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

Going West: True Crime sells its host-read inventory campaign by campaign, quoted per flight rather than off a public rate card. Spotsnow attributes almost all of the show's tracked ad activity to direct-response host reads, a share sitting in the high-90s percent. Its top spender, BetterHelp, has run roughly 11 to 13 host-read ads in the tracked window. For a buyer, that mix reads clearly: this is a coded, attribution-first feed, not an awareness placement. Spotsnow estimates all of this from tracked advertiser activity, not audience surveys.

That show is Going West: True Crime, the narrative true crime feed hosted by Daphne Woolsoncroft and Heath Merryman.

Why Going West: True Crime is built for host-read direct response

Woolsoncroft and Merryman build case-driven, research-heavy episodes in the true crime category, the kind of long-form storytelling that keeps a listener locked in for a full hour. Spotsnow attributes a direct-response share in the high-90s percent to this show, which is why the reads live and die on codes, tracked URLs, and vanity slugs. When a listener hears "chime.com slash going west," the buyer can see exactly what worked. Spotsnow estimates the audience at roughly 210,000 listeners, and that figure is an estimate, not an audited count.

The format is what makes coded reads convert here. True crime demands sustained attention: the audience is following a timeline, holding names and dates in their heads, and they don't skip forward the way they might on a chat show. That attention is exactly what a host-read borrows. When Daphne or Heath breaks to endorse a product mid-story, the trust built over the case carries into the pitch. That's the mechanism a DTC brand is buying, not just an impression.

The audience skews strongly female, concentrated in the 25-to-44 band, mostly middle income with a solid upper-middle tier, and heavily US-based. Its influence is concentrated in the feed itself rather than spread thin across social platforms, which means a read reaches an audience that comes to listen, not to scroll past. For a direct-response buyer, engaged listening is the whole point.

Who is advertising on Going West: True Crime

Spotsnow tracked a large roster on this feed, roughly 180 to 210 advertisers across the recent window, weighted toward subscription and DTC names that live on attribution. Recognizable buyers include BetterHelp, Shopify, Chime, T-Mobile, and Uber Eats.

The anchor advertisers, broken down

BetterHelp

BetterHelp sells online therapy memberships. Spotsnow shows it running roughly 11 to 13 host-read ads, all direct response, with estimated total spend over $90K. Therapy resonates with a listenership that spends hours inside heavy, emotionally loaded subject matter, so the fit is close rather than incidental.

Shopify

Shopify sells e-commerce and retail software. Spotsnow attributes roughly 10 to 12 host-read ads to the brand, all direct response, with estimated total spend over $80K. It fits the entrepreneurial and side-hustle slice of a US audience in its prime working years.

Chime

Chime sells fee-free mobile banking. Spotsnow shows roughly 10 to 12 mostly host-read ads, direct response, with estimated total spend over $80K. No-fee banking maps neatly onto a middle-income, younger-skewing listenership that watches its money.

Land O'Frost, the outlier

Not every buyer here chases a code. Land O'Frost, a grocery lunch-meat brand, runs a lighter, comedic host-read built for brand recall rather than a tracked offer. It's proof that an awareness objective can still land on a feed that mostly sells attribution.

All spend figures are Spotsnow estimates.

Why true crime brands cluster here

The roster isn't random. Therapy, banking, and commerce software all sell to people navigating stress, money, and reinvention, and this audience is sitting still for an hour of exactly that emotional register. The hosts have earned the right to endorse because they've spent the episode being careful, respectful, and thorough with someone's worst day. That authority transfers. A listener who trusts Daphne and Heath to handle a victim's story with care is primed to trust their read of a product. Add a US, female-skewing base in its highest-spending years, and you get the specific reason BetterHelp, Chime, and Shopify keep buying: the mindset in the feed matches the purchase they're asking for.

How your ad could sound

Here's a real host-read that ran on the feed.

What works: the read opens with a true crime parody, "the case of the missing Reese's," which earns the listener's attention before the pitch arrives instead of interrupting it. The benefit is concrete too, "8 plus grams of protein per serving," a specific number a listener can hold onto.

What to improve: there's no promo code and no tracked URL, and the close, "consider lunch solved," hands off to "shop at your favorite local grocery store." That's a soft, unattributable CTA with no urgency. On a feed that pays for coded conversions, a spot like this leaves the measurement on the table. Give it a code and a reason to act now and the same charm starts to earn.

View what a great sample ad looks like here.

What makes a show like this convert

1. The format holds attention through the break. Long, narrative episodes mean listeners stay in the seat, so a mid-story read gets heard rather than skipped.
2. Host credibility carries the pitch. Trust built by handling difficult cases with care transfers directly onto the endorsement.
3. The audience matches the buyers. A US, female-skewing base in its prime spending years lines up with therapy, banking, and commerce offers.
4. Repeat buying proves the math. BetterHelp's roughly 11 to 13 host-read ads is the kind of return volume brands only commit to when the payback holds up.

Going West: True Crime in a nutshell

An estimated 210,000 listeners, skewing female and US-based in the 25-to-44 range, come for research-heavy narrative true crime. The brands already buying, BetterHelp, Shopify, and Chime, run coded host-reads and come back for more. The show is sold on a quoted, per-campaign basis rather than a rate card. If you're a direct-response buyer with a trackable offer, this is a feed built for you; awareness-only plays can work, but they're the exception here.