The Fountain Guide to Value for Value
Ten essential steps to get started with Value for Value podcasting on the Bitcoin Lightning Network
How do I get more listeners? How do I generate more meaningful engagement with my audience? How do I make money? These are questions that most podcast hosts will have asked themselves at some point in their journey. If used to their full potential, Value for Value podcast apps like Fountain can help you find the answers. This is the essential guide for podcasters who are new to Value for Value or already have a show on the Lightning Network but need direction on what to do next.
Most podcasts are made available to listeners for free on any podcast app, which is how it should be if they are going to reach the widest potential audience. But where does the money come from? If you have a large audience, you might already have sponsors or sell advertising that generates revenue and keeps your podcast free for listeners. Or you might try putting some of your content behind a paywall or offering it to paying listeners before anybody else. If these aren't viable options, you might decide to be 100% audience-funded. You might not even be interested in making money at all and simply want to cover your costs.
Whatever the business model is for your podcast, Value for Value complements what you're already doing. Listeners who love what you do (and want the podcast to continue) can now pay you in the moment they are listening. If they are getting value, they can decide to give some value back by supporting the show based on how much it is worth to them. If they really enjoyed a particular episode, they can pay more. If they weren't feeling it, they can pay less - or nothing at all. All listeners need to start supporting your show directly is a podcast app like Fountain where they can stream money to you for every minute they listen or send a boost. This is all possible thanks to the power of the Bitcoin Lightning Network, where satoshis (or sats) are the unit of account.
The podcasts that are beginning to master this art are earning millions of sats per month, but Value for Value can be more than just an income source for your podcast. It is the feedback loops, the direct interaction with listeners and the sense of community that makes Value for Value a worthwhile pursuit for podcasters. This is what podcasting is missing. Now your audience can reach out directly to you, your co-hosts and guests straight from their podcast app to tell you what they liked, ask a question or simply say thank you.
Here are ten steps podcasters can take to build a lively community of supporters on Fountain.
Claim your show on Fountain
Get familiar with splits
Ask your listeners to support you
Direct your listeners to Fountain
Read messages from your supporters
Create clips on Fountain (or ask your listeners to)
Stream sats to your listeners with Fountain Promotions
Get creative and experiment
Look at the data
Be patient