SiriusXM Podcast Advertising Cost and Rates

SiriusXM podcast advertising cost depends on which door you use. Self-serve campaigns on AudioGo, SiriusXM's own ad platform, start at $250 per campaign and are priced by a bid-based CPM. A managed buy through SiriusXM Media, which is the only way to get host reads on specific SiriusXM shows at scale, starts at a $10,000 minimum. SiriusXM publishes no rate card per show, but its AudioGo guide puts self-serve CPMs at $12 to $25 and direct show buys at $25 to $120 or more per thousand listens.

SiriusXM is one of the three largest podcast sellers in the US, alongside iHeart and Spotify. Through the SiriusXM Podcast Network it sells ads on shows such as Call Her Daddy, whose 2024 deal reportedly gave SiriusXM Media exclusive global ad sales rights, and SmartLess, and through SiriusXM Media it also sells Pandora, streaming and satellite audio. That breadth is why the price question is confusing: the $250 figure people repeat and the five-figure quote a sales rep gives you are both correct, for different products.

How much does it cost to advertise on a SiriusXM podcast?

Advertising on a SiriusXM podcast costs at least $250 through AudioGo self-serve, where you pay a dynamic CPM for audio ads targeted by audience, or at least $10,000 through a direct insertion order with SiriusXM Media, where a sales team plans the buy across podcasts, streaming and satellite. Ad production on AudioGo can cost as little as $10. Neither route publishes a price per show, but AudioGo's own 2026 guide gives CPM bands: $12 to $25 self-serve, $25 to $120 or more for a direct show buy.

The first row is the one most guides describe, and it is the least useful if what you actually want is a specific SiriusXM host. AudioGo's own show pages separate the two buys clearly: the network buy reaches listeners of SiriusXM Podcasts and more than 20 other publishers through targeting, while the podcast buy is limited to SiriusXM's own shows and comes with show-level targeting, host-read ads and a named sales manager. The $250 floor belongs to the first.

What CPM does SiriusXM charge for podcast ads?

SiriusXM charges a CPM of roughly $12 to $25 per thousand listens through AudioGo self-serve and $25 to $120 or more for a direct show buy, according to AudioGo's own 2026 rate guide. Show size drives the rest: about $18 to $35 for shows under 25,000 downloads an episode, $25 to $50 for 25,000 to 100,000, and $50 to $120 for premium top-100 shows.

Those bands are a guide, not a quote. AudioGo calls its self-serve pricing adaptive and bid-based, and says behavioral targeting, predictive audiences and a fixed ad position all push the CPM up. Most small and mid-size advertisers, by the same guide, pay $15 to $30. The last column is simple arithmetic, downloads divided by 1,000 times the middle of the band, and it shows why a single read on a SiriusXM headline show is a five-figure purchase.

SiriusXM Media's own guide to podcast pricing ranks the formats rather than pricing them. Mid-roll is the most engaged and most expensive position, while pre-roll and post-roll cost "a fraction" of it. Host-read ads perform best and cost the most, announcer reads cost less and scale more easily, and pre-produced spots give the most budget flexibility because you supply the creative. That ordering is consistent across every network, including Acast, which does publish starting CPMs of $15 and $25.

What does $250, $2,500 or $10,000 buy?

Divide the budget by the CPM and multiply by 1,000. The table uses three points from AudioGo's published bands: $18 for a lightly targeted self-serve spot, $28 for a tighter audience, and $40 for a host read on a mid-tier show. Impressions are ad deliveries, not unique listeners.

The honest reading of that table is that $250 is a creative test, not a campaign. At about 14,000 impressions and a typical recall target of three to five hearings per listener, a $250 flight reaches a few thousand people properly. It is enough to learn whether an audio script makes anyone visit the site. It is not enough to judge podcasting as a channel.

Can you choose which SiriusXM podcast your ad runs on?

Only on the managed side. The AudioGo network buy is audience targeted by age, gender, location, language, genre and interest, so you choose who hears the ad, not which show it plays on, and your ad can land on another publisher's show. Choosing a named SiriusXM show, or getting the host to read your copy, goes through the SiriusXM Podcast Network buy or a SiriusXM Media insertion order, both quoted by a sales team. For the biggest shows, expect a package and a quarterly commitment rather than a single read.

Is SiriusXM cheaper than iHeart or Spotify?

At the floor, they are the same price. SiriusXM's AudioGo, Spotify's self-serve tool and iHeart's self-serve route all start at about $250, and all three trade show-level control for audience targeting at that price. Above the floor, none of the three publishes a price per show, although SiriusXM is the only one whose own ad platform publishes CPM bands by show size. The real difference is what you can buy direct: iHeart quotes its managed podcast buys with no public minimum, as our iHeartRadio ads cost page explains, while SiriusXM states its $10,000 floor for a direct order openly.

Our guide to podcast advertising minimum spend lists the floors for every major seller in one table if you are comparing more than these three.

Is SiriusXM podcast advertising worth it for a small brand?

Yes for a fast audio test, usually no for host reads. A $250 to $2,500 AudioGo campaign is a cheap way to find out whether podcast listeners respond to your offer, and it costs a fraction of building a test show by show. The weak spot is the reason most brands come to podcasts in the first place: a host vouching for the product in their own words. On SiriusXM that sits behind a sales conversation and a $10,000 minimum, and on the network's headline shows the real entry is far higher.

A small brand that wants host reads has a cheaper path. Thousands of independent podcasts sell the same format at a price you can see, and a 15,000-download show at a $25 CPM is about $375 a read. On the Sponsorships podcast advertising marketplace, podcasters publish their downloads per episode, their audience and a price per placement, so you pick the exact show and date before you spend anything. You message the host, agree the read and pay them directly. The Brand plan is $49.50 a month billed yearly or $99 month to month, with 0% commission, so a $10,000 quarterly budget buys $10,000 of reads.

What costs sit on top of the media?

Three lines. Creative: AudioGo will produce a spot for as little as $10, but a host read needs a brief, talking points and an approval round per show. Measurement: a promo code or vanity URL is free; pixel-based attribution is billed separately by the measurement vendor. And continuity: if the audio test works and you want the same message on social, it is quick to turn your product page into short UGC-style video ads so the script and the offer match across channels.

How do you start advertising on SiriusXM podcasts?

For a test, create an AudioGo account, choose the podcast network buy, set your audience and a budget of $250 or more, upload an ad or order one, and pay as impressions deliver with a card. For specific shows or host reads, contact SiriusXM Media with a budget of at least $10,000 and a flight date. Either way, decide first whether you are buying an audience or a host. If it is a host, compare what independent shows in your category charge per read on Sponsorships before you commit to a network minimum.