Spreadshop Conquers the Podcast Merchandising market

A word of silver-tongued wisdom – the global podcast market is recording a revenue growth of polyglot dimensions. We stream those online audio clips to get entertained, informed and exchange ideas with like-minded people. The number of podcasts available online doubled last year, and it currently stands at an impressive 1,750,000.[1] Spreadshop – a Spread Group brand – has just attracted 30 podcasters from all over the world as its partners. Among these top podcasters rank American YouTube artist Justine Ezarik (better known as iJustine), the podcast label 4000hertz, and all podcast series of German weekly newspaper DIE ZEIT.

Bianca Jankovska – an Austrian freelance writer, columnist, lecturer, and social media concept developer – has recently opened her own Spreadshop. She has been publishing podcasts under her pseudonym Groschenphilosophin (German for “pennywise philosopher”) in Berlin and Vienna since 2014. In her podcast “Badass by Nature,” launched in 2019, she talks about changing career directions, and the happiness that comes with constantly reinventing ones range of tasks.

By customizing T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, and accessories with quotes from her books, she illustrates how merch can easily be put to good use. “I was a bit skeptical about merchandising at first. Having my own web shop seemed like a very time-consuming idea. And I need my time for writing! Fortunately, all the organizational tasks such as production, sales, and customer service are taken care of by the Spreadshop staff. This allows me to fully concentrate on my creative work,” says Bianca Jankovska.

Melina Royer, digital entrepreneur and host of the “Still & Stark” podcast, can also gain additional reach and new listeners through her merchandising shop: “It creates a special bond when customers wear our messages on T-shirts and hoodies. This open commitment to our topics feels like a real appreciation of our work,” says Melina Royer, who is operating the “Still & Stark” brand alongside her husband Timon.

Marianne Gaborfi, Business Development Manager at Spreadshop, has accompanied many podcasters on their way to running their own merch shop. She knows that preparation is key when it comes to turning your merch shop into a success story: “When you open your Spreadshop, it’s important that podcasters take care of maximum exposure to their listeners. If they e.g. send out a newsletter every Wednesday, it may be a good idea to send it out on a Tuesday this time. This will make subscribers more curious about its content. Podcasters could also start a social media survey before launching the shop. What designs and what products does the community want? This kind of preparation will pay huge dividends in the end.”