact their lives in a positive way, they’re able to turn their work into successful, sustainable businesses.

Podcasters are a part of the network of hundreds of thousands of creators on Patreon who are helping us build towards our vision of a better internet— one that’s anchored in creative freedom and energized fandoms, where creators and artists have more control over their creativity and business.