Whether your subscriber count is 20 or 2,000, making merchandise to monetize your podcast is almost always a good idea. If you offer merch, your listeners will show-off their love for your podcast out in the world.
Providing your dedicated podcast listeners with a way to express their support will feed your community, but it also serves a secondary purpose—advertising. And with so many ways to create merch, it can be a relatively easy method for expanding your audience.
Let’s explore the types of merch you can offer, some methods for making them, and best practices for selling them to your fans.
15 podcast merch ideas
- T-shirts
- Crewneck sweatshirts
- Hoodies
- Sweatpants
- Tank tops
- Stickers
- Posters
- Coffee mugs
- Ornaments
- Fanny packs
- Earrings
- Pennants
- Tumblers
- AirPod cases
- Bumper magnets
Coming up with podcast merch can feel daunting if you don’t know which items are worth developing. Here are 15 ideas to inspire you and get you started:
1. T-shirts
Because they’re such a versatile article of clothing and a common way for people to express themselves and their interests, T-shirts are an easy entry point to selling podcast merch. Whether cropped for the summer, oversized for a comfy night top, or fitted with a classic everyday look, your audience can always use another tee.
This T-shirt from the podcast Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain makes the show’s logo a wearable graphic, with the hand-drawn design complementing the show’s laid-back, casual tone. Shirts like this one can help promote your podcast as well as your brand. They can start conversations and serve as walking billboards for your show.
2. Crewneck sweatshirts
When the weather cools down and the air starts to chill, people often reach for a cozy sweatshirt, making it a perfect merch item for colder months. This sweatshirt from Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast is witty, mixing a collegiate typeface with a play on the show’s name. Designs playfully coded like this give listeners a sly way to signal their fandom.
3. Hoodies
Hoodies make great merch items because they’re practical, casual, and comfortable. This hoodie fits in with the leisure attire that podcast host Alex Cooper has been wearing ever since Call Her Daddy began, and she has even worn this exact item in the podcast’s video counterpart. When you, as the host, wear the same merch you sell, it gives your fans another way to connect with you and your show.
4. Sweatpants
With so many people embracing remote work as a way to stay in sweats, why not take advantage of that by offering them some sweats with your podcast’s name on them? As the name suggests, Depresh Mode is a podcast about depression, and these branded sweatpants provide a tongue-in-cheek way to promote the show, combining a practical item with dark humor.
5. Tank tops
Offering tank tops capitalizes on the demand for warm weather attire. This women’s tank promoting the My Favorite Murder podcast meets that demand, caters to the show’s largely female audience, and incorporates one of the podcast’s catchphrases in its design.
Written across the wings of the moth (a nod to the marketing for the 1991 horror film The Silence of the Lambs) are the letters “SSDGM,” which stand for “Stay sexy, don’t get murdered”—an oft-repeated phrase throughout the show’s run. Merch like this demonstrates how to appeal to your audience and leverage inside jokes. It can also reinforce your show’s culture.
6. Stickers
Stickers are fairly inexpensive to print in bulk, making them a good merch choice if you want to offer a product with high profit margins. This sticker features Pearl Hart, a subject of the podcast My Favorite Murder, presented with her celebrated quote, “I shall never submit,” and the name of the podcast. Any item a buyer chooses to place this sticker on becomes an advertisement for the show.
7. Posters
The lower manufacturing cost for posters makes them highly profitable, and when podcast hosts sign those posters, the value goes up even higher.
This poster for the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend comedy podcast features the signatures of all three hosts, including Conan O’Brien himself, on a graphic commemorating the podcast’s long-running Summer S’mores series, during which they discuss the popular camping dessert.
8. Coffee mugs
Many people collect and enjoy a wide swath of coffee mugs, especially if they include a creative graphic. If you’ve ever watched the video component of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, you can see the hosts and guests drinking out of these exact mugs. Making them available as merch is a way to invite fans in, so they feel like they’re a part of the show. Plus, it serves a practical purpose—to inspire listeners to sip on coffee, tea, or hot cocoa while they tune in.
