Part 4: Merch, Courses, and Content Bundles – Selling Products and Premium Content to Your Fans
Thus far, we’ve covered getting paid by sponsors and fans. Now it’s time to explore monetization methods where you create something extra of your own to sell. This includes merchandise (like t-shirts or mugs with your podcast’s branding), digital products or courses (leveraging your expertise or content into a sellable format), and bundling content into packages or subscriptions for more value. For story-driven podcasts, these strategies are a chance to expand your creative world and give fans something special to buy – whether it’s a cool poster of your podcast’s artwork, an e-book of short stories, or a bundle of bonus episodes sold as a “season pass.” In this part, we’ll discuss how to approach merchandise and product creation, examples of podcasts succeeding with merch and more, the best platforms to use, and how to gauge if your audience is ready for it.
Branded Merchandise | Turning Listeners into Walking Advertisements (and Revenue)
Selling merch is a classic way creators monetize. If your podcast has a distinct title, logo, catchphrase, or artwork, you can probably put it on a T-shirt! The appeal of merch is twofold: you earn profit on each sale, and your show gets free promotion when fans wear or use the item. In the words of one podcast agency, “the best thing about branded podcast merch is that it works twice – sale of the product is income, and every time a listener sports your merch, they’re promoting your podcast (win-win!)”.
For story podcasts, merch often taps into the fandom that forms around the narrative. Think of it like this: if someone loves your stories, they might enjoy owning a piece of that story world or showing off that they are part of your community.
Examples of Podcast Merch
Criminal Podcast Store: Criminal (the true crime podcast) has an official online store with apparel and accessories. They sell things like a tote bag that says “Dot Calm” and sweatshirts with inside jokes or quotes from episodes. They even had a “I’m Phoebe Judge, This is Criminal” T-shirt – a nod to the host’s famous intro line. When Criminal went on a 10th anniversary live tour, they offered a special tour t-shirt as well. This merch not only earned money but helped strengthen the brand identity of the show among listeners.
Lore’s Books and More
Lore took an interesting route – Aaron Mahnke turned many of his podcast episodes into books (“The World of Lore” series), which fans can purchase. The books collect and beautifully illustrate the stories from the podcast. This is merchandise in content form, and it serves both as an additional product line and as a way to reach new audiences (book readers who then discover the podcast). Additionally, Loresold typical merch like t-shirts and posters at events, and since the podcast became an Amazon Prime series, there was even cross-merch from the show. This is a case of leveraging podcast IP into multiple product formats.
Fiction Podcast Merch and Novels
Welcome to Night Vale’s creators have been masters of merch. They sell everything from Night Vale Community Radio coffee mugs to fan art prints, and they even published novels set in the Night Vale universe. Fans of the fiction podcast eagerly bought these novels, which both expanded the story and became NYTimes bestsellers – a huge monetization and branding win. Another fiction example: The Adventure Zone (an actual-play RPG narrative podcast) turned its story arcs into graphic novels, which became extremely popular. While those are more “adaptations” than merch, they monetize the story IP much like merch does.
Popular Podcast Merch (General)
On a larger scale, podcasts like Call Her Daddy and My Favorite Murder each generated significant revenue from selling merch to their armies of fans. Alex Cooper of Call Her Daddy had branded hoodies and hats that sold out frequently. My Favorite Murder’s fan base (self-dubbed “Murderinos”) bought t-shirts with quotes like “Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered,” which became almost a cultural meme. While these shows aren’t story-driven in the scripted sense, they show how a strong brand and loyal audience can make merch a top monetization stream – sometimes rivaling ad income.
When and What Merch to Offer
If you’re just starting out, you might hold off on merch until you have an audience that’s asking for it. A good sign is if listeners spontaneously create fan art, or frequently quote your show on social media – that means there’s demand for tangible goodies. Start with simple, low-cost items: stickers, shirts, maybe a poster or mug. Poll your community (if you have a Patreon or social media following) about what kind of merch they’d actually want. Often, inside jokes or iconic phrases from your show make the best sellers.
Also consider the design. If you’re not a graphic designer, you can hire an artist (there are many who specialize in podcast merch art) or use print-on-demand services that have design tools. Keep the design appealing even to someone who might not know the podcast – e.g. a cool graphic or witty phrase that sparks curiosity. Your hardcore fans will buy it regardless, but a great design can turn your merch into a conversation starter (“What’s that shirt from?” – “Oh, it’s from this awesome podcast I listen to…”).
