Podcasting is predominantly an audio space, but that doesn’t mean that you should be limited to audio content— especially when it comes to monetization. You can use your Glow account to provide a range of other offerings, like providing exclusive videos to paying listeners.

Providing a premium plan for listeners that gives them access to exclusive video content has many benefits. Not only do listeners get the chance to connect with you in a new medium, but you can use your podcast to make money. 

Here’s How it Works

By the end of this guide, you will have two versions of your podcast: the free version and the premium version. The free version will contain all your regular content and remain available to anyone that wants to listen. The premium version will offer exclusive features to paying listeners— such as the access to a private video. You can also choose to add premium content or other special features (like a private community) to your exclusive feed, but this guide will focus on using Glow to offer premium video.

Getting Set Up

Create a Glow account and select “Paid Content” when choosing an offering

  1. Make sure you have signed up with a Glow account. Visit https://glow.fm/podcasters/sign-up/ and create an account if you haven’t already. 
  2. Enter your regular podcast’s RSS feed under “Enter your Main Podcast RSS Feed.”
  3. Create a second private RSS feed using your preferred host that’s a copy of your main show (that is, upload all the episodes of your main show to that RSS feed). This will be the private RSS feed that also has links to your private videos in the show notes.  We have a few recommendations for hosts for your private RSS feed. 

Create an account with YouTube or Vimeo to host your private video

There are two ways that you can upload your videos so that they’ll only be shared with your premium listeners:

  • Upload it as “unlisted” on YouTube: unlisted videos won’t appear in YouTube or Google search results, so people won’t randomly stumble upon your video. This is free. 
  • Upload it on Vimeo and share via private links: You can upload your video to Vimeo and password protect it or share using private links. This can be free or cost $7/month, depending on how private your make it.

Once you have created an account and started publishing your premium videos, you can put a private/unlisted link in the show notes of your second private feed.***

Include links to your private videos in the show notes of your premium feed

Premium listeners will still be able to listen to all the content the same way they might if they were only listening to the free show. But, the show notes will contain links to videos that you only want premium users to have access to. This way, you’ll be able to distribute access to premium videos to your listeners without asking them to change their podcast listening habits. You can also add extra audio into your premium feed, reminding listeners that they have access to exclusive videos because they chose to support your show. 

Let your Listeners Know

Promote your new exclusive offerings to all your listeners in your normal podcast. Make sure they know that exclusive videos exist and get them excited about watching.  

A final note: This same process will work with any unlisted or private link you want to share with exclusive listeners (i.e private Slack communities). We know that creating quality content takes a lot of time. That’s why we want to help you monetize your podcast in the way that works best for you. If you ever want to use Glow to provide something else to your listeners, let us know and we will work something out. 

**If you choose to use a password protected Vimeo account, you will have to manually email links and the password to listeners as they subscribe.