The answer: at least $10,000 for two weeks on Sirius XM. First, this is an incredibly low number for national radio. If you were to price any other national radio syndicate, even NPR, the minimum for two weeks would be $100,000. So why is Sirius so inexpensive and an outright value? They are subscriber based, and advertising revenue is a very small percent overall. Also, you can’t geo target… you get all of North America.
The real question is how many spots you get, and where. At $10,000 you can advertise on sports, business, talk and comedy channels, but not news. We’re trying to get you at least three spots per day per channel, and news channels with their huge audiences are too expensive for this math.
If you want news channels like Fox News, CNN and MSNOW, you’ll need at least a $20,000 budget.
Factors That Influence SiriusXM Advertising Cost
Audience Size
The larger the audience you want to reach, the more your cost per spot will be. For instance, a 30 second spot on a sports channel could be $150. But on ESPN, for instance, you’ll be reaching around 4 million listeners. On Fox News that 30 second spot will cost $400 and you’ll reach nearly 9 million listeners.
$400 for a spot may sound like a lot, but it isn’t. In New York City you might pay $1500 for one spot on a leading news station maybe reaching 1.5 million.
Be sure to review our Cost Comparison Guide on the site. You’ll see what a great deal Sirius XM truly is.
Targeting Options
SiriusXM can target listeners by station only. Some channels favor different demographics. RaptorUSA can provide an audience overview by channel for your review.
Ad Frequency
Advertising effectiveness depends heavily on repetition. Most successful campaigns ensure listeners hear the message multiple times throughout a campaign period. We and Sirius XM recommend at least 3 spots per day per channel up to 5 spots per day. Anything more than that can reduce efficiency and sometimes even effectiveness.
One thing to consider: bonus spots. When you work with RaptorUSA, we negotiate bonus spots that increase ad frequency OR can get you free spots on a channel you are not buying.
Campaign Length
Longer campaigns generally produce stronger results because they allow advertisers to build awareness and credibility over time. Two weeks is the minimum Sirius XM will do. While they recommend 1-3 months for a true test, even two weeks will give you an idea of what to expect. If you continue, you’ll see your response rate increase.
Are there any other costs?
If you don’t have a radio spot ready to go, RaptorUSA can write your copy for $750 and then produce it with Sirius XM at no additional cost. If you have your copy written, we’re happy to review it at no cost and then produce it.
Is SiriusXM More Expensive Than Traditional Radio?
No. Sirius XM is absolutely the least expensive “branded” media, period, because of its business model. Again, see the Cost Comparison Guide. Facebook, Google, traditional radio, online radio… all are much more expensive than Sirius XM on a cost per thousand metric.
Should Small Businesses Consider SiriusXM?
Absolutely.
Many business owners assume SiriusXM is only for national brands. In reality, many local and regional businesses successfully use SiriusXM advertising to reach large “direct response” audiences and scale nationally.
The key is deciding to try. We like to say the difference between a local firm and a peer that now sells nationally is their perspective, how they spent limited marketing resources. Sirius XM is a wonderful media for scaling.
Final Thoughts
The best way to determine SiriusXM advertising cost is to start with some simple questions:
- Do you want to reach a national audience?
- Do you want to reach the largest audience possible for $20k+, or keep it more reasonable at $10k+?
- What is the lifetime value of a new customer and is Sirius XM a good fit to gain that value?
- Are you operationally ready, meaning your web site, digital tactics like remarketing, and your sales team?
When you speak with RaptorUSA, you will be talking with one of our principals who have run ad agencies with hundreds of clients from all industries. You as a principal will get a quick, candid assessment of if and how Sirius XM might work for you.
At least have the conversation. You deserve to know rather than wonder forever. And, we like to say try it! For 10 or 20k – amounts you’ve blown handily before on trade shows that were a bust or failed salespeople – you’ll never have to wonder “what IF I had advertised on Sirius XM?”
