Podcast CPM by genre
TAKEOliver Wakefield-Smith · Digital SignetSources checked October 23, 2026
What are podcast CPMs by genre?
These are baked-in host-read rates on one marketplace, so they are a reference point for a quote, not what every seller charges. Genre pricing elsewhere is quoted show by show, which means your leverage is this card, the format-level published rates, and per-show arithmetic. Source: .
| Genre | Host-read CPM (Libsyn Ads card) |
|---|---|
| Business | $30 |
| Health & Fitness | $27 |
| Technology | $26 |
| Education | $26 |
| Fiction | $24 |
| Science | $23 |
| Comedy | $23 |
| Society & Culture | $23 |
| Games | $22 |
| Leisure | $22 |
| True crime | Not on the card; quoted per show |
| News / politics | Not on the card; quoted per show |
| Sports | Not on the card; quoted per show |
Why business shows top the card
Not mystery: audience value math. A show reaching budget holders can charge more per thousand because each listener is worth more to the advertiser, and B2B advertisers with four-figure contract values can rationally pay the top of the card and beyond. The full worked version of that tolerance math is on business podcast rates.
How genre should actually enter your plan
Genre is an audience-fit filter first and a price input second. A $30 CPM on a show your buyers actually listen to beats a $22 CPM on one they do not; the CPM difference is noise against the fit difference. Pick shows by audience, then check the quoted price’s implied CPM against the genre row and the format matrix.
B2B depth: business podcast rates · DTC genre logic: the DTC playbook