Advertising Is Everywhere. Sponsorship Is Different.
Advertising. It’s everywhere.
If you’re like most people, you try to escape it. You pay for subscription TV. You pay for platforms like Spotify. You skip the first two minutes of your favourite podcast. You’ve eliminated commercial radio and free to air TV. We’ve all developed reflexes for avoiding ads.
And yet, advertising still matters. Particularly when it comes to sponsorship.
Because sponsorship, when it’s done properly, isn’t about interruption. It’s about alignment. It’s about trust. It’s about relationships. And that distinction matters more than ever.
Podcasts Don’t Start in Glossy Studios
Despite how polished some shows sound today, most podcasts don’t start in million dollar studios.
Pretty much all podcasts start the same way: at home, with a cheap USB mic, a laptop balanced on a chair or a stack of books, and someone hoping the neighbour doesn’t start mowing mid sentence (looking at you neighbour!).
What people hear at the end is the polished product. What they don’t see is the hours of unpaid work, trial and error, learning curves, failures, and late nights that go into making something worth listening to.
That’s where sponsorship plays a critical role. It’s not about luxury. It’s about sustainability and mutual growth.
Why Podcast Sponsorship Works
Podcast audiences are different.
Listeners choose the show. They trust the host. They stick around. That’s why podcast sponsorship consistently outperforms many traditional advertising formats.
The stats don’t lie:
Over 55% of podcast listeners actively pay attention to sponsorship messages
Nearly half have purchased a product or service after hearing about it on a podcast
Podcast ads deliver stronger recall because listeners aren’t distracted or scrolling
Globally, podcast advertising spend was projected to exceed US$4.4 billion in 2025, and Australian podcast listenership continues to grow year on year. This isn’t a phase. It’s how people consume content now.
A Lesson From Sport That Applies Everywhere
One of the most powerful conversations I’ve had on Dropped Balls & Big Calls was with New Zealand sprintcar driver Matthew Leversedge, and it perfectly captures why sponsorship works when it’s relationship-led.
Early in his career, Matthew sent out over 3,000 cold emails chasing sponsorship. The result? A handful of phone calls, a couple of meetings, and zero deals.
Years of rejection followed.
What he realised was that businesses weren’t rejecting motorsport. They were rejecting broken trust.
Too many sponsors had been burnt. Logos on cars. Big promises. No communication. Silence until renewal time.
So Matthew flipped the script. He committed to delivering on everything he promised, over communicating with sponsors, and creating genuine value. He started small. He treated minor partnerships like major ones. And he focused on relationships over cold outreach.
Small sponsorships became long term partnerships. Trust compounded. Value became obvious.
The same principles apply to podcasting, business, and just about any creative pursuit. Sponsorship works when it’s built on trust and value, not logos and lip service.
Sponsorship Is About Value, Not Volume
Good sponsorship isn’t about the biggest audience or the flashiest deck.
It’s about:
Clear expectations
Honest communication
Creating value on both sides
Doing what you say you’ll do
That’s why the best sponsorships last. They grow. They evolve. They become partnerships that grow together rather than transactions.
Support the Shows You Love
Here’s the part most people don’t see.
I work full time. And on top of that, each episode of Dropped Balls & Big Calls takes roughly 10–15 hours to produce. Research. Guest coordination. Recording. Editing. Marketing. Distribution. The lot.
Sponsorship doesn’t just fund better gear or bigger reach. It literally buys time. Time to improve quality. Time to grow the audience. Time to do justice to the stories being shared.
Sponsorship Isn’t Just for Big Businesses
This is the bit people often miss.
You don’t need a marketing department or a six-figure budget to be a sponsor.
You can support your favourite Podcasts as:
A business, looking to align your brand with authentic, story led content
An individual, who simply believes in what’s being built and wants to help it grow
This week, I received my first individual sponsorship. Shout out to Loren S, whose support will literally pay for a full month of podcast distribution. No logo. No sales pitch. Just belief.
And that matters more than you probably realise.
Podcasts only survive if people support them.
If a podcast has ever made you laugh, think, feel seen, or get through a tough day, it’s worth backing.
If you’re looking for great examples of shows that do storytelling and conversation exceptionally well, give some love to:
The Dom Harvey Podcast
Between Two Beers
Both are proof that long form, honest conversations still matter, as are partnerships that are built on trust, they both do it extremely well.
Why Sponsorship Matters Right Now
Podcast sponsorship offers something rare in modern media:
A trusted voice
A highly engaged audience
Authentic alignment
Time and space for messages to land
It’s not about shouting louder. It’s showing up where people are actually listening.
Whether you’re a business looking for meaningful exposure or an individual wanting to back independent creators, sponsorship keeps the lights on and the stories flowing.
Because podcasts don’t start in glossy studios.
They start with belief, a dodgy mic, and someone willing to have a crack.
And sometimes, that’s exactly what’s worth supporting.
Want to sponsor Dropped Balls and Big Calls?
Visit https://www.bigcallspod.com.au/support
