Can You Advertise on SiriusXM? Absolutely — Here’s How and Why You Should
If you’ve ever wondered, “Can I advertise on SiriusXM?” — the answer is a resounding yes. SiriusXM isn’t just for music lovers and Howard Stern fans. It’s also a powerful advertising platform that reaches millions of highly engaged listeners across the United States and Canada. Whether you’re a small business looking to grow regionally or a national brand seeking targeted exposure, SiriusXM offers a unique set of advantages that traditional radio can’t match.
What Is SiriusXM?
SiriusXM is a satellite radio service with more than 34 million subscribers, offering over 150 channels that span music, talk, sports, news, and entertainment. Unlike traditional AM/FM radio, SiriusXM is a subscription-based service, meaning its audience is more dedicated, loyal, and less likely to change the channel during ad breaks.
Listeners tune in at home, in vehicles, on mobile apps, and through smart devices, giving advertisers multiple points of access to potential customers.
Why Advertise on SiriusXM?
Here are the key benefits:
- Targeted Demographics
SiriusXM offers audience segmentation by channel, genre, region, and listener behavior. Want to reach sports fans, luxury car owners, or entrepreneurs? You can. - Nationwide Reach
With coast-to-coast coverage, SiriusXM allows you to run national ads. Because it is beamed down over all of North America via satellite, you cannot target ads based on individual markets. Traditional radio or online options like Sirius XM owned Pandora are good for that. - High Engagement, Low Ad Clutter
Compared to traditional radio or streaming platforms, SiriusXM has fewer commercials per hour, which means your ad stands out more. - Lowest Cost
Compared to any other advertising media available, Sirius XM is the most cost-effective option based on CPM. CPM stands for “cost per thousand.” To reach 1,000 listeners, Sirius XM typically costs around $2 to $3. Traditional radio? $10+. Pandora or Spotify? $15+. Google? $9+. Facebook? $8+. Why is Sirius so downright cheap? Two reasons. First, Sirius XM’s main form of revenue is through subscription. Ad revenue is bonus! Second, there’s little flexibility in broadcast for local markets, so you get a discount for that. - Low Cost of Entry
To advertise on Sirius XM, you need between $10,000 and $25,000 depending on which stations you select. Want to advertise on traditional radio nationwide? You’ll need to spend $50,000 to $150,000 just to get started. Other networks have minimums OR that’s just the cost to reach your audience 2 times during your campaign. Sirius XM recommends at least 3X frequency and you can get that at this minimum spend.
How to Advertise on SiriusXM
There are a few paths you can take:
- Through SiriusXM Advertising Sales
If you are a larger client with a larger ad budget, you can work directly with their internal sales team to build a campaign. - Via a Media Buying Agency Like Raptor USA
Many brands work with agencies experienced in buying satellite radio spots. These pros can negotiate better rates, tailor your strategy, and monitor performance. Raptor USA has worked with Sirius XM for many many years and receives preferred rates which Raptor passes along to all clients regardless of budget. Raptor also helps clients with their creative advertising strategy, which is critical to receiving the ROI you desire from your campaign. You really can’t just put any spot on Sirius and expect it to rain. Your spot needs the right strategy, message and offer.
Cost to Advertise
Costs vary based on:
- Channel selection (e.g., sports vs. music vs. talk)
- Ad length
- Frequency and duration
Typical spot costs range from $100 to $850 and even higher for Howard Stern. However, the point is not how much a spot costs. The point is how many are you reaching and how often. So, if you spend, say $25,000 and this includes high-audience channels like CNN or Fox News, you’ll easily be reaching 10 million+ on a weekly basis. Because Sirius has such a huge audience or very disciplined listeners, that’s how you keep your cost down on a CPM basis as we’ve discussed.
Final Word
Can you advertise on Sirius XM? Yes you can! You don’t have to be a big brand with a big budget. You can be a small to medium-sized business who wants to use Sirius XM to scale your business nationally or grow faster nationally.
The question we like to ask at Raptor USA? What if? What if you had advertised on Sirius XM, but you didn’t. How might Sirius XM have transformed your future? We’ve seen huge results, and perhaps you will too.
How else are you going to spend that $25,000? Go to another trade show that gets no results. Hire another sales person for 2x-3X that. Spend that and more on a local radio campaign?
You deserve to know, so you should advertise on Sirius XM if the glove fits. And here’s the final word on that. Is your business:
- A national company or could be
- Have a product or service that has a higher price point or is high margin? Or has a high lifetime-value?
- Have a compelling message, or could have? (We love to dig into this…)
If yesses, then you can and should advertise on Sirius XM!
