Podcast sponsorship calculator
Podcast sponsors pay per 1,000 downloads, and the price depends on where the ad sits in the episode. Enter your downloads per episode, how many episodes you release, the CPM for each ad slot, how many slots you actually sell and any commission an agency takes, and this calculator estimates your sponsorship income per episode and per month. The table underneath shows what the same show would earn as its audience grows.
What one ad in each slot earns
Gross price of a single ad per episode, before commission. Mid-rolls usually earn the most per slot.
Income as downloads grow
Your rates, slots and sell-through at other audience sizes. Sponsor income scales directly with downloads.
| Downloads per episode | Per episode | Per month | Per year |
|---|
How sponsorship income is worked out
Each ad slot is priced on CPM, the rate per 1,000 downloads. The calculator prices one full episode, takes away the slots you do not sell and any commission, then scales up to a month.
Price a slot
Downloads divided by 1,000, times the slot's CPM.
slot price = downloads ÷ 1,000 × CPM
Price a full episode
Every pre-roll, mid-roll and post-roll added together.
full episode = Σ slot price × ads in that slot
Allow for unsold slots
Few shows sell every slot.
sold = full episode × sell-through
Take off commission
What a network or agency keeps.
per episode = sold × (1 − commission)
Scale to a month
Episodes per month times income per episode.
monthly = per episode × episodes
Podcast sponsorship questions
How much do podcast sponsors pay?
Most podcast ads are priced on CPM, a rate per 1,000 downloads. Host-read ads often sell for around $15 to $30 CPM for a 30-second pre-roll and $20 to $40 for a 60-second mid-roll, with post-rolls cheaper. Specialist business, finance and tech shows can charge more because their listeners are harder for brands to reach.
What counts as a download for sponsors?
Usually the downloads an episode gets in its first 30 days, since that is when most listening happens and when sponsors can track results. Use your hosting platform's 30-day figure per episode, not your all-time total.
How many downloads do I need to get sponsors?
Some networks and marketplaces look for a few thousand downloads per episode, but small shows with a focused audience can land direct deals much earlier. A show with 1,000 downloads from small business owners can be more valuable to the right brand than 10,000 general listeners.
Why is mid-roll the most expensive slot?
Listeners who reach the middle of an episode are engaged and less likely to skip, and a host-read ad there feels like part of the show. Pre-rolls reach the most people, while post-rolls are heard by the fewest, which is why they sell for less.
What is sell-through?
The share of your available ad slots you actually sell. Few shows sell every slot every month. Planning around 50 to 80 percent sell-through gives you a more honest income figure than assuming a full book.
Should I use an ad network or sell directly?
Networks and marketplaces bring sponsors and handle billing but often keep 20 to 40 percent. Direct deals keep the full rate but take time to find and manage. Many podcasters do both, selling their best slots directly and filling the rest through a network.
Are these rates guaranteed?
No. They are planning numbers. Real rates depend on your niche, audience, how the ad is read and the market at the time you sell.