How to advertise on Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast: what it costs, who buys, and how to book
Aiza Arcilla
Campaign Operations Manager
Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast sells its host-read inventory directly, quoted per campaign rather than off a public rate card. Spotsnow data shows nearly all of its episodes carry advertising, with more than 125 distinct sponsors tracked in three months, and Spotsnow estimates roughly 99% of that activity is direct-response. Rocket Money, the top spender, has run roughly 8 to 9 ads. For a buyer, that mix reads plainly: this is a coded-offer feed where repeat DTC and fintech brands come to convert, not a reach-and-forget awareness play. Spotsnow estimates all of this from tracked advertiser activity, not audience surveys.
The show, Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast, is hosted by comedians Matt McCusker and Shane Gillis.
Why Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast is built for host-read direct response
Matt McCusker and Shane Gillis are stand-up comedians out of the Philadelphia scene, with Gillis now starring in the Netflix series Tires. It sits in financial services territory on the buy side, because that's where its heaviest spend lands, inside a comedy feed. Spotsnow estimates roughly 99% of ads here are direct-response. That format matters because it runs on codes, vanity URLs, and clean attribution, so a brand can tie a signup back to the read. Spotsnow estimates reach at roughly 650,000 listeners per episode, an estimate, not an audited count.
Here the format argument is really an attention argument. The whole appeal is unscripted, improvised banter, so the hosts don't cut to a polished spot and lose the room. They fold the pitch into the bit. That's why a coded offer survives the ad break on this show: the audience is still listening because the read never stops being the show. A host endorsement borrows exactly that trust.
On the engagement side, Spotsnow attributes an average rating of 4.7 stars on Apple Podcasts, from more than 11,000 ratings, alongside roughly 850,000 YouTube subscribers. The influence is concentrated in the feed and on YouTube rather than scattered thin across platforms, which is part of why coded reads land: fans come for these two hosts specifically, and they act on what the hosts endorse.
Who is advertising on Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast
The roster runs deep and blue-chip, weighted toward fintech, telecom, and direct-to-consumer essentials. Names a buyer will recognize include Mint Mobile, Rocket Money, BetterHelp, PrizePicks, and Tecovas.
The anchor advertisers, broken down
Rocket Money
Rocket Money sells personal finance and subscription-tracking software. Spotsnow data shows roughly 8 to 9 ads on the show and estimates total spend at over $200K, classified direct-response. It's the top spender here, and it fits: a young, budget-minded male audience is exactly who wants to cancel forgotten subscriptions and watch their money.
Viori
Viori sells rice-water haircare rooted in a story about the Red Yao tribe. Spotsnow data shows roughly 8 to 9 ads and estimates spend at over $180K, direct-response and every one of them host-read. That's the purest repeat host-read buyer of the three, and it's telling: a founder-story DTC brand needs the hosts' voice to sell the story, and this audience buys on a personal recommendation.
Mint Mobile
Mint Mobile sells low-cost prepaid wireless plans. Spotsnow data shows roughly 13 to 15 ads, the most frequent of the three, with estimated spend over $150K split between host-read and produced. A cheaper phone bill is an easy yes for a young, middle-income listener, and Mint's own comedic tone matches the room.
The awareness outlier
Not everyone here is chasing a code. Reach-and-association buyers like Toyota and Walt Disney World run produced spots on the feed with no direct-response mechanic. It's a smaller slice, but it proves a brand-building objective can work here too, riding the show's audience size rather than its attribution.
| Brand | Est. total spend | Direct-response | Time of spend (last 1 year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rocket Money | over $200K | Direct-response | Active through mid-August |
| Viori | over $180K | Direct-response, all host-read | Active through late August |
| Mint Mobile | over $150K | Mixed host-read and produced | Active through late August |
All spend figures are Spotsnow estimates.
