Podcast Ad Revenue Calculator (Free Tool)
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Most podcasters guess at what their show could earn and hope they are not wildly off. This calculator gives you a grounded podcast revenue estimate for your own numbers. Change downloads, ad slots and CPMs and watch the money picture update in real time.
Podcast Ad Revenue Calculator
Estimate how much a podcast episode or month of episodes can earn from host-read ads based on downloads, ad slots, and CPM rates.
Audience & Schedule
Leave at 100 if you expect every slot to be filled with an ad. Lower it if you want a more conservative estimate.
Ad Slots & CPMs
You can start with rough bands like 18 for pre-roll, 25 for mid-roll, and 15 for post-roll, then adjust for your niche.
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Podcast ad revenue in plain language
Podcast revenue simply means the money your show brings in. You can earn it from ads, sponsorships, paid subscriptions, premium feeds, courses, events, or products. For many shows, basic advertising and straightforward sponsor deals often act as the first clear and trackable path to turning listener attention into podcast revenue.
Once you look at ads specifically, host-read spots still generate a significant portion of the revenue. Sponsors pay more for a recommendation that comes directly from the presenter’s voice, and industry benchmarks show higher CPMs for host-read slots than for pre-produced or programmatic ads. Studies also report stronger response and purchase rates from host-read podcast ads.
When you try to price those ad slots, you will see a few familiar ranges. Across recent benchmarks, pre-roll podcast ads often price around fifteen to thirty dollars CPM. Mid-roll ads sit higher, with many campaigns between twenty-five and forty dollars or more, while post-roll ads come in lowest, often somewhere around ten to twenty dollars CPM.
Of course, no single rate card fits every show, which is why podcast revenue can feel confusing. Prices fluctuate based on your niche, listener numbers, country, ad length, targeting, and whether you integrate the ad into the audio or insert it dynamically. Shows with loyal, focused audiences often negotiate stronger deals than broad but less engaged podcasts.
To make all of this easier to picture, the calculator on this page focuses on CPM based, host-read podcast ads. You plug in your downloads, ad slots, CPMs, and fill rate, then it turns that into estimated revenue per episode and per month. Use it to test different mixes of pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ads before you pitch sponsors.
How podcast ad revenue is calculated (CPM formula)
Most podcast ad deals use CPM pricing, which means cost per mille or cost per thousand. In podcasting, you usually treat one download or stream of an episode as one impression for the ad. To find ad revenue per episode, you take downloads, divide by 1,000, then multiply by your CPM and by the number of ad slots.
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When you add more than one slot in an episode, you repeat the formula for each placement. You work out the pre-roll value, the mid-roll value, and the post-roll value, then add them together. After that, you adjust the total by your fill rate, which means the percentage of those slots you actually sell.
The calculator on this page turns that process into a quick check instead of a spreadsheet. You enter your expected downloads, ad slots, CPMs, and fill rate, then it updates the episode and monthly revenue as you type. This keeps the fill rate in front of you so you avoid assuming every slot sells perfectly from day one.
What this Podcast Ad Revenue Calculator does
The calculator focuses on a single piece of the bigger podcast revenue picture. It looks only at host-read ads that use CPM based pricing, where sponsors pay per thousand downloads of one show.
It does not try to estimate:
That is why the tool ignores extra upside that does not follow a simple CPM pattern. Affiliate deals, performance bonuses, and revenue share agreements usually tie your payout to clicks, sign-ups, or sales, not just downloads. Those deals often sit on top of your ad income and need their own tracking in separate reports.
Branded content and custom series work more like full campaigns than simple ad slots. You might spread one partnership across episodes, social posts, newsletters, and even a live event with tickets and sponsors. Each deal has its own scope, timeline, and pricing, so a generic CPM calculator cannot give a fair estimate for that revenue.
Listener support and subscription revenue also follow different rules. Platforms like Patreon, Apple Podcasts, and membership tools let people pay you directly for bonus episodes, early access, or a private feed. Those payments can become a big part of your overall podcast revenue, but they sit outside ad CPMs and depend on your community, not inventory.
Instead, it keeps the core CPM math explicit, so you can:
Podcast Ad Revenue Calculator gives you a quick way to check sponsor offers against your actual reach. You enter your average downloads, the number of ad slots, and the CPM expected, then compare the result with what a brand wants to pay. If their fee sits far below the estimate, you know to push back or adjust the package.
As you play with different mixes of pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll, you can see how each extra position changes your revenue per episode. Raising mid-roll slots usually moves the number more than adding post rolls, which often carry lower CPMs. This makes it easier to balance listener experience with realistic income goals.
Fill rate is where reality often hits the spreadsheet, especially when a show still grows its sponsor list. The calculator lets you compare a cautious fill rate, like 40 to 60 percent, with an ideal case where every slot sells. That simple switch shows how much of your plan depends on sales, not downloads alone.
