According to Podcast Industry Insights, there are currently 2,454,641 podcasts and counting! And, because practically anyone can start a podcast with minimal investment (think under a couple of hundred dollars and with little to no experience!), you can expect to see that number continue to rise.
More than half of Americans have listened to a podcast, it’s a lucrative business for sure. In fact, Statista reports that since 2006, 62% of Americans heard a podcast, a number that has increased over 55% from just last year!
So, if you’ve been dreaming about promoting your podcast ever since its inception or just want to take your podcast merch ideas to the next level, we’ll show you merchandise for podcasters that will leave your subscribers wanting more!
Ways To Monetize Your Podcast Swag
If your looking for a monetization platform to help you create a swag store, look no further. Gemnote is the expert when it comes to creating a podcast merchandise store. Don’t want a store, just want to sell the best podcast merch or even use your customized swag as promotional items to give away? Gemnote can help you with that too!
Best Merchandise Ideas for Giveaways and Podcast Swag Stores
When it comes to how to monetize podcasts, creating a swag store is a popular way to bring your podcast merch ideas, including create my own merch, to life. The great thing about having a swag store, is you don’t have to have a ton of subscribers to start creating, selling, or giving away the best podcast merch.
Gemnote specializes in scoring the best product and clothing merch ideas for your company and turning them into the last podcast merch you’ll need. While it’s always smart to periodically rotate your offerings for a fresh collection or a new season, they can help you score versatile, sustainable products to make sure your swag works just as hard as you do.
Also, by creating a podcast merchandise store, not will you be able to earn money from your podcast merch, but the best podcast merch acts as a marketing vehicle as well.
Some of the best merch ideas are sustainable. Think tee shirts and other clothing merch ideas, as well as reusable bags, totes, and reusable drinkware, like coffee tumblers and customized mugs. By investing in quality podcast merch that’s customized with your logo and branding, your podcast brand will get more exposure, since it can go everywhere your recipient does.
13 Podcast Merchandise Ideas
In this post, we walk you through cool merch ideas you may want to consider. Just remember to take into account, your branding, your audience base, and your budget to make sure you get the most out of your investment! Here we list out podcast merchandise ideas for different budgets.
1. A Branded Duffel Bag
Who couldn’t use a cool duffel bag? Now weekend getaways, commutes, running errands, hitting the gym, and more can all be occasions worthy of promoting your brand!
Best podcast merch for: Swag stores, employees merch, VIPS, and more!
Ways to Customize: There are plenty of real estate areas for customizing with your brand’s logo and more. Plus, you’ll have endless options for duffel styles, colors, and additional features like pockets, mesh storage areas for sweaty clothes or gym shoes, and more. Talk to your Gemnote rep for options.
2. Custom Hoodies or Track Jackets
It’s no secret hoodies are a staple in pretty much all necks of the woods. Whether you decide to add your logo to a name brand sweatshirt, like this cool collaboration from Aimé Leon Dore that features New Balance, is up to you. There are endless colors and ways to personalize a hoodie—or sweatshirt— for your podcast. For more options on customizing sweatshirts and hoodies, check out our blog.
Track jackets are also fun style staples that love to trend on repeat. Never could the saying what’s old is new again be more relevant. We coveted them in the 80s and again in 2022. Whether you go clean and modern like the iets frans Track Jacket from Urban Outfitters (below) or let your colorful branding take center stage, you will find a plethora of brands, styles, designs, and even customization areas at your disposal.
Best podcast merch for: Hoodies and jackets are a great option for swag stores, VIPs, incentives, and definitely your employees or volunteers since they will want to help promote your brand. If your budget allows for it, you can always use these items as giveaway swag. Just make sure your return on investment correlates with your budget.
Ways to Customize: Screen printing, digital printing, and embroidery are popular ways to customize your podcast merch hoodie or sweatshirt. Your Gemnote rep can help you decide which customization process will work best for your design.
3. Custom Camp Shirt
As far as cool concepts go for podcast swag, camp shirts come as no surprise. Depending on the category or mood of your podcast, camp shirts offer the perfect canvas for your branding. Even just a logo embroidered on the pocket can make an ultra coll, modern statement.
