How to get your podcast sponsored

Many podcasters start looking for sponsors either far too early or far too late. Too early, and there is not yet enough of a show or an audience for a brand to judge. Too late, and you may have spent years building a loyal following without earning anything from it. The good news is that you do not need a huge download count to attract podcast sponsorship. What brands want is a clear, consistent show with an audience they care about, and a host who will treat their message professionally.

A useful test is whether you can answer a few simple questions with confidence. Do you publish on a regular schedule and have you done so for a while, with a decent back catalogue for a new listener to explore? Can you describe your audience in a sentence, including who they are, where they are and what they care about? Is your sound quality good enough that an advert will not feel out of place? If the answer to all three is yes, your podcast is probably ready, even if your numbers are modest.

Niche shows often do better than you might expect. A podcast about cycling in one region, about running a small business in a particular trade or about a specific genre of music can be more attractive to the right brand than a general show with a larger but less defined audience, because the sponsor knows exactly who it is reaching. This guide explains how to get podcast sponsorship step by step, from the data to gather through to keeping sponsors for the long term.

Before approaching anyone, collect the information a sponsor will want to see. Your hosting platform should show downloads per episode, ideally over a set period after release so the figure is comparable, along with total downloads, trends over time and the countries or regions where your listeners are. Many podcast apps also provide listening data such as how far into an episode people tend to listen, which is useful evidence that your audience stays for the whole show, including the ad slots.

Download figures only tell part of the story, so add what you know about who your listeners are. A short, voluntary listener survey can tell you age range, location, interests, jobs and buying habits, and gives you real quotes about why people listen. Your social media, newsletter and community channels add further reach that a sponsor can benefit from, so note follower numbers and engagement there too.

Be careful to present all of this honestly. Explain where each figure comes from and over what period, and do not combine numbers in ways that overstate your reach. Sponsors who feel misled rarely come back, while those who receive what they were told tend to renew. If your figures are small, focus on how engaged and well defined your audience is, which is often what the right sponsor values most.

The strongest podcast sponsorship deals come from brands whose products genuinely suit your listeners. Start by listing the kinds of businesses your audience already buys from or would be interested in, then narrow that to companies you would be happy to recommend in your own voice. A host who believes in a product delivers a far more convincing read, and listeners can tell the difference.

Look at who sponsors similar shows, newsletters, events and online creators in your area of interest, because those businesses have already shown they value this kind of audience. Think about local and regional companies too, especially if your listeners are concentrated in one part of the UK. A local business may never have considered podcast advertising, but if you can show them that your show reaches exactly the people they want, it can be an easy decision.

You can also make yourself easier to find. Podcasts and other media can list sponsorship opportunities on Spontzer, at spontzer.com, so brands looking for audiences like yours can come to you, alongside the direct approaches you make yourself. Whichever route you use, keep a list of target brands, the reason each one fits, the right contact and the date you approached them, so your outreach stays organised.

Podcast sponsorship comes in a few common forms, and offering a clear menu makes it easier for brands to buy. The most familiar is the host read, where you read the sponsor's message in your own words, usually at the start, in the middle or at the end of an episode. Host reads tend to feel personal and trusted, which is why many sponsors prefer them, and mid episode slots are often treated as the most valuable because listeners are most engaged.

Some brands supply their own pre recorded adverts, which you place in agreed slots. These are simple to run but feel less personal. Other options include a sponsor being named as the presenter of a whole series or season, a dedicated segment that a brand supports each week, a branded episode built around a topic that suits the sponsor, and promo or discount codes that let both sides track results. Many podcasts combine audio with extras such as mentions in show notes, social posts, newsletters or video versions of the episode.

Whatever you offer, protect your editorial independence. Decide in advance what you will and will not do, such as whether a sponsor can influence the content of an episode, and make that clear in your sponsor pack. It keeps your relationship with listeners intact and avoids awkward conversations later.

A sponsor pack, sometimes called a media kit, is a short document that tells a brand everything it needs to decide. Keep it to a few pages and make it look professional, with your podcast artwork, a clear description of the show and its format, details of the host or hosts and a brief explanation of why people listen. Include your release schedule and the length of a typical episode.

Next comes your audience. Set out your key figures, where they come from, and what you know about your listeners from surveys and other sources, along with your reach on social media and email. If you have run sponsorship before, include examples of what you delivered and any results you can verify, such as how a promo code performed, with the sponsor's permission.