Finally, you can see how episode-level revenue turns into a simple monthly picture. You add your planned episodes per month, and the tool multiplies everything for you, using the same CPM and fill rate settings. This helps you talk to sponsors, partners, or co-hosts in clear monthly numbers instead of vague guesses.
Inputs explained
These inputs describe how your show actually works in real life, then translate that into the numbers the calculator needs for podcast revenue estimates.
Average downloads per episode
Average downloads per episode show how many times a typical episode gets downloaded within a set window. Most ad deals and industry benchmarks look at the first 30 days after release when they quote CPMs, because that period usually captures the majority of listening. Using that same window keeps your revenue estimates close to how sponsors think.
If your episode numbers jump around a lot, you can smooth them by taking an average across the last three to five episodes. When you plan ahead, you can also enter a target number that reflects where you expect your audience to land next season. The calculator then converts that input into thousands of downloads, so the CPM formula stays easy to follow.
Episodes per month
Episodes per month tells the calculator how often you publish and how many chances you have to run ads. A weekly show usually lands at around four episodes per month, while a show with two drops each week will often sit closer to eight. If your bonus episodes also carry ads, you can include them in this count.
This number simply stretches your per-episode revenue into a monthly podcast revenue estimate. When you increase your release schedule, you can see how that might grow income if downloads per episode stay steady. When you slow down for a season, you can also see how fewer releases pull the total in the other direction.
Fill rate (percent of ad slots sold)
Fill rate shows what percentage of your available ad slots you actually sell. A fill rate of 100 percent means you sell every slot in every episode, while a fill rate of 50 percent means you only sell about half of your inventory on average. This single input often explains why projected revenue and actual payouts feel different.
In real campaigns, even strong, established shows do not keep every slot sold all year. Seasons with fewer brand launches, slow sales months or tighter budgets can pull fill rates down. Newer or smaller shows often see much lower fill rates at the start while they build a sponsor pipeline and test different offers.
Ad slots per episode (pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll)
Ad slots per episode describe how many placements you plan to sell at the beginning, middle, and end of each episode.
A pre-roll sits near the start of the show and reaches almost everyone who hits play, which makes it a strong choice for awareness. Sponsors often pay a solid CPM for pre-roll spots because they get early attention without a long wait.
A mid-roll sits in the middle of the episode where listeners already feel invested in the content. Many brands treat this as the most valuable position, because attention usually peaks when the conversation runs at full speed. For that reason, mid-roll ads typically command the highest CPMs and often carry the main weight in an ad package.
A post-roll plays near the end of the episode when some listeners may have already dropped off. Sponsors often price these slots lower or use them as added value for a larger deal, for example, to mention a secondary offer or reminder.
CPMs (pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll)
The CPM inputs tell the calculator how much you charge, on average, for one thousand downloads in each position. You can start with simple bands such as $18 for pre-roll, 25 dollars for mid-roll, and 15 dollars for post-roll, which match many recent benchmarks for host-read podcast ads. These values give you a grounded starting point before you customize.
You can move those CPMs up if you serve a narrow niche, reach a hard-to-access audience, or see strong responses from past campaigns. Brands often pay more when a show has a trusted host, a high completion rate, and a clear match with their ideal customer. Over time, you can adjust these inputs as you collect your own results.
You can also lower CPMs if your show is still early, if you want to attract first-time sponsors, or if you bundle several deliverables into one package. For example, you might include a newsletter mention, a social post, or a short video in the same deal, then balance a slightly lower CPM with that extra exposure. The calculator reflects whatever CPMs you enter, so you can test different pricing strategies before you pitch.
Outputs explained
The dark panel under the inputs shows three key outputs.
Estimated revenue per episode
Estimated revenue per episode shows how much ad income a single release can bring in. The calculator uses the CPM formula that multiplies thousands of downloads by the CPM and by the number of ad slots for each position. It then applies your fill rate and adds pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll into one total.
Imagine you enter 5,000 downloads per episode, three mid-roll slots, a mid-roll CPM of 25 dollars, and a fill rate of 100 percent. The calculator first turns 5,000 downloads into five groups of one thousand. It then multiplies five by 25 dollars by three mid rolls and returns an estimate of 375 dollars in ad revenue for that episode.
Estimated revenue per month
Estimated revenue per month takes that per-episode number and stretches it across your publishing schedule. The math is simple because the calculator multiplies revenue per episode by the number of episodes you run in a month. This gives you a clear top-line view of gross host read ad income before any fees or taxes.
Using the example above, 375 dollars per episode with four episodes in a month gives a total of 1,500 dollars in projected ad revenue. The calculator does this for you as soon as you change either the episode count or the CPM inputs. That way, you can quickly compare different release plans and see how they affect monthly podcast revenue.
