How to advertise on The Big Podcast with Shaq: what it costs, who buys, and how to book

The Big Podcast with Shaq sells its host-read inventory on a quoted, per-campaign basis rather than off a public rate card, and the buying signal that matters most is repeat volume: Spotsnow data shows lead sponsor DraftKings has run roughly 68 to 79 ads on the feed over the past year. Spotsnow estimates the show's direct-response share of ad activity at about two-thirds, which tells a buyer this feed moves product on codes and offers, not just brand lift. All of this is estimated from tracked advertiser activity, not audience surveys.

Full profile: The Big Podcast with Shaq.

Why The Big Podcast with Shaq is built for host-read direct response

The host is Shaquille O'Neal, NBA Hall of Fame center and longtime Inside the NBA analyst, with co-host Adam Lefkoe. It sits in Sports, with regular detours into comedy and pop culture.

Spotsnow estimates that about two-thirds of the show's ad activity is direct response, the format built for promo codes, vanity URLs, and clean attribution. Spotsnow estimates the show reaches roughly 220,000 listeners per episode, and that figure is an estimate, not an audited count. The format argument here is simple. Shaq reads the offer himself, in the same voice he uses to riff on the NBA, so the ad doesn't feel like a lane change. That sustained attention through the break is exactly what a host endorsement borrows, and it's why coded offers land.

Influence shows up in the feed and in short-form clips more than across every platform. Spotsnow puts the show's Instagram following at roughly 224,000, tied to the network handle, and the audience skews heavily male, skews young, sits in the middle to upper-middle income band, and concentrates in the US. That's a tight, spendable profile for sportsbooks, insurers, and consumer legal.

Who is advertising on The Big Podcast with Shaq

The roster runs wide across sportsbooks, insurance, telecom, auto, and retail. Recognizable names include DraftKings, Audible, Amazon Prime, Toyota, and T-Mobile.

The anchor advertisers, broken down

DraftKings Sportsbook

DraftKings sells daily fantasy, sportsbook, and online casino. Spotsnow data shows it has run roughly 68 to 79 ads on the feed over the past year, with Spotsnow estimating total spend over $50K, and Spotsnow classifies the activity as direct response. A young, male, NBA-first audience that already talks parlays is about as native a fit as a sportsbook gets.

The General

The General sells accessible, high-risk auto insurance. Spotsnow data shows roughly 32 to 38 ads on the show over the past year, with estimated total spend over $40K, classified by Spotsnow as direct response. A value-driven, broad-reach product suits a large mainstream sports audience that wants a fast quote.

Morgan and Morgan

Morgan and Morgan is the personal injury firm that runs on For The People. Spotsnow data shows roughly 14 to 16 ads over the past year, estimated total spend over $40K, and Spotsnow classifies it as purely host-read direct response. Wide consumer legal reach maps cleanly onto a national audience with a lot of drivers in it.

The outlier: T-Mobile

Not every buy here chases a code. T-Mobile shows up frequently as a produced, brand-awareness advertiser, proof the feed also works for a big-brand reach play, not just coded direct response.

All spend figures are Spotsnow estimates.

Why sports brands cluster here

Look at who repeats and the pattern is obvious. A sportsbook, a high-volume insurer, and a personal injury firm all keep buying the same feed because Shaq's authority does the pre-selling. When a four-time champion says bet $5 and get bonus bets, the endorsement carries weight a produced drop-in never will, and the audience is exactly the one those categories fight over: young men who watch the NBA, own cars, and act on offers. That combination, credibility plus a transactional mindset, is what turns a host-read into a conversion channel instead of a branding line item.

How your ad could sound

Here's the anchor read in action, the DraftKings host segment where Shaq voices the offer himself.

DraftKings host-read on The Big Podcast with Shaq

What works: the handoff is natural, and the writers lean into the host. "We've made it so simple that Shaq can read it" is a hook that turns a limitation into a joke. The personal framing lands too, "Million dollars of Shaq's money," and the offer is stated plainly, "New sportsbook customers bet $5 and get $300 in bonus bets." Best of all, the code is show-branded: "promo code BIG POD. Don't mess it up." That's clean attribution baked into a punchline.

What to tighten: the offer gets repeated with the "minimum minus 500 odds required" disclaimer stacked right behind it, which muddies the call to action at the exact moment you want it sharpest. And there's no deadline, so urgency is soft. If you buy a read like this, keep the disclaimer out of the action line and give the listener a reason to move now.

View what a great sample ad looks like here.

What makes a show like this convert

1. The format does the selling. A host endorsement in the host's own voice holds attention through the break in a way a produced spot can't.
2. Host credibility carries the offer. Shaq's Hall of Fame authority pre-sells the pitch before the code is ever read.
3. The audience is transactional. A young, male, US sports crowd is primed to act on codes and quotes, not just remember a name.
4. Repeat buying proves the math. DraftKings running roughly 68 to 79 ads over a year is a brand renewing because the numbers work.

The Big Podcast with Shaq in a nutshell

The audience skews heavily male, young, and US-based, an estimated 220,000 listeners who follow the NBA and act on offers. DraftKings, The General, and Morgan and Morgan already buy here, mostly on host-read direct response voiced by Shaq himself. The show is sold on a quoted, per-campaign basis through a network rather than off a rate card. If you're a direct-response brand in betting, insurance, legal, or consumer retail, the roster suggests this feed converts; if you want pure reach, the produced buys prove that works too.