Buy side · what advertisers pay
Podcast advertising CPM
By Oliver Wakefield-Smith · updated October 2026
Benchmarks reviewed October 2026 · next review January 2027
The short answer
Podcasting is the rare channel with a genuinely published rate card: Libsyn Ads (the marketplace formerly called AdvertiseCast) states an overall average of $18 to $22 per thousand downloads for a 30-second baked-in host-read and $24 to $26 for a 60-second, retrieved October 2026. A 10,000-download episode therefore invoices around $180 to $260 per slot.
What you are billed on
The denominator is IAB-filtered downloads, not confirmed listens: bots, duplicates and partial fetches are excluded under the IAB Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines, but a download does not prove a human heard second 43 of your mid-roll. Price accordingly, and read the comparability caveat before lining podcast CPMs up against served-impression channels: YouTube vs podcast.
How rates spread around the average
- Host-read vs dynamic or programmatic inserts. The averages above are baked-in host-read rates; the same rate page lists programmatically delivered pre-produced spots at $12 to $15, closer to standard audio inventory (Spotify's lane).
- Niche. The same page breaks baked-in host-read CPMs out by category: Business shows top its list at $30 and Technology sits at $26, while broad entertainment categories sit lower.
The three buying routes
Marketplaces (Libsyn Ads and peers) list shows with rates upfront; networks sell across their roster with sales support; direct deals with independent shows price against the trailing download average and often beat rate-card prices for repeat commitments. The IAB's revenue report tracks the market's overall scale if you need category context for a pitch.
The full worked buy, invoice math included: the mid-roll scenario. The seller's view of the same money: what podcasters earn. Full table: /rates.