💬 I Want to Hear From You: Apple Podcasts Subscriptions
Calling all podcasters and subscribers for feedback on premium feeds!
Hey Besties,
I’m currently working on a deep dive into Apple Podcast Subscriptions best practices for the Descript Creator HQ blog and an upcoming Podcast Bestie series. If you have experience on either side of the equation—as a podcaster offering a subscription or a subscriber enjoying exclusive perks—I’d love to hear from you!
Here are a few topics I’m especially curious about:
Choosing Perks and Price Points: What perks have you found to be most compelling as a creator or a customer? How did you land on a price point that works?
Engagement vs. Listener Base Size: Does a premium feed make sense for indie shows with smaller audiences? What are the lower thresholds where it starts to make sense? How does audience engagement factor in?
Production and Editing Efforts: How much extra time and effort goes into creating content behind a paywall, and how polished do you make it? Any advice on adding value without the extra workload?
Trial Periods and Pricing Strategy: Do you offer a free trial—why or why not? Monthly vs. annual pricing—what's the strategy?
Apple’s Support and Promotion: If you’re part of Apple’s subscription program, have they offered you extra support or promotion? Any tips for marketing the subscription offering to listeners?
Deciding to Support a Show: Are you a subscriber to any Apple Podcasts premium feeds? If so, what motivates you to support a particular show?
Ultimately, I’m trying to answer the big question: Is it worth it for indie podcasters? I’d love to hear your stories about what’s worked and what hasn’t. I’ll definitely report back with my findings.
Best,
Courtney
So… ROLL CALL! 🗣
If you have insights or opinions on premium feed offerings, please comment below (or hit reply) and share 'em!
Follow me @courtneykocak on Twitter and Instagram. For more, check out my website courtneykocak.com.
My two favorite podcasts have a different premium tier.
Comiclab (talks about being a creative in this world and focuses on creating comics) has a patreon that gives you a direct feed link with no adds and also a protips episode.
The beliefhole (three brothers going xfiles with listener paranormal stories and much more) have a public access show and then an expansion episode for paid subscribers so you can continue the binge.