How to produce and sell merch: The good news is you don’t need to sink a bunch of money into inventory upfront. Use print-on-demand (POD) and dropshipping services. For example:
Printful, Teespring, Redbubble
These services let you upload designs and they will print and ship on demand. You can integrate them with an online store (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.). So you don’t pay anything until someone orders; the service takes their base cost, you get the markup difference as profit. (Quill’s mention of instantly producing hoodies, water bottles, etc. with your logo is referencing POD).
Fourthwall and Spring
Fourthwall is a newer platform many creators use – it handles storefront, production, and even allows selling digital items and memberships. Spring (formerly Teespring) allows you to create a storefront for apparel and more. These make it easy for a one-person operation.
Shopify or WooCommerce store
If you want a branded store on your own website, you can set up a Shopify store (or use a plugin like WooCommerce on WordPress) and connect it to a POD supplier. This gives you more control over the shopping experience and branding (like shop.yourpodcast.com).
Cost & Profit
Typically, a t-shirt might cost you $10 to have printed and shipped via POD, and you might sell it for $20-$25, making ~$10-$15 profit each. Not bad if you sell 100 shirts – that could be $1,000+. The trade-off with POD is each item’s profit margin is a bit lower than if you bulk ordered items yourself, but it’s far less risk and hassle for a beginner. As your volume grows, you could consider bulk ordering popular items to increase margins, but then you have to manage shipping or use a fulfillment partner.
Merchandise Tie-ins
Consider releasing merch around special events: a limited edition design for a season finale, or merchandise tied to a live show (like Criminal’s tour shirt). Limited releases can create urgency and excitement, encouraging fans to buy now rather than later.
Creating Courses or Guides: Monetizing Your Knowledge and Backstory
Apart from physical merchandise, you might have knowledge or content that can be packaged as a product. For example, if you have expertise in storytelling, podcast production, or the subject matter of your narrative, there could be demand for a course, workshop, or guide from you.
Ideas for story-driven podcasters
“How to Start a Story-Driven Podcast” Course
Perhaps your journey has taught you a lot about writing scripts, voice acting, sound design, etc. Many aspiring podcasters or writers would pay to learn those skills. You could create an online video course or a series of live training sessions. Platforms like Udemy, Teachable, Podia, or Skillshare allow you to host and sell courses. For instance, you could produce a 10-module video course covering story development, recording techniques, audience engagement (you might even reference some of the principles from the Guide to Story-Driven Podcasting that you’ve created!). Selling a course can be high-margin – you make it once and sell it repeatedly.
E-books or Premium Guides
Maybe you can compile tips or behind-the-scenes stories into a PDF e-book. Or if your podcast is based on historical research, you could publish a companion guide with more detail than you include in episodes. Fans who crave more depth might buy it. Some podcasters sell transcripts of episodes bundled by theme or season, which doubles as both an accessibility feature and a product. For example, an investigative story podcast might release a “Case Dossier” PDF with transcripts, photos, and bonus info from the season – essentially an ebook.
Workshops or Webinars
You can offer live online sessions (paid tickets) for those interested in your craft. Perhaps a storytelling workshop where you teach how to build suspense, or a Q&A session about the real history behind your fiction. These can be sold via platforms like Eventbrite or on your own site, and conducted via Zoom. While not a “passive” product (since you have to host it live), it can strengthen your community and lead to recorded content you might later sell as on-demand.
One great thing about creating a course or guide is that it leverages the work you’ve already done. You have a podcast; you’ve likely learned a lot about the subject matter or the process. Why not repurpose that into a structured product? It can also elevate your profile – being seen as an “expert” or teacher in addition to a storyteller.
Real-World Insight
Not many narrative podcasters publicly talk about selling courses, but plenty of podcast hosts in other genres do (especially business or self-help podcasters). However, there are story podcasters who monetize knowledge in subtler ways. For example, LeVar Burton Reads (fiction podcast by the famous actor) doesn’t sell a course, but LeVar Burton did teach a MasterClass on storytelling – effectively monetizing his reading/storytelling skill on a separate platform. If your background or approach has something unique, you could be the one teaching a MasterClass-esque course for your niche.
