Podcasting has become a highly successful and popular industry, with countless new shows popping up each week and offering something new and exciting to this new form of media.
One of the most attractive qualities of podcasting is the freedom it gives content creators to create their material and control their narrative.
Podcasters can carve out their niche without interference from large corporations – and without the need for the kind of representation that would classically be required with a career in TV and radio.
It also allows people to make their own money, either through paid advertising, fan donations, or when they sell podcast merchandise, with the latter proving quite lucrative to podcasters with a degree of established success.
But what merchandise can budding podcasters sell, and which sells better than others?
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Podcast Merchandise Ideas for Your Podcast Brand
Podcast Planner:
A specially designed planner for podcast creators featuring scheduling pages, episode planning sections, guest tracking, and tips for growing their podcast.
Microphone Windscreen:
Custom windscreens for microphones.
Branded USB Drives:
USB drives shaped like microphones or the Podcast brand logo are preloaded with exclusive content or useful podcasting resources.
Podcast Recording Sign:
A light-up sign reading “Recording” or “On Air” featuring the Podcast branding is perfect for podcasters to signal when they are recording and avoid interruptions.
Notebooks and Pens:
High-quality notebooks with dotted or lined pages featuring “WIREDCLIP” branding on the cover, along with sleek pens for note-taking during podcast planning or interviews.
Insulated Water Bottles:
Stainless steel water bottles with “WIREDCLIP” branding ensure podcasters stay hydrated during long recording sessions without the noise of disposable bottles.
How Does Merchandising Work?
Generally speaking, selling podcast merch is one of the best ways for podcasters to make money, while creating something that passionate fans can purchase and cherish in the process.
This was once a popular activity for musicians and other such artists. Still, with the rise of the modern podcaster, this kind of fandom needed something to celebrate and publicize their love for their favorite artists.
The internet, while essential for the podcasting industry, also means that artists can create and go into selling podcast merchandise through their own websites.
This means they are 100% in control of the profits and the products they decide to make.
Can Merchandise Work For All Podcasters?
Putting up a merch store can benefit most podcasters, irrespective of their chosen niche. However, one important thing to remember is that you need a fanbase to sell your products.
This means that it is necessary (if not vital) to establish a viewership before you create merchandise, as this can ensure that you do not waste money creating products for a podcast that might never get off the ground.
What Merchandise Can People Sell?
Regarding merchandising, the sky is the limit for podcast merch ideas you can sell to a potential fanbase.
This can vary depending on your podcast type and could be as obscure or niche as you feel like.
T-Shirts
The t-shirt is perhaps the most common and obvious form of podcast swag that podcasters can sell.
This allows you to come up with various designs, colors, and podcast logos that allow your fans to wear your podcast’s name with pride when they are out in the world.
Everyone loves a T-shirt, especially if you put in the work and hire talented artists to design your custom merchandise.
And what’s more, once your fans wear them out in public, you are essentially getting a living, breathing billboard – advertising your podcast and potentially attracting new fans.
There are also numerous affordable t-shirt printing apparatuses on the market, allowing those with a budget to create their own prototypes or products that can then be sold online – although this method is perhaps most useful for small-time podcasters with a limited audience.
Caps
Baseball caps are another product that sells like hot cakes, and depending on how cool you make them, could prove to be a best seller amongst your fanbase.
These are somewhat harder to produce yourself, as the cap can be hard to print onto without specialist equipment, but with the right connections, you could create a great, iconic product that your fans will wear with pride.
Hoodies
Hoodies are an item of clothing that most people wear at some point in their lives, and are generally a staple of most people’s wardrobes, thanks to their comfort and versatility.
Moreover, they create a larger canvas for you to publicize your podcast, using any number of creative designs to get the message across.
These generally consist of smaller designs on the front left breast of the hoodie, with a larger podcast merch design across the back.
Pin Badges
Pin badges are perfect for fans who want something a little more lowkey, and are a great collectible item that is cheap to produce and fun to make.
These benefit from more simplistic, striking designs, but can be a great way of repping a brand, and creating a striking statement accessory that people will be attracted to.
They are also generally sold cheaper, meaning that fans might be more tempted to buy them than other pricier items.
Mugs
Everyone loves a good mug, and like t-shirts, these can be great ways to advertise your podcast.
Fans can take these to the office and use them as work mugs, or they could cherish them at home as their favorite receptacle for their morning cup of Joe.
These allow you to get a little more creative, with more room for elaborate designs and eye-catching color schemes.
What’s more, they are something that most people need and own, making them more desirable to fans.
Posters
Finally, what superfan wouldn’t want a poster of their favorite podcaster on their wall? This doesn’t need to be a photograph and could quite easily be any cool design for your own podcast merchandise.
Comedians tend to use this piece of merchandise, often showing specific shows or tours, and often boasting cool, eye-catching retro designs that make for great wall art.
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Final Thoughts
And there we have it, everything you need to know about podcasting, and the branded merch creators can sell to their fans. Now, you can create buzz for a podcast by using our various podcast swag ideas.
Podcasting can be very lucrative and fulfilling to those with the drive, work ethic, loyal podcast audience, and understanding of the industry.
And what’s more, it shows no signs of slowing down, with more and more people turning to podcasting as a means of establishing a brand, and creating a community of like-minded people who can support one another.
Why not give these ideas a try?