9. Ornaments
Offering holiday-themed merch appeals to your listeners who want to incorporate your show into their seasonal celebration or are looking for great gift options. This ornament from the Law and Order: SVU fan podcast That’s Messed Up features hosts Liza Treyger and Kara Klenk framed by a wreath and wearing Christmas hats. It’s cute, it’s campy, and it’s a playful holiday decoration fans of the show will love.
10. Fanny packs
Whether you need a compact way to carry sunscreen and snacks to the beach or a convenient way to bring a camera with you while traveling, fanny packs offer a lot beyond their looks. This fanny pack from the That’s Messed Up podcast features a throwback aesthetic, giving listeners a way to accessorize while repping their favorite show. An added bonus with fanny packs is that they’re unisex, making them easily marketable to all.
11. Earrings
Earrings make for great podcast merch because they are not typically thought of as merch items, this allows them to be more discreet while still inviting conversational promotion. These hoop earrings from the podcast Scam Goddess operate as a meta joke, as they themselves are a frequently scammed item. They are imitation gold-plated, meaning they look like gold but aren’t nearly as valuable. The tongue-in-cheek concept makes these a humorous nod to the podcast’s theme.
12. Pennants
If listeners are looking for a way to show off their fandom to your podcast around their house but want something more unique than a poster, pennants are a fantastic option. They’re easy to hang, don’t take up a lot of space, and have a little more charm than other home accessories. As a pop culture podcast, The Popcast embraces a love of cringe shows and humor, so this pennant is a tribute to that running theme. The product encourages fans to celebrate their love of all things uncomfortable.
13. Tumblers
Tumblers make for great merch because they are sustainable ways to transport cold drinks that work for a variety of different beverage options. Whether fans want to take an iced coffee with them to work, a smoothie to the gym, or a premade cocktail to a barbecue, tumblers have them covered. This branded tumbler features a key phrase from The Popcast on it, enabling fans of the show to take their cold beverages with them wherever they go while also repping the podcast’s brand. Merch like this serves a practical purpose for your listeners while also drawing attention to your show.
14. AirPod cases
AirPod cases are smart merch items because they address a need directly related to podcast listening, but also stand out because not everyone uses a case for their headphones. Offering an uncommon accessory as podcast merch is a creative way to make your product more noticeable. While Maximum Fun is not technically a podcast, it is a podcast network, and its decision to offer an AirPods case as merch is certainly worth noting. Offering a case for a popular style of headphones is clever because it serves as a promotional item that also becomes a part of the listening process.
15. Bumper magnets
Bumper magnets serve the same purpose as bumper stickers, without the risk of damaging a car’s paint job, making them an excellent choice for merch. What makes this bumper magnet for the podcast TV Chef Fantasy League noteworthy is it provides a losing prize for those participating in the show’s game. In a fantasy league, it’s common practice for the loser to have to carry out or endure a punishment as a consequence for choosing the wrong team or competitors. This bumper magnet can serve as that punishment while doubling as advertising for the podcast.
Methods for making podcast merch
There are many ways to create podcast merchandise, but some approaches will be better than others, depending on your budget, the size of your audience, and other factors. Here are three different methods, plus some cool merch ideas for each one that cater to different levels of listenership:
DIY
If you’re just starting to build your podcast audience, DIY merch could be a good option since it can require a much smaller budget than bulk-order production. DIY merch rewards your early listeners, promotes your still-developing brand identity, and earns you money in the process. One of the biggest advantages of DIY merch is you have a lot of control when setting the price. Keep in mind, however, that DIY merch can still require significant time to produce.
Your specific DIY method of merch production will depend largely on your personal skills, budget, and availability. For example, if you’re a crafty person with significant time and a decently sized budget, you could use screen printing kits to add your podcast logo to t-shirts. Alternatively, if you are tech-savvy but have little time and a minimal investment to commit to the project, you might choose to print out sheets of custom stickers instead.