Bundling Content and Offering Premium Packages
We touched on memberships earlier which is one form of bundling exclusive content. Here we consider bundling in a broader sense: Combining various content or products into a package for a price. This strategy can increase the perceived value and appeal to different segments of your audience.
Examples of bundling for a podcast
Season Bundles / Full Series Sales
If your podcast is serialized or seasonal, you could bundle a whole season’s episodes (plus maybe bonus scenes or director’s commentary) and sell it as a digital download or on a platform like Audible. Some creators do this to monetize listeners who might prefer to pay once to binge a whole story rather than wait week-to-week. It’s similar to selling an audiobook. In fact, podcast networks like Wondery have used this model: releasing a hit narrative podcast for free weekly, but also offering the full series early for purchase on Amazon or Wondery+. If your story podcast completes a storyline, you can package those MP3s and PDF transcript as a “Season 1 Special Edition” bundle on your website or Gumroad.
Podcast + Newsletter/Blog Bundles
If you produce written content (say you write short articles or have a newsletter analyzing storytelling techniques, or giving historical context), you can bundle that with your audio content in a Substack subscription or on Patreon as a higher tier. Substack in particular allows you to charge for a combination of newsletter + podcast feed. This way, you attract both readers and listeners – maybe someone discovers your insightful blog posts and by subscribing they also get your bonus podcast episodes.
Cross-Podcast Bundles
If you have multiple podcasts or collaborate with other creators, you could create a bundle subscription that covers all content. For example, imagine you have a horror fiction show and a sci-fi fiction show; you could have a single membership that gives access to bonus content for both. Some networks or groups of independent podcasters do joint bundles (like a “story podcast fan pass” that covers a few different shows). This can expand your reach by pooling audiences. It’s somewhat advanced, but platforms like Supporting Cast or Supercast can manage multi-show bundles if arranged.
Merch and Content Bundles
Another idea is offering a higher-priced bundle that includes both physical and digital goods. E.g., a “Fan Kit” that for $50 includes a t-shirt, a sticker pack, and a USB drive with exclusive audio (perhaps a bonus episode or bloopers). Or a holiday bundle where buying a piece of merch during December gives access to a private live storytelling event online. Bundling physical and digital perks can entice fans to spend more at once, rather than separately.
Platform suggestions for bundling
Substack
Great for bundling written and audio content with a subscription model.
Memberful / Patreon
You can essentially bundle if you run multiple offerings through one membership. Patreon now even allows offering merch for long-term members (like “after 3 months, get a free mug”), effectively bundling a product as a reward.
Gumroad or Sellfy
These are platforms to sell digital downloads or bundles easily. You upload files (audio, PDF, etc.) and set a price. Useful for one-off sales like a full season download or an e-book/audio bundle.
E-commerce for physical and digital
If you run a Shopify store for merch, you can also sell digital gift cards or downloads there, making it a one-stop shop for fans to buy a shirt and an mp3 bundle in one cart.
Does Your Audience Want Products? Gauging Engagement for Merch & More
For monetization methods like merch and courses, the success largely depends on audience engagement and demand. Here are some signs and prerequisites:
Community Engagement
If you have active social media followers, Patreon members, or you get emails from listeners, that’s a sign people might buy extras. High engagement (comments, fan art, inside jokes circulating) often translates to enthusiasm for merch. For a course, if you notice people asking “How do you do XYZ?” or “I’d love to learn to create a story like yours,” that indicates interest in learning from you.
Download Numbers vs. Superfans
You don’t need giant download numbers, but you do need a core of superfans who feel a connection. A podcast with 5000 casual listeners may sell less merch than one with 500 listeners of which 100 are die-hards. It’s about how invested they are in your brand. So focus on nurturing that connection (via social media, responding to messages, maybe a free Discord). Those relationships are what drive merch sales – fans often buy merch as a token of belonging or to display their love for the content.
Pre-orders and Feedback
One low-risk way to test is to announce a merch item (or course idea) and collect pre-orders or feedback. For example, you could mock up a t-shirt design and post it asking, “Would anyone be interested if we made this shirt? Pre-order now to help us fund the first print run!” If you get orders – great, go for it. If not, you saved yourself money by not producing inventory that might sit unsold.
