What your budget actually buys

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

Cue

How much does it cost to advertise on a podcast?

Entry is about $250: Spotify’s published self-serve minimum. At published CPMs, $500 buys 19,231-20,833 host-read impressions ($24-26 CPM) or up to 41,667 programmatic impressions ($12 floor). $2,500 funds a two-show host-read test; $10,000 funds repeated flights. The per-platform breakdown is below, arithmetic included.

The SERP answer to this question is a CPM range and a shrug. Ranges do not budget. Below, each tier converts published rates into impressions with the division shown, matching the Test Modeler exactly. Floor-only rates give ceilings, and are labeled as ceilings.

$500

19,231-20,833 impressionsHost-read 60s at $24-26 CPM500 ÷ 26 x 1,000 to 500 ÷ 24 x 1,000

up to 33,333 impressionsPre-recorded at $15 published floor500 ÷ 15 x 1,000; targeting raises CPM, cuts reach

up to 41,667 impressionsProgrammatic at $12 published floor500 ÷ 12 x 1,000; same ceiling caveat

Clears Spotify's 250.00 published minimum with room for two flights. Host-read at this size means one or two spots on a small show via a marketplace.

$2,500

96,154-104,167 impressionsHost-read 60s at $24-26 CPM2,500 ÷ 26 x 1,000 to 2,500 ÷ 24 x 1,000

up to 166,667 impressionsPre-recorded at $15 published floor2,500 ÷ 15 x 1,000

up to 208,333 impressionsProgrammatic at $12 published floor2,500 ÷ 12 x 1,000

The first tier where a real host-read program fits: roughly three to four spots across two mid-tail shows at card rates. The worked split is the $2,500 playbook.

$10,000

384,615-416,667 impressionsHost-read 60s at $24-26 CPM10,000 ÷ 26 x 1,000 to 10,000 ÷ 24 x 1,000

up to 666,667 impressionsPre-recorded at $15 published floor10,000 ÷ 15 x 1,000

up to 833,333 impressionsProgrammatic at $12 published floor10,000 ÷ 12 x 1,000

Opens repeated host-read flights, multiple shows, and meaningful frequency. Every route on the minimum spend table is now practically available except IO-only networks.

Entry costs per platform: minimum spend table · Rate provenance: the Session Log