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What's the average cost of sponsorship for a podcast?
Hello! Thanks for your question about the average cost of sponsorship for a podcast. The short version is that the industry standard for a podcast sponsorship is measured per audio listens, with an average rate between $15-25 per 1000 listens. However this varies based on format and placement of the ad as well as how many episodes one wishes to sponsor, which I’ve explained in more detail below.
INDUSTRY STANDARDS
The industry standard for a podcast sponsorship is based on several factors- the placement of the ad, the length of the ad, and the number of listens the podcast receives. While the industry standard ranges between $15-25, the average pre-roll (ad placed at beginning of podcast) will be shorter in length and on average $18 per 1000 listens. The average mid-roll (placed during podcast content) is longer, and towards the higher end between $20-25 per 1000 listens. We can use this to calculate an anticipated budget for the various levels of exposure.
BUDGET PER EPISODE
Based on industry standards, for a low impact podcast that receives 1,000 listens, one could anticipate paying $18 per pre-roll sponsored ad, and around $25 for a mid roll ad, so anticipate a low ad budget, between $18-25 per episode. For a podcast that receives 5,000 listens, one can anticipate paying $90- 215, depending on ad placement and rate variance.
Likewise, for a 10,000 listen podcast, which is fairly middle of the line, one could anticipate between $180-250, and for a 50,000 listen fairly large podcast, $900-2150 budget. For an incredibly large reach of 100,000, a sponsor could anticipate paying $1800-2500. However, as one reaches beyond the 100,000 listener mark, there may be less availability to sponsor or rates may increase as these high traffic spots are in the most demand.
BUDGET PER MONTHLY /MULTI EPISODE SPONSORSHIP
However this is a per episode budget, in order to get a monthly budget one would want to determine how often that podcast airs and how many episodes they will be sponsoring. For example, if one wished to sponsor a podcast that has four monthly episodes, they would have to multiply this budget by four. For example, a podcast that receives 1,000 listens that is sponsored four times a month would be a budget $72-100, and a 10,000 listen podcast sponsored four times in a month would have a budget of $720-1000.
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
It should also be noted that these industry standard rates may vary based on notoriety of a podcast. For example, advertising on incredibly popular podcasts like for example are at a premium because podcast creators understand that they are offering maximum exposure for a brand- thus these can range between $25-40 per listener instead of the industry standard of $18-25.
It is also useful to note how potentially effective a podcast sponsorship can be. One of my sources noted that 63% of podcast listeners surveyed bought something a host had promoted on a show, which may be related to the personal feeling listeners get when hearing their favorite host speak about a product or service. The company Mailchimp promotes on podcasts for this reason, with their director of marketing noting that, “People tend to have warmer feelings about advertisers on podcasts than other media”.
So in summary, one can effectively use podcast sponsorship as an advertising outlet within a broad range of budgets, as low as $18 an episode and as high as $1,000's per episode if one hopes to gain maximum exposure. Thanks for using Wonder! Please let us know if we can help with anything else!