Podcast ads work for SaaS — but attributing a free trial to a podcast placement requires more than a UTM parameter. Castlytics tracks from first touch to paid conversion.
Trial starts, upgrade events, and MRR attribution — all tied back to the creator.
For e-commerce, the conversion is a purchase. For SaaS, it is a multi-step journey — and each step can break the attribution chain.
A developer hears your podcast ad, bookmarks the site, evaluates three competitors, gets budget approval, and signs up 3 weeks later. Standard 7-day attribution windows miss this entirely.
Trial → onboarding → paid upgrade is a multi-week journey. You need to attribute both the trial start and the eventual payment to the original podcast placement to get a true ROAS.
Most SaaS signups have no checkout page where a promo code is used. The promo code has to be part of the signup flow — or used differently — to capture attribution without a purchase event.
Four signals adapted for the SaaS funnel — from first listen to paid plan upgrade.
Visitor clicks link → signs up → trial_start event fires
The tracking link in podcast show notes or the vanity URL captures the visitor when they first arrive. When they sign up for a trial, your confirmation page fires a trial_start conversion event. The campaign is stored — ready to be matched when they upgrade.
Best for: capturing the initial trial attribution from a link or typed URL
User enters PODCAST30 at signup → extended trial → upgrade matched
Offer an extended trial through a promo code the host mentions on air. The user enters it during signup — Castlytics records it as an attribution event. When they later upgrade, the promo code usage in their account links the paid conversion back to the campaign.
Best for: capturing attribution when listeners sign up days after hearing the ad
yourbrand.com/host — typed search attributed automatically
A listener hears the ad, searches for your brand later, and finds your site. If they land on the vanity path (e.g. via the host's link in show notes), the Castlytics script detects the path and attributes the signup to the campaign — even without a direct click.
Best for: listeners who searched for your brand after hearing the ad
"How did you hear about us?" — matched to campaigns automatically
An optional widget on your trial signup confirmation page captures signups that none of the other signals caught. Responses are auto-matched to campaigns by creator name, show name, or promo code — the final safety net for SaaS attribution.
Best for: signups who arrived organically after hearing the ad but left no click trail
SaaS needs longer windows than e-commerce. Configure them per campaign in Castlytics.
30 days
Self-serve SaaS
PLG tools, developer tools, productivity apps. Listeners evaluate quickly and sign up within a month.
60 days
Mid-market SaaS
Tools with sales-assisted trials, annual pricing decisions, or multi-stakeholder evaluation.
Trial lag
Trial-to-paid tracking
Castlytics stores the original campaign attribution until the upgrade event fires — no window limit on upgrade matching.
Beyond ROAS — the metrics SaaS teams actually need to evaluate creator ad performance.
How many free trial signups did each podcast placement generate? Compare trial volume across shows to understand reach vs. conversion quality.
What percentage of trials that started from each creator's audience converted to a paid plan? This reveals audience quality beyond raw trial volume.
When upgrade events include MRR values, see the exact monthly recurring revenue generated by each podcast placement. The truest measure of podcast ROI for SaaS.
Estimated customer acquisition cost calculated per paid upgrade attributed to each creator. Compare against LTV to know which creators are profitable long-term.
Three steps to track from first listen to paid upgrade.
Add the Castlytics script to your marketing site and app. On your trial signup confirmation page, fire a trial_start event with the visitor ID.
// On trial signup confirmation page
fetch("https://castlytics.app/api/conversions", {
method: "POST",
body: JSON.stringify({
publicKey: "YOUR_KEY",
visitorId: window._cly_vid,
type: "trial_start",
userId: "user_123"
})
})In your billing webhook or upgrade flow, fire a plan_upgrade event with the user ID and MRR value. Castlytics matches it to the original campaign attribution.
// In your billing webhook handler
fetch("https://castlytics.app/api/conversions", {
method: "POST",
body: JSON.stringify({
publicKey: "YOUR_KEY",
userId: "user_123",
type: "plan_upgrade",
revenue: 99.00 // MRR value
})
})Create a campaign in Castlytics for each podcast placement. Set the attribution window to 30–60 days. Add a promo code for extended trial offers. Share the tracking link and vanity URL with the podcast.
Castlytics fires a trial_start event when a visitor from a tracking link, vanity URL, or promo code completes signup. A plan_upgrade event fires when that user converts to paid. Both events are linked to the original campaign, giving you trial start rate and trial-to-paid conversion rate per creator.
SaaS products have longer consideration cycles than e-commerce. We recommend 30 days for self-serve PLG tools and 60 days for mid-market products with longer evaluation periods. Trial-to-paid upgrade matching is stored indefinitely after the initial attribution event.
When you fire a trial_start event with a user ID, Castlytics stores the campaign attribution against that user. When the upgrade event fires with the same user ID, Castlytics connects it to the original campaign — regardless of how many weeks passed between events.
Yes. A promo code can be entered during signup to unlock an extended trial. Castlytics records the code usage as an attribution event at signup. When the user later upgrades, the attribution is already in place.
Trial starts, trial-to-paid conversion rate, MRR attributed per campaign, and CAC per creator. If you pass MRR values in your upgrade events, you can see exactly how much recurring revenue each podcast placement generated.
Free plan includes 3 campaigns, unlimited clicks, and 30-day attribution. No credit card required.
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