How much does a podcast ad cost?

The podcast made its arrival on the French market in the fall of 2002 with Arte Radio which had created the first French podcast site. And several years later, in 2016, many companies started creating podcasts. Since 2020, this media has seen, in a short time, an increase in demand for new podcasts arriving in France. Therefore, advertising on this audio media is THE strategy to adopt for your brand. However, how much does it cost to advertise on a podcast? We explain you the prices of this booming market!

>>> See our article to better understand the emergence of this media!

What if we gave you some figures* on podcasts?

• 82% of French people listen to audio content every day
• 200 million podcasts are listened to every month in France
• 1 out of 2 French people say they have already listened to a podcast
• 43% of French people listen to podcasts for information
• More than 50% of listeners are women

The evolution of the podcast in France:

• 12.5 million listens per month in 2020
• 15 million listens per month in 2021
• 17.6 million listens per month in 2022

*Source : Médiamétrie

Small recap on the formats of the ads in podcasts

The podcast is a proximity media that offers different formats for your advertisements. Audio advertising is a good strategy for companies that are launching new products and want to gain awareness. Consumers can listen to their podcasts at any time of the day, so your advertising message should be tailored to the needs of the listeners. Moreover, 78% of users say they have nothing against advertising in podcasts. A great advantage for advertisers!

Several formats exist for podcast ads: (pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll and host-read). We bring you some details on these formats:

• The pre-roll: the 15 to 30 second advertising spot is broadcast at the beginning of the podcast (even before the jingle starts). Moreover, 75% of French people say that an advert at the beginning of a podcast leads them to find out more about the service offered.
• The mid-roll: the audio spot, lasting one minute, is inserted in the middle of the podcast. This format is only possible on episodes longer than 20 minutes.
• Post-roll: the 15 to 30 second commercial is broadcast at the end of the podcast (after the end credits).
• The host-read: the host of the podcast states himself the partner brand during the podcast.

Learn about the different ad formats on the Spotify ad platform.

What is the cost of a podcast ad?

Audio ads (the aforementioned audio ads) is the format that requires the least budget and is calculated using CPM (Cost Per Thousand). Note that the price also varies from one agency to another. On average, prices vary between 12 and 15€ for 1,000 listens.

There are packages that advertising agencies offer. The principle? To propose a more complete offer with a pack of podcasts that have similar themes (lifestyle, gastronomy...) and negotiated rates. For example, an advertising campaign composed of 5 podcasts with a reach of 2,000,000 impressions/month costs about 30,000€ net/month.

For podcasts that have a smaller reach, 400,000 listens for example, the rate is €6,000 net/month for a pack of 4 podcasts.

Radio France or Groupe Cerise which owns podcasts such as Mourir moins con, La question Q or 5 fun facts sur, offers this type of advertising on its podcasts.

In summary, the cost of a podcast ad varies essentially according to its number of impressions/listenings.

Podcasts to listen to without moderation

Here is our selection of 5 podcasts that you must listen to and on which you can broadcast your ad:

• "On va déguster", a podcast hosted by the culinary journalist François-Régis Gaudry, well known to TV viewers. This podcast can be listened to every Sunday from 11am to 12pm on France Inter.
• The podcast "Empreintes" broadcast by Le Nouvel Économiste, which offers interviews with influential people in different fields (politics, economics and social issues).
• A nice fun and educational podcast for children: "Grandir Moins Con" audible every Wednesday from 2 to 4 minutes.
• The podcast "C DANS L'AIR" broadcast on France 5 and hosted by journalists Caroline Roux and Axel de Tarlé who welcome experts to discuss French and international news on political, economic, psychological and sports topics, etc.
• "Les informés". Broadcast every evening, this podcast is hosted by Jean-François Achilli accompanied by his guests who debate on political topics.

Please contact us if you would like more information about advertising on podcasts.