How to advertise on Friends Per Second: what it costs, who buys, and how to book

Every tracked host-read sponsorship on Friends Per Second is direct-response. Spotsnow attributes a 100% direct-response share to the show's host-read activity, and its inventory sells the way most independent gaming feeds do: host-read, quoted per campaign, not off a public rate card. Raycon, the top spender, has run around 4 host-read spots, and that repeat pattern is the tell for a buyer weighing a coded, conversion-focused test. Spotsnow estimates all of this from tracked advertiser activity, not audience surveys. See Friends Per Second on Spotsnow.

Why Friends Per Second is built for host-read direct response

Jake Baldino hosts, the co-owner and lead video producer at Gameranx, best known for the honest "Before You Buy" review series. The show sits in technology, with a gaming and consumer-hardware lean.

Spotsnow attributes a 100% direct-response share here. That matters because direct-response reads carry codes, URLs, and offers you can attribute, so a brand can watch a spot move sales rather than guess at lift. Spotsnow estimates the audience at roughly 120,000 listeners, an estimate, not an audited count.

The format holds attention because the show is a roundtable of gaming journalists arguing about releases, not a scripted news read. Listeners stay through the banter, and a host endorsement borrows that same trust when Baldino, a reviewer who declines developer sponsorships, vouches for a product. That is the mechanism a host-read rents.

On influence, Spotsnow data shows a 4.8 Apple Podcasts rating from roughly 360 to 400 ratings, and Baldino's YouTube reach sits near 486,000 subscribers (estimated). The pull is concentrated in the feed and on YouTube rather than spread evenly across every social platform, which is exactly where a gaming audience pays attention.

Who is advertising on Friends Per Second

The roster leans consumer tech, DTC subscriptions, careers, and finance. Spotsnow data shows roughly 22 to 25 distinct brands in the last three months, including Raycon, LinkedIn, SoFi, Indeed, and Bose.

The anchor advertisers, broken down

Raycon

Raycon sells wireless earbuds and audio gear. Spotsnow data shows Raycon has run around 4 host-read spots with an estimated total spend of over $10K, all classified direct-response. Audio hardware sold to a young, gadget-literate gaming crowd is close to a native fit, which is why it keeps coming back.

Factor

Factor sells ready-to-eat meal delivery. Spotsnow data shows a host-read presence with an estimated total spend of over $1K, classified direct-response. Convenience meals land with a busy, higher-income audience that games and works on a screen most of the day.

Delete Me

Delete Me removes personal data from broker sites and people-search databases. Spotsnow data shows a host-read presence with an estimated total spend of over $1K, classified direct-response. A privacy-savvy, terminally-online audience is primed to act on a data-removal pitch, which is why it converts on a coded offer.

All spend figures are Spotsnow estimates.

Why technology brands cluster here

The audience is the pitch. Spotsnow describes it as young, heavily male, US-centered, and comfortably middle to upper-middle income, the kind of buyer who already spends on hardware, subscriptions, and gear. Pair that with a host whose whole brand is telling people whether a product is worth their money, and the fit writes itself. Raycon is not buying reach on Friends Per Second. It's buying a recommendation from someone this crowd already trusts to be honest about gear, and then measuring the codes. Earbuds, meal kits, and a privacy service all sell to the same profile: online, decision-ready, and used to acting on a link. That is why the roster tilts DTC and consumer tech instead of broad awareness brands, and why the reads run direct-response rather than image spots.

How your ad could sound

Here's Baldino's host-read style in a Vessi endorsement on his channel, a clean example of how he handles a sponsor mid-content.

Jake Baldino reading a host-read sponsor spot

What works: he opens personally ("I have been rocking these on my feet for a long time"), ties the product to a seasonal hook so the pitch feels timely, and lands a specific offer of 25% off sitewide with select styles up to 55% off. The handoff back into the video is smooth, so it never feels like an interruption.

What to tighten: the call to action leans on "click the link in the description," which travels poorly to audio-only listeners, and there's no single memorable promo code to anchor attribution. The urgency is generic ("while supplies last"). For a direct-response buy, give him one short code and a spoken URL so the ear can catch it. View what a great sample ad looks like here.

What makes a show like this convert

1. Host-read beats produced spots. Spotsnow attributes a 100% direct-response share here, and coded reads let a brand tie sales back to the spot.
2. The host has earned skepticism. Baldino built a following on honest reviews and declining developer sponsorships, so an endorsement carries weight.
3. The audience is decision-ready. A young, mostly male, comfortably-incomed tech crowd already buys gear and subscriptions online.
4. Repeat buying proves the math. Raycon has come back for around 4 host-read spots, and brands don't re-book reads that don't pay.

Friends Per Second in a nutshell

The listeners skew young, male, US-based, and comfortably incomed, and they treat the hosts as trusted buying guides. Consumer-tech and DTC brands like Raycon, Factor, and Delete Me already buy in, and they buy host-reads, not produced filler. The show is sold direct on a quoted, per-campaign basis rather than through a large network. If your goal is coded, attributable direct response to a gaming and tech buyer, this is a fit. If you only want broad awareness, look elsewhere.