Stage 4 of 5 · Playbooks

How to advertise on podcasts, by scenario

TAKEOliver Wakefield-Smith · Digital SignetSources checked July 31, 2026

Cue

What are the steps to advertise on podcasts?

Five steps: model the budget on the planner, pick the platform your budget clears, check the quoted rate against published CPMs, book the spots with measurement wired up before launch, and read results against pre-committed thresholds. Each playbook below runs those steps for a specific budget or business type, math included.

Every scenario reproduces the Test Modeler’s arithmetic exactly and cites the same published rates. Pick by budget first, vertical second. Before booking anything, decide format (host-read vs programmatic) and your measurement method (Stage 5).

Your first podcast ad

The self-serve booking walkthrough: account to live spot, with the settings first-timers get wrong.

The $500 test

What a floor-level budget proves, what it cannot, and where to spend it.

The $2,500 test

Two shows, split budget, first real host-read signal.

The $15k quarter test

The flagship: full reach, CAC, and payback model, deck-ready.

The $50k quarter

Host-read anchors plus programmatic fill; when agencies enter.

B2B SaaS

Niche shows, high CPM tolerance, pipeline attribution.

DTC brand

Promo codes, host trust, repeat-spot cadence.

Local business

Geo-targeted programmatic vs local shows.

Pitch your CFO

Turn planner output into a one-slide budget ask.

Next stage: prove it worked.