How to advertise on What We Said: what it costs, who buys, and how to book

What We Said sells its host-read inventory the way most Dear Media shows do: quoted per campaign, not off a public rate card, and read out loud by the two hosts rather than dropped in as a produced spot. Spotsnow attributes nearly all of the show's ads to direct response, so almost every buy here runs on a code, a URL, and an attributable click. The anchor advertiser, Labcorp, has run roughly 6 to 7 host-read spots. For a buyer, that mix means one thing: this is a place to sell a measurable offer, not to buy a soft impression. Spotsnow estimates all of this from tracked advertiser activity, not audience surveys.

You can see the full profile for What We Said on Spotsnow.

Why What We Said is built for host-read direct response

Jaci Marie Smith and Chelsey Jade Curtis host the weekly show as best friends and mothers. They aren't clinicians, and that isn't the point. Their credential is a long-running, believable best-friend dynamic that listeners treat like advice from someone they trust.

The show sits in the society and culture category, with the top spender, Labcorp, coming from hospital and health care. Spotsnow attributes nearly all of the show's ads to direct response, which tells you how brands treat it: coded offers, vanity URLs, and first-order discounts they can measure. Spotsnow estimates reach at roughly 195,000 listeners, and that figure is an estimate, not an audited count.

The format argument matters more than any single number. This is a conversational show. The hosts drift from a listener story into a sponsor read without changing gears, so the ad rides the same attention the story had. A host-read borrows that momentum. When the pitch sounds like the two of them still talking, the code at the end doesn't feel like a hard cut, and that continuity is what converts.

Engagement backs it up. Spotsnow data shows an Apple Podcasts average of about 4.7 stars across roughly 9,300 to 10,300 ratings, and an Instagram following near 75,000. The influence here is concentrated in the feed and on Instagram rather than spread thin across a dozen platforms, which is exactly where a coded host-read lands.

Who is advertising on What We Said

The roster leans DTC wellness, apparel, beauty, food, fintech, and a few big retail names, all chasing a young, female, US audience. Recognizable buyers include Lululemon, Rocket Money, Dunkin', Quince, and BetterHelp. Spotsnow data shows roughly 37 to 43 brands active across the last three months.

The anchor advertisers, broken down

Labcorp

Labcorp sells clinical and at-home health testing. Spotsnow data shows roughly 6 to 7 host-read spots on the show, with estimated total spend over $40K, classified as direct response. At-home and clinical testing lands with a young, wellness-minded, majority-female audience that already talks self-care and mindset every week.

Lululemon

Lululemon sells athletic and lifestyle apparel. Spotsnow data shows roughly 6 to 7 host-read spots, estimated total spend over $40K, classified as direct response. The apparel fits an audience that talks fashion, fitness, and personal style on repeat.

Rocket Money

Rocket Money sells subscription tracking and budgeting tools. Spotsnow data shows around 4 to 5 host-read spots, estimated total spend over $30K, classified as direct response. Budgeting apps fit young adults building financial habits, and the coded-offer format is exactly how a fintech app wants to be sold.

Progressive, the outlier

Progressive Insurance shows up as a produced spot rather than a host-read one. It's a reminder that an awareness-style buy can run here too, even though the show's core is coded, host-read direct response.

All spend figures are Spotsnow estimates.

Why society and culture brands cluster here

The pattern isn't random. A young, female, wellness-and-lifestyle audience plus two hosts who talk like your friends is a near-perfect vehicle for a coded offer. When Jaci or Chelsey say they use a product, the audience reads it as a recommendation, not a rented slot. That's why testing, apparel, and fintech all buy the same feed: the read carries the offer past the usual skepticism, and the code proves it worked. A brand isn't paying for a demographic chart here. It's paying for two people whose taste the audience already trusts to say a name out loud, then hand over a link. That transfer of credibility is the product, and it's why direct-response brands keep coming back rather than testing once and leaving.

How your ad could sound

Here's a real host-read that ran on the show, so you can hear the handoff and the offer in context.

What works: the read opens personal. "I've gotten so many things for Sophie on Chewy," one host says, naming her own pet and the prescription food she reorders. The offer is clean and specific, save $20 on the first order plus free shipping, and the benefits stack in plain language: delivery in one to two days, 24/7 support, a one-year return window. The handoff from chat into pitch is natural, which is the whole reason a host-read on this show holds attention through the break.

Worth improving: the spoken URL is clumsy, "chupanions dot chewy.com slash what we said podcast," which is easy to mishear and hard to type. The terms line also repeats and buries the call to action under legal copy. A single, clean vanity URL said once would tighten attribution and give the code room to land.

View what a great sample ad looks like here.

What makes a show like this convert

1. The format does the work. A host-read slides out of a conversation, so the ad keeps the attention the story earned instead of triggering a skip.
2. Host credibility carries the code. Jaci and Chelsey read like friends, and the audience treats a recommendation from a friend as a reason to buy.
3. The audience is a tight target. Spotsnow describes it as skewing heavily young and female, solidly middle to upper-middle income, and overwhelmingly US based.
4. Repeat buying proves the math. Labcorp's roughly 6 to 7 host-reads aren't a one-off test. Brands that keep rebuying are the clearest signal a feed pays back.

What We Said in a nutshell

The audience skews young, female, middle to upper-middle income, and mostly US based, drawn by two best friends talking wellness, relationships, and pop culture. Buyers like Labcorp, Lululemon, and Rocket Money already run here, almost entirely on coded host-reads. The show is sold through Dear Media, quoted per campaign rather than off a rate card. If your goal is measurable, direct-response sales rather than a broad awareness impression, this is a feed built for you.