Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

What does it actually cost to make an independent podcast?

In this episode of The Creator’s Log, Krloz breaks down the real cost of podcasting as an indie creator: from hosting and editing software to equipment, promotion, and, most importantly, the time that goes into creating a show.

But this isn't just an episode about expenses. It's also about podcast monetization and whether an independent podcast should even be trying to make money early on. Krloz talks about advertising, sponsorships, Buy Me a Coffee, memberships, merch, affiliate opportunities, and working with small businesses to help cover the cost of producing a podcast.

The bigger question is simple: How do you justify spending time and money on something that isn't paying you back yet?

Krloz also talks about the temptation to become obsessed with downloads, why audience size isn't the only measure of whether a podcast is succeeding, and why building genuine relationships with listeners and guests can be more valuable than chasing numbers.

Because for an indie creator, the goal doesn't necessarily have to be getting rich. Sometimes the goal is simply to break even, keep creating, and make the podcast sustainable.

In this episode:

• The real costs of starting and maintaining a podcast
• Podcast hosting and editing software
• Equipment and production expenses
• The hidden cost of your time
• Advertising and podcast promotion
• Sponsorships and small-business partnerships
• Buy Me a Coffee and listener support
• Patreon, memberships, merch, and affiliate opportunities
• Whether you should monetize a podcast early
• Why downloads aren't everything
• Building a community around a small podcast
• When spending money on your podcast makes sense
• Making an indie podcast sustainable

Check our channel out on YouTube for a video version of this episode.

Follow the show, share the episode, and if you're getting something out of The Creator's Log, consider supporting the podcast through the link in the show notes.

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

Making a podcast is only part of the job. The harder question is: how do people actually find it?

In this episode of The Creator’s Log, Krloz looks at the strange gap between publishing a podcast and actually being discovered. From an old podcast episode still getting downloads months after it was abandoned, to listeners finding the show through YouTube and guests, there are plenty of ways an audience can stumble across a podcast that have nothing to do with simply hitting “publish.”

We also get into podcast SEO, collaborations, social media, YouTube, promoting your own work, and the uncomfortable feeling of sending your podcast directly to people you know. But the conversation eventually takes an unexpected turn: what if discoverability isn't just about promoting the podcast? What if it's about creating something people can physically discover?

That leads to an idea for The Physical Cut: a small, DIY physical media zine built from podcast conversations, community contributions, original art, QR codes, and potentially independent businesses and sponsors.

It's an idea that may or may not work. But that's the point of The Creator’s Log—trying things, figuring them out, and documenting what happens along the way.

In this episode:

• Why publishing an episode doesn't mean people will find it
• The unexpected ways podcasts can be discovered
• What podcast SEO and strong titles can actually do
• Why having a guest doesn't automatically mean their audience becomes yours
• YouTube as another discovery path
• The uncomfortable reality of promoting your own work
• Why podcast discovery can become community building
• The idea behind creating a physical media zine for The Physical Cut
• Turning podcast conversations into articles and physical media
• Using QR codes to connect physical media back to the podcast
• Independent stores, artists, collectors, and small businesses becoming part of the community

Follow us on Instagram and also visit our website, and learn how you can support indie podcasting.

Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.

Collaborating with other creators has become a bigger part of how I make my podcasts, especially The Physical Cut. In this episode of The Creator’s Log, I talk about what I’ve learned from bringing other people into the podcasting process — from recording and communicating with guests to scheduling, unexpected connections, and figuring out what actually makes a collaboration worthwhile.

One of the biggest lessons has been that collaborations don't necessarily translate into a flood of new listeners. Someone can have thousands of followers and still not send a huge audience your way. But that doesn't mean the collaboration wasn't valuable. Sometimes the real benefit is the relationship you build and the people that relationship connects you with later.

I also talk about what it's like recording with guests, including dealing with different recording setups, technical problems, nervous guests, long conversations, and learning when to let someone tell their story instead of constantly jumping in. I share some of the mistakes I've made, including overbooking interviews, dealing with last-minute cancellations and learning why having a backup plan matters.

Most importantly, I've learned that a podcast shouldn't depend entirely on having guests. It's still your show. Collaborations can add new perspectives, introduce you to new creators and help build a community around what you're doing, but the show needs to be able to survive when nobody else is available.

In this episode:

• What I've learned from podcast collaborations
• Recording podcasts with guests vs. recording solo
• Working with different creators and recording setups
• Scheduling guests and avoiding overbooking
• Last-minute cancellations and having backup guests
• Why podcast collaborations don't always lead to more listeners
• Building relationships instead of chasing follower counts
• How guests can introduce you to other creators and opportunities
• Learning when to listen and when to jump into a conversation
• Why your podcast shouldn't depend entirely on guests
• Finding the right collaborators for your show
• Building a podcast community beyond download numbers

Follow KR PodLab and check out the other shows in the network.

Buy us a coffee and support indie podcasts.

Click here to hear the episode in where I was guest on another podcast.

If you enjoyed the episode, follow, subscribe, share it with another creator, or send me a message. I’d love to hear about your own experiences with podcast collaborations and guests.