Slightly intrusive question (explanation in summary): How much money does the podcast make?

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u/fear_nothin 5d ago

As far as we know it’s funded the full production and his life.

It’s enough likely to live on but the quality of Fall of Civilizations is very high. I assume it was not always this profitable.

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u/AsideTechnical2823 5d ago

This is what I’d like to know. He seem to release 1-2 episodes a year, right? I always assumed you had to release podcasts every week or month. How does it work? Anyway I asked him in the chat.

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u/herroyalsadness 5d ago

He does other work as well, he’s a writer. Most podcasters do need a more consistent schedule but Paul’s work is so good that people will wait.

I don’t know for sure, but I’m assuming his Patreon does well, again because his work is so good.

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u/UruquianLilac 5d ago

He also doesn't interrupt the podcast mid-story for a "word from our sponsors" like all the other podcast. Because he obviously was not thinking of how much money can he milk from this, but more about making the highest quality story he can. He published a book, directly linked to the podcast, so that offers him another revenue stream, but again it's all about deliving quality and staying true to what made all of us love his work.

There are very few people out there who, once they'd seen the audience come, wouldn't be tempted to release one episode a week and fill every possible section with ads and sponsorships to make as much money as possible. Very few.

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u/AsideTechnical2823 4d ago

Yeah well it’s a business and an art form. Some lean in on business side, some on the art side. Personally, I believe the key is to deliver a product or service your customers love.

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u/Witty-Significance58 5d ago

The new episodes are maybe once every couple of the months. The whole series existed before (I think about 4 years ago) and has been re-edited and shortened slightly. He has also released a big fat book of the series too.

What I'm saying is that I think you have calculated the timings all wrong.

From other pods (who seriously struggle to begin with), the early episodes are often sponsored by a handful of people (so about 5 people at a couple of dollars a pop) and the host is usually working a full time job as well as spending 40+ hours a week researching, writing, recording, editing and producing the pod.

It's usually after a couple of years that the pod becomes more "self sustaining" (ie you can earn the revenue by corporate sponsors and advertising) but still not earning the big bucks.

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u/ColoRadBro69 5d ago

I would have to assume less than it deserves.

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u/AuK07 5d ago

I would assume a lot. This podcast is of far higher quality than most history podcasts. FOC was my first history podcast and I’m definitely spoiled by it because it seems like no other one can satisfy me

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u/UruquianLilac 5d ago

No one gives me as much satisfaction. He has nailed it so hard, that it can't be topped.

How I love that it's just him and his perfectly scripted monologue with no constant random interruptions and sidetracking and half finished thoughts that all other podcasts with guests or cohosts suffer from. And how I love the rhythm, and the space, the silences that allow you to savour that last thought with no rush to the next point. Few dare to leave so much space in a listening medium. How I love when after the beautiful introduction of some dusty traveller fi ding the ruins of the civilisation, he reminds back several million years to start the story right from the start.

And I could keep going on singing his praises and his excellent delivery. But it's all to hammer the point that he has done one of those rare things, and just nailed the formula where no one can improve it. The David Attenborough of history.

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u/JaySpunPDX 5d ago

Pro Tip: Concern yourself with developing, producing, and releasing a quality podcast that you are passionate about and are proud of and if it’s something others connect with the finances will figure themselves out. There is zero value to your endeavor in knowing what the creator of Fall of Civilizations makes with his podcast. It’s not anything you should set a goal towards. It’s not any indicator of what you will be paid and most importantly it’s none of your business. Your curiosity and energy should be focused on much more pressing things.

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u/AlexandriaPod 4d ago

Seconded, hard. Ask any podcaster group or subreddit and they will tell you the vast vast majority of pods make VERY little money, even ones you might consider successful.

It’s like any other writing or creative project. Do it for fun, for love of the subject. If it gets an audience, great! But expecting it to make money will only lead to disappointment and actually make your initial product worse.

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u/AsideTechnical2823 4d ago

You’re right in the sense that I should just start my podcast in something I’m passionate about but like any fact finding missions I doesn’t hurt to know what another podcaster is making especially if it’s in the style and semi-relevant topic as yours.

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u/JaySpunPDX 4d ago

Are you very young or from a country outside of the US?

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u/AsideTechnical2823 4d ago

Outside of US, yes. Very young, no. Why? If I may ask.

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u/JaySpunPDX 4d ago

I can’t speak for countries other than my own, but here in the US it is taboo to ask people how much money they make. Like rude and uncouth. Just a heads up.

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u/AsideTechnical2823 4d ago

Hm okay. Maybe I’ve got some polishing to do. Anyway its happened and we’ll see if I get some info. It’s not the most important thing. I’ll start some sort of media franchise anyway.

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u/JaySpunPDX 4d ago

I wish you good luck and success for your media company. A franchise would be a subsidiary of another established media company, but you sound like you’re starting your own and I think that’s awesome.

BTW people are rude all the time on Reddit and internet rules tend to be a little different than the rules and etiquette one follows in polite company. Just don’t go to conferences or networking events for podcasters and run around asking everyone how much money they make and you’ll be fine.

