How to Make Money With a Podcast For podcasting to pay off, have a plan to be different -- and valuable.

Here's how Defacto Sound founder Dallas Taylor opens each episode of his podcast: "From Defacto Sound, you're listening to Twenty Thousand Hertz." But he's afraid to talk much more about his company. Yes, he'd like to tell listeners about the sound design studio he owns, which has six employees and does work for the likes of Ford and Under Armour. "In a perfect world, I could say, "Hey, everyone, I'd like to be straight with you. If you know anyone in advertising, send them to Defacto Sound, because that's what pays for the show,'" he says.

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But he won't, because he knows the catch: The best branded content isn't about a brand. To successfully promote a business, a podcast must be nonpromotional. And his experience proves the point. He now averages nearly 200,000 listeners an episode and has cracked the top 10 on the iTunes charts.