14 Podcast Merch Ideas + Best Practices for Selling Merch

Podcast fandoms are made over inside jokes and mutual connections, and selling merchandise is yet another way to nurture a sense of camaraderie. It is also a way to monetize your podcast and receive free advertising: When your fans wear or display your merch, they’re marketing your show for you.

Making merch can help you build a world around your show, giving listeners a tangible way to support a show they love while strengthening your brand and deepening audience involvement. 

“It’s community engagement, it’s fun for us, and it’s self-referential in a way that probably helps your brand,” says Caitlin Green, co-host and producer of The Jann Arden Podcast, a weekly show hosted by Canadian icon and multihyphenate Jann Arden.

Ahead, learn about the types of merch you can sell, methods for producing different merch products, and best practices from experienced podcast hosts for selling to your fans.

14 creative podcast merch ideas

1. T-shirts
2. Crewneck sweatshirts
3. Hoodies
4. Sweatpants
5. Tank tops
6. Stickers
7. Posters
8. Coffee mugs
9. Ornaments
10. Fanny packs
11. Pennants
12. Tumblers
13. AirPod cases
14. Bumper magnets

Here are 14 custom merchandise ideas to inspire your own shop and help get you started: 

1. T-shirts

When fans wear your merch t-shirts, they serve as walking billboards for your show. This promotes your podcast to potential audience members and helps generate buzz and community, making it a marketing tool. A signature t-shirt, like this design from the podcast Anything Goes With Emma Chamberlain, turns a show’s logo into a wearable graphic. Choose a design that helps to communicate what your show is about, or what your hosting style represents. Here, the hand-drawn design on Emma’s tee complements the show’s laid-back, casual tone.

2. Crewneck Sweatshirts

When summer ends and the air starts to chill, people often reach for a cozy sweatshirt, making it a perfect merch option for colder months. This crewneck from Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast is witty, mixing a collegiate typeface with a play on the show’s name. More discreetly branded designs like this give listeners a sly way to signal their fandom, which certain listeners will appreciate.

3. Hoodies

Hoodies make great podcast merch items because they’re practical, casual, and comfortable. This hoodie fits in with the athleisure attire that Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper typically wears while filming her episodes. In fact, she’s even rocked this exact style, which is a way to drum up interest in your merch offerings, especially if you’re launching a new product or colorway. When you, as the host, wear the same merch you sell, it shows you believe in the products you’re offering.

4. Sweatpants

Sweatpants come in different weights and silhouettes, like wide-leg pants and joggers, so there’s likely a style out there that suits the vibe of your show or the preferences of your listeners. To tie into the casual, homebody vibe of the podcast Depresh Mode, a show about depression, their team designed a branded pair of sweatpants in a trio of colors: dusty rose, carbon grey, and white. They act as a tongue-in-cheek way to promote the show, combining practicality with a touch of the show’s signature dark humor.

5. Tank tops

Tank tops let fans rep your show in warm weather or layer their favorite merch with other items in their wardrobe, like a jacket or sweater. This tank, which promotes the Triple Click podcast, makes it easy to identify the show and provides visual context for the subject matter. Even someone passing by on the street could guess that it’s a show about video games thanks to the controllers depicted in the logo, proving this is a podcast merch idea for communicating a lot of info in a stylish and subtle way.

6. Stickers

Stickers are inexpensive to print in bulk, making them a good merch choice if you want to sell a product with high profit margins. Stickers also allow you to nod to “inside jokes” you may have with your audience, whether that’s a signature saying or the pet that is your show’s unofficial mascot. This sticker features Pearl Hart, the subject of an episode of the podcast My Favorite Murder, presented with her celebrated quote, “I shall never submit.” 

7. Posters

Not everyone wants to wear a branded piece of merch, so it’s a good idea to diversify your offerings through goods and décor. Graphic posters can entice your more design-minded listeners, and they’re versatile. You can sell posters of various sizes that come framed or unframed, and use them to promote your podcast as a whole, specific episodes, or even the hosts of your series. This poster for the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend comedy podcast features an eye-catching graphic commemorating the podcast’s long-running Summer S’mores series, with a design reminiscent of old Italian advertisements.

8. Coffee mugs

With a low price point and near-endless design opportunities, mugs can broaden your podcast merch offerings in a way that is approachable and enticing for listeners. This coffee mug promoting the podcast Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend features a creative graphic that touches on the show’s basic premise. Each episode features a guest who identifies as one of Conan’s friends, inviting guests into the podcast’s “inner circle” and becoming a part of their daily routine. 

9. Ornaments

Selling ornaments can be a creative way to mix up your offerings during the holiday season or run a special promotion centered around gifting. This ornament from the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit fan podcast That’s Messed Up features hosts Liza Treyger and Kara Klenk framed by a wreath and wearing Christmas hats. It’s playful, accessible, and in on the joke in a way that will make every fan want to hang it on their tree. 

10. Fanny packs

Fanny packs are convenient carry-alls for people on the go, and they’re something your listeners will find themselves reaching for time and time again, whether they’re traveling to a live taping or taking in the latest episode on a walk. This fanny pack from the That’s Messed Up podcast features a bright retro color scheme and vibrant lettering and graphics, making it more noticeable and fun to style.

11. Pennants

Pennants are decorative items that function similarly to posters, offering podcast fans a way to decorate their home and support their favorite show in the process. This kind of merch often features a signature quote, saying, or podcast ethos, so consider designing one that uses your official sign-off at each episode’s close or your most viral quote. For pop culture podcast The Popcast, that means embracing a love of cringe shows and humor with a pennant that pays tribute to that running theme. 

