Where can you find a sponsor for your podcast?
Podcasts are passion projects for many podcast presenters & producers; however, the time may come when you look to explore finding a sponsor for your next series. In this article, we look at where and how you can find a sponsor for your podcast. Here are a few things to consider when finding a commercial partner.
Does the size of your audience matter?
In short, yes. However, when we talk about your podcast audience it isn’t just about how many downloads your podcast gets every week. You also want to consider your social media following, mailing list subscribers or any other way listeners can connect to you or the podcast.
Truth is, there is no magic number you should be aiming for, but you should be able to offer your potential sponsor a good chance of seeing a return from their investment – so if you’ve only got a couple of hundred listeners, there’s less chance that they’ll see a meaningful return. You also want to find out as much about your audience as possible – What age are they? What do they do for work? What is their income? Where do they live? What do they spend their money on? Information is vital and can help in targeting sponsors.
Aside from the number of downloads, what else is a sellable asset from your podcast?
As mentioned above, a good social media following can be very helpful in convincing potential sponsors that your podcast is worth backing. It’s worth considering how you can include this in any sponsorship proposal, whether it be through including them on clips you share on social media or simply tagging them in the bio of your accounts.
Another aspect to consider is engagement. If you can show that your audience is engaged in your podcast, it proves they trust what you have to say – something valuable when selling a product or a service! An engaged but small audience can be more valuable than a large audience that doesn’t engage.
How much should you charge for podcast sponsorship?
Podcast sponsorship can be valued in a few different ways, however, there are industry averages you can look towards for guidance. If you were charging by using CPM (cost per 1,000 listeners), a 30-second advert is around $18 and a 60-second advert is around $25. However, several factors can allow you to charge more (or less!) than this.
The position of the advert can be valuable. A pre-roll will mean that the advert will play before the episode, meaning it’s the first thing the listener hears when they click on your episode. A mid-roll is probably the most effective as it lands in the middle of the episode, so listeners are already engaged with the episode. A post-roll plays at the end of the podcast and is usually best for any advertisers whose budget doesn’t stretch too far.
Where can you find a sponsor for your podcast?
If you don’t have the time to go finding the contacts you need yourself, it’s worth exploring podcast advertising marketplaces. All you do is list your podcast on websites such as Advertisecast, Podbean or Acast and you can compete against other podcasts of different sizes. It can be beneficial to be visible alongside big-name podcasts and to big-name brands, however, there is a downside. Each marketplace will take a commission, usually around 30% – it’s worth shopping around and seeing which podcast marketplace is the best for you.
Listening Dog Media – Podcast Production Agency
By joining a podcast network, you have the chance to find a podcast sponsor that fits several shows. If you think your podcast could benefit from joining a network that includes David Seaman’s Seaman Says, parenting hit The Hot Mess Mums Club & fascinating music podcast How To DJ, get in touch.
Contact us here to set up a call with one of our team.
