How to advertise on Lights Out: what it costs, who buys, and how to book

Lights Out sells its host-read inventory direct, quoted per campaign rather than off a public rate card. Spotsnow attributes nearly all of the show's tracked ad activity to direct-response host reads, and its anchor advertiser, Rocket Money, has run roughly 25 to 29 of them. That mix tells a buyer this is a coded-offer feed built to convert, not a branding placement. Spotsnow estimates all of this from tracked advertiser activity, not audience surveys. The show profile lives on Spotsnow here.

Why Lights Out is built for host-read direct response

Host Josh Thomas runs a meticulously researched, lecture-style true crime and paranormal show alongside co-host Austin Lee. It sits in true crime, one of podcasting's most advertiser-dense categories.

Spotsnow data shows the ad mix is overwhelmingly direct-response. That format runs on codes, vanity URLs, and attribution, and the reads on this feed do exactly that: brands hand out slash-URLs like mintmobile.com/lightsout and quince.com/lightsout. Spotsnow estimates the show reaches roughly 220,000 listeners, an estimated audience that skews young, female-leaning, and mostly US-based.

The reason a coded read works here is the show's own style. Thomas builds long, detailed narratives that hold attention through the middle of an episode, and a host-read borrows that same attention when the ad break arrives. A listener who sat through a 40-minute case breakdown is still listening when the host pivots to why he switched carriers. That sustained focus is the asset, and it's what a direct-response advertiser is really paying for.

Influence here is concentrated in the feed and on short-form video rather than spread evenly across every platform. Spotsnow puts the show's Instagram following at roughly 43,000, and the hosts push clips through TikTok and Instagram to funnel new listeners back to the episodes, where the ads actually run.

Who is advertising on Lights Out

The roster leans toward finance, DTC subscription brands, and home improvement, with a long tail of regional and education advertisers. Recognizable names include Rocket Money, Progressive, Shopify, Squarespace, and Quince.

The anchor advertisers, broken down

Rocket Money

Rocket Money sells personal finance management, subscription tracking, and bill negotiation. Spotsnow data shows it has run roughly 25 to 29 host-read ads on the show, with estimated total spend over $100K, classified fully as direct-response. A budgeting app fits an audience of middle-income listeners in their 20s to 40s who are watching every recurring charge, which is exactly what Rocket Money helps them cancel.

Smalls

Smalls sells fresh, human-grade cat food on a subscription and delivery model. Spotsnow data shows roughly 8 to 9 host-read ads and estimated total spend over $30K, also direct-response. A young, female-leaning audience at home with pets is a natural fit for a DTC subscription that starts with a quiz and ships to the door.

Rula

Rula, a mental-health therapy service, has run roughly 7 to 8 host-read ads with estimated total spend over $10K, per Spotsnow, classified as direct-response. A therapy platform reaches an audience that spends hours a week with heavy true crime material, and that pairing has kept Rula coming back for repeat flights.

Why the cat food buy matters

Smalls is the tell that this feed isn't just a finance channel. A lifestyle subscription committing repeat host reads to a true crime show proves a non-finance objective can convert here, as long as the offer is coded and the host reads it like they mean it.

All spend figures are Spotsnow estimates.

Why true crime brands cluster here

True crime listeners show up in a specific mindset: focused, patient, and willing to follow a long narrative to the end. That's the same posture that lets a host-read offer land, because the listener hasn't checked out by the time the ad runs. On Lights Out, Josh Thomas built his authority on research and detail, so when he says he set up an eSIM in under ten minutes or switched his own family's plan, it reads as a recommendation rather than a slot filler. Finance and DTC subscription brands cluster here because they need that borrowed trust to justify a signup, and the repeat buying from Rocket Money, Smalls, and Rula says the trust is converting. A show that keeps three direct-response advertisers coming back for month after month isn't guessing about its audience. It's proven it.

How your ad could sound

Host-read spot for Mint Mobile on Lights Out

This Mint Mobile read is a clean example of what works on the feed. The hook is personal, not scripted boilerplate: the host says he "finally got fed up with all the crazy little fees", which frames the pitch as his own annoyance before it becomes an offer. He backs it with a real proof point, setting up an eSIM for a coordinator in "less than 10 minutes", then lands a specific price, "premium wireless plans starting at just 15 bucks a month", and a vanity URL handoff to mintmobile.com/lightsout.

Two things a buyer could tighten. The CTA leans on a spoken slash-URL that's easy to mishear in audio, so pairing it with a code the host repeats twice would protect attribution. And the offer carries no time pressure beyond the standing $15 deal, so a limited-window angle would push more listeners to act inside the episode instead of after. The long disclaimer tail at the end also risks burying the ask, so keep the last spoken line the URL, not the fine print.

View what a great sample ad looks like here.

What makes a show like this convert

1. The format does the selling. Spotsnow data shows a near-total direct-response mix, and the reads use coded slash-URLs so every signup traces back to the show.
2. Host credibility carries the offer. Josh Thomas built the show on detailed research, and that authority transfers to the recommendation when he reads an ad in his own words.
3. The audience is a match. Spotsnow estimates roughly 220,000 listeners who skew young, female-leaning, and mostly US-based, the profile finance and DTC subscription brands chase.
4. The repeat buying proves the math. Rocket Money running roughly 25 to 29 host-read ads is the clearest signal a brand keeps buying because the reads keep paying back.

Lights Out in a nutshell

The estimated audience is roughly 220,000 listeners, young, female-leaning, and mostly in the US, drawn to detailed true crime and paranormal storytelling. Rocket Money, Smalls, and Rula already buy here, all on direct-response host reads, with Rocket Money the most sustained spender. The show is sold direct, quoted per campaign, through a small operation rather than a large network. If you're running a coded offer and want attribution, this feed suits direct response far more than pure awareness.