My first sponsor landed before episode one even dropped. Someone emailed asking to trade backlinks, I told them I don't do that but I did have a podcast coming — a hundred dollars for a show mention and a spot in the notes. That link from July 2016 still resolves, which makes it possibly the best ROI in podcast sponsorship history. LearnDash came next, then a much bigger deal with Pantheon, and the pitch that worked was simple: brands were paying tens of thousands to sponsor a weekend conference, so six months of a show with links that never expire was an easy comparison. None of it was a proven show. It was a proven network.

Resources & Links

• The first episode, sponsor link still intact — streamlined.fm/001
• Join my n ...