How to advertise on The Basement Yard: what it costs, who buys, and how to book
Keshav Bagaade
Podcast Advertising Data Lead
The Basement Yard sells its host-read inventory direct, quoted per campaign rather than off a public rate card. Spotsnow data shows nearly 98% of the show's tracked ads are direct-response host reads, so this is a coded, attributable buy, not a branding play. HIMS, the top host-read spender, has run roughly 13 to 15 ads here. For a buyer, that mix means one thing: the brands that come back are chasing conversions, not impressions. Spotsnow estimates all of this from tracked advertiser activity, not audience surveys. See The Basement Yard on Spotsnow.
Why The Basement Yard is built for host-read direct response
Joe Santagato and Frank Alvarez host the show, two lifelong friends and longtime YouTube creators trading unscripted banter about pop culture and everyday life. It sits in comedy, and the advertiser base skews toward health, wellness and fitness DTC brands.
Spotsnow attributes about 98% of tracked reads to direct response, which is why the format matters. Coded promos, vanity URLs, and per-show attribution let a brand read the payback in a dashboard, not a media plan. Spotsnow estimates reach at roughly 280,000 listeners per episode, an estimate rather than an audited count.
The show's whole appeal is two friends talking, so an ad break doesn't snap the audience out of anything. The read lands inside the same conversation the listener came for. That sustained attention is exactly what a host endorsement borrows, and it's the reason coded offers convert here instead of getting skipped.
On the trust side, Spotsnow lists a 4.9 Apple Podcasts rating across roughly 13,300 to 14,700 ratings. The influence here is concentrated in the feed itself, where listeners treat the hosts as friends whose recommendations carry weight, which is the environment a host-read is built to use.
Who is advertising on The Basement Yard
The roster leans DTC and subscription: telehealth, therapy, website tools, fintech, and consumables that live or die on a promo code. Recognizable names in the mix include HIMS, BetterHelp, Squarespace, SeatGeek, and Rocket Money.
The anchor advertisers, broken down
HIMS
HIMS is a telehealth platform selling prescription treatments, mental health care, and weight management direct to consumers. Spotsnow data shows roughly 13 to 15 ads on the show and over $60K in estimated total spend, classified 100% direct response. A young, mostly US audience shopping for discreet, convenient health care is HIMS's core buyer, which is why the read fits.
BetterHelp
BetterHelp is an online therapy platform matching users with licensed therapists over text, phone, and video. Spotsnow data shows roughly 15 to 18 ads and over $50K in estimated total spend, 100% direct response. Therapy demand runs high with listeners in their twenties and thirties, and a friendly, candid show is a natural place to normalize the pitch.
Squarespace
Squarespace sells website building and hosting tools for creators and small businesses. Spotsnow data shows roughly 17 to 20 ads, the highest ad count of the three, and over $40K in estimated total spend, 100% direct response. Many of these listeners are building something online, so a coded offer for a site lands with intent.
The awareness outlier
Not everything here is coded. Netflix runs produced spots on the show, a straight awareness buy with no promo code attached. It's proof a reach-and-association objective can work in this feed too, even if the show's center of gravity is direct response.
| Brand | Est. total spend | Direct-response | Time of spend (last 1 year) |
|---|---|---|---|
| HIMS | over $60K | Direct response | Ran across most of the last year, active through mid-2026 |
| BetterHelp | over $50K | Direct response | Steady monthly presence across the last year |
| Squarespace | over $40K | Direct response | Recurring buyer across the last year |
All spend figures are Spotsnow estimates.
Why comedy brands cluster here
The pattern isn't random. A young, middle-income, heavily US audience that treats the hosts as friends is the exact mindset a DTC brand wants when it reads a code. Telehealth, therapy, and website tools all sell a decision the listener is already half-considering, and hearing a familiar voice vouch for it lowers the friction to act. That's the trade: the hosts spend years earning the room's trust, then hand a sliver of it to a brand with a coded offer attached. Repeat buying at double-digit ad counts tells you the handoff pays back, over and over, for the brands doing it.
What makes a show like this convert
- The format does the work. With about 98% of reads coded to direct response, the ad rides inside the same casual conversation listeners tuned in for.
- Host credibility carries the offer. A 4.9 Apple rating across thousands of ratings signals listeners take the hosts at their word.
- The audience is primed to buy. A young, mostly US, middle-income base is the core customer for telehealth, therapy, and DTC subscriptions.
- Repeat buying proves the math. HIMS keeps coming back for roughly 13 to 15 ads, which brands don't do unless the reads pay for themselves.
The Basement Yard in a nutshell
The audience is young, mostly US, and middle-income, and it treats Joe and Frank like friends. HIMS, BetterHelp, and Squarespace all buy in on coded host reads and keep renewing. The show is sold direct on a quoted, per-campaign basis, not through a public rate card. If your goal is trackable direct response, this feed is built for it; a pure awareness buy can work, but it isn't what the roster is here for.
Frequently asked questions
The Basement Yard 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: HIMS has run roughly 13 to 15 ads, alongside BetterHelp and Squarespace. 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.
The Basement Yard is sold direct rather than through one of the large networks. You can approach the show directly, or book through a platform that already has the show in its inventory. You can view different advertising platforms here.
The evidence says yes. Nearly all tracked reads are coded direct response, and the top three buyers, HIMS, BetterHelp, and Squarespace, each stack double-digit ad counts across the year. Brands don't renew coded reads that don't pay back.
The Basement Yard 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.
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