Guide · Updated 2026-09-01
How podcast CPMs work
Price a host-read as (downloads / 1,000) × CPM. Mid-rolls cost more than pre-rolls. Small shows should usually quote a flat fee.
Podcast ads are usually priced as a CPM on 30-day downloads. Host-reads tend to sell better than produced spots because the host is recommending the product.
Slot price = (30-day downloads / 1,000) × CPM.
Pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll
Mid-roll host-reads are the expensive slot because people are already in the episode. Pre-roll is cheaper and easier to skip. Post-roll is cheaper still. Our calculator prices pre-roll at 80% of your mid-roll CPM and post-roll at 65%. If you only sell one mid-roll, say so. Three slots stacked on a 2,000-download show still may not be worth a brand's legal review.
Small shows are usually better off quoting a flat fee
At 1,200 downloads, a $25 CPM is $30. You will spend more than $30 explaining IAB downloads to a marketing coordinator. Quote a flat package: four episodes, a unique code, a show-notes link, a 200-word recap in the newsletter. Show the downloads so the buyer can compute their own effective CPM.
Category changes what advertisers will pay
A business show and a true-crime show with the same downloads do not have the same inventory. Software and finance advertisers will pay to reach the first audience. The second audience is larger and cheaper to reach elsewhere. If you copy a friend's $40 CPM from a B2B interview show onto a hobby show, you will not get a reply.
Questions
What CPM should I charge for a podcast ad?
Start from category. Business and finance host-reads often sit around or above $30 CPM. Leisure is lower. Marketplace averages for 60-second baked-in reads have recently been in the mid-$20s. Then price the rest of the scope.
When do I switch from a flat fee to CPM?
When delivery is predictable and the invoice is large enough that a media buyer expects CPM. Many independent shows wait until roughly 10,000 downloads per episode.
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