Print-on-demand
If you’ve acquired a medium-sized following of podcast listeners, print-on-demand merch may be your best option. With print-on-demand apps like Printify, Printful, and CustomCat, you can easily create and sell custom merchandise. The third party you choose will handle both the production and fulfillment process.
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The chief benefit of print-on-demand merchandise is you can sell t-shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs, water bottles, and a variety of other items featuring your custom designs without having to store backstock or incur any upfront costs. The downside of print-on-demand services is that they are likely to return a lower profit than custom merch bought in bulk.
Bulk-order production
Once you’ve reached a large number of listeners, bulk order production provides the best opportunity for you to maximize your profits on branded merchandise. Through bulk order merch production, you could print custom artwork onto the items of your choosing at a wholesale cost. Then the printer or manufacturer ships those products to you to sell to your fans. The main benefit of bulk order production is you can make more money, but only if you’re able to sell a lot of units.
Best practices for selling merch
- Create your own online storefront
- Promote your merch on social media
- Showcase your merch on your podcast
Once you’ve decided which method you want to use to make merch, it’s time to turn your creative designs into profitable merch. Here are some best practices for getting those goods into the hands of your target audience:
Create your own online storefront
To start selling merchandise to your listeners and subscribers, create your own online storefront. Shopify offers a free trial that makes it easy to display and sell your products right away. Then, by embedding this storefront into your podcast’s website or integrating it into your social media pages, you can give fans a direct path to purchasing your promotional goods.
If you choose to use print-on-demand merch fulfillment, you can sync a service like Printful directly to your Shopify store and have customers order directly through your website. This eliminates the need to link to a third-party distributor, making the purchasing process simpler for your fans and keeping them on your own webpages.
Promote your merch on social media
You already use social media platforms to promote your podcast, likely to share clips or announce upcoming guests and episodes. Once you have merch available, you can also use these platforms to promote your products.
When promoting your merch, think beyond simply posting a photo and telling people you have a new t-shirt or hat for sale. For example, you could use one or more strategies for simultaneously attracting engagement and growing your audience:
- Invite your followers to comment with their favorite podcast episode or what guest they would like to hear from next.
- Invite your followers to tag a friend who might also like the podcast.
- Announce that the first 50 people to comment will receive a direct message (DM) from you with a discount code they can use when ordering that merch item.
Showcase your merch on your podcast
If you have a podcast that also distributes video of each episode, wearing or using your own merch on camera shows confidence in your product and makes it more relatable to viewers. Inviting your guests to wear or use your merch also encourages fans to take an interest in your product.
Alex Cooper of the Call Her Daddy podcast frequently wears her own merch on the show, as do her guests occasionally. This promotes the podcast’s branded products to both her own audience and the audiences of the guests she hosts.
Podcast merch ideas FAQ
What merch is most profitable?
Bulk-order t-shirts, stickers, and signed posters are some of the most profitable merch items you can sell. Compared to hoodies and other apparel, custom t-shirts are less expensive to print in bulk, leading to higher profits. Stickers are fairly cheap to make, and you can offer them at a low price and still make a profit. Similarly, posters are highly cost-effective merch items to print and sell. Signing a limited number of posters adds further value and enables you to mark up their price.
How do I make merch for my podcast?
There are three main ways to create merchandise, and the right one for you will depend on your skills, budget, and audience size. You can make DIY merch by using stencils and printing kits to make your own bags, shirts, and posters. Alternatively, you can use print-on-demand services to have fans order custom merch that a third party produces and ships. Lastly, you can print customized merchandise in bulk and sell it to your fans directly.
What merchandise is trending right now?
Right now, trending podcast merch apparel items are t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, and sweatpants. If you’re looking to expand beyond clothing, other trending merch items are candles, posters, and drinkware like pint glasses or coffee cups.
What swag does Gen Z like?
Among the swag items that Gen Z likes are fanny packs, dad hats, hoodies, and oversized t-shirts. Additionally, there is Gen Z demand for water bottles, tote bags, and other reusable bags.
