Podcast ad rates: what to charge per episode
Podcast ads are priced per 1,000 downloads in the first 30 days. Libsyn puts a 60-second host-read ad at about $25 CPM, a 30-second read at $18 to $22, and dynamically inserted ads around $18. Business and health shows sit at the top; comedy and games a little below.
Enter your downloads per episode, first 30 days to see a price.
Sponsorship income is part of what a channel is worth. See what buyers paid for creator businesses, and what yours could sell for.
Value your channel See ProHost-read CPM by genre
| Genre | 60-second host-read CPM | At 5,000 downloads |
|---|---|---|
| Business | $30 | $150 |
| Health & Fitness | $27 | $135 |
| Technology | $26 | $130 |
| Education | $26 | $130 |
| Society & Culture | $23 | $115 |
| Science | $23 | $115 |
| Comedy | $23 | $115 |
| Leisure | $22 | $110 |
| Games | $22 | $110 |
Libsyn Ads' host-read CPMs by genre. Where Libsyn has no genre figure, use the overall $25. Source: Libsyn Ads (formerly AdvertiseCast), Podcast advertising rates.
Example prices for one 60-second host-read ad
| Downloads per episode (30 days) | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $20 | $25 | $25 |
| 5,000 | $90 | $130 | $130 |
| 10,000 | $180 | $250 | $260 |
| 25,000 | $450 | $630 | $650 |
Overall rate, no genre adjustment. Source: Ad Results Media, How Much Does Podcast Advertising Cost?.
How to work out your price
- Count downloads per episode in the first 30 days after release, not lifetime downloads.
- Divide by 1,000 and multiply by the CPM for your genre and ad length.
- Host-read ads earn more than pre-recorded or dynamically inserted spots, so say which one you are offering.
- Small shows often sell a run of episodes as a flat package. Work out the CPM math first so the package price has a basis.
What CPM means
CPM is the price per 1,000 views (the M is Roman for a thousand). Brands use it to compare creators of different sizes. If a brand pays $25 CPM and your videos get 40,000 views, the sponsorship is worth $25 × 40 = $1,000.
Followers matter less than views. A brand pays for the people who will actually see the ad, so use your average views on recent posts. For podcasts the count is downloads in the first 30 days, and for newsletters it is subscribers the issue goes to.
Common questions
What are typical podcast ad rates?
About $18 to $26 per 1,000 downloads for a 60-second ad, with host-read ads at the top of that range. A show with 5,000 downloads per episode would charge around $130 for one 60-second host-read ad.
How much can a small podcast charge for an ad?
The math is the same at any size: a show with 1,000 downloads per episode at $25 CPM is about $25 per ad. That is why small shows often sell a month of episodes together or add a newsletter or social mention to the package.
Is a 30-second ad cheaper than a 60-second ad?
Yes. Libsyn's 30-second host-read average is $18 to $22 CPM, against about $25 for 60 seconds.
Rates on other platforms: YouTube · TikTok · Instagram · Newsletter · Guides
Sources & method
retrieved 2026-10-20Every number in this calculator comes from a published source listed below. Where sources disagree or are thin, the calculator shows a range and the confidence label says so. The data file is data/sponsorship-benchmarks.json.
How each price is built
- YouTube videos. The typical rate starts from ThoughtLeaders' median price per 1,000 views for your subscriber band, taken from 9,002 booked integrations. It is then adjusted for niche by SponsorRadar's niche midpoint relative to the 17-niche average ($27.65), and kept inside SponsorRadar's niche range, which also sets low and high.
- TikTok, Instagram and Shorts. Kolect's median agreed fee per 1,000 average views for your follower tier, adjusted by Kolect's niche figures. Low and high follow the spread of agreed fees in that tier. Shorts use TikTok rates because 1stCollab found the two priced alike. Instagram feed and Stories are scaled from Reels using AWISEE's format ranges (low confidence).
- Podcasts. Libsyn Ads' host-read CPMs, by genre where Libsyn publishes one, cross-checked with Ad Results Media.
- Newsletters. beehiiv and Paved ranges per 1,000 subscribers. Finance, business and technology use beehiiv's B2B range.
- X and Twitch. No dataset of real deals is good enough. X uses follower tiers that HubSpot quotes from Influencer Marketing Hub; Twitch uses StreamScheme's viewer-hour rule of thumb. Both are labeled low confidence.