Limited Editions
Starting with a limited edition run (say 50 shirts or a 2-week window to buy an item) can test demand. Scarcity can also drive quick sales. If it goes well, you know there’s appetite and you can do more.
Pricing Consideration
Price your products with your audience in mind. Fans will pay a premium to support you, but there’s a limit. A $25–$35 tee is standard. A $5–$15 e-book is typical. Courses can range widely ($50 to hundreds), but if you’re not a household name, keep it accessible (maybe under $100 for a comprehensive course, or a lower-priced mini workshop for entry). It’s better to have more people participate at a fair price than to price too high and get only a couple sales. You can always create a tiered offering (basic e-book vs. deluxe e-book + audio commentary bundle).
Bringing It All Together
By diversifying into merch, products, and bundles, you’re effectively building a mini-brand empire around your podcast. It’s exactly like what Quincy de Vries from Quill noted: treat your podcast as its own brand, and it opens doors to brand extensions like merchandise, exclusive content deals, or events. We’ve covered merch and content. One thing to mention is live events and exclusive experiences – while not explicitly in the requested list, it’s a related monetization avenue. Some story-driven podcasts do live show tours, or special events (like a live virtual storytelling session) and sell tickets. This can be very rewarding (both financially and in strengthening fan loyalty). If your audience is large enough and geographically clustered, live shows could be considered down the road. Even a virtual live episode on Zoom with a ticket price (or pay-what-you-want) is an event you can try.
Quick Platform/Tool Recap
- Merch: Printful, Teespring (Spring), Redbubble for print-on-demand; Shopify or Big Cartel for shop setup; Patreon’s merch-for-members feature for a hybrid approach.
- Courses/Guides: Teachable and Podia (for hosting paid courses or digital downloads), Udemy (marketplace for courses), Gumroad (sell files or course access codes), Canva or Adobe InDesign (to create nice PDFs/e-books).
- Bundles: Substack, Memberful, Supercast for bundling content in subscriptions; Gumroad or Ko-Fi Shop for bundle sales; Eventbrite or Crowdcast for ticketed events.
Takeaway
Monetizing via merchandise, courses, and bundled content allows you to capitalize on the world and expertise you’ve built around your story. It can become a significant revenue source – some podcasts have made tens of thousands from merch drops, and others create spin-off products that dwarf their ad revenue. Even if you start small (like a few stickers or a single PDF guide), these offerings give your audience more ways to connect with your creation and support it. Just remember to keep quality high – a bad t-shirt or half-baked course could disappoint fans. But done right, these ventures enrich your listeners’ experience and your bank account simultaneously.
END NOTES AND LINKS
Criminal Podcast – Official Merchandise Store
Includes shirts, mugs, and tour posters; supports the brand’s minimalist true crime aesthetic.
Criminal Shop
Criminal Podcast – 10th Anniversary Tour
Promotion and fan engagement through live events and merch.
Criminal Tour Page
Lore Podcast – Amazon Prime TV Show
Amazon adapted Lore into a TV series, giving the brand a transmedia presence.
Lore on Amazon Prime
Lore Podcast – Published Books
Creator Aaron Mahnke turned the podcast into a series of books including The World of Lore.
The World of Lore – Penguin Random House
Welcome to Night Vale – Official Store
Includes fan-designed shirts, hoodies, tote bags, books, and exclusive tour items.
Night Vale Presents Merch
Welcome to Night Vale – Fiction Novels
Night Vale creators published several novels expanding the podcast world.
Night Vale Books
Printful – Print-on-Demand Fulfillment for Merch Creators
Offers white-labeled merch like shirts, mugs, and stickers that ship automatically to customers.
Printful
Spring (formerly Teespring)
Integrates with YouTube and other creator platforms for streamlined merch sales.
Spring for Creators
Fourthwall – All-in-One Creator Platform
Podcast-friendly storefront for merch, digital products, and tipping.
Fourthwall
Gumroad – Sell Digital Products Like Bonus Episodes and Zines
Ideal for audio creators selling PDFs, bonus interviews, or writing collections.
Gumroad
Substack – Monetized Email Newsletters and Audio Content
Lets podcasters build community, share behind-the-scenes content, or serialize fiction.
Substack for Podcasters.