Guide for podcasters · 7 min read
How to start a paid podcast subscription
Keep your free show where it is, and give your biggest fans extra episodes in their own private feed. Here’s how to choose the perk, set the price and launch it, step by step.
The short version
- Your free show stays exactly where it is. Paying listeners get extra episodes in a private feed.
- A private feed is a personal podcast link that works in the app they already use.
- Start with one simple tier and one perk you can keep up every week.
- Tell listeners in your own voice, on the show, and give early supporters a reason to join first.
What a paid podcast subscription is
A paid podcast subscription is extra audio for the listeners who want more of you. Your regular show stays free, on the same host, in every app. Listeners who subscribe get something on top: bonus episodes, early access, an ad-free version, or all three.
The part that makes it work is the private feed. Instead of a separate app or a website they have to remember, each paying listener gets their own podcast link. It goes into the podcast app they already use, and the members-only episodes show up there like any other episode.
Your free show
Stays where it is
Same host, same public feed, same listeners finding you in every app.
Your subscription
Adds a private feed
Extra episodes for paying listeners, in their own link, in their own app.
How a private feed works
Tap through what a new member does on ByUs, from your page to their podcast app. It takes about two taps.
Your Show
Weekly episodes · on ByUs
Members · $8/mo
Bonus episodes, ad-free feed and early access.
JoinThis week’s episode
1 hr 4 min
What to put behind the paywall
You don’t need a second show. Most subscriptions start with one of these, and several take no extra recording at all.
Bonus episodes
An extra conversation, a deep dive, or one members-only segment a month. The most common perk, and the easiest to explain.
Early access
Members hear new episodes first. Everyone else gets them a few days later. No extra recording at all.
Ad-free versions
The same episodes without the ad reads. Simple to make, and listeners who hate ads will pay for it.
Behind the scenes
Outtakes, planning calls, the stories that didn’t make the cut. Members love feeling like part of the show.
Your back catalog
Older seasons or retired series, together in one place for members. Work you already made, earning again.
Their name in the show
A thank-you in the credits or the show notes. Small, personal, and it costs you nothing.
How to price it
Price it like you’d pay for it. Look at what shows like yours charge, then pick a price a regular listener would be happy to pay for your one perk. You don’t need to be the cheapest. Your listeners join because of you, not because of a bargain.
One price to start
One clear monthly price is easy to say on air. You can add a higher tier later for your biggest fans.
A yearly option
Offer a small discount for paying once, like 10 months’ price for the whole year. Your biggest fans pay once and forget about it.
Raise it kindly
You can change your price later. Keep the old price for the members who already joined. They backed you first.
On ByUs, card processing is already included, creators keep 87–91% of what members pay, and monthly tiers start at $6. Tiers under $6 are billed yearly.
How to launch it, step by step
- 1
Pick one perk you can keep up
Choose the perk from the list above that fits how you already work. If you record every week, early access or an after-show is easy. If your edits take ages, an ad-free version might be simplest. Promise what you can do on a busy week, not your best one.
- 2
Make one tier
One clear tier is easier to explain on air than three half-planned ones. Give it a name that sounds like your show, a price, and two or three specific things members get. You can add a higher tier later.
- 3
Set up the private feed
Use a platform that gives every member their own feed for their podcast app, so nobody has to change how they listen. Add your show name and artwork so it looks like your show, and put your free episodes in the same feed so members only need one.
- 4
Record a few members-only episodes first
Have two or three ready before you announce, so the first people to join get something right away and the feed doesn’t look empty.
- 5
Tell your listeners, in your own voice
Mention it on the show, in the show notes and wherever you post. A short, honest read from you works better than any ad. See the example below.
- 6
Thank your first members
Say their names on air or in the credits (with their OK). It makes the first members feel great, and it shows everyone else that real people are joining.
Example on-air announcement
“Quick thing before we start. A lot of you have asked how to support the show, so we started a membership. Members get [your perk, for example an extra episode every month] in their own private feed, right in the podcast app you’re using now. It’s [price], and the first [number] people to join get [a small thank-you, like their name in the credits]. The link is in the show notes. Thank you, it genuinely keeps the show going.”
Free tool
Your podcast membership starter kit
Fill in four things and get your tier, an on-air announcement, show notes, a social post, a thank-you read and a launch checklist, written for your show. Free, no sign-up.
Your tier
Insiders
$6 a month · $60 a year
- A bonus episode every month
- First 25 members: their name read in the credits
- Private feed in their own podcast app
Effort: One extra recording a month.
On-air announcement
Quick thing before we start. A lot of you have asked how to support the show, so we started a membership. It's called Insiders. Members get a bonus episode every month, in their own private feed, right in the podcast app you're using now. It's $6 a month, or $60 for the whole year. The first 25 people to join get their name read in the credits. The link is in the show notes. Thank you. It really keeps the show going.
About 30 seconds. Say it your own way, on three episodes in a row.
Show notes
Want more our show? Join Insiders and get a bonus episode every month, in your own private feed for your podcast app. $6/month or $60/year. First 25 members get their name read in the credits. Join here: [your link]
Swap [your link] for your join link.
Social post
We started a membership for our show! Join Insiders and get a bonus episode every month, right in the podcast app you already use. $6/month or $60/year. The first 25 to join get their name read in the credits. Link in bio.
Thank-you read for your first members
Before we start, a big thank-you to the first people who joined Insiders: [names, with their OK]. You're the reason we can keep making this show. If you want to join them, the link is in the show notes.
Only read names with each member's OK.
Launch checklist
What it could earn
Move the slider to your listeners per episode. The join rates are examples to play with, not a promise.
2,500
50 members × $8 = $400 a month
You keep on ByUs
$348 /month
87% of every payment, card processing included
A typical platform
$333 /month
10% fee, then 2.9% + 30¢ card processing on every payment
$175 more a year on ByUs
Examples to play with, not a promise. The first 50 US creators to reach $250 in a month keep 90% for good.
Questions podcasters ask
Do I have to move my free podcast?
No. Your free show can stay on the host you use now. A paid subscription only adds extra episodes for paying listeners, in a separate private feed. On ByUs you can even pull your free episodes into that same private feed, so members only need one.
Which podcast apps work with private feeds?
Most of them. On ByUs, members tap one button to add their feed to Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts or Castro, and most other apps can add it with “Add a show by URL”. Spotify doesn’t take private feeds yet, so Spotify listeners can play members-only episodes right on your ByUs page.
What happens if someone cancels?
Their feed stops getting members-only episodes when the time they paid for runs out. You don’t have to remove anyone by hand.
What if a member shares their feed link?
Each link belongs to one member. If a link is used from far more places than one person normally would, ByUs emails the member and the team takes a look. The member can tap “Reset link” to get a new one, and the old link stops working right away.
How much should I charge?
There’s no single right number. Look at what shows like yours charge, then pick a price a regular listener would be happy to pay for your one perk. Add a yearly option with a small discount for your biggest fans. On ByUs, monthly tiers start at $6, and tiers under $6 are billed yearly.
I already have paying members somewhere else. Can I move them?
Yes. On ByUs, a switching link lets members join today and pay $0 until their current membership runs out, so nobody pays twice. You can also bring your old episodes over as uploads.
Ready to give your listeners more?
ByUs gives every member a private feed for their podcast app. Free to start, card fees included, and you keep 87–91% of what members pay. Evan, the founder, will help you set it up for free.