FREE CALCULATOR

Cost of Listener Attention Calculator

Work out what you pay for every minute someone actually listens to your podcast. It gives you a cost you can defend in a budget review, and a number to improve against as the show grows.

What did the podcast cost?

Over the same period as the episodes below.

What did you publish?

Use 1 for a single episode, or the full count for a season.

How much of it got heard?

Averages per episode, not season totals.

Add this and you also get your Listener Acquisition Cost: What each new listener cost you to reach.

How this is calculated

The full methodology is in How Podcasters Can Measure The Cost of Listener Attention.

Cost of Listener Attention (Production cost + Marketing spend) ÷ Total minutes consumed
Total minutes consumed Episodes × Average downloads per episode × Consumption rate × Episode length
Listener Attention Efficiency The same equation flipped: Minutes of attention earned per dollar spent
Production cost
Everything it takes to make the episodes: Editing, hosting, scripting, guest fees, equipment, transcription.
Marketing spend
Everything it takes to get the episodes heard: Paid ads, social promotion, influencer partnerships, agency retainers.
Average downloads per episode
Per episode, not the total across the season. The calculator multiplies by your episode count for you.
Average consumption rate
The share of an episode a listener actually finishes. This is the number that separates attention from a download count.

A download is not proof anyone listened.

CoHost shows you how much of your podcast people actually hear, so you can tell leadership what the budget bought. Book a 30-minute demo.

Book a Demo