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

True Crime Garage sells its host-read inventory direct, not off a public rate card, and quotes each campaign on its own. Spotsnow attributes a direct-response posture to the show, with roughly 8 in 10 of its ads running as coded, trackable reads. Its anchor advertiser, Quince, has run roughly 16 to 19 host-read spots. For a buyer, that mix says the show is built to move product, not just build a name. Spotsnow estimates all of this from tracked advertiser activity, not audience surveys. You can see the full profile of True Crime Garage on Spotsnow.

Why True Crime Garage is built for host-read direct response

Nic Edwards co-hosts with Patrick "The Captain" Edwards. Nic is an independent true crime host out of Columbus, Ohio, a published author on the Delphi Murders, and a board member of the cold-case nonprofit The Porchlight Project. The show sits in retail advertiser territory, with its top spender pulled straight from that world.

Spotsnow puts the direct-response share of the show's ads at roughly 8 in 10. That format matters because it's coded. A promo code, a vanity URL, a slash-garage landing page. Every one of those ties a sale back to the feed, which is why performance brands keep buying. Spotsnow estimates the show reaches roughly 670,000 listeners, and it calls that figure an estimate.

The reason a host-read works here is the format itself. Nic and The Captain run long, conversational case breakdowns, and the ad break lands inside that same voice rather than cutting to a produced spot. Attention doesn't drop off a cliff at the sponsor. A host endorsement borrows the trust the duo has already built over hundreds of episodes, and that carryover is what a coded offer converts on.

On influence, the show holds an Apple Podcasts average of 4.7 across roughly 32,000 to 35,000 ratings, and an Instagram following of about 130,000. The audience skews female, clusters in the 25 to 44 range with real depth into the mid-50s, sits solidly middle to upper income, and is heavily concentrated in the US with a Canadian and UK tail. Its pull runs deep in the feed and on Instagram, which is where a coded read gets acted on.

Who is advertising on True Crime Garage

The roster leans DTC and subscription, brands that live and die by coded conversions. Names you'll recognize include Mint Mobile, Quince, BetterHelp, Acorns, and Wayfair.

The anchor advertisers, broken down

Quince

Quince sells affordable-luxury essentials direct to consumers: cashmere, silk, leather, home goods. Spotsnow shows roughly 16 to 19 host-read spots and estimated total spend over $500K, classified direct-response. It fits because a female-skewing, upper-middle-income audience is exactly who buys premium basics at a discount.

Mint Mobile

Mint Mobile sells low-cost prepaid wireless on the T-Mobile network. Spotsnow shows roughly 17 to 20 host-read spots and estimated total spend over $500K, classified direct-response. Budget-minded, US-heavy listeners are the exact switcher Mint chases, and a coded read makes the sign-up traceable.

IXL

IXL sells online learning for K-12 families. Spotsnow shows roughly 12 to 14 host-read spots and estimated total spend over $300K, classified direct-response. The 35 to 44 core of this audience skews parental, and a trusted host recommendation lands with families weighing a subscription.

The awareness outlier

Not everything here runs on a code. USAA and Progressive show up as produced-spot advertisers with no host reads at all, buying reach and association rather than attribution. It's proof that an awareness objective can work on this feed too, sitting alongside the direct-response core.

All spend figures are Spotsnow estimates.

Why retail brands cluster here

Retail and DTC brands don't buy this show for prestige. They buy it because a female-skewing, upper-middle-income US audience listens to two hosts they've followed for years, and because that trust turns into checkout. Quince and Mint Mobile aren't testing here. They're re-upping, over and over, which only happens when the code redemptions justify the invoice. The mindset matters too: true crime listeners lean in for detail, they finish episodes, and they carry that same attentiveness through the break. When Nic vouches for a product in his own voice, it reads as a recommendation, not an interruption. That's the whole argument. A trusted host, an audience that actually buys online, and a format that lets the two connect without a hard cut to an ad.

How your ad could sound

Here's a real host-read block from the feed, running mid-episode.

What works: the read is personal, not scripted. "I've been taking groans now consuming these little gummy bears for about a month and I am enjoying this because I have more energy and I feel healthier." That's a first-person endorsement, and it sells. The offer is clean too, "Save up to 52% off with code garage," and the handoff into the next sponsor is casual enough that the break never feels like a wall of ads.

What to tighten: the promo code and URL get voiced fast and mangled on the second pass, which muddies the one thing a listener needs to remember. And there's no deadline. A "this week only" or a limited-run line would give the offer a reason to act now instead of later. Best practice is simple: say the code slowly, say it twice cleanly, and attach urgency.

View what a great sample ad looks like here.

What makes a show like this convert

1. The format holds attention. A host-read lands inside the same conversational flow listeners came for, so the break doesn't shed the audience.
2. Host credibility carries the pitch. Nic's own endorsement borrows years of built trust, and a 4.7 Apple rating shows that trust is real.
3. The audience actually buys online. An estimated 670,000 mostly female, upper-middle-income US listeners are exactly who redeem a DTC code.
4. Repeat buying proves the math. Quince has come back for roughly 16 to 19 host reads, which no brand does unless the attribution keeps clearing.

True Crime Garage in a nutshell

The audience is an estimated 670,000 listeners, mostly female, 25 to 44, middle to upper income, and heavily US. Quince, Mint Mobile, and IXL already buy here, all on repeat host reads with coded offers. The show is sold direct and quoted per campaign, not off a rate card. If your objective is direct response, this feed is built for it, and there's room for an awareness buy alongside the DR core.