Organic, social & brand marketing

Books and taxes for podcast booking agencies.

A monthly retainer for pitching a client to shows, per-booking bonuses when a placement actually lands, and outreach tools that run all day chasing hosts. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.

Book a call What we handle
  • From $197 a month
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever
MayExample month
$8,200
what you made

May came in at $8,200. Three booking bonuses landed the same week a client's shows finally aired, so I tied each bonus back to the client it belonged to.

  • Retainer, Client GRetainer revenue
  • Booking bonus, Client HPer-booking fees
  • PodMatch subscriptionGuest matching tools
  • Outreach email toolPitch outreach tools
  • Freelance pitch writerContractor payouts
Money in$24,000
Money out$15,800
Set aside for taxes$1,900
An example month. Yours will have your numbers.

Why your books are different

Podcast booking agency books go wrong in the same few places.

A generalist sees a retainer payment and calls it a day. Your business is bonuses tied to a booking that lands weeks after the pitch went out, a retainer that keeps paying even during a dry stretch of no placements, and outreach tools that run constantly with little to show for any single week. When the books do not know that, you cannot tell if a client relationship is actually working.

  1. 1

    A booking bonus lands long after the pitch that earned it

    A pitch sent in March finally lands a placement in May, and the bonus for it arrives even later once the episode is scheduled. Booked with no memory of the client or the work behind it, it is hard to tell which clients are actually worth the pitching effort.

    What we doTies each booking bonus back to the client it came from, so you can see which relationships are paying off, even when the timing is spread out.
  2. 2

    A quiet booking month still pays the retainer

    A client on retainer keeps paying every month even during a stretch with no landed placements, so it looks like the account is fine when really the pitching has gone cold and nobody has flagged it.

    What we doFlags when retainer income continues but per-booking bonuses for that client dry up, so a stalled account gets noticed before renewal time.
  3. 3

    Outreach tool costs blend into one software line

    Guest matching databases and pitch email tools both get billed monthly, and lumped together it is hard to see which tool is actually driving bookings versus just adding to overhead.

    What we doKeeps guest matching tools separate from outreach email tools, so you can see what each one costs against what it produces.
  4. 4

    A pitch writer paid by the batch hides real cost per client

    A freelance pitch writer paid for a batch of pitches across several clients at once makes it hard to know what pitching for any one client actually costs to produce.

    What we doKeeps contractor pay tied to the client it served, so cost per account stays visible against what that account pays.

Your categories

The categories Gus keeps for a podcast booking agency.

Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.

Money in

  • Retainer revenueMonthly billing for ongoing pitching, regardless of how many placements land.
  • Per-booking feesBonuses paid out when a pitch actually lands a placement.
  • Media training feesOne-time coaching before a client's first big interview.
  • Strategy and audit feesOne-time engagements building a client's pitch angle and target list.

Money out

  • Guest matching toolsPodMatch, Podchaser, and similar databases for finding shows.
  • Pitch outreach toolsEmail and outreach software used to reach hosts and producers.
  • Contractor payoutsFreelance pitch writers and researchers paid through Upwork or direct invoice.
  • Client reporting toolsDashboards tracking pitches sent and placements landed.
  • Coworking and officeShared office space or a home office setup.

What we watch for you

  • Retainer revenue

    The steady piece of income, separate from per-booking bonuses that arrive unevenly.

  • Bookings per client

    Whether pitching for a specific client is actually landing placements or has gone quiet.

  • Contractor cost

    What pitch writers cost against revenue, since it moves before anything else does.

  • The set-aside

    What you will owe, tracked every month even while bonuses arrive on their own delayed schedule.

Ask Gus

Things podcast booking agency owners ask Gus.

Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.

A booking bonus landed this month for a pitch we sent back in March. How do I keep track of which client that was for?

I tied the bonus back to the client and the pitch behind it, so you can see which relationships are actually paying off over time.

One client keeps paying retainer but I have not landed them a booking in two months. Would you catch that?

Yes. When retainer income holds steady but bonuses for a client dry up, I flag it so you notice before they bring it up at renewal.

Do I need a 1099 for the freelance pitch writer I use?

If you pay her $2,000 or more this year and she is not on payroll, she gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. I keep that list running as we go.

The tax side

The tax side of a podcast booking agency.

Most of what goes wrong here is timing. A bonus that lands months after the work, a writer treated like an employee, and a set-aside nobody started until April.

What your return has to get right

Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.

  • Contractor 1099sAnyone not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026, a freelance pitch writer or researcher, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
  • The pass-through deductionMost owner-operated agencies can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income. Above roughly $200,000 single, the accountant looks at how much of that still applies to booking fees and bonuses alike.
  • Self-employment taxA solo owner not on payroll owes 15.3 percent in self-employment tax on top of income tax, up to the Social Security wage base.

Deductions podcast booking agencies miss

Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.

  • PodMatch or Podchaser subscription
  • Pitch outreach software
  • Freelance pitch writer payments
  • Client reporting dashboards
  • Business phone and internet
  • Coworking space
  • Conference tickets and travel
  • Website hosting for the agency
  • Accounting and legal fees
  • Proposal and outreach software

General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.

All year, not just April

A podcast booking agency's year, kept every month.

Placements land on a host's schedule, not yours, but tax deadlines do not move. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.

  1. January

    Set the year in motion

    Last year's return gets started, the pitch writer 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.

  2. April

    Return filed and settled

    Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, since bonuses and retainers alike fed the set-aside all year.

  3. July

    Check the halfway mark

    Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether bookings per client are holding up across your roster.

  4. October

    Before pitch season resets

    Clients start planning next year's thought leadership push. Gus looks at which retainers are worth renewing before those talks.

What you get

Starts at$197a month

What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.

Book a call
  • Monthly bookkeeping

    Every transaction sorted into categories set up for podcast booking agencies. You never categorize a thing.

  • An accountant checks every transaction

    Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.

  • Your business tax return, filed

    Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.

  • The monthly number

    What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.

  • Your own bookkeeper

    A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.

  • On your books all year

    Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.

  • Cancel any time

    No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.

Straight answers

Questions podcast booking agency owners ask first.

A booking bonus arrived months after we did the pitching work. Can Gus still tie it to the right client?

Yes. Gus keeps a record linking each bonus back to the client and pitch behind it, so late-arriving income does not get lost or misread.

A client keeps paying retainer with no bookings lately. Would that show up in my numbers?

It can. When a client's retainer income holds steady but their booking bonuses dry up, Gus flags it so you can look into it before renewal time.

I use both a guest matching database and a separate outreach tool. Should those be tracked differently?

Yes, and Gus already does it. Guest matching tools and outreach tools sit in their own categories, so you can see what each one costs against what it produces.

Do I need paperwork for the freelance writer who drafts my pitches?

If you pay them $2,000 or more this year and they are not on payroll, they get a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list current across every client.

My retainer and bonus income have been mixed together with no real system. Can that get sorted out?

Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus separates retainer income from per-booking bonuses, the accountant checks it, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.

Is a real accountant checking my books?

Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.

What does it cost, and can I cancel?

It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.

More in organic, social & brand marketing

We keep books for the business next door too.

What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for

Book a call

Pick a time. That's the whole signup.

Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.

  • $197 a month to start
  • An accountant on every transaction
  • Cancel whenever