Podcast business simulator
See how fast your podcast would grow, what it would earn and who you'd be up against — month by month for two years — before you give it another year of your life.
Episodes, downloads and the host read that pays for the mic. This one opens as The Long Answer Podcast: A weekly interview podcast earning from host-read sponsors and listener memberships. Rename it, reprice it, or describe your own podcast and let Nova rewrite it to fit.
What a steady podcast ends up with
Played steadily for all two years — quality first, then growth, a fair share of the bank spent each year — a steady podcast here ends its last year on $739 of revenue and $90 of profit, with 2,930 listeners and 1.4% of the market (#5 of 5).
It starts from nothing: $15k in the bank and you, 30 hours a week, with no audience yet.
People who play it well do better, and a bad plan runs out of money.
Revenue in the last year: $739
Profit in the last year: $90
Listeners at the end: 2,930
Share of the market: From nothing to 1.4%
Where it finishes: #5 of 5
Years and decisions: 2 years, monthly
What you'll decide each month
Each month you decide how much goes into each episode, how many sponsors to take on, what to spend on getting found, and who to bring in to help.
Each decision shows on a forecast before you file it, and every period resolves against the rivals and the economy.
Who your listeners are
Listeners are slow to win and slow to leave. Sponsors pay for reach; the listeners who care pay for more of it, and every episode either keeps them or doesn't.
250,000 listeners in all, across English-speaking, Europe and Rest of the world.
Commuter listeners: On in the background, picked by whatever is in the feed. About 125,000 of them, worth $30 a year each.
Devoted followers: Every episode, on the day, and they recommend it. About 75,000 of them, worth $60 a year each.
Paying supporters: Members and patrons who want the extra episode and the thanks. About 20,000 of them, worth $125 a year each.
People in the trade: Professionals who listen to keep up and quote it at work. About 30,000 of them, worth $75 a year each.
Who you're up against
Three rivals are already in it, and they play to win: they cut prices, spend on marketing and answer what you do. Most of the market is theirs on day one.
The chart-topping show: The biggest, and slow to change — it has stopped listening to its smaller customers. Holds about 28% of the market.
The network's house show: Hasn't changed in years and is living off the customers it already has. Holds about 18% of the market.
The scrappy independent: Clever and quick, but stretched thin and hard to get hold of. Holds about 8% of the market.
How it works
Free until you start: building and previewing cost nothing, and starting is $10, once.
Build it — free: Press build and you get your own copy of this market: four kinds of listener, three rivals and three territories.
Make it yours: Change any number, describe your podcast in a sentence or two and let Nova fill it in, or upload a profit and loss or a month-by-month sales history to fit it to your real figures.
Preview — free: See what a steady podcast ends up with, and every warning worth reading, before you pay anything.
Start — $10: Pay once to start, your seat included. Then run it month by month for two years.
Also for
audio · show · episodes · interview show
How much does the podcast business simulator cost?
Building and previewing are free: make your own copy of this podcast market, change anything in it and see what a steady podcast ends up with without paying. Starting the simulation is $10, once, and your own seat is included.
Can I make it match my own podcast?
Yes. Every number can be changed — the listeners and what they pay, the rivals, the territories, the costs and the starting cash. Or describe your podcast in a sentence or two and Nova, SparkTower's AI, fills every section in for one Nova action. If you already trade, upload a profit and loss or a month-by-month sales history and the simulation is fitted to your real numbers, starting from where your business stands today.
Are the numbers realistic for a podcast?
The template is checked against what real ones do: played steadily, a believable one finishes year two turning over between $500 and $30k, with between 300 and 12,000 listeners. This one's preview comes to about $739 and 2,930. Your own prices, costs and figures change that, which is the point of trying it here first.
Does it count listeners or money?
Both, in that order. Listeners grow with every episode you make and every one you skip, and the money follows them: ads, sponsors and the listeners who pay. You decide how much goes into each episode and how many sponsors to take.
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