Podcast CPMs Are Growing Again, With The Average Growing Three Percent During April.

The average podcast ad rate rose three percent during the past month as part of its seasonal awakening from the traditionally slower first quarter. Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast reports the average CPM was $24.01 for a 60-second ad as of May 1. It is also a three percent increase from what marketers paid a year earlier.

Among the shows and publishers whose inventory is sold via AdvertiseCast, the three show genres that had the highest CPMs in April were Business ($28), Kids and Family ($28), and Health and Fitness ($27).

According to AdvertiseCast, podcasts with between 1,000 and 9,999 downloads per episode had the best CPM last month at $28.51 as of May 1 -- a nine percent month-to-month increase. It was also the highest average CPM ever recorded by AdvertiseCast, beating the previous record for this group of shows set during January.

For shows with between 10,000 and 99,999 downloads the average CPM was $22.89 as of May 1, a two percent decline month-to-month. CPMs for podcasts in this group have been softening each month so far in 2022. They are also four percent lower than what AdvertiseCast reported for this segment last year.

And for shows with 100,000 downloads or more per episode the average CPM was $20.63 as of May 1, a one percent drop from a month earlier. It was also a five percent drop from the CPM for podcasts with 100,000 downloads or more recorded one year ago.

AdvertiseCast bases the cost per thousand or CPM from actual sales data from 2,880 podcasts in its marketplace, including more than 210 exclusive podcasts. While there are month-to-month fluctuations, it says the typical one-minute ad has a $25 CPM while a 30-second ad typically has an average $18 CPM.

“Video is an emerging podcasting trend. And we’re seeing creators experiment with multimedia formats by streaming their shows on YouTube and other social media platforms,” said Dave Hanley, Chief Revenue Officer at AdvertiseCast. “This not only represents a new revenue opportunity for podcasters, but it’s a secondary channel for advertisers to target and reach an expansive podcast audience.”