How to advertise on We're Alive: what it costs, who buys, and how to book

We're Alive sells its host-read inventory through its distribution partner, Rusty Quill, and it's quoted per campaign rather than off a public rate card. Spotsnow attributes the overwhelming majority of the show's reads, roughly 95%, to direct response. Its top spender, BetterHelp, has run roughly 6 to 7 ads here. For a buyer, that mix reads plainly: this is a performance feed, not a branding showcase, and the brands that come back are the ones who can track a coded response. Spotsnow estimates all of this from tracked advertiser activity, not audience surveys.

The show itself is We're Alive on Spotsnow, a full-cast zombie survival audio drama built on cinematic sound design.

Why We're Alive is built for host-read direct response

Kc Wayland created and directs We're Alive. He's a former US Army sergeant and Iraq War combat cameraman turned audio-drama creator, and he wrote the textbook on the medium. That background shows up in the tactical realism of the writing, which is part of why the show holds attention where a lighter production loses it.

It sits in the mental health care advertiser lane more than you'd expect for fiction, which tells you something about the audience's mindset. Spotsnow attributes about 95% of reads to direct response, so codes, vanity URLs, and clean attribution do the heavy lifting here. Spotsnow estimates reach at roughly 195,000 listeners, and it calls that an estimate, not a counted figure.

The format argument matters more than any rate could. This is serialized, immersive storytelling, so listeners lean in and stay through the break instead of skipping. A host-read borrows exactly that attention: the same voice guiding the story reads the ad, and the transition feels earned rather than bolted on. That's the mechanic direct-response brands are paying for.

On engagement, the proof is in the feed. Spotsnow data shows an Apple Podcasts average of 4.8 across roughly 9,200 to 10,200 ratings, with roughly 15,300 YouTube subscribers and roughly 6,400 Instagram followers. The influence is concentrated in the feed and on YouTube rather than spread thin across every platform, which is where a serialized listen wants its die-hards anyway.

Who is advertising on We're Alive

The roster mixes national DTC subscription apps with recognizable brand names, most buying direct response. A handful you'll know: BetterHelp, Whole Foods Market, Progressive Insurance, Boost Mobile, and Aura.

The anchor advertisers, broken down

BetterHelp

BetterHelp sells online therapy memberships that connect people to licensed therapists. Spotsnow attributes roughly 6 to 7 ads to the brand here, an estimated total spend of over $10K, all classified direct response. A mental health service fits an audience that skews younger, mostly male, and leans into stories about survival and stress, where a warm host-read read lands without friction.

Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods Market is a national natural-and-organic grocery chain. Spotsnow attributes roughly 3 ads to it, an estimated total spend of over $10K, classified direct response as a host-read. A mainstream grocer on a zombie drama is the tell: middle-income US listeners still buy groceries, and the immersive read reaches them at home.

Home Chef

Home Chef sells meal-kit delivery. Spotsnow attributes roughly 2 ads to the brand, an estimated total spend of over $10K, direct response on a host-read. Meal kits sell on convenience and a first-box code, which is a natural fit for an audience of busy adults who listen episode to episode.

The outlier worth noting

Whole Foods Market doubles as the surprise. A national retailer buying host-reads on a serialized horror drama shows the feed isn't only for subscription apps. If a grocery brand can find its buyer here, so can a category you might not have pictured on a zombie show.

All spend figures are Spotsnow estimates.

Why fiction brands cluster here

Fiction is an underrated performance buy, and We're Alive is the case for it. The audience commits: they follow a plot week to week, and that patience is rare inventory. Wayland's authority as the writer and director means the read carries the weight of the story rather than interrupting it. So when a brand asks a captive, mostly male, middle-income US audience to punch in a code, the ask doesn't break the spell. That's why a therapy app, a grocer, and a meal kit can sit in the same feed and all treat it as direct response. The mindset a survival drama puts a listener in, focused and a little on edge, is the mindset that acts on an offer.

How your ad could sound

The BetterHelp read runs as a first-person testimonial. What works: the hook is human and specific, "really feeling seen and heard for the first time", and it lands on a clean single offer with a natural sign-off, "wherever you are, that's where BetterHelp begins." One voice, one product, no clutter.

What's worth improving: the promo path lands as a vague, placeholder-sounding URL that a listener won't remember on the first pass, so the code gets buried under the emotional close. And there's no reason to act now. A dated offer or a limited window would give the read the urgency the testimonial earns.

View what a great sample ad looks like here.

What makes a show like this convert

1. The format does the work. A serialized drama keeps listeners through the break, so a host-read gets heard instead of skipped.
2. Host credibility transfers. Kc Wayland's authority as writer and director makes the endorsement feel like part of the story, not an interruption.
3. The audience is the right buyer. Spotsnow describes an estimated audience that skews mostly male, younger adult, middle-income, and concentrated in the US, which matches DTC and retail targeting.
4. Repeat buying proves the math. BetterHelp's roughly 6 to 7 ads is a brand coming back, and brands don't repeat a channel that doesn't return.

We're Alive in a nutshell

Spotsnow estimates the audience at roughly 195,000 listeners, mostly male, younger adult, middle-income, and heavily US based. BetterHelp, Whole Foods Market, and Home Chef already buy here, mostly on host-reads tied to a code or URL. The show sells through its distribution partner, Rusty Quill, quoted per campaign rather than off a rate card. With about 95% of reads classified direct response, it suits a performance buy far more than a pure awareness play.