How To Make Money Podcasting: 5 Tips From "The Fantasy Footballers"
The Fantasy Footballers
Sirius XM
With more than five million podcasts in circulation globally, it can be difficult for creators to break through and build a profitable show. But for the hosts of one of the top fantasy football podcasts in the country, the formula for success and making money has been rooted in authenticity, trust, and smart business decisions.
Here's how " The Fantasy Footballers" built a thriving podcast brand — and what other creators can learn from their approach.
"A big driver of our success is the deep trust and authenticity we've built with our listeners and fans," the hosts said. "At its core, we're just being ourselves."
The show started organically as conversations between friends who had worked together for years. "The three of us have worked together for years, so we've had the chemistry you hear on the show today from many lunch conversations over the years. The show is just those lunch convos… with microphones. We are essentially listeners' fantasy football buddies."
That familiarity and camaraderie have helped attract and retain a loyal audience. "That authenticity is what's built our audience, and once they find us, they tend to stick around," they said.
Rather than limiting its content to a single platform, the podcast team expanded its presence across multiple channels, including audio, YouTube, and social media.
"Since the beginning, we've met our audience where they are – whether that's audio, YouTube or social," the hosts said.
In 2024, they announced an exclusive partnership with SiriusXM, a move that further expanded their reach and opened up new opportunities to monetize.
"Every episode of our show also airs on SiriusXM's Fantasy Sports Radio channel," they said. "It's another awesome way to get our content out there and reach even more fantasy football fans."
They also create exclusive, standalone content for the SiriusXM app, designed to give listeners a deeper level of insider access.
"The power of podcasting is in the ability to connect with fans in a truly authentic and meaningful way," said Lizzie Collins, senior vice president and head of B2B marketing at SiriusXM Media. "Andy, Jason and Mike of The Fantasy Footballers really embody that, and we're proud to support their growth across platforms through Creator Connect."
"Trust with listeners and brands is essential to securing and maintaining impactful sponsorships and monetization," the hosts said. "Our fans spend time with us every day as we help them navigate their leagues and win championships. That builds real trust over time – and because we're selective with advertisers, our endorsements carry weight with the audience."
One example is a branded segment called "Raising Cane's Rising Stars," sponsored by the fast-food chain Raising Cane's, which highlights emerging NFL players.
"About 90% of our brand partners return to sponsor future segments because our integrations run deep and our audience connects their love for the show with our genuine enthusiasm for the brands and products we endorse," they said.
Their continued success with advertisers underscores a larger trend — that fantasy football is no longer a niche hobby but part of a growing, multibillion-dollar industry.
Their top piece of money advice for fellow creators is to focus on the opportunities that matter most.
"Sometimes you have to say 'no' or 'not yet' – focus on the opportunities that make the most impact," they said. "The 80/20 principle is key to our business. Opportunities come from all over the place, but you need to focus on your primary disciplines and select your partnerships and opportunities carefully to maximize impact."
By keeping a tight focus on their core content and audience, they've avoided distractions and scaled their show in a sustainable way.
For these hosts, success is about more than downloads or dollars.
"We're all family guys. Each of us has three kids," they said. "Being able to create a company centered around something we are all passionate about — fantasy football — and creating a show that we're happy for our kids and families to listen to has been an incredible opportunity that represents a 'richer life' to us."
Whether you're just starting a podcast or looking to take your show to the next level, the path to monetization is built on connection, consistency, and credibility.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
8 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Deebo Samuel, Mike Sainristil and a promising sign for the Commanders
After the Washington Commanders finished practice Wednesday, veteran receiver Deebo Samuel and second-year cornerback Mike Sainristil kept working out together in a moment that encapsulated the state of the team. Samuel, who's entering his seventh season, ran about a dozen routes to show the young corner how receivers could use different release techniques at the line of scrimmage to create separation against him. One big focus was refining how to stick to receivers who use an outside release to set up an inside route. Sainristil has seen such moves before, of course, but he wanted to see them again and again so his reactions would become automatic. The moment was a metaphor. The team is Sainristil, a young upstart with lots of promise, and it wants to be Samuel, a proven winner and consistent presence in the biggest playoff games. Their work together distilled the purpose of this space in the NFL calendar between the roster-building flurry of the spring and the training-camp battles of the summer. These offseason workouts, which will end next week with mandatory minicamp, are for experimentation, relationship-building and skill development. 'You would've thought he's been here the past five years of his career the way he's adjusted,' Sainristil said of Samuel. 'He's a guy that loves extra work, loves football, loves to win. So, any way I can pick his brain about what receivers do to help myself, I'm going to do exactly that.' Coach Dan Quinn gushed about 'the environment that the players have created together.' 'We all know, to be at our best, it's gonna take all of us improving,' he said. 'If that's Mike asking Deebo a certain technique or vice versa, that's really where it takes place. And so, we take these times on the field seriously, 'cause it's not just the scheme, it's the individual skill work.' There's a massive difference, Quinn pointed out, between knowing what to do and having the minute details ingrained in muscle memory. 'Be very specific; I think that's where the gold is,' he said. 'That's why I think the teaching this time of year has to shine on the coaches, and we've got some excellent ones because they'll get very specific on the certain techniques. 'Let's try that one again. Let's put the hand into this space.' You're not in a rush to get to the next play [like you are during the season]. … If they have to do it four or five times, that's okay.' Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. recently did similar work. He had a group of safeties practice press technique against a tight end. That specific skill set might not always be top of mind for coaches. But it could matter a lot in a big moment of a big game if safety Will Harris has to press, say, Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert. It might not have been a coincidence that Wizards Coach Brian Keefe attended practice Wednesday. 'We learn a lot from the NBA [in terms of] what that small group would look like, of a specific two or three players getting better on something,' Quinn said. Samuel said he knows there are things he needs to work on himself. His top goal of the offseason was 'being in better shape for sure,' he said, though he declined to detail what he focused on or how it would show up in his game. He pointed out he also needed to learn a new offense. But Samuel showed through his work with Sainristil that he understands his value to the Commanders goes beyond his individual skills. He's been here just for a few weeks but has already embraced the word 'brotherhood,' the team's favorite way to express closeness. 'The guys in the locker room make it easy,' Samuel said. 'When I walked in the locker room, I felt like I've been here before because of how the guys treated me.' Said Whitt: 'When we went on that three-game losing streak [last season], it wasn't anything other than the brotherhood that kept them together.' The brief post-practice scene Wednesday carried all this subtle significance. Mentorship from talented veterans can help younger players — and therefore the team — actualize their potential. And the relationships built in those moments can help players stick together during tough times.
