You don’t need an ad network’s minimum download numbers — you need a hundred listeners who’d hate for the show to stop. A sponsorship wall gives them the way to keep it going.
Ad networks want scale; great niche shows often don’t have it and never will — that’s what makes them great. But niche audiences are the most devoted audiences in podcasting, and the host-read economy already proved listeners act on what they hear on the show they trust. Point that trust at your own wall: every named plaque is a listener publicly telling the rest of the audience the show is worth paying for.
The link should be wherever the subscribe button is.
You already know mid-roll works; run one for yourself and name a backer or two while you’re at it.
Replace the empty “sponsors” page with a wall of the listeners who actually fund the show.
New listeners read it once, at exactly the moment they’re deciding whether to invest in your back catalog.
Podcasts run on parasocial trust — listeners spend hours a month with your voice. Backing formalizes a relationship they already feel, and the plaque makes it mutual: their name on the show’s wall, tier and tenure visible, maybe even read aloud. Monthly backers are your season-to-season budget; the wall’s streaks show the show has a paying base, which is exactly what any future guest, network, or actual sponsor wants to see.
One-time or monthly backings, paid directly into your own Stripe account — we never hold your money. Fees: 10% on Free, 5% on Pro, 3% on Max.
You verify a handle or domain to unlock payouts; sponsors giving larger amounts pass an identity check. The names on your wall are real people.
Backers appear on your public wall with a tier, a name (or anonymous, their choice), and how long they’ve backed you.
Payouts currently require a U.S. Stripe account — more countries are coming. Your wall works everywhere.
Free to join. Your wall is live in minutes, and every backer after that is public credit.