Why comedy brands cluster here
The pattern isn't random. This audience skews strongly young and male, mostly US-based and middle-income, which is the exact demographic fintech apps, budget telecom, and grooming or haircare DTC brands spend to reach. What makes the feed convert is that the hosts have built a fanbase, the D.A.W.G.Z., that treats a McCusker or Gillis recommendation as a friend's, not an ad's. A produced spot on network radio buys you attention. A host-read here buys you the hosts' credibility with people who already trust them, and then hands the listener a code to act on before the bit even ends. That combination, an engaged young-male base plus improv delivery that keeps ears on through the break, is why a Viori or a Rocket Money keeps coming back instead of testing once and leaving.
How your ad could sound
Here's a host-read for PrizePicks, folded straight into the show's banter.
PrizePicks host-read on Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast
What works: the read never leaves the room. The hosts drag Nate into naming March Madness teams ("how's Duke looking?") and let the offer ride the comedy instead of interrupting it. The offer itself is clean and specific, "$50 in lineups when you sign up and play your first $5," and the code lands twice, so a distracted listener still catches it.
What's worth tightening: the code, "use code drench," gets buried inside the joke and never spelled out or emphasized, and the call to action stays a little loose amid the riffing. A single, clearly stated code line at the end would lift recall without killing the bit. The lesson for a buyer is to write a read that survives the improv, then insist on one crisp code callout so the attribution holds. View what a great sample ad looks like here.
What makes a show like this convert
- Format that holds attention. Reads are woven into unscripted banter, so listeners stay through the break instead of skipping it, and a coded offer gets heard.
- Host credibility. A 4.7-star Apple rating from more than 11,000 ratings, per Spotsnow, signals a fanbase that treats an endorsement as trusted, not sold.
- The right audience. Spotsnow estimates roughly 650,000 listeners per episode who skew young, male, and US-based, the core buyers for fintech, telecom, and DTC essentials.
- Repeat buying proves the math. Rocket Money's roughly 8 to 9 ads and Mint Mobile's roughly 13 to 15, per Spotsnow, are brands re-upping because the return holds.
Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast in a nutshell
The audience skews young, male, and US-based, and it acts on what these two hosts endorse. The brands already buying are fintech, telecom, and DTC essentials, mostly on host-read spots woven into the show's improv, with a few produced awareness plays layered on top. It's sold direct, quoted per campaign rather than off a rate card. If you're a direct-response brand with a code and a clear offer, this is a conversion feed first and a reach buy second.
Frequently asked questions
Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast is sold on a quoted basis rather than a public rate card. Four things move the number: placement (mid-roll host-read prices above pre-roll and post-roll), read type (a host endorsement prices above a produced spot), commitment length (multi-episode flights and category exclusivity price better than a single test), and how close you are to the air date. For market context, a host-read spot on a typical show costs a brand roughly $20 to $30 for every thousand listeners it reaches. In-demand shows clear well above that. The more useful signal for this show is who already buys: Rocket Money has run roughly 8 to 9 ads, alongside Viori and Mint Mobile. Repeat buying at that level tells you more about where a show prices, and what it's worth to the brands buying it, than an outside estimate can.
Ads run on most episodes, so the show is in demand and inventory moves fast. Plan on reaching out sooner than you think you need to.
Plan on about 1 week to book, 2 to 3 weeks to produce and run, plus 2 to 3 weeks of lead time, so roughly 5 to 7 weeks end to end.
Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast is sold direct rather than through one of the large networks. It's a self-owned, independent operation run by the hosts, so you can approach their representation directly, or book through a platform that already has the show in its inventory. You can view different advertising platforms here.
Almost certainly, if you have a code and a clean offer. Spotsnow estimates roughly 99% of the ads here are direct-response, and the anchor buyers, Rocket Money, Viori, and Mint Mobile, all run coded reads and keep coming back. Fintech, telecom, and DTC essentials fit the young, male, US-leaning audience best.
Matt and Shane's Secret Podcast isn't the only feed reaching this audience. Spotsnow shows which comedy podcasts have host-read spots open right now, and which brands already buy them.
Get on the last minute spots email list.
Find incredible discounts and opportunities on premium shows.
Get on the last minute spots email list.
Find incredible discounts and opportunities on premium shows.