Expert Tips for Earning Money with Audible
While there are many ways to earn money with Audible, it's important to maximize your chances of success by following these tips and tricks.
- Build your audience and get the word out about your Audible content on social media or by reaching out to other popular podcasts or blogs. This will help your product get noticed and could mean more sales or more money through your affiliate links.
- Create quality content to have the best chance of being accepted by Audible, and the best chance of attracting listeners and earning more.
- Use Audible's marketing tools to promote your audiobook.
- Choose a niche for your podcast or audiobook to make sure you stand out from the crowd.
- Join the ACX Bounty Program to promote your audiobook with a unique link - every time someone purchases your audiobook through that link, you'll earn $75 on the customer's 61st day of listening!
How to Make Money with Audible
Publish an Audiobook
Audible is best known as an online platform that makes hundreds of thousands of audiobooks available to its members. To find new talent and grow their library, Audible also offers the opportunity to create and publish your own audiobook through their Audiobook Creative Exchange (ACX), as long as it is already published online through Amazon. Your book will be available for purchase on Audible as well as iTunes and Amazon, and will typically sell for around $15 to $25.
What are the requirements?
- Professional audio equipment or a professional recording studio: this is vital when recording your audiobook, as it must be free of any background noise to get accepted onto Audible
- ACX account: you will need to create an account here to start publishing on Audible
- Narrator: you might decide to narrate it yourself, or pay a VO artist to narrate it
- A published book: you will already need a book published online through Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing service
- An ISBN: this special number assigned to your published book which Audible needs to track your audiobook sales
| Pros | Cons |
| Once published, it can be a source of passive income | Recording equipment and studio time can be expensive |
| Your audiobook is available to buy to a huge audience of over 27 million people | You will only receive 40% royalties |
| Audiobooks sell for more than Kindle books so you will earn more | Time-consuming and hard to write a whole book |
Affiliate Marketing
Audible’s parent company Amazon allows you to earn money by promoting Audible online for individual audiobooks or subscriptions to the site. When you sign up for the Amazon Associate Program, you will receive a unique link that you can post on your social media, website, or blog. Once a viewer clicks on your link to register to the site, purchase an audiobook, or enjoy a 30-day free trial, you will earn a commission of up to $10!
What are the requirements?
- An account with Amazon’s Affiliate Program or Influencers Program so you can receive your link
- A social media, website, and/or blog where you can promote the link, ideally with as many viewers as possible
| Pros | Cons |
| Opportunity for a passive income stream | Requires a large follower base to promote the affiliate link |
| It’s a low-cost and accessible way to make money | High competition due to the popularity of Amazon affiliate marketing |
| You can earn up to $10 for one person joining Audible | Requires you to clearly state your affiliate status online due to regulations |
Become a Narrator
By joining the Audible Creator Exchange (ACX), you can earn money by uploading samples of your voice and trying to attract authors who want you to narrate their audiobooks. If they like the sound of your voice, an author may send you an offer so you can make some money by agreeing to split royalties from any sales 50/50, on an hourly rate, or both.
What are the requirements?
- ACX account: you can create a profile to advertise yourself to authors
- Audio recording equipment or a professional recording studio: to ensure you get the best possible sound quality and that Audible accepts your submission.
- Audio editing software: such as Audacity, Garageband, or Logic Pro
- Voice samples: to upload to your ACX account to attract authors
- Experience in voice acting to ensure you deliver a great narrative performance and gain more work
| Pros | Cons |
| Recording can be flexible and means you could work from home | Can be time-consuming to record and edit |
| Opportunity for scalability and growth into a full-time career | Opportunities could be limited if you don’t have any professional VO experience |
| Can earn up to $100 per hour as a beginner | Recording equipment and studio time can be expensive |
Join the Audible Podcast Development Program
Audible's Podcast Development Program is always on the lookout for promising new podcasts to add to its roster. If you and up to three friends have a great idea for a podcast and want to share it with the world, you could be selected by Audible to receive an award of up to $10,000. This will help you create, produce, and grow your podcast, with support from Audible for production equipment, editing, and general advice.
What are the requirements?
- A strong and unique podcast pitch or idea
- A written application through Audible Submissions, including an elevator pitch or outline summary of your idea
| Pros | Cons |
| Audible will cover the costs and provide equipment so there are no startup costs | Highly competitive with a limited chance of success |
| Opportunity for growth into a full-time podcasting career | Can be time-consuming to juggle alongside a regular job |
| Provides a whole new range of additional money-making opportunities | No guarantee your podcast will become popular |
Audible Creator Program
If you're a podcaster, social media influencer, or content creator, you can sign up for the Audible Creator Program and make money by getting people to try audiobooks for free with the Audible Trial. It's a lot like being an Amazon affiliate - you get paid $15 every time someone starts a free trial using your special code or link. If you already have followers, this could be a convenient way to make some extra money.
What are the requirements?
- A podcast, social media, blog, or some other place where you already create content for an audience to include your Creator Program link
| Pros | Cons |
| Make money from your existing content | You already need to have an audience to make money from this program |
| Can be a passive income stream | High competition |
Audible Offers with Freecash
At Freecash, you can enjoy our offers with Audible, giving you the chance to earn money just by signing up for an Audible subscription. Check out our Offers page to find out more!
Or, if you want to enjoy an Audible subscription without spending a dime, you can join our platform, complete tasks, and receive a Visa gift card that you can use to purchase an Audible subscription.