Best podcast merch for: Swag stores, your best customers, and prize drawings
Ways to Customize: Screen or digital printing and embroidery are popular options. Talk to your Gemnote rep about getting additional design ideas.
4. Branded Cap
Caps are perfect for customizing since you can find them in all shapes and sizes. In fact, when it comes to investing in them for your personalized swag, the hardest decision you’ll make is choosing your favorite style. If you're adding to a swag store, you may give your recipients several in-season styles to choose from. For example, for summer, trucker hats, bucket hats, and the classic baseball hat make great picks. Whereas for winter, you may choose a knitted hat or beanie.
Best podcast merch for: Swag stores, employees merch, events and festivals.
Ways to Customize: There are multiple areas you can customize a hat, including the bill. In addition to screenprinting and embroidery, you can also include a leather embossed patch to your cap for an elevated design.
5. Personalized Reusable Tote
Sustainability definitely has its place when it comes to merchandise for podcasters. Don’t leave a bad taste in your recipients' mouths with single-use items. Instead opt for earth-conscious choices that do the planet good, like reusable totes.
Best podcast merch for: Swag stores, employee merch, events, and festivals.
Ways to Customize: With so many reusable bag styles on the market, you can tailor your customization to complement the fabrication. For example, an embossed leather patch or embroidery could elevate your canvas bag, whereas screen printing would be preferred for nylon options or as a cost-saving method.
6. Customized Cups
Sustainability doesn’t stop at totes. When it comes to drinkware, throw away plastic bottles and single-use cups are out. Instead opt for an innovative cup, like this one from Stojo, that collapses for easy compact storage, includes a heat sleeve, has no BPA, and is also free of phthalates, leads, and glues. As if that’s not enough, it’s also dishwasher safe.
Best podcast merch for: Swag stores, employees merch, subscriber giveaways, or incentives.
Ways to Customize: Customize the band, throw in a reusable straw if it’s not already included, and have fun with your customization. Talk to your Gemnote rep for additional options.
7. Branded Stickers
Ready for an inexpensive swag option with marketing power that really sticks? You guessed it. Stickers. Not only are branded stickers perfect for adding just about anywhere, but they’re also a fun way to brighten up drinkware, notebooks, laptop cases, and more! And, if you are creating a swag kit, you will definitely want to include a branded sticker!
Best podcast merch for: Giveaways, additions to swag kits, promotional items for incentives, and more!
Ways to Customize: Whether you want to promote your podcast’s state of origin, like this California grouping below, or maybe you choose something unique to your channel, pretty much any design can be turned into a striking on-brand sticker. As for colors, the sky—and the rainbow— really is the limit!
Talk to your Gemnote rep about options for bumper stickers, cutouts, and more. They can also give you comparable ideas for magnets, enamel pins, and keychains—like hotel keychains which are also an on-trend, inexpensive option for podcast merch.
8. A Customized Tumbler
Another sustainable option for drinkware, to-go tumblers are an excellent idea for promoting your podcast swag with fun and functional products. Whether you share space with a name brand style like Swell (shown below), Corkcikle, Stanley, or other name brand variety, or go with a quality non-descript style with just your logo is up to you.
Best podcast merch for: Swag stores, giveaways, employee merch, events, incentives—depending on how much you want to invest in your tumbler, you can customize tumblers in a variety of price points to work for giveaways as well as gifts.
Ways to Customize: Tumblers can be printed on both sides of the drinkware with your design featured. If your finished style allows for a custom sticker, be sure to include it!
Shown: Swell Tumbler
9. Branded Phone Accessories
Everyone loves a great smartphone accessory! From customized PopSockets— like the fun style shown below—to tech pouches, charger banks, phone covers, and more, they make great swag options!
One reason the PopSocket grip and mount makes a great merch item is that you do not have to worry about whether your user has an iPhone or Andriod, as it fits most phones.
Best podcast merch for: Swag stores, employees, giveaways, and just about everything!
Ways to Customize: The customization area will depend on the size of your phone accessory, so make sure your logo stands out.
10. A Customized Cup And Saucer Set
Let your subscribers enjoy your podcast while sipping a cup of joe or tea any time of day. It’s also the perfect reminder that your next episode is just a download away! Shipping your customized merch? Here are the best mugs for drop shipping.
