John Lee Dumas here, founder and host of Entrepreneurs on Fire, an award-winning podcast where I’ve interviewed over 3,500 successful entrepreneurs. I’m excited to drop some Podcast Sponsorship knowledge bombs for you today! …Updated February 2022

Before we dive in, make sure to check out Free Podcast Course to learn how to create and launch YOUR own podcast!

When I launched Entrepreneurs on Fire back in September of 2012, I had no idea what the source of my income would be.

However, I did know that if I provided amazing value to my listeners, the income side of things would follow.

“You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.” ~ Zig Ziglar

Sure enough, after 6 months our listenership began to attract sponsors.

The month of April, 2013 turned out to be our first 5-figure month. We generated $12,584, and 85% came directly from sponsorships.

We spent a lot of months in the red leading up to that. You can check out our first 365 days – including our income, expenses, wins, and losses – in this income report.

In September of 2013, we began releasing a monthly income report and have now published over 100 of these reports.

Today, sponsorships make up about 70% of our monthly income. We’ve also introduced funnels, affiliate relationships, products, and services into our business, which combined make up the other 30%.

Some of these include:

I share this to communicate that, while sponsorships are a big chunk of our revenue, podcast sponsorships aren’t the only way to monetize a podcast. And they certainly shouldn’t be the reason why you’re creating a podcast.

Podcast Sponsorships

The rest of this post is focused on podcast sponsorships, specifically best practices and possible approaches. Just so you know, we express a lot of personal opinions here. :)

This guide is not meant to communicate that podcast sponsorships are the be-all, end-all when it comes to monetizing your podcast. There are many other ways to do so, and you might find that podcast sponsorships simply aren’t for you.

That’s ok!

There are several other ways – arguably better ways – to monetize your podcast outside of sponsorships.

Because when it comes down to it, bringing on sponsors puts you at risk for diluting your show, plus it takes time away from you being able to share your own products and services with your audience.

Alright, we know what you came here for, so here it is…

All things Podcast Sponsorships

Let’s get one thing straight: if you start a podcast today, will sponsors be lined up at your doorstep tomorrow?

No, they will not be lined up at your door.

Can you start a podcast today in a niche you are passionate and knowledgeable about; work hard for a significant amount of time providing free, valuable, and consistent content; build a captive and engaged audience; and THEN have sponsors knocking at your door to get in front of your listeners?

Yes, absolutely!

Let’s take a minute to turn back the clock and go through my first 6 months, which we’ll call the ‘Pre-Podcast Sponsorship Phase’

I launched on September 22nd, 2012 to four straight days of crickets, also known as no downloads. Zero, zip, zilch.

Then, as my guests began sharing their interviews with their audiences, the download numbers began to climb.

Next thing I knew, I was ranking in the “New and Noteworthy” section of Apple Podcasts, which began to drive a ton of organic traffic my way.

My first email every morning was to my featured guest whose interview went live that day.

Here’s what the email said:

“XXX,

Thank you so much for sharing your amazing journey on Entrepreneurs on Fire. I would be honored if you would share with your audience.

Here are the links if you decide to do so. <insert links here>

Thank you again for igniting the world!“

The email template I use today is available for download at the end of this post.

Is this email corny?

Maybe.

Was it effective?

Heck yeah! :)

Soon, the combination of Entrepreneurs on Fire being shared with massive audiences daily, plus the organic traffic coming my way as a result of ranking in New and Noteworthy, got the Entrepreneurs on Fire “snowball effect” rolling.

Our guests sharing Entrepreneurs on Fire with their audiences resulted in more downloads; more downloads resulted in higher rankings in Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes); higher rankings in Apple Podcasts resulted in more organic downloads; and more coal was being added to the fire daily!

Within 3 months of launch, Entrepreneurs on Fire was generating over 100,000 unique downloads a month.

This success landed me a speaking engagement at NMX Blog World in Vegas, January 2013.

This was the same conference I had attended just six months prior as an attendee.

Now I was speaking and hanging out with other speakers, and it was amazing!

The conference was powerful, and the credibility from speaking at NMX in Vegas landed me interviews with Tim Ferriss and Barbara Corcoran in rapid succession.

Then things really started to take off.

In February 2013 I published Podcast Launch: A step by step guide to launching your Podcast.

Podcast Launch immediately became the #1 ranked book in Amazon on podcasting (and remains so), with over 600 5-star reviews.

Podcast Launch established Entrepreneurs On Fire and myself as an authority figure of sorts on podcasting, and because of that, other opportunities began to appear.

In mid-March, I was approached by 3 sponsors.

I kindly replied by asking for a week to consider the opportunity, and then I immediately got on the phone with a friend and fellow podcaster who had been in this game for a while to ask for some unbiased advice.

During our conversation, I found out what sponsors have come to expect from sponsorships and podcast hosts.

