The Pedalshift Project is opening up opportunities for sponsors. Since 2014, the podcast has grown from a few dozen downloads to thousands of global listeners with each weekly episode. If you or your organization would like to reach listeners that are interested in bike touring, bike camping, or travel by bicycle, this is a great opportunity.
Sponsorship Rates
A bit of podcast math here. The going rate for ads in “the biz” these days goes like this:
15-second Pre-Roll is $18 per 1000 CPMs*
Pre-roll ads are short and quippy, and as the name suggests, run right after the show intro, but before the content of the first block. These are the most likely sponsorship placements to be heard by listeners.
60-second Mid-Roll is $25 per 1000 CPMs*
Mid-roll ads run in between blocks of multiblock shows or are inserted at a sweet spot of a single block show. They are separated out from the content but because we have more time to tell stories and make connections, can be super effective. These are particularly effective for products or services I personally use.
30-second Post-Roll is $10 per 1000 CPMs*
Post-rolls are available only when paired with one of the other two placements. They come after all content and the Pedalshift Society roll call. They bookend the show and get in the “last word” for listeners. At 30 seconds we can get more content in too.
*CPM is the industry term for “cost per thousand” and refers to number of downloads. One CPM is one download, even though it’s called cost per thousand. The term makes no sense, but it’s what people use, so we’re stuck with it. ‾_(ツ)_/‾
I set the rates based on average downloads in a 6-week run of episodes over the 3 prior months from the date of the sponsorship purchase. Typically episode downloads level off after six weeks, which makes it a fairly accurate predictor of overalls impressions an as will receive. In Q4 2018, Pedalshift episodes averaged 1600 downloads (including the best-of recasts) in the six weeks from publishing. That translates to the following rates for Q1 2019:
Pre-roll (15 seconds)
1.6 x $18 = $28.80 per episode.
Mid-roll (60 seconds)
1.6 x $25 = $40.00 per episode
Post-roll add-on (30 seconds – paired with a pre- or mid-roll placement)
1.6 x $10 = $10 per episode
There is a limit of two sponsor slots per episode and they may be purchased by the same entity for exclusive sponsorship on any episode, when available.
Payment is by PayPal invoice prior to the ad production. All ads are pre-recorded unless otherwise agreed, and you will have an opportunity to review the ads before they are placed in upcoming podcasts. Ads are most effective when read by the host, but I am more than happy to read your copy or consider a preproduction ad you have in hand, so long as the content fits the character of the podcast (It would be exceedingly rare, but I reserve the right to reject ad content not produced by me). Ad buys are non-refundable and non-transferable.
All sponsorships are subject to my review and I reserve the right to accept or reject sponsors for any reason within the law. The vast majority of sponsors will be related to bicycle touring, bikepacking, bike travel, camping, or things adjacent to these subjects (I.e. lodging near a bike route, or products and services that can be utilized for or with bicycle touring).
If you have any questions, or would like to inquire about booking sponsorhsip slots in upcoming episodes, contact me below:
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