Station’s New AI Tool Helps Podcasters and Creators Turn Content Into Revenue

Over 185,000 people took the plunge last year and launched a podcast.

Those hosts represent an exponentially growing number of content creators building audiences around their videos and audio segments in our digital age.

But even for those who have an active audience of listeners and viewers, the reality is that podcasters, YouTubers, and digital creators have difficulty building up strong and consistent revenue streams, says Cam Pritchard, co-founder and CEO of Station.

We covered Pritchard and Station last fall as the startup was setting up shop in Brickyard, Chattanooga’s “insulator” for founders backed by local investors. When the startup launched, Station was helping creators connect and engage with their listeners and fans.

But since its founding, creators kept asking for sponsorships and better ways to monetize, says Pritchard.

What was missing in the market was a quick, reliable way to help creators better figure out their business model and growth opportunities.

That’s where Chattanooga-based Station’s new AI Revenue Assistant comes into play.

Podcasters, YouTubers, and digital creators can use Station’s Assistant to access a “full media team” without needing to hire more staff. The platform helps creators figure out new revenue opportunities from sponsorships, memberships, and storefronts.

After a user logs into Assistant, they are able to explore monetization options that could work for them. Users receive ongoing support and new recommendations, as well as a central hub to track sponsors, community engagement, and performance metrics.

“Station guides them toward the most relevant sponsors, and brand reps can step in to help source new deals, replacing the heavy lift of ad sales (which most creators don’t want to touch),” Pritchard added.

What Creators Can Expect

Pritchard described Station as the “Shopify for the creators of the future” that can unlock new monetization options for entrepreneurial content creators.

And while their platform is used by some of the biggest podcasters out there (like New Heights With Jason and Travis Kelce), the platform can unlock opportunities for teams with smaller audiences.

“There’s a misconception that you need tens of thousands of followers to monetize. In reality, reaching even 1,000 people a month is significant…That’s a thousand individuals choosing to spend time with your content. That audience is meaningful enough to build revenue streams around,” Pritchard told Hypepotamus. “Brands love engaged niches. A small but highly targeted audience is often more attractive than a large, unfocused one. There are brands eager to reach specialized communities.”

Saugat Podel, Station’s AI engineer, was integral in building up the product, which took 12 months to launch from the time of its first experiments.

“The journey began with experiments on early AI models. The challenge wasn’t just building something “smart”, it was making sure recommendations worked in the messy reality of creator monetization. That meant months of training, tuning, and iteration,” Pritchard explained to Hypepotamus. “A turning point came when we launched a brand-facing arm of Station. This gave us direct insight into what advertisers wanted. Those learnings shaped the Assistant into something that could connect podcasters with the right sponsors at the right time. Behind the scenes, monetization is complex. Audience size, content themes, engagement patterns, past performance etc. – all of it matters. Teaching the Assistant to process those signals and deliver actionable recommendations took serious iterations, but once it worked, the results were transformative. What used to take hours now happens instantly.”

Advice For Creators In Our Evolving Content World

While talking about the launch of Station’s Assistant, Pritchard offered tactical tips for creators looking to monetize their digital content and audiences.

A big takeaway: Quality sponsorships matters. And after landing a sponsor, Pritchard said that it is important to invest in the success of that sponsor’s success.

“A single ad slot has limited value. What really moves the needle is when podcasters think holistically – this will soon be the expectations of the future: sharing performance data with sponsors, following up with results, and extending campaigns into other channels like social media, newsletters, or bonus content when they aren’t going as well. Sponsors want to feel like true partners, not just advertisers, and that requires creators to look for ways to overdeliver,” he told Hypepotamus.

Additionally, Pritchard said that monetization opportunities don’t just have to come just from sponsorship streams.

“Before chasing sponsors, creators can monetize through direct access. Coaching calls, one-on-one consultations, or small group sessions are high-value ways to serve the most engaged audience members. It requires no massive scale, just a willingness to deepen relationships. This is why our AI assistant often suggests these upfront for startup shows,” Pritchard told Hypepotamus. “Monetization is about experimentation. Start early, test small, and iterate based on results. Just like startups validate products through paying customers, creators validate content by seeing whether their audience is willing to support it financially or otherwise.”