I’m about to reveal what I learned on that call, and in the 8+ years that have followed while working with over 100 sponsors.

Below is the “Industry Standard”.

Always remember that YOU are the host of your show and should propose any arrangement you feel is best for you and your listeners. If the interested sponsor is not game, then bye, bye!

I ONLY partner with sponsors who will add value to Fire Nation, and I never hesitate to turn away sponsors that do not have my listeners’ best interests at heart.

I have created many valuable relationships this way, and many of my current sponsors stay with Entrepreneurs On Fire month after month because I strive to create a win-win-win in every partnership.

Industry Standard for Podcast Sponsorships

There are some great resources for podcasters that are constantly being updated based on what’s happening in the industry by companies much larger than us (aka, they run research studies and share loads of data), so dive into some sponsorship reports and see what’s possible in addition to the info we’re providing here.

The current “Industry Standard” podcast sponsorship is a combo 30-second Preroll and a 60-second Midroll.

Preroll: Prior to launching into the main content, the host will talk about the sponsor’s product or service for 30-seconds.

When it comes to sponsorships, always remember this is YOUR podcast. We do not offer 30-second prerolls on our podcast because we think it’s too long an ad to put at the top of the show before getting into any content. So we offer 15-second prerolls.

Click here to listen to a sample.

Midroll: You have lot more flexibility here.

Typically your Midroll is inserted somewhere around the 40 – 70% mark of the podcast episode.

During these 60 seconds the host will talk about the sponsor’s product or service, often sharing a personal story if possible and revealing some of the features and benefits.

Click here to listen to a sample.

Another opportunity for sponsorships is a Postroll, which is typically between 15 – 30 seconds. This is the last call to action your listeners will hear, and on Entrepreneurs on Fire it’s proving to be a call to action that drives results.

So what exactly are these “Industry Standards” for Podcast Sponsorships?

A 15-second Preroll runs around $18 per 1000 CPMs (listens).
A 60-second Midroll runs around $25 per 1000 CPMs (listens).
A 30-second Postroll runs around $10 per 1000 CPMs (listens).

For ease of math purposes, let’s say your podcast averages 10,000 listens per episode (you find this number by guaranteeing the number of listens on any given episodes 6 weeks post-publishing, and in some cases advertisers will ask for the number of listens 4 weeks post-publishing).

18 x 10 (for the 10,000 listens) = $180 is the cost to the sponsor for a Preroll.

25 x 10 (for the 10,000 listens) = $250 is the cost to the sponsor for a Midroll.

Therefore, your 10,000 per episode podcast would cost a sponsor $430 for a Preroll/Midroll combo.

Let’s say you allow 2 sponsors per episode, now you are talking $860 per episode.

If your show is 4 episodes a month: $3,440
If your show is 8 episodes a month: $6,880
If your show is 30 episodes a month: $25,800

The above model is only the “industry standard”, and I have structured deals with both higher and lower CPMs depending on the sponsor and the relationship we have with them.

Always remember: when you create an agreement with a sponsor, regardless of industry standard and CPMs and CPAs (CPA = cost per acquisition) – it has to make sense for you and your business based on your current goals.

Check out this advertising sponsorship rate calculator from AdvertiseCast, one of the sponsorship brokers we work with here at Entrepreneurs On Fire.

A common question is, “How do I know what my ‘average’ listens are so I can determine my CPM rate?“

Great question!

Look at the download numbers of your episodes starting at 6 weeks out. Remember, you’re guaranteeing a MINIMUM number of listens, so you need to be confident that you are fulfilling your end of the bargain. And sometimes sponsors might ask for your numbers 4 weeks out.

Once you see that EVERY episode is over a certain number of downloads by week 6 (or by week 4 if that’s what the sponsor is asking… and you agree to provide that number), that is your CPM. We always report by week 6 for our show – not week 4.

You can adjust this monthly as your show grows. What we’ve done here at Entrepreneurs On Fire is sign a sponsorship contract for a quarter, then re-evaluate at the end of that quarter and renegotiate.

Sponsoring your own podcast

Thus far, we’ve only talked about what it would look like for you to bring a sponsor onto your show.

What we haven’t mentioned yet is the incredible value in sponsoring your own podcast.

This means you create prerolls, midrolls, and/or postrolls for your podcast that promote and market your own products and services, and this can be highly beneficial in so many ways, including:

Growing your email list by offering free downloads or checklists when someone opts in;
Letting your audience know about free courses you’ve created, that then lead to paid products;
Sharing opportunities like coaching or events with your audience – things you’ve created as a direct result of what they’ve asked you for;
Continuing to share your brand message with those who are choosing to tune in to hear YOU;
And the list goes on…

I want to include this here because we’ve sponsored our own podcast multiple times, and it has proven to be a very strong call to action and conversion for us due to the fact that we’re not talking to a “cold audience”.

