The arithmetic, the published rates, what moves a price up or down, and how we quote, with every figure sourced and dated.
Most podcast advertising is priced on CPM, the cost per thousand downloads, so a read costs the episode's downloads times the CPM, divided by a thousand. Published rates for 2026 start at about $15 CPM for pre-recorded announcer spots, sit between $25 and $40 when the host reads the sponsorship, and pass $40 for niche shows such as business, finance and B2B, according to Acast (2026 pricing, as of October 2026). A host-read on a show whose episodes reach 25,000 downloads costs $625 at $25 CPM.
The arithmetic
Libsyn Ads sets out the calculation in its 2026 guide: multiply reach by the CPM and divide by a thousand, where reach is the number of downloads an episode collects in its first 30 days. Listening that arrives after the first month is not counted in that price.
Published rates
Few sellers publish their prices, and Magellan AI notes that it does not publish CPM benchmarks in its quarterly reports, so most public ranges come from marketplaces and networks. The two clearest we know of are from Libsyn Ads and Acast, and both are sellers' prices, so they mark where a negotiation starts.
Placement
CPM
Source
Baked-in host-read, 30 seconds
$18 to $22
Libsyn Ads, 2026
Baked-in host-read, 60 seconds
$24 to $26
Libsyn Ads, 2026
Dynamic, episodic
$18 to $22
Libsyn Ads, 2026
Dynamic, full catalog
$14 to $16
Libsyn Ads, 2026
Programmatic
$12 to $15
Libsyn Ads, 2026
Pre-recorded announcer ads
About $15 to $30
Acast, 2026 pricing
Host-read sponsorships
$25 to $40
Acast, 2026 pricing
Niche or high-value shows, such as business, finance and B2B
$40 or more
Acast, 2026 pricing
What moves the price
Placement comes first. Acast ranks mid-roll as the most expensive position, pre-roll in the middle and post-roll the cheapest. Length comes next: on the Libsyn card a 60-second baked-in read costs a few dollars more per thousand than a 30-second one, and buys the host enough room to tell a story.
The format matters as well. Host-reads cost more than announcer spots, and dynamic buys across a show's whole back catalog cost less than reads in new episodes. Acast notes that adding targeting layers to a dynamic buy raises the CPM. The audience matters most of all: shows with small, specialized audiences charge more per thousand, since those listeners are harder to reach elsewhere.
The size of the commitment moves the price too. A single episode is priced as a single episode, and a run of episodes, or a renewal on a show where the read has worked, gives us room to negotiate.
A rate card tells you where a negotiation starts, and the price we pay depends on the show, the placement and the length of the commitment.
Some shows, especially independent ones, sell reads at a flat rate per episode instead of on CPM, and some deals are priced per acquisition. Both exist, though we have found no regulator, industry body or measurement company that publishes how common they are or what they typically cost, so we do not quote the figures that circulate online. We convert any flat rate into an effective CPM using the show's own download history before we agree to it.
YouTube and video podcasts
Video integrations are priced in more ways than audio reads: a flat fee, which may carry a guaranteed minimum of views or cover a bundle of videos, a CPM, or a price per view, as ThoughtLeaders sets out in its guide (April 2026). No independent published source on what YouTube integrations cost has turned up in our research, so we price each one from the channel's recent view history and ask for a view guarantee where a flat fee is high relative to it.
What a first test costs
A first flight usually runs three episodes on each of four to eight shows, because in Right Side Up's experience a campaign typically takes around three episodes before it performs at its best. As an illustration of the arithmetic, five shows averaging 20,000 downloads at $30 CPM, with three reads on each, would cost $9,000 in media. Specialist B2B shows are smaller and dearer per thousand, so a similar test on them tends to cost less in total.
How we quote
We quote each campaign on its own, because prices vary by show, format and audience and a rate card of our own would mislead more than it helped. Every plan we send shows the media cost for each show, the basis of each price, and our fee as a separate line, and all of it is settled in writing before a single episode is booked.
Most podcast ads are priced on CPM, the cost per thousand downloads. Acast's 2026 guide has pre-recorded announcer ads at about $15 to $30 CPM and a host-read sponsorship at $25 to $40, so a host-read on an episode with 25,000 downloads at $25 CPM costs $625.
What is a good CPM for podcast ads?
A good CPM is one the show's audience can justify. Published 2026 ranges run from $12 to $15 for programmatic placements on the Libsyn Ads rate card to $40 or more for niche or high-value shows such as business, finance and B2B in Acast's guide. We judge each rate against the show's own delivery and the fit with the brand.
Does the rate include making the ad?
For a host-read, the host writes and records the read as part of the booking, so there is no separate production cost. A produced spot has to be written, cast and recorded before it can run.
Why do business and B2B shows cost more?
Their audiences are smaller and more specialized, so each thousand listeners is harder to reach elsewhere. Acast's guide puts niche or high-value shows such as business, finance and B2B at $40 CPM or more in 2026.