Table of Contents
Apollo Podcasts: the app made just for audio fiction…
Apollo is the only free podcast app dedicated to discovering and listening to the best fiction podcasts.
Rated by fiction podcast guru Evo Terra as one of the top three apps for fiction, Apollo features over 10,000 fiction podcasts, all carefully tagged in order to be easily searchable.
Free on iOS and Android, Apollo Podcasts has introduced thousands of new listeners to a storytelling medium they didn’t even realize existed. And it has acquainted veteran listeners of the audio drama world to shows they never knew existed!
…with a mission of discovery and creation.
The mission we’ve embarked on is to help audio fiction fans discover the best fiction shows for them and enable creators to produce their best work.
By introducing fiction fans to shows they’ve never heard before—the classics and the hidden gems—creators find a new audience and listeners get to experience the joy of discovering something new they love.
But fiction podcasts are expensive to produce!
Podcasts are free to listen to, but certainly not free to create! It takes so many resources to develop, write, cast, record, edit, produce, market, and distribute a good fiction podcast. It requires not only an investment of time, but also of money. That’s money to pay the cast, to buy the audio software, to pay your podcast host.
And producing a podcast is not exactly a license to print money. Especially not a fiction show.
Audio fiction, different from most ‘regular’ podcasts, are not ‘always on’ like a daily news show or a weekly interview show. They take much more planning and execution to produce a single episode, which is why most of the best fiction podcasts are released in season format, like a season of a TV series.
Creators will dedicate themselves to crafting a story and then need time to produce the next episode, or the next season. The nature of this work is that it’s very resource heavy as compared to producing what most people think of when they hear the word ‘podcast:’ something more akin to The Daily, or SmartLess.
Okay, so how does Apollo help new audio series get made?
At its essence, Apollo is a podcast player with an incredible search function. We sifted through the 5 million podcasts that exist today, finding and cataloging the 10,000+ fiction shows released since the dawn of podcasting. Then we created curated lists with recommendations of the best fiction podcasts out there. And every show you find on Apollo is fiction, meaning you won’t be recommended a 3-hour interview show or news.
When listeners on Apollo press play, the app fetches the audio directly from a creator’s RSS feed, like any other podcast app. This ensures that the creator gets the plays they need and thus the ad revenue they deserve!
But the fact is that ads so rarely pay the bills in audio fiction. Even for the best fiction podcasts. Less than 1% of fiction shows are successful on an ad-based model. That’s mainly because the audience for fiction podcasts is so much smaller than the audience for nonfiction shows.
And the number of episodes per fiction show is just so much lower than a daily or weekly interview show, so there is simply less real estate for advertising episode-to-episode.
Many creators try to overcome this problem by running fundraisers, launching a Patreon, but most just self-fund forever. These systems, through extraordinary effort, can work. If you are one of the best fiction podcasts out there, one of the top 0.1% with wild success, you can probably survive off the ad revenue alone. But imagine if there was a way to reward the more niche shows, the ones whose audiences don’t reach millions but who still bring joy to thousands of listeners. And a way to allow the creators of these shows to make their next project come to life.
Apollo Plus: a better way to fund audio fiction?
We think a better way exists. At the very least, it’s another option for creators of the best fiction podcasts to fund their art in addition to other sources of funding.
That’s Apollo Plus.
It’s a monthly membership whose subscribers get access to ad-free feeds of select member shows. Apollo Plus allows creators of some of the best fiction podcasts, who are a part of the offering, to retain 70% of net revenue (after taxes, Apple, and Google fees), so they can fund their next projects. Member listeners also unlock bonus episodes, behind-the-scenes audio, convenient supercuts, early access, and more depending on what each creator is offering.
It’s probably the best way to support multiple creators at once. Apollo has paid out thousands of dollars to its member creators since its launch.
For some creators, this is the only revenue they have ever seen for their work up until now. We’ve heard this more than once from a few member creators.
Creators are paid out based on minutes-listened, meaning the more a creator’s show is heard on the app, the higher the share they will receive from the payout. But a creator will earn a share simply by being a member of the collective and making their podcasts available to listeners. This motivates creators to make the best fiction podcasts possible and upload their shows to Apollo Plus. (Creators interested in joining can get in touch with us here.)
And the rest of the money, the remaining 30%, gets reinvested into Apollo to further develop new app features that will aid in discovery of creators’ work. Members can harness the awesome power of Apollo’s tags by unlocking search-by-tag: the expert way to find the next best fiction podcast, specifically for you. Looking for a show that matches comedy + sci-fi + space? It’s literally a couple taps away with Apollo Plus.
But the best part for both listeners and creators is that shows on Apollo Plus are totally non-exclusive. The fiction podcasts on Apollo are also available for free as classic, RSS feed podcasts, and they remain listenable on whatever podcast app a listener chooses. But if ads aren’t your thing, or you want premium content, or just want to help creators and the app, Apollo Plus is an option!
Finally, we want to make it clear that we absolutely don’t want to paywall fiction shows that were previously available for free. We don’t want to limit the options for creators of audio fiction or their listeners. Apollo is about offering an alternative source of funding for creators of the best fiction podcasts.
Download Apollo for free
So, if you are looking for some new fiction podcasts to listen to, join us on the free Apollo Podcasts app today. Listen to 10,000+ fiction shows for free, and when you’re ready, become a premium member and subscribe to Apollo Plus.
Support the creators you love and become patrons of their quest to create the best, most captivating fiction shows!
FAQs
What is Apollo Podcasts?
Apollo Podcasts is a free app dedicated to discovering and listening to fiction podcasts. It offers over 10,000 fiction shows, all carefully tagged for easy searchability.
How does Apollo Plus support creators?
Apollo Plus is a monthly membership that allows creators to earn revenue from ad-free feeds of their shows. Creators retain 70% of net revenue, which helps fund their next projects.
Can I listen to Apollo Podcasts for free?
Yes, Apollo Podcasts is free to download and use. You can listen to over 10,000 fiction shows without any cost.
What are the benefits of subscribing to Apollo Plus?
Subscribers to Apollo Plus get access to ad-free feeds, bonus episodes, behind-the-scenes content, early access, and more, depending on what each creator offers.
Is Apollo Plus exclusive?
No, Apollo Plus is non-exclusive. Fiction podcasts on Apollo remain available for free on any podcast app. Apollo Plus offers additional benefits for those who prefer premium content and want to support creators directly.