The listeners who tune in to your podcast know, like, and trust you, and they value your expertise and the opinions and advice you have to share. That’s why podcast sponsorships work.

So don’t always think that it has to be you featuring someone else’s products and services.

Why not leverage your podcast as a marketing channel for YOU!?

Pricing Model for Podcast Sponsorships: CPM vs CPA

Alright, now that you know there are two main options for sponsorships: either having someone pay you to sponsor their product or service OR sharing your own product or service, let’s take a look at the different pricing models when bringing on a sponsor.

There are 3 main pricing models you can use with your sponsors:

Cost per mille (CPM): Cost per thousand impressions (listens in the podcast world).
Cost per Acquisition (CPA): Cost to acquire 1 customer.
You name the price, sponsors say yes or no (this model great for new shows that have a niche and engaged audience, but not a ton of listens).

Cost per mille (CPM)

This is only going to work financially for BIG shows with a lot of listens.

The Podcast Sponsorship Calculator will prove this.

Cost per Acquisition (CPA)

This is an underrated option and it’s how I first started monetizing with Entrepreneurs on Fire.

In Podcasters’ Paradise I have a great video tutorial that walks you through the entire process of setting up a partnership with Audible, where you will get paid a certain dollar amount for every customer you send to their sales page that results in a sign up for a free audio book and free 30-day membership.

For those of you who have heard me say EOFire Book dot com, that used to be my Audible affiliate link.

In the Podcasters’ Paradise tutorial, I delve into why it was so strategic to use that domain as a forwarding domain instead of the link Audible provides. This is a perfect example of the CPA model: there is no upfront or set sponsorship rate for the duration of a campaign; instead, it’s based on the number of customers you send to the business.

Why not increase the number of your Podcast sponsorships?

Valid question, and one I get asked often.

I will say once again: your podcast is your show, and therefore, it’s your decision how many sponsors you bring on or have in one single episode.

However, my opinion on this matter is this: I am a believer in the law of diminishing returns.

In this case, I believe having more than 2 Preroll and Midroll sponsors is bad for everyone involved.

It’s bad for the sponsor, as their message is getting diminished, less listener action is being taken, and therefore, it is less likely that the sponsor will stay with you when it comes time to talk about an extension.

It’s bad for the listener, because your listener loves listening to podcasts because they’re free, on demand, and they don’t have to put up with annoying commercials on the radio. Podcast sponsorships work so well because it is YOU, the host, that is promoting the product or service, and your listeners trust you.

That trust will deteriorate if you make it seem more about the sponsorships than the listener.

Finally, it’s bad for the host… you! Why? Your goal is to provide valuable, high-quality content that your listeners not only keep coming back for, but that they’ll tell their friends and family about. Your goal is to provide great content, and as a result increase your listener base.

The math is simple: it’s better to have 2 sponsors paying you $430 per episode than 3 paying you $287 for all the reasons above and every other obvious one.

I will never have more than 2 Preroll / Midroll combos on Entrepreneurs On Fire.

And I will only partner with sponsors that I truly believe benefit Fire Nation on their entrepreneurial journey.

Don’t believe me?

Here’s a quick story to prove it:

A few years ago I was approached by a Pay-Day Loan company that offered me double my going rate to sponsor Entrepreneurs on Fire. I do not believe in Pay-Day loans for many reasons – especially as a recommendation for Fire Nation – so my answer was simple: No.

Saying yes would have generated $18k MORE in sponsorship revenue per month. But it wasn’t even close to worth it… no dollar amount would be.

Show the same care for your audience and you’ll be serving yourself, your sponsor – and most importantly – your listener.

When should I bring on sponsors?

My first recommendation to each podcaster who is interested in going the sponsorship route is to sit down a think.

Sit down and think about the LEAST amount of money it would take for you to dilute your podcast with a sponsorship.

Did I just say dilute? Yep… and I meant it.

Dilute is not meant as a dirty word here. It is meant as a reality.

When you bring on a sponsor, no matter how relevant, and no matter how awesome, you are on some level diluting the message of your podcast.

You’re going to turn off some listeners, (although very few if you do it right), you’re going to be sending some listeners away on actions that do not involve your platform, and you’ll be distracting some focus from the main content of your podcast.

Are any of these things bad?

Not necessarily.

But I bring them up because they should come with a minimum price tag and they have to be aligned with your current goals.

So sit down and come up with that baseline price.

Your listeners are valuable, don’t sell them out as otherwise.

For me, $500 was my baseline number.

I said to myself that if Entrepreneurs On Fire could bring in $500 per episode, that would be $15k per month at 100% capacity… and that made sense.

Anything less – nope, not ready yet.

In April of 2013, I hit that magic number, and my sponsorship revenue has been growing ever since!

So what’s your number?

