Podcast Advertising: 5 Expert Strategies

Table of Contents 

• Introduction
• Podcast Advertising Best Practices
• Podcast Expert Advertising Strategies
• Key Takeaways
• Conclusion
• FAQs

Podcasts have been a subject of extensive popularity, rising since 2013. Their highly dedicated and targeted construction has led to the creation of several top-notch podcasts for all kinds of topics out there. While some are based on intense crime reports containing a detailed analysis of all concerned aspects, some are born from the fantasies of fandoms, taking their stories ahead in the multiple hypothetical universes that exist. Its diverse content base has proven to be the key to helping creators and sponsors reach any kind of audience. 

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Quite notably, podcast listeners have emerged as one of the most loyal and engaged audiences ever. Apart from their diverse array of topics, podcasts’ ubiquitous popularity is also attributed to the nature of the medium, as audiences focus their listening skills to register every spoken detail, subsequently developing a strong affinity with the show’s content and its host. Its popularity has given rise to the concept of podcast advertising. 

When sponsors advertise their brand/company on a podcast, they’re said to have broadcasted a podcast advertisement. The audio ad helps promote the concerned product or services and/or any personal experience the host has had with it. It has proven to be highly effective compared to advertising in fellow broadcasting media, mainly in terms of engagement.

What is Podcast Advertising?

Podcast advertising is when a company promotes itself through a podcast. It is a relatively modern advertising format in which ads are placed within several types of audio content such as in-between music streaming, online radio, and most popularly, podcasts. Through these mediums, marketers can access and target popular platforms to promote their goods, products, or services. 

This audio ad, generally around 30 seconds on average, contains quick information about your products or services, any personal experiences or consumer reviews, or even special coupon and codes for their listeners. 

Podcast Advertising Best Practices

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• As a system, Pre- and Post-Roll Ad Spots are cheaper than Mid-Roll Ad Spots. They also tend to comprise a lesser amount of time. It is important to work on new ads with these points in mind to cater to the desired target audience successfully. 
• Keep in mind that the audience hearing the podcast is listening to it for its engaging topic. If ads are strongly related to the topic of discussion, the odds of influencing the audience are significantly higher than completely off-topic ads. 
• Often, smaller companies with irrelevant products approach such podcasts in hopes of gaining some recognition, and rookies fall into this trap to make a quick buck. Remember, this will most likely result in audience loss who will lose interest in the topic at hand. 
• Podcast sponsors must trust their hosts to deliver influential messages in terms of advertisements for their podcasts, as this practice has proven to be an effective way to increase engagement in the long run.
• Choosing podcasts that offer purchasing three to five advertisements is more beneficial than choosing one ad over a large podcast. Thereby, choose frequency overreach to assure the engagement of your desired listener base.
• To amplify your reach, sponsoring the biggest podcasts isn’t the only way, and a significant portion of the listener base can be tapped via sponsoring several smaller podcasts.

5 Podcast Expert Advertising Strategies

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1. Use for brand awareness and not lead generation

Since their gradual rise (in terms of popularity) in the advertising agency, podcasts have evolved tremendously to cater to a wide variety of audiences. One of their most influencing applications is to generate brand awareness. It’s not always about a measurable Return on Investment (ROI). Rather than being a tool for lead generation, when employed to help brands gain exposure, podcasts achieve the goal very effectively.

2. Unscripted, organic mentions perform the best

Though scripts hold special importance in every aspect of broadcast media, organic, unscripted content is noted to have more depth in terms of content and possesses a clearly defined persuasive strength. When podcast hosts are at-ease with the tools of their podcast services platform, an added level of freedom automatically enhances their show’s quality and, thereby, their popularity.

3. Understand your audience may have diverse tastes

As a widespread industry opinion when creating content for a podcast, it is suggested to not go for to one category strictly. In cases where concerned content creators aren’t acquainted with their target audience, such errors may arise and subsequently affect the podcast’s popularity. All audiences possess broad and wide-ranging tastes in terms of content choices and don’t mind a piece of content that provides them valuable information about different fields. 

4. Ads read by the host perform better than third-party ads

As per a 2018 survey, host-read ads continue to hold preference over third-party ads. For better results, organic mentions by the host itself provide listeners with a better preview of what’s in store, rather than third-party scripted ads, which merely aim to propagate the podcast’s existence among listeners.

5. Test and measure the success of your campaigns

A thorough analysis of the campaign’s performance constitutes an important part of a podcast guide-to-survival. Most importantly, measurement via custom links, promo codes, post-checkout surveys, and more are efficient ways to track a podcast’s success.

Also, it’s vital to understand and stick to the idea that not every advertisement works at first and that an array of shows will need a certain amount of testing to determine what works.

Key Takeaways

Understand your audience & their interests

You will most likely have access to the audience data and have a very good understanding of your consumer mentality. As we mentioned before, when you are selecting podcast partners, this data will be crucial for you and the interested party. Your priority must be to identify the top interests your audience share and then identify the podcast shows that are the most relevant and likely to appeal to them.

Define your goals

It’s important to refine and focus your podcast ads’ objectives constantly. As a podcast channel grows, you must be able to connect better with your audience and should be able to foresee what a majority of them would find appealing. Consider yourself in their shoes and see if you would bother listening to the ads being presented. For example, if the objective of an ad is to promote a brand or product consideration, try working with the hosts and integrate personal stories and reviews from current users and why they decided to try the brand and how it fits into their lives specifically. 

Research states that personal insights from regular consumers often help the audience connect to the product or brand as they can envision it in their daily lives. 

Take bold steps

Experiment with new methods, test out various ad formats, and see which ones seem to perform the best. Then, you can optimize them accordingly, and slowly but surely, you will find the best-performing strategy. Podcast platforms often provide their creators with the ability to test and optimize a set of features similar to those found in digital and social media. Track and measure the impact of your ads on your clearly defined goals, and use the information to improve future efforts. 

For DTC marketers, the best podcast advertising can yield genuine results. Don’t be afraid to take a chance. You can always improve your strategy as time goes on.

Conclusion

Podcast advertising is a mix of both new and established forms of advertising, and it continues to evolve in varied domains. They’re certainly a full-proof advertising option to ensure increasing levels of popularity and an ever-expanding listener base. Their popularity is projected to witness a meticulous rise, along with the assurance that they will continue to connect with people in newer, meaningful ways. Remember that more than 100 million people listen to podcasts every day!

According to the Super Listeners 2020 report, 48% of respondents polled claimed that they pay closer attention to podcast commercials than other various kinds of media advertisement. Marketers and businesses are now seeing the benefit in reaching out to customers who are here to dive deep into the discussions of their favorite topics and be entertained and inspired in between.

FAQs