Best podcast merch for: Swag stores, employees merch, giveaways, and incentives
Ways to Customize: First, you’ll want to decide what features you want in a mug. From the funky handles, matching saucers, and the perfect silhouette to a rainbow of hues, your Gemnote rep can help you narrow down the options to find your perfect cup. You can even go simple with glass etching on a clear glass mug.
11. A Customized Tee
We can’t have the best merch list, without including an awesome tee! When it comes to branded merch, your classic tee is everything but boring. Just make sure it’s soft, washes well, and designed to promote your podcast wherever it goes.
Best podcast merch for: Merch stores, incentives— there’s nothing a branded tee can’t do. Just remember, if you’re using a tee as a giveaway item, you may want to invest in a unisex style and will need need to consider sizing options.
Ways to Customize: Similar to branded hoodies, screen or digital printing and embroidery are popular options. Talk to your Gemnote rep for additional design ideas.
12. Customized Markers
Why not give your subscribers something unexpected and symbolic. Nothing shows your podcast has staying power like a permanent marker customized with your logo! Whether you choose Sharpies, like the ones below, highlighters, or something in between, you and your logo have options!
Best podcast merch for: Giveaways, incentives, part of a swag kit, and even your swag store.
Ways to Customize: You’ll want to think through color options and styles- you’ll even find some that can be added to keychains! Talk to your Gemnote rep for more popular options.
13. Travel Speaker
Surprise your recipient with custom podcast merch that lets them tune in anywhere they go. Sure they can play your episode from their phone, but everything is more fun with a cool travel speaker that you can personalize with your podcast branding. For a little added fun, choose a waterproof style where your recipient can tune in anywhere- even in the shower.
Best podcast merch for: Prize giveaways, incentives, part of a swag kit, your swag store, and anywhere else you are promoting your podcast.
Ways to Customize: Travel speakers are anything but boring. Depending on how you want to distribute (as in free giveaways or cool addition to your swag store) will help you decide the style and options for customization.
Fun Examples of A Podcast Merchandise Store
Need IRL podcast merchandise ideas? We get it! Sometimes seeing is believing. Just take a look at the Smartless podcast merch and Good For You podcast merch to see what’s hot. And, regardless of your following or subscriber count, Gemnote can help you create similar quality merch for your brand.
- Comedian Whitney Cummings, has a Good For You Podcast Merch Store with fun products that reflect her cool brand.
- Actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett’s Smartless Podcast Merch is another great example worth checking out.
How To Monetize A Podcast On Youtube & Other Platforms
Wondering how to monetize podcasts? There are a few different ways you can make your podcast work for you, including charging a subscription or a fee for downloading episodes within your podcast. Because many podcasts are free, you may want to only charge for podcasts you created early on. That way you can still feature a selection of free downloadable podcasts that are in your current library.
To monetize your podcast you could also feature sponsors or paid ads, or asking for donations. Companies like merch informer merch research are known for looking at your competition so you can see what they are doing through their podcast monetization platform. When it comes to how to monetize a podcast on youtube, as well as iTunes, google play and more investing in a podcast monetization platform will help you decide what is best for your company, budget, and your subscribers.
In addition to creating merchandise for podcasters, Gemnote can also help you create customization products for business adventures, events, and more. Wondering how to monetize a podcast on youtube? When your customized merch is this good, you’ll want to sell it! Talk to your rep about how you can easily start your own swag store and promote it on YouTube.
In conclusion…
The same time that went into choosing your podcast monetization platform, should be used when creating your podcast merch ideas. In fact, merchandise providers can be the solution to how to monetize a podcast on youtube, iTunes, Google Play, and more.
With a company like Gemnote, you can create official podcast merch that reflects your company's values, your podcast’s brand, and highlights your podcast logo.
While there are many merchandise providers on the market, Gemnote ensures that your podcast merchandise ideas turn into quality merchandise for podcasters that you can be proud to share. From welcoming new subscribers to scoring unique merchandise ideas, as well as inexpensive promotional podcast merch for new subscribers, they can help you from merchandising to fulfillment and everything in between.