Then describe the packages. List the formats you offer, what each includes, how many episodes a deal covers, and any extras such as show notes or social posts. Many podcasters offer two or three tiers, from a short run of host reads to a full season presenting partnership. End with how you report back, how disclosure works on your show, your terms in outline and how to get in touch. Tailor the opening of the pack to each brand you approach, so it is clear why you have picked them.

There is no single correct price for podcast sponsorship, and the right figure depends on your audience, your niche and what the sponsor receives. Most podcasters use one of a few approaches. The first is to price per thousand downloads, where the fee for an ad slot is calculated from how many people are expected to hear it. This is easy for brands to compare across shows, and you would typically set a different rate for pre roll, mid roll and post roll slots.

The second is a flat fee per episode or per package, which is often simpler for smaller shows and for brands that are new to podcast advertising. A flat fee also lets you include extras, such as social posts, newsletter mentions and a presenting credit, without having to price each one separately. The third is performance based pricing, where some or all of the fee depends on results such as sales through a promo code or affiliate link. This can work for both sides, but it moves risk onto you, so many podcasters combine a modest fixed fee with a performance element.

Whichever approach you choose, base it on what your sponsorship is worth to the brand rather than on what you think you can get away with. Niche, engaged audiences can justify a higher rate than their size alone would suggest, because the sponsor wastes less of its money on people who will never buy. Be prepared to negotiate, but avoid underpricing your first deals so heavily that it is hard to raise rates later. Offering a discount for a longer commitment is usually better than cutting your headline price.

Listeners need to know when they are hearing an advert, and in the UK this is a legal and regulatory matter, not just good manners. Advertising in podcasts generally falls under the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct and Promotional Marketing, known as the CAP Code, which is enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority. The code requires that advertising is obviously identifiable as such, and consumer protection law also requires that paid content is clear to the audience.

The ASA's guidance on recognising ads in podcasts and audio streaming, and its separate guidance on the disclosure of host read ads, explain how this works in practice. Where a brand has paid and has some control over what is said, the read is likely to be treated as an advert, and the advertiser and the podcaster can both be held responsible. A change of tone or a sound effect is not enough on its own. The clearest approach is a plain statement at the start of the ad, such as saying that this segment is an ad for the brand, with the guidance suggesting that phrases such as sponsored by or our sponsor is can also work depending on the context.

Make disclosure part of every deal. State in your sponsor pack and your agreement how ads will be labelled, place the disclosure before or at the very start of each read rather than partway through, and apply the same approach to promo codes, gifted products and affiliate links. Rules and guidance can change, so check the current ASA and CAP guidance from time to time. Being transparent protects your relationship with listeners, which is ultimately what sponsors are paying for.

When you approach a brand, keep the first message short and specific. Explain who you are, what the show is about, who listens and why you think the brand would be a good fit, then attach or link to your sponsor pack. Find the right person where you can, such as the owner of a small business or the marketing lead at a larger one, and follow up politely if you do not hear back within a week or two.

Once a brand is interested, agree the details in writing. A good agreement covers the formats and number of episodes, release dates or windows, the fee and when it is paid, any talking points or claims the brand wants included, approval of scripts if any, how disclosure will be handled, exclusivity, such as not running ads for a direct competitor, and what happens if an episode is delayed. Make sure any claims you are asked to read are ones the brand can back up, because misleading claims in an advert can cause problems for you as well as the advertiser.

Spontzer can offer guidance on structuring packages and deals if you list your podcast there, but whichever route you use, take time to get the terms right. Clear expectations at the start are the best protection against disputes later.

The most valuable sponsors are the ones who stay. Listeners respond better to a brand they hear about regularly over months than to a one off mention, so long term partnerships tend to work better for the sponsor as well as giving you predictable income. Offer longer commitments, such as a season or a set number of episodes, at a better rate than single slots, and make renewals as easy as possible.

Deliver everything you agreed on time and to a high standard, then report back with the figures for each episode, any promo code results and listener feedback that mentions the sponsor. Suggest ideas to keep the partnership fresh, such as a special episode, a listener competition or a live event. Ask what the brand wants to achieve and adapt your reads to help, while keeping your own voice and editorial independence.

Above all, keep your audience's trust. Only work with brands you are happy to recommend, disclose every ad clearly and keep the balance between content and advertising comfortable for listeners. A podcast that respects its audience will find that sponsors keep coming back, and that is how a show grows from its first sponsor to a steady, sustainable income.