I Bought $3.8M Worth of TV & Radio Ads | Here’s What I Actually Paid

📅 October 2, 2025 ⏱️ 22:10 🎤 Rich Harshaw

Chapters

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0:00

Farming for Leads

Rich Harshaw introduces the concept of 'farming' for leads through consistent advertising and nurturing prospects.
0:30

Determining Market Size

The speaker outlines the process of identifying available radio and TV stations and their costs to understand the total market size, or 'farm'.
3:29

San Diego TV Costs

An example from San Diego demonstrates initial pricing for TV spots on major networks and a local station, showing cost per thousand impressions (CPM).
10:49

Planning Number & Discounts

Rich explains the importance of establishing a 'planning number' with an assumed discount, in this case, 30% for negotiation purposes.
17:59

Radio Market Analysis

The discussion shifts to analyzing radio advertising costs for a selection of stations, highlighting higher CPMs compared to TV.
21:47

Budget vs. Farm Size

The episode reveals a significant disparity between the total market cost ($3.8M) and the client's budget ($1.25M), emphasizing the need for strategic cuts.
25:47

Cutting Budget Strategies

Various methods are presented for reducing advertising spend, including cutting days, weeks, spot lengths, and less efficient programs or stations.
31:57

Actual San Diego Buy

Rich details the final advertising buy in San Diego, which involved shorter spots, cutting inefficient programs, and a heavy-light schedule to fit the budget.

Speakers

Rich Harshaw

Host — founder and CEO of Level 10 Contractor

Key Takeaways

✦

Always assess the total market size (the 'farm') by getting initial pricing from all relevant TV and radio stations to understand the full scope of potential advertising spend.

✦

Factor in a negotiation discount (e.g., 30%) when setting your planning budget, as initial quotes are rarely the final price.

✦

Prioritize advertising channels based on efficiency; if TV offers a significantly lower CPM than radio for your target audience, allocate more budget there.

✦

Reduce ad spend strategically by cutting the number of days or weeks, shortening spot lengths (if brand awareness is high), or implementing heavy-light schedules rather than eliminating entire channels.

✦

Continuously evaluate and cut the least efficient programs or stations (those with the highest CPMs) from your media buy to maximize impact within your budget.

✦

For new or lesser-known brands, prioritize longer ad spots for storytelling, even if it means a smaller overall buy, as brand awareness is crucial before moving to shorter spots.

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