12. Tumblers

Tumblers are a sustainable alternative to disposable cups and allow shoppers to show off a bit of their personality in the process This clear plastic design from The Popcast lets fans of the show take their cold beverages with them wherever they go while repping the podcast’s brand via a catchy slogan.

13. AirPod cases

A signature AirPods case, like this one from podcast network Maximum Fun, addresses a need directly related to podcasting—protecting a listener’s headphones. They’re also designed to be taken on the go, making them a good way to get your brand in front of new potential listeners when your fans pull them out on the subway or place them on their desk at work.

14. Bumper magnets

If your show hinges on humor or ’90s references, your audience may like the idea of shopping bumper magnets. Unlike a traditional bumper sticker, these are designed to be removable, so they don’t risk damaging a car’s paint job. This bumper magnet for the podcast TV Chef Fantasy League even includes a clever dose of interactiveness. In a fantasy league, it’s common practice for the loser to have to carry out a punishment. Displaying this bumper magnet is a playful twist on that and, as the description notes, it's designed to be passed to whoever loses next.

Methods for making podcast merch

• DIY
• Print-on-demand
• Bulk-order production

There are many different ways to create podcast merchandise, and the right option for you will depend on several factors, including your budget, audience size, and content types. Here are three different methods for making podcast merch that many successful shows rely on:

DIY

Depending on what you’re making, DIY merchandise can require a smaller upfront investment than bulk-order merch. Since you’ll be in charge of choosing your raw materials and deciding how much time you’ll spend making your products, you’ll also have full control over the prices you set.

Your specific method of DIY merch production will depend on your creative skills, budget, and availability. If you’re a crafty person with time to invest, you could try making shirts at home that feature your podcast logo. Alternatively, if you’re tech-savvy but have less time, you could make custom stickers.

Print-on-demand

Print on demand (POD) services allow you to sell t-shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs, water bottles, and a variety of other items featuring your custom designs, all without having to store inventory or pay upfront costs. When a listener places an order, your print-on-demand partner will handle both the production and fulfillment processes, making it a relatively light lift on your end.

Bulk-order production

Bulk-order branded merchandise production lets you print your custom artwork on items of your choosing at wholesale prices. Bulk-order units will likely cost less than print-on-demand ones, but they require you to have an upfront investment and a relationship with a manufacturer, as well as a shipping and fulfillment system in place for when orders come through. 

Best practices for selling podcast merch

• Build a brand
• Create an online store
• Keep a focused inventory
• Promote your merch on social media
• Sell merch at live events

Once you’ve decided which method you want to use to create merch, it’s time to turn your creative designs into profitable gear. Here are some best practices for getting goods into the hands of your target audience, with guidance from Caitlin Green, the brains behind the merch of The Jann Arden Podcast:

Build a brand

Use your merch to solidify your podcast’s brand. Think of catchphrases, colloquialisms, or images from your show that your fanbase would resonate with, and drum up merchandise ideas that incorporate them into wearable or useable products. 

“If you have an inside joke on your show, why not put it on a t-shirt?” Caitlin says. “We’ve decided to call our Patreon subscribers ‘OnlyJanns,’ and immediately knew that was our merch.” 

Create an online store

To start selling merchandise to your listeners, you’ll need to create your own online storefront. Shopify provides free templates and an AI website builder that lets you quickly create a website that’s professional, organized, and—most importantly—easy to shop. Alternatively, you could also add the Shopify Buy Button to your website to start making sales where your fanbase is already established.

If you choose to use a print-on-demand model, you can link a service like Printful to your Shopify store and have customers order directly through your podcast website. 

The Jann Arden Podcast uses a POD service called Cut Loose to facilitate their online merch sales. When fans click the “OnlyJanns Shop” link on the podcast’s website, they’re directed to the Jann Arden storefront on Cut Loose’s site, where they can then buy merch.

Keep a focused inventory

Sometimes, a smaller, specific selection of products is better than hundreds of offerings that don’t sell as often. As you get to know what types of products your fanbase likes to shop, start small and base your merch options on their preferences. You can always add more styles as time goes on, and limitations can actually be a helpful way to find inspiration.

“It’s a fun thing to think of: If we were to have one t-shirt and one tote bag, what would it be?” Caitlin says.

Caitlin adds that her co-host Jann’s experience selling merch as a touring musician helped narrow down their catalogue to only high-demand items. 

“Jann’s knowledge of her fanbase is super valuable to us, because we’re not going overboard on pink tank tops when everyone just wants a large black t-shirt,” Caitlin says. “Why are we going to add more merch when we know this is what works?”

Promote your merch on social media

Once you have merch available, you can use social media platforms to promote your products directly to your fanbase, and sell within social media apps using features like Instagram Shop and TikTok Shop.

In this example, the My Favorite Murder podcast uses their Instagram page to promote the presale of their 10th anniversary crewneck. The caption incites urgency by pointing out that this particular piece won’t be available for another 10 years, which can encourage buyers to act fast. My Favorite Murder then directs followers to the link in their bio to complete their order.

Sell your merch at live events

In addition to their online merch sales, the Jann Arden crew sells “OnlyJanns” shirts at live appearances. 

“If we have merch at live events, it will sell out,” Caitlin says. 

It’s an easy way to capitalize on a captive podcast audience—you can offer special discounts or deals for those listeners who shop in person. 

Caitlin adds that selling podcast merchandise at live shows also contributes to a positive fan experience. 

“It’s nice to have a merch table at a live show,” Caitlin says. “It adds value to the experience, and it makes you feel like you’re part of a real show.”