- Placement and extras. A dedicated YouTube video is 2× to 3× an integration (InfluencerFee). Usage rights and exclusivity follow impact.com; whitelisting follows Influencer Marketing Hub. Short mentions borrow the podcast 30-second to 60-second ratio, which is an analogy and is labeled as one.
- Rounding. Prices are rounded to $5, $10, $50 or $100 depending on size. They are starting points for a negotiation, not quotes.
YouTube niche ranges (SponsorRadar)
| Niche | CPM range | Index | Short-form (Kolect) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance & Business | $40 to $80 | 2.17 | 1.32 |
| Technology | $30 to $60 | 1.63 | 1.02 |
| Automotive | $25 to $50 | 1.36 | 1.85 |
| Health & Fitness | $25 to $45 | 1.27 | 1.07 |
| Beauty & Fashion | $20 to $40 | 1.09 | 0.83 |
| Travel | $20 to $40 | 1.09 | 0.94 |
| Education | $20 to $40 | 1.09 | 0.93 |
| Science | $20 to $40 | 1.09 | no data (1.00) |
| Food & Cooking | $18 to $35 | 0.96 | no data (1.00) |
| Lifestyle & Vlog | $15 to $30 | 0.81 | 0.69 |
| DIY & Crafts | $15 to $30 | 0.81 | no data (1.00) |
| News & Politics | $12 to $25 | 0.67 | no data (1.00) |
| Sports | $12 to $25 | 0.67 | no data (1.00) |
| Pets & Animals | $12 to $25 | 0.67 | no data (1.00) |
| Gaming | $10 to $25 | 0.63 | 1.00 |
| Entertainment | $10 to $20 | 0.54 | 0.46 |
| Music | $8 to $18 | 0.47 | no data (1.00) |
YouTube median by channel size (ThoughtLeaders)
| Subscribers | Median CPM | Deals |
|---|---|---|
| Under 100K subscribers | $36 | 1,060 |
| 100K to 500K | $26 | 3,047 |
| 500K to 1M | $21 | 1,575 |
| 1M to 5M | $19 | 1,369 |
| 5M and up | $17 | 164 |
Short-form rate by follower tier (Kolect)
| Tier | TikTok $/1K views | Instagram $/1K views |
|---|---|---|
| nano | $197 | $34 |
| micro | $52 | $22 |
| mid | $16 | $8.91 |
| macro | $13 | $5.87 |
| mega | $6.85 | $3.70 |
Tiers: nano under 10K followers, micro 10K to 100K, mid 100K to 500K, macro 500K to 1M, mega 1M+.
Source list
| Source | Date | Type | Confidence | What we use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ThoughtLeaders, YouTube sponsorship CPM and CPV calculator (medians from 'What a YouTube sponsorship costs in 2026') | 2026-10-15 (data verified) | Booked deals | high | 9,002 YouTube integrations booked through ThoughtLeaders and scheduled Aug 24, 2024 to Aug 23, 2026. Median price per 1,000 projected day-30 views, by subscriber band. Long-form and Shorts integrations pooled; dedicated videos too few to report. Medians use YouTube's view count from before the Aug 24, 2026 counting change. |
| SponsorRadar, The State of YouTube Sponsorships 2026 | 2026-08 (data as of) | Rate research | medium | Typical sponsorship CPM range per niche (USD per 1,000 average views). SponsorRadar says these rate ranges come from 2025-2026 industry rate research, not from the 1.15M placements it detected. |
| Kolect, Influencer Marketing Statistics 2026: Benchmarks From 120K+ Creator Deals | 2026-10-17 (updated 2026-10-20) | Agreed deals | high | Agreed creator fees in Kolect-run campaigns, partnerships created Aug 19, 2025 to Oct 15, 2026. Median fee per 1,000 of a creator's average views by platform and follower tier; median fee and P25-P75 by tier; median fee per 1,000 average views by niche; median views per follower. Campaigns lean to consumer tech, home, DIY and lifestyle, mostly US and European creators. 80.4% of single-post deals included paid-usage, whitelisting or ad-code rights. |
| 1stCollab, How much are creators charging for partnerships? | 2025-10-17 | Asking prices | medium | Initial asking prices from 100,000 creators in 2025, one video on one account, no usage rights or exclusivity. Finds YouTube Shorts priced 'fairly similarly to TikTok videos' and YouTube dedicated videos the most expensive format below 1M followers. |
| InfluencerFee, YouTube Integration vs. Dedicated Video Pricing | 2026-10-20 (reviewed) | Rate guide | medium | Dedicated videos typically cost 2x to 3x a 60-90 second integration from the same creator. |
