A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing. Podcasts are primarily an audio medium, with some programs offering a supplemental video component Streaming applications and podcasting services provide a convenient and integrated way to manage a personal consumption queue across many podcast sources and playback devices. There are also podcast search engines, which help users find and share podcast episodes.
Podcast advertising is the ability for brands to pay for the placement of their advertising within various podcast shows. Podcast ads can be bought directly from podcast show hosts or programmatically using an audience-based buying approach. Audio Ads (pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll) Host Reads (pre-recorded or live).
Podcast advertising is the process of mentioning a brand or company on an individual podcast episode or series of episodes in exchange for some form of consideration. Usually, the consideration is in the form of a cash payment. The rate and amount of the payment are determined by the average reach of the episodes. In some cases, payment can be made based on the number of leads or sales generated but it’s much less common.
Advertise On The Podcast:
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Consider Demographics
Unlike TV shows, podcasts don’t drive the attention of different audiences. However, you’ll get an excellent opportunity to target educated people seeking new information on podcasts. With podcast ads, you have a great chance to focus on the most active audience — millennials. They are in the perfect age, income, and education group. These people can show interest in your product and afford to buy it.
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Be Aware Of The Pricing
To avoid misunderstandings and overpricing when paying for a podcast ad slot, you should understand the basic pricing. Although you might think that some platforms can charge you much more than you expect, it’s not like that. The majority of podcast hosts use the same pricing principles. These networks apply the same formula to estimate the approximate cost of an ad slot. Some websites even offer a calculator for you to estimate the price of an ad slot.
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Choose A Podcast That Meets Your Expectations
If you want your ad to be successful and attract people who might be your potential customers, you should be wise in your choice. Select a podcast that aligns with your product. There are many podcasts and opportunities to connect with niche audiences. Your task is to place your ad in the right episode to be more natural and related to the topic.
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Choose Several Podcasts To Advertise Your Ad
There’s no need to invest your money in one expensive podcast. It’s better to select the most suitable and popular podcasts to place ads on. Remember, although major podcasts have millions of listeners, they won’t recollect your brand if they hear your ad once. You’ll need to play your ad several times, and finally, you’ll have a huge total cost. If the ad doesn’t work, you’ll lose big money and the possibility to reach people and boost ROI. Several ads on smaller podcasts will bring you prospects and conversions.
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Identify The Most Suitable Type Of Ad For Your Product
Podcast ads can be different. You can purchase a native ad and play it at the beginning, middle, or end of the episode or ask producers to create sponsored content. The podcast host can even read the ad at the most appropriate moment during the episode. It depends on your budget, preferences, and end goals.
Successfully Creation A Podcast Advertising:
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Finding & Vetting Shows
There are a lot, and I mean a lot of podcasts to choose from. When a brand sets out to find shows that will resonate with its target audiences, the prospects may seem endless. In the same way finding the perfect influencer partners on social media can seem overwhelming and manual, now imagine doing that without the functionality of the social media platforms and the additional benefit of hashtags.
Once you make a list of potential podcast advertising partners, you need to begin vetting them for campaign fit by downloading and listening to at least two or three of their episodes. This will help you get a feel for the content and tonality of their show and what type of ad creative may resonate best. This is also far more arduous than simply scrolling through an influencer’s Instagram feed to get a sense of brand fit and content style.
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Buying The Media
Once the podcast partners have been selected and vetted, it’s time to actually buy the media. There are a number of networks and marketplaces that can simplify this process significantly, but they can’t fix the underlying inconsistencies. Rate cards and metrics may not be uniform or even IAB compliant for that matter. And due to the high degree of creative customization often required to do host-read ads or brand integrations, you run the risk of miscommunications and unmet expectations.
A specialty agency provides its clients with a uniform view of planning KPIs and ad optimization metrics. They leverage their experience and relationships to secure the right placements for the campaign goals and help produce, traffic and verify all ad creatives.
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Advertising Verification
Due to the fact that there is no universal buying platform or industry standard 3rd party verification provider, verifying that your ads ran and ran correctly can become a very manual and time-consuming task for brands looking to navigate the space on their own. Some shows will simply send a link to the episode and require you to listen to it in its entirety to verify the ad placements, others will provide actual airchecks or snippets of the show for verification purposes. Expect a number of different reporting formats with little standardization if placing your own podcast ads.
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Measurement & Attribution
As with any relatively nascent media channel, it comes with some measurement and attribution challenges; namely, the same fragmentation that complicates the entire ecosystem compounded by the requirement that it works across all placement types:
- Audio Ads (pre-roll, mid-roll, post-roll)
- Host Reads (pre-recorded or live)
- Endorsements
- Custom Segments
- Branded Series
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Presenting Sponsorships
At Advertising Results Media, we believe that the best measurement solutions capture the signals from one or more of four measurement methods: promo codes, vanity URLs, surveys, and pixels. We work with all of our clients to create a custom measurement plan and model their brand’s ROI. This helps to create an apples-to-apples comparison from which to make future planning and buying decisions.
Types Of Podcast Advertising:
1. Host-Read
Host-Read ads are audio ads that are read by the host of the podcast. They can be served dynamically or baked-in but are always read by the host of the show they are placed in.