Breakdown per episode (by position)
The breakdown line under the main numbers shows how your episode revenue splits across each position. It presents a simple line that reads like X dollars pre-roll, Y dollars mid-roll, and Z dollars post-roll after the fill rate and before any platform fees or taxes. This makes it easier to see which slots carry most of the weight.
With that breakdown, you can quickly see how much of your podcast revenue comes from mid-roll compared with pre-roll and post-roll. You can test what happens when you add one more mid-roll instead of another post-roll and watch the numbers move. You can also spot if you lean too heavily on a single high CPM position and decide whether that balance feels right for your listeners.
Podcast Ad Revenue Calculator
Estimate how much a podcast episode or month of episodes can earn from host-read ads based on downloads, ad slots, and CPM rates.
Audience & Schedule
Leave at 100 if you expect every slot to be filled with an ad. Lower it if you want a more conservative estimate.
Ad Slots & CPMs
You can start with rough bands like 18 for pre-roll, 25 for mid-roll, and 15 for post-roll, then adjust for your niche.
Embed This Tool on Your Website
Step-by-step: run a revenue scenario
You can present this calculator as a simple mini workflow that takes you from your real numbers to a clear picture of podcast revenue.
Start with your current numbers
Begin by entering your average downloads per episode over the last 30 days so the calculator reflects how listeners behave right now. Then set episodes per month to match how often you actually publish, including bonus episodes that carry ads. This anchors the entire scenario in real listening and a real release schedule instead of guesses.
Design an ad load you’d be comfortable hearing
Next, choose how many pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll slots you would personally feel comfortable hearing in a single episode. Add numbers that feel realistic for your format, not just what gives the highest revenue. Many guides suggest that most general shows should treat four to six total ads per episode as an upper limit if they want to keep listeners happy.
Choose CPMs that match your market
Now set CPM values that fit your space and your audience. As a starting point, you can use a band like 15 to 30 dollars CPM for pre-roll and 25 to 40 dollars or more for mid-roll host-read ads, since many benchmarks cluster in that range. After that, you adjust up or down based on your niche, geography, brand demand, and past campaign results.
Set two fill rates
Then create two different fill rate scenarios so you can see both stretch goals and realistic expectations. For an optimistic case, you might choose something like 80 to 100 percent fill for a mature show with a strong sponsor pipeline. For a conservative case, you can test 30 to 60 percent fill, which often fits a growing show, a new season, or a market with more ups and downs.
Compare the outputs
Finally, look at how the revenue per episode and per month changes between those two scenarios. You can treat the higher fill rate path as a ceiling that helps you think about long-term potential and what you could earn once sales efforts stabilize. You can treat the conservative path as the safer number to use for near-term cash flow planning, budgeting, and decisions about production costs.
FAQs
These questions come straight from real podcasters who are trying to turn rough guesses into a clear picture of podcast revenue.
“Podcasters, how much are you really making? And is my CPM math correct?”
If you plug 30,000 downloads and a CPM of 25 to 50 into the calculator, the weekly revenue range can look very high. That is because the formula assumes every slot sells at that CPM. Use the tool to test more modest CPMs and fill rates so you see both a realistic middle ground and a best case scenario.
“How do podcasts make money from ads?”
Most podcasts earn ad money when sponsors pay a fee for every thousand listeners who hear a host read a message. The calculator turns your downloads, ad slots, and CPMs into a per-episode and per-month revenue estimate that matches this structure. You can then compare that number with what sponsors actually offer and adjust your pricing.
“What’s the industry-standard rate for ads per episode?”
There is no single standard flat fee because most pricing starts with CPM math. For a very small show, a strict CPM can produce tiny numbers, so sponsors and hosts often agree on a simple per-episode package instead. In that case, you can treat the calculator output as a reference point and round to a clean, fair rate.
“How much to charge for podcast sponsorship?”
If you reach fifteen to twenty thousand downloads per month, sponsorship questions usually involve several episodes or even your back catalog. Start by entering average downloads per episode and the number of episodes in the package, then see what the calculator suggests as total revenue. You can use that figure to shape a bundled price that still feels attractive to the sponsor.
“How Much Should I charge an Advertiser for a placement on 30K downloads per episode?”
With thirty thousand downloads per episode, you have room to price each position differently. Use the calculator to test a higher CPM for mid-roll, a solid CPM for pre-roll, and a lower CPM for post-roll, then look at the per-episode total. From there, you can decide which mix of slots and pricing feels sustainable for both your audience and your advertisers.
Turning estimates into action
Numbers only help if they shape your next move. Treat this calculator as a regular health check for pricing, ad load and expectations. Revisit it each season, update the inputs and let the new podcast revenue picture guide pitches, budgets and creative decisions.
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