Calculator · 100% free, no signup · Updated May 2026
Pipeline value per episode for B2B podcast hosts.
A free B2B podcast ROI calculator that translates audience size, close rate, and ACV into pipeline value per episode and CAC equivalent against paid acquisition channels. Built for B2B founders justifying podcast investment to CFOs.
Enter episodes per year + average audience size + your typical close rate + ACV. The calculator outputs estimated pipeline value per episode, CAC equivalent vs paid acquisition, and payback period including production costs.
Show inputs
Pipeline per episode
$450,000
30.0 leads × $15,000 ACV
Revenue per episode
$90,000
6.00 closes × ACV
12-month ROI
60.0×
Yearly revenue
$3,600,000
Yearly cost
$60,000
Payback
0.2 mo
Effective CAC
$250per closed customer via podcast
For comparison: LinkedIn ads at typical B2B SaaS CACs run $400-1,200/closed deal. Outbound SDR-driven CAC: $800-3,000/deal.
Who this is for
B2B founders and marketing leads running a sales podcast and trying to justify the investment internally.
The problem this solves
B2B podcasts cost $2-15k per episode fully-loaded (production + host time + promotion). Without an attribution model, they look like a cost center. The calculator translates listener-to-pipeline mechanics into a defensible ROI number for CFOs, comparing podcast CAC to LinkedIn ads, paid search, and outbound.
B2B podcasts deliver on average $4.50-$12 of pipeline per dollar invested in production (3-12 month attribution window) — significantly higher than the typical 2-5× ROI of LinkedIn ads for the same ACV range.
Source: Demand Gen Report B2B Podcast Study 2024 + Forrester B2B Buyer Journey Report 2024
How to use it
- 01
Episodes per year
How many episodes will you publish? Typically 24-50.
- 02
Average audience per episode
Listeners per episode (90-day window).
- 03
Close rate + ACV
Your sales metrics — listener-to-pipeline and ACV.
- 04
See the ROI
Pipeline value, CAC equivalent, payback period.
What you get
- ✓ Pipeline value per episode
- ✓ CAC equivalent vs paid channels
- ✓ Payback period (months)
- ✓ 12-month projected pipeline contribution
Frequently asked
What's a realistic listener-to-pipeline conversion rate?
0.5-2% of listeners take an attributable next step (demo, content download, sales call) within 90 days. Of those, 15-30% become qualified pipeline. Multiplying: roughly 0.1-0.6% of listeners convert to qualified pipeline per episode.
How do I attribute pipeline to a podcast?
Use unique URL slugs per episode for any CTAs. Ask "how did you hear about us" on demo intake forms. Cross-reference podcast download spikes with demo-request spikes (24-72 hour lag).
What's a fair fully-loaded cost per episode?
$500-2k for solo founder-hosted shows. $2-5k for produced shows with editor + marketer involvement. $5-15k for premium-production shows with guest research, video, and full marketing distribution.
How long until a B2B podcast hits break-even?
6-18 months for most B2B podcasts at typical ACVs ($10-50k). Faster for higher-ACV shows ($100k+ ACV: 3-9 months). Slower for shows aimed at sub-$5k ACV products.
Should I publish weekly or bi-weekly?
Bi-weekly outperforms weekly for B2B in most cases — more time for promotion + repurposing per episode. Weekly only works if you have a dedicated production team and >5k listeners per episode.
Related tools
Author + maintainer
Adrian Berisha — Founder of Clipflow. Indie SaaS builder shipping creator tools full-time since 2024. All tools and benchmarks on this page are reviewed quarterly. Last review: May 2026.
@clipflow on X · LinkedIn · hi@clipflow.to
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