The Rise of Private Podcasts: Why Creators & Businesses Love Them!

Ever feel like you're crafting podcast content to please algorithms rather than genuinely connecting with your most dedicated listeners? You're not alone. The growing trend of private podcasting is revolutionizing how creators engage with their audiences, and it might be the missing piece in your content strategy.

Private podcasts offer what public feeds often can't—a space for raw, unfiltered conversations without the pressure of search optimization or mass appeal. As I share in this episode, my private podcast "Unhinged" lets me deliver quick-hit, actionable content three times weekly to subscribers who've raised their hands as my most engaged community members. There's no elaborate production, no overthinking the perfect hook—just valuable insights delivered directly to people who've already demonstrated their interest in my work.

The business model makes incredible sense for established creators. For just $5 monthly, my subscribers receive approximately 12 premium episodes packed with strategies they can implement immediately. But the real magic happens beyond the modest subscription revenue—these premium listeners are predominantly existing clients, email subscribers, and students who represent my ideal audience for higher-ticket offerings. My private podcast essentially serves as a trust-building pathway toward events like my Insiders Retreat, creating a natural progression for followers to become clients. And technically? It's surprisingly simple to implement with most podcast hosting platforms.

Ready to explore how a private podcast could transform your relationship with your audience? Listen now to discover exactly how I've structured my premium content, why my most dedicated followers love it, and how you might adapt this approach to your own business model. If you're intrigued by what you hear, you can always reach out via Instagram (@Jenny_Melrose) with questions—I'd love to help you imagine the possibilities for your own premium podcast strategy.

Subscribe to Unhinged!

Chapters

• 0:14 Introducing Private Podcasts
• 1:21 Benefits of Private Podcasting
• 2:34 Setting Up Your Private Feed
• 4:01 Premium Connections With Your Audience
• 6:30 Implementing Your Premium Strategy

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:14

This is the Influencer Entrepreneur's Podcast with Jenny Monroe, where I strategize with business owners on how to grow and scale their businesses to hit their income goals. This is episode 436 of the Influencer Entrepreneurs Podcast with Jenny Melrose. Today, we're going to be talking about the rise of private podcasts, why creators and businesses love them. I'm going to be talking about the rise of private podcasts, why creators and businesses love them. I'm going to be giving you the details on why I have actually created a private podcast Now. Are you someone that is thinking of that? You already have a podcast that is very successful, but you're wondering how you can make it more intimate, not have to worry so much about algorithms, but really create content that is geared towards your ideal audience. Today, we're going to be really diving into this. Now, as many of you may know, I have the private podcast Unhinged. No, I have the private podcast unhinged. On this podcast, I share the raw, the real and what's actually trending right now. There's no intro, there's not a ton of editing. It is what I am actually thinking, and there isn't a ton of keyword research that goes into it, because I want to be able to deliver content. That is what I am actually thinking at that moment, and this is largely a reason that a lot of people that are podcasters that already have an audience have decided to start to create private podcasts. It provides them an opportunity to actually be able to share real, raw, relevant information that doesn't have to go through the rigor of going through keyword research, because it's being delivered directly to their fans. Private podcasts provide an opportunity for podcasters to be able to deliver more content quicker, with direct strategies on what can work. There's no fluff to that, and this is a large reason that a lot of podcasters have turned to them.

Speaker 1: 2:35

Now. A private podcast is similar to a podcast in that you're going to listen to it on your favorite podcasting apps, but the difference is that it's a premium, so that you are paying in order to get access to those episodes. Now you can use multiple feeds, or you can use the same feed that you are already using for your podcast For Influencer Entrepreneurs, my podcast. We use the same feed, but we have private episodes offered for our premium members. Now I'm able to deliver three premium episodes per week while still continuing to deliver my once a week episode for influencer entrepreneurs. It simply provides more content for my audience to be able to engage with and they're quicker and you're able to implement those strategies. Now that's another reason that a lot of podcasters are wanting to create private podcast feeds. You provide an opportunity for shorter bits of information where people have more actionable items that they can take care of and move forward in in their business or in whatever you are teaching to them.

Speaker 1: 3:54

Now, if you are thinking of trying to create your own private podcast, this doesn't have to be that complicated. It will depend upon your host. So, personally, I use Buzzsprout and I was easily able to set up the private feed Subscribers that are already there for influencer entrepreneurs. Those premium episodes still show up in their feed, but they're not able to listen unless they are premium members. But they're not able to listen unless they are premium members, and it provides a audio to each of those episodes letting them know that that is a premium episode and to feel free to subscribe. You can also decide what you want your premium price to be. I'm delivering three episodes per week for a total of 12 episodes, normally within a month 12. And because of that, I'm charging $5 a month. You decide what you want it to be. It gives you an opportunity to have an audience member that is in it and wanting to know all of the little tidbits that you are going to provide information wisewise and then is likely to continue to want to work with you because you are giving them all of these extra information.

Speaker 1: 5:12

Most of my premium podcast members are clients that are potentially already working with me. They are students of my products. They have been on my email list for quite some time and they are my ideal clients that I am looking to be able to attend my Insiders Retreat, which I hold in November of 2025. I am able to give them more information about what that retreat will look like, what they can expect to accomplish, and because of that, a private podcast works great, because I'm not necessarily looking to have everyday subscribers come to Insiders Retreat. They're also less likely to trust me to come because they may just be a listener that binges episodes every now and then, but my premium podcast listeners of the unhinged episodes are my people that have decided that they are hooked in. They want to be part of my world, they trust me and then I'm looking to continue to gain more of their trust so that they want to attend Insiders Retreat.

Speaker 1: 6:22

If you're listening in. I want you to think about how would a premium podcast work for you and your audience. It would potentially provide you a great opportunity to be able to gain their trust and continue for them to want to connect with you and purchase your products and services. If you're wanting to learn more about the Unhinged podcast, you can find it right within the show notes, and we will make sure that if you have any questions, we can get them answered. You can always send me a DM right on Instagram at Jenny underscore Melrose, and I would be happy to answer any questions that you have. Until next time, I will see you all then.