marketing · 2026-05-01
Compute the cost per acquisition (CPA) on a podcast sponsorship buy — listener count, CPM, episode count, and conversion rate.
| Quoted CPM | $35 |
| Avg listeners / episode | 25,000 |
| Episodes booked | 6 |
| Listener → conversion % | 0.4% |
| Avg customer LTV | $800 |
| Total ad spend | $5,250 |
| Total conversions | 600 |
| LTV : CAC | 91.43× |
Podcast CPMs sound expensive ($25-50) compared to display ($1-5). But podcast attention is qualitatively higher and CPAs often beat banner ads by 5-10x. Until you actually buy and measure, though, you're guessing.
total spend = listeners × episodes × CPM ÷ 1000
conversions = listeners × episodes × conversion rate
CPA = total spend ÷ conversionsDefault scenario: 25k listeners, 6 episodes, $35 CPM, 0.4% conversion → $5,250 spend, 600 conversions, $8.75 CPA. At $800 LTV, that's a 91:1 LTV:CAC — outstanding if it actually performs.
No. Industry standard is to inflate by 25-50%. Verify via Podtrac or Chartable rankings if available; otherwise discount stated numbers by 30-40% in your ROI model. Major networks (NPR, iHeart, SiriusXM) report more honestly than independent shows.
B2B podcasts charge $40-80 CPM (vs $20-40 B2C) — justified by listener intent and economic value. SAAStr Podcast: ~$60. Acquired: $40-50. The CMOs Confessions: $50. If a B2B podcast quotes <$30 CPM, listener quality is suspect.
Three attribution methods: (1) custom URL like brand.com/podcastname, (2) unique promo code mentioned in ad, (3) post-purchase 'how did you hear about us' survey. Combine all three; podcast attribution leaks ~30-50% by survey to 'general awareness' if not deliberately captured.