Podcast business plan that turns a show into a business
Most podcasts never earn money because they plan the episodes but not the audience or the revenue. This prompt has your todo.is agent study similar shows, then write a plan with your format, a growth plan, realistic sponsorship and membership income, production costs and a 12-month calendar you can actually keep.
The prompt
- Write a business plan for my podcast, [SHOW NAME AND TOPIC], for [TARGET LISTENER]. Format: [FORMAT, LENGTH AND HOW OFTEN]. Where I am now: [DOWNLOADS, AUDIENCE ELSEWHERE AND BUDGET]. Research 10 similar podcasts with links: format, episode length, how often they publish, ads they run, and paid offers (memberships, courses, live shows). Write: summary, show concept and positioning, listener profile, competition, episode format and season plan, production workflow and gear, distribution (podcast apps, YouTube video, clips), audience growth plan, revenue streams (host-read ads, sponsorships, memberships, affiliate links, services or products), a sponsor pitch, team and costs, risks, and financials. Build an Excel model with downloads per episode by month, sponsorship income at CPM and flat rates, membership conversions, affiliate income, editing and hosting costs, and a 2-year forecast. Mark assumptions. Send the plan as Word, the model as Excel and a one-page sponsor media kit as PDF.
What to change
- [SHOW NAME AND TOPIC]: E.g. "Second Shift, interviews with people who changed careers after 40".
- [TARGET LISTENER]: Who you make it for, e.g. "professionals 35 to 55 thinking about a career change".
- [FORMAT, LENGTH AND HOW OFTEN]: E.g. "interview, 40 minutes, weekly, with video".
- [DOWNLOADS, AUDIENCE ELSEWHERE AND BUDGET]: E.g. "launching, 6,000 newsletter readers, $1,500" or "1,200 downloads per episode". Attach your stats export if you have one.
Example result
- Summary
- Second Shift is a weekly 40-minute interview podcast with people who changed careers after 40. The host is a career coach with a 6,000-reader newsletter. We publish audio and video, cut short clips, and aim to earn from sponsors, a paid community and career coaching.
- Listener profile
- • Professionals 35 to 55, stuck or burned out, thinking about a career change
- • Listen on commutes and walks; want practical steps, not just inspiration
- Format and season plan
- • 10-episode seasons, 2 seasons a year with a 4-week break between
- • Each episode: guest story, the money question, the first 90 days, one action step
- • 3 short clips per episode for short video platforms
- Production workflow
- • Record remote with a separate track for each person
- • Edit within 3 days; show notes, transcript and clips within 5 days
- • Gear: dynamic USB/XLR mic, headphones, good lighting for video
- Growth plan
- • Guest swaps with 8 similar shows; ask every guest to share their episode
- • Newsletter promotion every week; ask listeners for ratings at the end of episodes
- • Publish full episodes as video for search
- Revenue streams (illustrative assumptions)
- • Sponsorships: start at month 6; CPM pricing for pre-roll and mid-roll, or a flat rate per episode for a small niche show
- • Paid community: monthly membership with live Q&As, 2% of regular listeners join
- • Affiliate links: courses and books mentioned in episodes
- • Coaching: the main income at first, with the show as the top of the funnel
- Sponsor pitch (summary)
- • Audience: mid-career professionals, mostly 35 to 55
- • Fit: career courses, job platforms, financial planning, learning apps
- • Offer: host-read 60-second ad, link in show notes, mention in the newsletter
- Numbers (illustrative assumptions)
- • Downloads per episode: 1,500 at month 6, 4,000 at month 18
- • Year 1 income: $26,000 (coaching 60%, community 25%, ads and affiliates 15%)
- • Costs: editing, hosting, video tools, guest gifts
- Risks
- • Burnout: batch-record 4 episodes at a time
- • Slow download growth: focus on clips and guest swaps
- • Sponsor dependence: keep owned income streams
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and add your show, listener, format and current numbers.
- Paste it into todo.is on the Today screen, or send it to your agent on WhatsApp, Telegram or Discord.
- Your agent studies similar shows with links and sends the plan, an Excel revenue model and a sponsor media kit.
- Ask for changes like "add a live show tour" or "model 10,000 downloads per episode".
Tips for a better result
- Do not wait for big downloads to earn. Small niche shows often earn more from coaching, products or a community than from ads.
- Publish in seasons. It keeps quality up and gives you natural breaks.
- Cut clips from every episode. Short video is one of the easier ways to find new listeners.
- Ask your agent for a weekly to-do: attach your episode audio and get show notes, a transcript and clip timestamps.
podcast business plan: FAQ
- How do podcasts make money? Common ways are sponsorships and ads, listener memberships, affiliate links, live events, and selling the host's own services or products.
- How many downloads do you need for sponsors? There is no fixed number. Larger shows sell ads by CPM, while small niche shows can get flat-rate sponsors if their audience fits a brand well.
- What does it cost to start a podcast? A basic setup needs a mic, headphones, recording and editing software and hosting. Video, editing help and guest costs add more. The model lists them.
- Can todo.is help produce episodes? Yes. Attach the audio and your agent can transcribe it, write show notes, make SRT subtitles, trim clips and create an intro voice-over.
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