As of late August 2025, YouTuber Ryan Trahan has made an unexpected splash on Spotify, landing at #103 on the platform’s top podcast charts — despite not producing an actual podcast.
Since February, Trahan has been uploading his YouTube videos directly to Spotify, a simple two-click process that has propelled him into the audio streaming spotlight.
This unconventional strategy gained traction during his viral “50 States in 50 Days” YouTube challenge, where he raised an impressive $11.5 million in donations and briefly cracked the top five podcast rankings in the United States.
A Clever Content Pivot
Trahan’s rise on Spotify hinges on repurposing his YouTube content, a move that leverages the platform’s growing appetite for video podcasts. His “50 States in 50 Days” challenge — a grueling journey across the U.S. on a penny budget — captivated millions, blending storytelling with philanthropy.
By uploading these videos to Spotify, Trahan taps into a new audience without the overhead of producing dedicated audio content. While exact viewership numbers on Spotify remain unclear—likely a fraction of his YouTube totals, where he boasts millions of views per video — this strategy has proven effective enough to earn him a spot in the charts.
This approach highlights a broader trend of YouTubers exploring Spotify’s video podcast feature, which allows creators to upload existing video content alongside audio. Trahan’s success suggests that high-engagement YouTube videos can translate into podcast popularity, especially when paired with a compelling narrative like his cross-country odyssey.
Lucrative Spotify CPMs
The financial incentive behind this pivot is hard to ignore. Spotify’s monetization program offers video podcasters competitive cost-per-mille (CPM) rates, with some creators reporting averages of $16, $29, and even $80 per 1,000 views — several times higher than the CPMs for many YouTube niches, where rates often hover between $2 and $10.
These elevated rates are attributed to Spotify’s targeted ad placements and its premium listener base, which includes a significant number of paying subscribers. For Trahan, whose YouTube content already garners substantial attention, even a modest number of Spotify views could yield a lucrative return for minimal effort.
While Trahan’s exact earnings from Spotify are undisclosed, the potential revenue from these higher CPMs makes the two-click upload process a no-brainer. Industry insiders speculate that his chart position reflects both organic interest and the algorithmic boost from his established fanbase, amplifying his reach without additional production costs.
Implications for Creators
Trahan’s success raises intriguing questions about the future of content distribution. By bypassing traditional podcast production, he exemplifies how creators can maximize revenue across platforms with existing assets. However, his lower Spotify viewership compared to YouTube suggests that the strategy’s effectiveness may depend on an already loyal audience willing to follow across ecosystems. For smaller creators, replicating this feat could be challenging without similar brand recognition.
Critics might argue that this approach dilutes the podcasting medium, traditionally defined by audio-first storytelling. Yet, Spotify’s embrace of video podcasts—coupled with Trahan’s chart performance — signals a shift toward a more flexible content model. This could encourage other YouTubers to experiment with cross-platform uploads, potentially reshaping how creators allocate their efforts.
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A Worthwhile Experiment
For now, Ryan Trahan’s #103 ranking serves as a testament to the power of repurposed content and the financial allure of Spotify’s monetization. While his view counts on the platform likely pale in comparison to his YouTube dominance, the higher CPM rates make the minimal effort of uploading well worth it. As he continues to ride the wave of his “50 States” fame, Trahan’s experiment could inspire a new wave of creators to rethink their distribution strategies, blurring the lines between video and audio content in the digital age.