If you know your number, you will be in a MUCH better position come negotiation time with your sponsors.

How do I find Podcast Sponsorships?

Within Podcasters’ Paradise, I have some great video tutorials on how to find the perfect sponsors, how to email them, how to create a great relationship with them, how to retain them, and how to lock in the best possible rate for your show.

For purposes of this post, I will share some of those great tips with you now.

What is your niche?

Start by creating a list of companies who make sense given your topic or niche.

What companies currently market to your niche?

Is your podcast about raising children? If so, then I am sure Babies “R” Us would love to offer value to your audience.

Fishing? L.L. Bean and Cabelas are already lining up!

Also, listen to other podcasts in your niche… Do they have sponsors? If so, a well-crafted email to that sponsor could yield a partnership – it has for me on numerous occasions.

The secret is out!

Podcast hosts have a captive audience. We have engaged listeners. We have followers who know, like, and trust us, and when we put our stamp of approval on a product or service, then that means a lot to our listeners. And sponsors know it!

Think of the podcasts that you listen to regularly. Don’t you feel a closer connection to the hosts than you do to the author of a blog, or some unknown voice on a radio ad?

So create your wish list of sponsors – at least 15 to 20 companies or products and services that you know would be a great fit for your audience.

Once you have that list, it’s time to start approaching those potential sponsors.

How should I approach sponsors?

I have linked to a well-crafted email template to the end of this post that I have used to successfully approach many sponsors. Enjoy!

Also, use common sense: what are the important points that someone would want to know who is deciding whether or not to pay you money to promote their business, product, or service?

Well, they’ll definitely want to know who your audience is – and not just demographics.

They’ll want to know how many people they’ll be getting their message in front of (number of listeners, or at the very least info on how niche or engaged your audience is).

And they’ll probably want to see some type of proof – have you successfully marketing something to your listeners before? Do you have emails from listeners who are so incredibly grateful for the advice and value you share on your podcast?

Again, think about the important points that someone would want to know who is deciding whether or not to pay you money to promote their business, product, or service on your podcast, and craft a meaningful email that shows you’re serious.

I have interested sponsors, now what?

Awesome!

Now it’s time to let them know what your download numbers are and what it will cost for them to sponsor an episode.

Along with this, you’ll want to share an agreement and breakdown of what they’ll get as a part of the sponsorship package.

They can take it or leave it, and you will be better off for it whatever decision they make because you stuck to your guns.

At some point, your download numbers may be able to be inserted into the above “Industry Standard” CPM rate and command a higher price than your minimum baseline number.

At that point, it’s time to go back to the negotiation table with your sponsor and start increasing the amount you receive per episode.

Podcast Sponsorship Summation

Building an audience is an incredible way to create a viable business, and podcasting is an incredible way to build an audience.

It’s the model we chose to follow here at Entrepreneurs on Fire, and we’re currently living our dream life while inspiring millions – that was our goal at the start, and we’ve kept that goal in view every step of the way.

Everything I’ve shared here is to help you turn your podcast or business into a viable one, and I hope you’re able to take some of the information provided to create your own freedom – your own dream life.

Haven’t even started a podcast yet? No worries! Make sure to check out Free Podcast Course to learn how to create and launch YOUR podcast!

Until next time Fire Nation…

Prepare to IGNITE!

Podcast Sponsorship Templates

Email template: Approach a sponsor for the first time

Email template: Take the next step with an interested sponsor

Email template: Getting started with a sponsor

Example of podcast stats for a sponsorship proposal

EOFire’s Sponsorship page

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the benefits of a Sponsorship?

Sponsorships provide a win/win/win scenario: your audience wins because you’re sharing a product or service that can help them on their journey; your sponsor wins because they’re growing their reach and exposure; and you win because you’re creating another stream of revenue.

Can you Make Money without Sponsors?

Yes, there are several ways to make money from a podcast outside of sponsors, including but not limited to creating your own products or services or promoting an affiliate’s products or services.

How Many Listeners Should Your Podcast Have Before Looking for Sponsors?

You can start looking for sponsors as soon as you feel ready. I know podcasters who secured sponsors before they even launched their podcast. It really depends on your specific situation. If you’ll be working through a sponsorship broker company, then typically at the lower end they’ll be looking for podcasts with a minimum guaranteed download number of 5,000 per episode.

Where Can You Find Sponsors for Your Podcast in 2022?

There are a variety of ways you can find sponsors for your podcast. A couple of ideas include listening to other podcasts in your industry or niche to see who is sponsoring those podcasts, or simply doing your own research to come up with the products and services your audience needs most and then approaching those companies.

Which is the most profitable podcast?

Most podcasts don’t share revenue numbers, and if they do, it’s oftentimes not an actual profit number but a gross revenue number. This makes it difficult to say what podcast is most profitable.