How to advertise on Big Mad True Crime: what it costs, who buys, and how to book

Big Mad True Crime sells its host-read inventory on a quoted, per-campaign basis, not off a public rate card, and the case for buying it is almost entirely conversion. Spotsnow attributes roughly 98 percent of the show's advertising to direct-response reads. Its top spender, Merit Beauty, has run roughly 5 host-read spots here, the kind of repeat buying that tells a marketer the math holds. For a DTC brand weighing a coded-offer buy against a pure reach play, that mix points one direction. Spotsnow estimates all of this from tracked advertiser activity, not audience surveys.

You can see the full profile for Big Mad True Crime on Spotsnow.

Why Big Mad True Crime is built for host-read direct response

Heather Ashley hosts and owns the show, an independent creator known for victim-centered, research-heavy reporting and a recurring "Critical Incidents" series she runs with retired FBI profiler Julia Cowley. It sits in the health, wellness and fitness advertiser lane on Spotsnow, which is where its heaviest spenders come from.

Spotsnow attributes roughly 98 percent of the ad activity to direct response, which is about as high as the format gets. That share matters because it means brands are running codes, spelled-out URLs, and gift-with-purchase offers they can trace back to the read. Spotsnow estimates reach at roughly 116,000 listeners, and calls that an estimate, not an audited count.

The show's "small talk sucks" style is the reason a host-read works here. Ashley strips out filler and runs dense, fact-first narrative, so a listener who stays through a case doesn't drift at the ad break. A host endorsement borrows that same attention. The voice carries the recommendation, and the audience treats it as continuous with the story rather than an interruption.

On influence, Apple Podcasts shows an average rating of about 4.6 stars across roughly 5,800 ratings, which is a lot of goodwill for a show this size. The engagement is concentrated in the feed and the review wall rather than spread thin across social platforms, so a host-read reaches a committed listening habit rather than a passing scroll.

Who is advertising on Big Mad True Crime

The roster skews DTC wellness, beauty, and home, with big-brand reach buyers layered on top. Recognizable names include Merit Beauty, ARMRA, Boll & Branch, BetterHelp, and Quince.

The anchor advertisers, broken down

Merit Beauty

Merit Beauty sells clean, minimalist makeup built around a five-minute routine. Spotsnow shows roughly 5 host-read spots and estimated total spend over $10K, classified as host-read direct response. It fits a female-skewing, time-pressed, mid to upper-income audience that wants to look put together fast.

ARMRA

ARMRA is a bovine-colostrum immune and wellness supplement founded by a physician. Spotsnow shows roughly 4 host-read spots and estimated total spend over $10K, also host-read direct response. A health-conscious, majority-female listener base receptive to daily wellness routines is exactly the buyer ARMRA wants a coded offer in front of.

Boll & Branch

Boll & Branch sells premium organic bedding and home textiles. Spotsnow shows roughly 3 host-read spots and estimated total spend over $10K, host-read direct response. The higher-income, home-buying slice of this audience is a natural match for a considered home purchase carried on a trusted voice.

The outlier: big-brand reach buyers

Awareness names like Progressive, Hulu, Disney+, Vrbo, and McDonald's run produced spots here too. They aren't chasing a code. Their presence shows the feed's reach plays for brand buyers alongside the direct-response core, which is a useful signal if your objective is association rather than attribution.

All spend figures are Spotsnow estimates.

Why health and wellness brands cluster here

The clustering isn't a coincidence, it's a match between voice and mindset. Ashley's audience skews strongly female, sits mostly in the young to mid-adult range, and is heavily concentrated in the US at solidly middle to upper-middle income, per Spotsnow's estimated demographics. That's the profile clean beauty, colostrum supplements, and premium bedding all fight for elsewhere at far higher prices. Add a host who built her brand on facts over filler, and the endorsement reads as credible rather than transactional. When a listener trusts you to get a cold case right, they extend a little of that trust to what you tell them to try. That transfer is the product a wellness DTC brand is actually buying, and it's why the same categories keep re-upping.

How your ad could sound

Merit Beauty host-read on Big Mad True Crime

The Merit Beauty read is a clean template for this feed. The hook is personal and specific: Ashley describes turning on a podcast and doing her makeup every morning as a confidence ritual, then grounds it in "mornings are rushed by field trips or early practices." That's relatable, not scripted, and it hands the product a real job to do.

The offer is stated plainly, "your signature makeup bag with your first order at meritbeauty.com," and she spells the URL out letter by letter so nobody mishears it. Product benefit is tight too: a "polished, natural look in just 5 minutes."

What's worth fixing is attribution. The offer is a free gift with purchase but there's no deadline and no promo code, so the only trackable handle is the URL. Best-practice host-reads pair a memorable code with a reason to act now. Adding light urgency and a spoken code would sharpen the measurement without touching the personal framing that makes the read work.

View what a great sample ad looks like here.

What makes a show like this convert

1. The format does the work. Nearly all reads here are host-read direct response, so the voice carries the offer and the listener treats it as part of the show.
2. Host credibility transfers. Ashley's fact-first, victim-centered reporting earns a roughly 4.6-star Apple rating, and that trust extends to what she endorses.
3. The audience matches the buyers. A female-leaning, US-concentrated, mid to upper-income base is exactly who clean beauty, supplements, and premium home goods want.
4. Repeat buying proves the math. Merit Beauty has run roughly 5 host-read spots, with ARMRA and Boll & Branch coming back too, and brands don't re-book reads that don't sell.

Big Mad True Crime in a nutshell

Listeners skew strongly female, young to mid-adult, and US-concentrated, with solidly middle to upper-middle income, all Spotsnow estimates. The brands already buying, Merit Beauty, ARMRA, and Boll & Branch, run host-read reads and keep coming back. The show is sold on a quoted, per-campaign basis rather than off a rate card, distributed through a licensing and ad-sales partnership with Audiochuck. If your goal is coded, trackable conversion, this is a direct-response feed first, with reach-play room for awareness buyers on the side.