| AWISEE, What is a Good CPM in Influencer Marketing (2025 benchmarks) | 2025-05-14 | Agency estimates | low | Agency CPM estimates: Instagram Stories $10-25, Reels $15-45, carousel posts $20-50; TikTok $7-25; YouTube integrations $15-35, dedicated videos $50-75+. Used only for the Instagram format ratios and as a cross-check. |
| Libsyn Ads (formerly AdvertiseCast), Podcast advertising rates | undated page, retrieved 2026-10-20 | Rate card averages | medium | Average baked-in host-read CPMs: 60-second $24-26, 30-second $18-22. Dynamic episodic $18-22. Host-read CPM by genre: Business $30, Health & Fitness $27, Technology $26, Education $26, Fiction $24, Science $23, Comedy $23, Society & Culture $23, Games $22, Leisure $22. CPM is per 1,000 downloads in the first 30 days. |
| Ad Results Media, How Much Does Podcast Advertising Cost? | 2025-05-13 (updated 2026-02-25) | Agency buying averages | medium | Average CPMs from the agency's buying: pre-roll about $20, mid-roll about $25, post-roll $1-5. Applies to 30- and 60-second spots. |
| beehiiv, How Much Do Newsletter Ads Cost? The Complete Breakdown | 2025-11-09 | Platform guide | medium | Newsletter CPMs typically $10-$75. Specialized B2B newsletters often $50-$100+; broad consumer newsletters $15-$35. Worked example: a primary placement at $1,500 against a secondary text mention at $600. CPM = price / subscribers x 1,000. |
| beehiiv, Maximize Your Ad Revenue: A Guide to Newsletter CPM | 2026-04-27 | Platform guide | medium | General-interest newsletters $10-$30 per 1,000 delivered emails; niche audiences $40 or higher. |
| Paved, How to Set Your Newsletter Advertising Rates | 2024-05-28 | Marketplace guide | medium | A healthy newsletter's CPM is $10-$30. Older than our 2025-2026 window; used only as corroboration of beehiiv's general range. |
| StreamScheme, Twitch Sponsorship Rate Card: What to Charge | 2025-12-26 | Rule of thumb | low | Price = average concurrent viewers (CCV) x $ per CCV per hour x sponsored hours. Commonly cited $0.80-$1.20 per CCV-hour for straightforward placements; $1.25-$1.50+ for demos and scripted segments. |
| HubSpot, Setting Your Influencer Budget (citing Influencer Marketing Hub's price ranges by tier) | 2024-12-19 | Rule of thumb | low | X price per post by follower tier: 1K-10K $2-20; 10K-100K $20-100; 100K-1M $100-1,000; 1M-10M $1,000-2,000; 10M+ $2,000+. Follower-based and older than our window. |
| Influencer Marketing Hub, Influencer Rates: How Much Do Influencers Really Cost in 2026? | 2026-10-06 | Rate guide | medium | Says pricing for X, Twitch and similar platforms is less standardized and generic benchmarks should not be applied to them directly. |
| Collabstr, 2025 Influencer Marketing Report | 2025 (marketplace data Jan 1 to Dec 15, 2024) | Marketplace deals | medium | Average per collaboration, asking vs. what brands spent: X $171.35 vs $87.10; Twitch $237.72 vs $118.93; TikTok $350.06 vs $200.22; Instagram $363.64 vs $212.21; YouTube $675.23 vs $418.09. |
| impact.com, How much to charge for usage rights as an influencer | 2025-04 | Rate guide | medium | Usage rights: most creators add 20-50% of the base fee per month of usage (worked example: 3 months = 3 x the monthly fee). Exclusivity: 20-100% of base depending on length and brand (example: 50% for three months). Boosting: 5-20% of the brand's ad spend. |
| Influencer Marketing Hub, How to Structure Influencer Whitelisting Agreements | 2025-06-22 | Rate guide | medium | Whitelisting (brand runs ads from the creator's handle): 20-25% of the base fee per 30-day flight; 31-90 days = baseline x 1.5. |
What we do not know: no public dataset covers dedicated YouTube videos, Shorts, Instagram Stories or X posts on their own at scale. Those rows lean on ratios and rules of thumb, and the ranges are wide on purpose. Brand budgets also vary by country; most of these datasets are US-heavy.