New York Times
9 minutes ago
- New York Times
Eagles fan Mike Trout wrote Super Bowl LIX score on his bat knob — now it's in a baseball card
NFL fans commemorate their team's Super Bowl victories in all sorts of ways, but Mike Trout might be the first to do it on a bat knob. The South Jersey native who is often seen in his end-zone seats at Lincoln Financial Field through the fall and winter wrote a special inscription on the bottom of one of his game-used bats after his Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LIX: 'Eagles 40 Chiefs 22. Fly Eagles Fly!' That knob has since been cut off the bat and put into a one-of-a-kind baseball card autographed by Trout that will be in Topps' upcoming Tier One set (release date has yet to be announced). FIRST LOOK: Mike Trout wrote the final score on his game-used bat knob 🦅🔥 — Topps (@Topps) June 1, 2025 Bat knob cards always present a rare piece of unique MLB memorabilia, but Trout, himself a baseball card collector, now has one of the more unique ones out there, with MLB-NFL crossover appeal. It's far from the first time the Los Angeles Angels outfielder referenced his Eagles fandom on a card, though. He wrote 'Go Birds!' on his one-of-one autographed MLB logo patch card in 2023 Topps Triple Threads and 'Fly Eagles Fly!' on his 2023 Topps Pristine 1/1 card. But if you're looking for crossover appeal for sports card and trading card game collectors, the recently retired Evan Longoria helped create what could become the most expensive bat knob card in industry history. An autographed bat knob card in this year's Tier One set for the three time All-Star third baseman contains a knob with an image of Charizard from Pokemon fame. When Pokémon and baseball collide 🤝 Evan Longoria posted this on his Instagram, a 1 of 1 bat knob featuring Charizard that will be in Tier One Baseball 👀🔥 — Fanatics Live (@fanaticslive) March 23, 2025 There's already a $100,000 public bounty on the Longoria card made by a Florida sports card shop owner. That would shatter the record for the most expensive bat knob card sold. According to Card Ladder, a 2017 Topps Tier One Honus Wagner card (not autographed) stands as the top selling bat knob card going for $24,600 in August 2022. Advertisement Longoria made it no secret that he'd been an interested buyer of the card as well. However, nothing can compare to Bryce Harper's 'RIP Harambe' bat knob card. Bryce Harper's 1/1 game-used "RIP Harambe" bat knob card… 🦍🔥 — Topps (@Topps) February 19, 2025 Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Christian Yelich and Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Junior Caminero added their own twists to their upcoming Tier One bat knob autographed cards. They each have images of their 2024 Topps Series One cards on the knobs. While collectors wait for Tier One's release, they can also hunt for bat knob cards in the new Topps Sterling set, which went on sale Wednesday. The set bears 81 autographed bat knob cards from a mix of current players like Trout, Mookie Betts, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto as well as former players like Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz and Cal Ripken Jr. They keep getting better… This stack of game-used bat knob cards will be featured in 2025 Sterling. Arriving SOON 🗓️ — Topps (@Topps) May 10, 2025 The Athletic maintains full editorial independence in all our coverage. When you click or make purchases through our links, we may earn a commission.
New York Times
9 minutes ago
- New York Times
On a Search for an Old E.V., Jay Leno's Car Obsession Came Up Clutch
Times Insider explains who we are and what we do and delivers behind-the-scenes insights into how our journalism comes together. As an energy reporter on the Business desk of The New York Times, I often cover the transition to electrify the world around us, including automobiles and heating and cooling systems. But until I spoke with the historian at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, I did not know that electric cars rattled down city streets as far back as the mid-1890s. A century ago, roughly a third of taxi drivers in New York City shuttled passengers around in electric cars. I set out to write an article about these cars, and a time before lawmakers gave deference to the oil industry by offering numerous tax breaks, paving the way for gasoline-powered vehicles. But finding an original E.V. that I could ride in proved difficult. Most of them sit in museums and personal collections. Enter the comedian — and car collector — Jay Leno. My editor suggested I reach out to Mr. Leno after learning about his 1909 Baker Electric, housed in his famous garage. Mr. Leno's team gave an enthusiastic 'Yes' in reply. When I arrived at his warehouse garage in Burbank, Calif., in April, Mr. Leno had his Baker Electric charged and ready to hit the streets. The 116-year-old car, which had been refurbished, looked like it had just rolled off the showroom floor. Still, the wooden high-top body, 36-inch rubber wheels and Victorian-style upholstery whispered the car's age. It was basically a carriage with batteries, enabling drivers to free horses from their bits and harnesses. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