2. Produced
Produced ads are audio ads that are pre-produced by the advertiser in a similar way to more traditional types of advertising where the final ad creative is provided to the media owner.
Podcast Advertising Delivery Methods:
1. Baked-in
Baked-in ads are a permanent part of the episode’s audio file. These are sometimes called “embedded” or “evergreen” ads. A “feed drop”, where an entire episode of a show is published on a different show’s RSS feed, is usually considered a baked-in ad as well.
2. Dynamic
Dynamic ads (also called “dynamic ad insertion (DAI)” or “dynamically inserted audio”) utilize programmatic advertising technology to target your ad in specific episodes as they’re being downloaded or streamed. Dynamic ads are also called audience-based buying.
Podcast Advertising Placements:
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Pre-Roll Ad
An ad placed at the beginning of a podcast episode
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Mid-Roll Ad
An ad placed near the middle of a podcast episode
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Post-Roll Ad
An ad is placed at the end of a podcast episode.
Benefits Of Podcast Advertising:
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Reach A New Audience
Podcast advertising can help you reach a new audience that you might not have been able to reach before. When people listen to podcasts, they are usually doing something else at the same time, such as driving, working out, or doing chores. This means that they are more likely to pay attention to your ad than if they were watching TV or browsing the internet.
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Build Brand Awareness
Podcast advertising can help you build brand awareness and get your name out there. If people hear your ad on a podcast they like, they will be more likely to remember your brand the next time they need a product or service that you offer.
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Increase Sales
Podcast advertising can directly increase sales for your business. If you run a special offer or discount in your ad, people will be more likely to take advantage of it. You can also include a call to action in your ad, such as telling people to go to your website or visit your store.
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Boost Website Traffic
If you include a call to action in your ad that tells people to visit your website, you can expect to see a boost in website traffic. This is a great way to increase leads and customers for your business.
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Get Feedback From Customers
Podcast advertising can also be a great way to get feedback from customers. So, You can include a survey or poll in your ad and ask people to take it after they listen to the episode. This feedback can help you improve your products or services and make your business even more successful.
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Make Connections With Other Businesses
Podcast advertising can help you make connections with other businesses in your industry. If you hear an ad for a product or service that you’re interested in, you can reach out to the company and start building a relationship. So, These relationships can lead to valuable partnerships down the road.
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Save Money
Podcast advertising can be a more cost-effective way to market your business than traditional methods like TV or print ads. This is because it is typically less expensive to produce a podcast ad than it is to produce other types of ads. Additionally, you can target specific audiences with podcast advertising, which helps you save money on marketing costs.
Disadvantages Of Podcast Advertising:
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Limited Amount Of Control Over Creatives
In the end, it’s someone else’s brand and you can’t dictate 100% how the creative sounds, even if it is aimed at your audience. If you try to take away all of the freedom from a brand, it won’t work with you for long.
If you don’t allow them to advertise the way they want then they’ll move on to the next podcast. Of course, this doesn’t mean compromising your morals. So, It means you should be prepared to give your sponsors control of their ads which is a reasonable request.
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Platforms Can Take A Large Cut Of Revenue
Advertising marketplaces help you connect with sponsors and, at times, will assist you with negotiations to get the best rate. As, This service isn’t free and the marketplaces or platforms have different payment models. Some of them charge you a flat rate while others take a cut of the CPM rate they negotiated on your behalf. Get clear on the business model of the platform and the revenue share before you sign up and start using them to connect with advertisers.
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It Can Take A Lot Of Time And Energy To Attract Advertisers You Like
While you can start getting sponsors almost immediately, not all of them are created equally. You may even have specific brands you want to partner with. So, If they’re selective about who they work with, it may be difficult to establish that initial partnership. Almost anything can be done with a large enough audience but that takes time and focused energy to build.
Example Of Podcast Advertising:
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Sponsored Episodes
A sponsored episode is a podcast episode that is produced in partnership with a brand or sponsor. The sponsor pays to have their product or service featured in the episode, and they also often provide financial support to cover the cost of production. More, Sponsored episodes can be a great way to reach a new audience and promote your business.
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Pre-Roll Advertising
Pre-roll ads are short commercials that play before a podcast episode begins. These ads are typically 15-30 seconds long and are a great way to reach listeners with your message. Further, Pre-roll ads can be effective because they capture people’s attention at the beginning of an episode when they are most engaged.
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Mid-Roll Advertising
Mid-roll ads are commercials that play in the middle of a podcast episode. These ads are typically 2-3 minutes long and give you more time to deliver your message than pre-roll ads. Hence, Mid-roll ads can be effective because they allow you to reach listeners when they are most engaged with the episode.
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Post-Roll Advertising
As Post-roll ads are commercials that play at the end of a podcast episode. These ads are typically 30 seconds to 1 minute long and give you a chance to promote your product or service one last time before the episode ends. Post-roll ads can be effective because they remind listeners of your brand after they have finished listening to an episode.
Conclusion:
Podcast advertising has higher effectiveness because podcast listeners are more engaged as they are often listening, whilst doing other activities which increases their focus. So, Podcast listeners can sometimes even identify themselves with podcast creators, making them become influencers.