How to Get Sponsors for a Podcast: What You Need to Know
As a podcast host, you’ve put in the hard work to create content, build an audience, and make a name for yourself. Whether you host your own podcast for fun or you want to turn it into a career, sponsorships make it possible to earn money from your content. In this guide, we’ll break down how podcast sponsorships work and how to get sponsors for a podcast so you can keep on creating.
How Sponsorships Work
With a podcast sponsorship, a brand pays you to promote its product or services to your listeners. The sponsorship could be for a single episode or a series of podcast episodes. For most sponsorship deals, you’ll need to choose the type of ad, agree to a pricing model, and then place the ad within your podcast.
Choose the Type of Podcast Advertising
How do you want to feature sponsors in your content? You can opt for a radio-style podcast ad where the brand creates the ad and you simply place it in the podcast content for them. This saves you some time, but it can come off as inauthentic or jarring to listeners when inserted in the middle of your own content.
As an alternative, you can offer host-read ads where you read the brand’s ad copy yourself. This sounds more genuine and natural — just make sure it doesn’t sound like you’re reading from a script.
Agree on a Pricing Model
Podcast spending will hit $1.74 billion in 2022, so there’s clearly a lot of demand for podcast marketing. But not all podcast deals are the same. As a podcaster, you have the freedom to pick a pricing model for your sponsorships. Every podcast is different, but most hosts choose between these options:
- CPM: Cost per mille is an agreement where a sponsor pays you a set amount based on the number of downloads. In this case, they pay a flat fee per 1,000 downloads. You can expect to earn anywhere from $10 to $40 per 1,000 downloads, so this is more profitable for podcasts with a large audience.
- Affiliate: Under an affiliate model, you share a custom code or link with your listeners. They use that code to buy something from your sponsors, who pay you in exchange for the referral. In affiliate marketing, there are no limits to what you can earn but you’re only paid based on performance. This is also called a “cost per action” (CPA) sponsorship.
- Value-based: Instead of paying based on performance or downloads, value-based sponsorships pay a flat rate per episode. The pricing is predictable, so this arrangement is perfect for smaller podcasts.
Place the Ad in Your Content
Finally, it’s time to place the ad in your content. Offer brands these types of ads to see which ad placement they would prefer:
- Pre-roll: In a pre-roll ad, you feature sponsors before you start the podcast content.
- Mid-roll: With mid-roll ads, you take a break in the middle of your content to feature the sponsors.
- Post-roll: These ads feature sponsors after the show ends. If you offer post-roll ads, it’s a good idea to feature the same sponsor earlier in the show, too; you don’t want listeners to leave before they hear the post-roll ads.
Regardless of the ad spot, there’s a good chance subscribers will still listen. Just 12% of podcast listeners skip ads, so it’s likely that your audience will tune in.
How to Get Sponsors for a Podcast
The right sponsors will help you monetize your content and brand visibility. But how do you find a high-quality sponsor? Here’s how to get sponsors for your podcast.
Start With a Noteworthy Podcast
There are well over 850,000 podcasts out there. Why should sponsors partner with yours?
Make sure your podcast is advertising-ready before you start finding sponsors. You need a high-quality podcast that invites podcast sponsorships, so ensure that you have:
- Crisp, clean audio
- An engaging format or intriguing guests
- Clear branding
Without these three things, you risk coming off as amateurish, so put in the effort to build a professional podcast before pitching sponsors.
Pitch Yourself
Why wait for sponsors to come to you? You can research and pitch potential sponsors yourself.
Look at similar podcasts in your niche to find brands that could be a fit for your show. It’s okay to go after huge enterprises, but if you’re a new podcast, they probably won’t bite. Go for small startups or midsize companies first; you have a better chance of receiving a response from them.
Choose 10 brands and compile their contact information. Send a first email using this template for sponsorship proposals:
- Explain who you are and that you want to explore a paid sponsorship with the brand.
- Give high-level details about your podcast, focusing on why you think the sponsorship would benefit the brand.
- End with a clear call to action (CTA) asking if they’re interested in a sponsorship.
Keep the email short and sweet. You can give the sponsor more details by attaching a media kit to your email. Your media kit should include metrics like listenership details, audience demographics, your rates, advertising opportunities, and your contact information.
You probably won’t hear back from all of the sponsors you email, but if you pitch regularly, you’ll start to get a few bites. If you haven’t heard back after two weeks, send a follow-up email once asking if they’re interested. If the brand still doesn’t respond, you can assume it’s a no-go and move on.
Network
While pitching can get you far, many podcast sponsorships happen because of networking. Who you know matters, so don’t be afraid to network in your niche. Keep in touch with other podcasters by commenting on or sharing their content. Attend industry events or conferences in your niche to connect with more brand sponsors. For example, if you run a financial podcast, you can find plenty of interested sponsors at events like FinCon.
Use a Podcast Hosting Platform
Services like Anchor, RSS.com, Podbean, Captivate, and other podcast hosting platforms will give your podcast a home base. These platforms often give you access to pre-made ads from sponsors, too. Sometimes you have to pay to access sponsorships, but this can be a good way to get sponsors for a podcast, especially as a beginner.
The downside to podcast hosting services is that you don’t always have full control over which brands advertise on your show. If you host a show with sensitive topics, it might be best to steer clear of this option because you don’t want just anyone sponsoring your show.
Join Podcast Networks
If you want to get sponsors for your podcast, you need to make your show as discoverable as possible. Try listing your show on different podcast platforms to make it searchable by brands in your industry. Spotify, SiriusXM Radio, iHeartRadio, and NPR are some of the biggest podcast networks of 2022. This might be a more passive option, but it can also help you boost downloads and subscribers, so it’s a smart move toward growing your channel.
List Your Podcast in a Directory
Similar to podcast networks, you can also list your podcast in a directory. Apple Podcasts is the most popular, but you can also list your show on Spotify or Google Podcasts. In fact, 40% of podcast listeners say they find new podcasts in directories, so this is a great way to source both subscribers and sponsors in one place.
Partner With a Podcast Marketing Agency
Running a podcast can sometimes feel exhausting and lonely. You’re free to source podcast sponsors yourself, but a podcast marketing agency can do a lot of the heavy lifting for you. Podcast marketing agencies like Castr act like a matchmaker between podcasts and brands, helping you source quality partnerships that aren’t available through other channels.
Your agency will not only handle all of the research for you, but it will also make sure your show is a fit for the brand partner. This way, you can focus on what you do best: podcasting.
Simplify Podcast Sponsorships
Podcast sponsorships take your podcast to the next level. Convert your podcast from a hobby into a paying gig with podcast monetization. It can feel intimidating if you haven’t sourced sponsors before, but with the right know-how, you’ll find your first sponsor in no time.
Here’s how to get sponsors for a podcast:
- Start with a quality podcast
- Pitch yourself
- Network
- Use a podcast hosting service
- Join podcast networks
- List the podcast in a directory
- Partner with a podcast marketing agency
Take the shortcut to podcast sponsorships with Castr. Get our media pack now to see how we help podcasts monetize their content.