… could I run affiliate ads … in my podcast … and still ask the listeners in the beginning for contributions?
—Dennis
Yes, but this could be tricky to do well. It really depends on how you promote the affiliate. If you make the affiliate sound like an ad, some listeners will question why they need to donate if you already have an “advertiser.”
Listeners may also hope to stop hearing ads if they donate.
But if you include your affiliates in relevant contexts, they won't sound like ads to your audience, and thus gives you more freedom to ask for audience support.
Related Content
Many shows will take opportunities — perhaps not every episode, but occasionally — to describe the multiple ways to support the show. This could include purchasing from affiliates, visiting sponsor/advertising pages, donating money, and even spreading the word on social (which is free). Collected as part of a portfolio, I think both should be fine.
Yes, that’s doable, but that can also start to take so much time that people get overwhelmed by the number of options, skip it, or ignore it.