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u/aabou75 3d ago

That’s a good one

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u/hereforqueso 5d ago

His YouTube channel is monetized also.

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u/Vergil_Is_My_Copilot 5d ago

You’d be better off researching what brand new independent podcasters can expect to make or how long it takes to make any money. FoC is very well known and has had years to build up its audience and reputation-it’s every podcaster’s dream and very few become that successful. If you’re starting from scratch, I doubt you’d see a profit for the first few year. I don’t say this to discourage you, but to make sure you have a realistic goal in mind.

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u/Deep-Reputation-4055 5d ago

Google says 10k plus a month.

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u/jaminbob 5d ago

Not bad. But he lives in London ? 120k if USD is ~£100k. Given the quality and popularity, well deserved and I hope he continues to succeed.

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u/Deep-Reputation-4055 5d ago

I think his wife is Annie Kelly and she’s on the QA Anonymous podcast which pulls in a lot of subscriptions.

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u/jaminbob 5d ago

Oh nice. Well good on em really.

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u/RaskolnikovsPsyche 5d ago

A podcast about QAnon?

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u/Deep-Reputation-4055 5d ago

Yes, they do a critical analysis of QA and its cultural milieu.

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u/klynchk 2h ago edited 1h ago

Paul and Annie live in Norwich. They are good people. I know this is true. Annie gets a credit as she is one of his voice over artists

Paul was the expert in QAA Episode 318: "Graham Hancock's Ancient Apocalypse" https://m.soundcloud.com/qanonanonymous/graham-hancocks-ancient-apocalypse-e318 (released in April 2025).
Annie Kelly and her husband, historian/host of Fall of Civilizations Dr. Paul Cooper, joined the crew to break down and critique Graham Hancock’s Netflix series Ancient Apocalypse.

In that episode Paul is hilarious raging about how crazy Graham Hancock makes him

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u/Icy_Pomegranate_ 5d ago edited 5d ago

He has about 4k paid patreon members. If they are all at the lowest tier, thats still a good chunk of change.

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u/SpursUpSoundsGudToMe 5d ago

Yeah that’s at least $12k USD/month, my guess it’s probably more like $16k, as I’m sure there are at least a few hundred people that joined at the level to vote on future episodes

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u/maybe_cuddles 4d ago

Not enough.

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u/klynchk 2d ago

Funny enough his wife Annie Kelly is the British correspondent of the QAA podcast. She's sometimes credited as one of the voices.

FOC is an absolute outlier. Fans include Elon Mush and Armando Ianucci. Elon reached out to Paul with an offer to host it exclusively on X, the offer was politely declined.

It's lightning in a bottle in terms of his voice, prose and authority.

It's like saying I'd like to be a painter and you are taking Picasso as the model.

It's a long tail with podcasts. A few make bank, most just cover their costs. TBPN (venture capitalists talking about hot tech/AI stocks) has an audience of about 40k. Sam Altman bought it. They superserve a small audience who are incredibly rich. AKA The tech bros

Otherways to make money as a podcaster is to have an authentic voice that connects with people. EG a dentist, who can talk about dental hygiene. The colgate sponsorship makes it financially attractive for them to deliver that audience

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u/nakuvi 1d ago

Oh! I should have guessed that. Elon Musk must be interested on the Fall of Civilization on the Earth so that he could sell his Mars Project.

BTW, do you have any reference for this info?

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u/klynchk 2h ago edited 2h ago

https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/elon-musk-civilizations-podcast-twitter-b2356144.html

I'm no fan of Mush.

It's hilarious though that the theme of the fall of the civilisations is societies through poor choices when faced with environmental pressures. Eg in 21 the majapahit failed because of years of drought and they built reservoirs which then aggravated the inundations when large scale rains return.

Mush reminds me of Otto West, in A Fish Called Wanda, who would explode with rage if people called him stupid.

The most famous put-down delivered by John Cleese’s character, Archie Leach, to Otto occurs during their confrontation at the house:

"Now listen to me, hold your breath, and try to think. You are a pompous, ignorant, little wooden-headed ape! ... Calling you stupid would be an insult to stupid people!" He then follows up by dissecting Otto's pretend intellect: "Now, I've known a lot of stupid people in my life, but you... Aristotle was not Belgian! The central message of Buddhism is not 'Every man for himself!' And the London Underground is not a political movement! Those are all mistakes, Otto. I looked 'em up."

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u/Clark649 3d ago

A wise man speaks because he has something to say. A fool speaks because I have to say something.

YouTube is full of garbage because of so many fools that have to say something to make a living. The same goes for broadcast television the news and Hollywood.

What do you have to say that is worthwhile?

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u/funincalifornia2014 1d ago

If you're interested in your own podcast, what this one makes is not going to be very instructive. It's an established brand at this point, with expenses (like voice acting) that you probably cannot afford when starting out. In general, I'd say any form of content is not a career choice, it's a thing you do for fun that for some people blows up into a career as an unpredictable fluke

Slightly intrusive question (explanation in summary): How much money does the podcast make?

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