Advertising on YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn are all effective ways to grow your audience and promote your brand’s offerings. But what about your customers on the go? You know, the ones who don’t have time to log into their favorite social media platforms regularly?

We spend a good part of the day commuting, running errands, working, planning—you name it. This leaves less time to sit and enjoy our favorite shows or digital entertainment. For marketers that means less screen time to advertise. 

Lucky for us, there’s a better solution. One that allows you to stream ads right into the ears of your target demographic while they’re on the move. It’s called podcast advertising.

How Effective Is Podcast Advertising?

Glad you asked! DID YOU KNOW that 60% of listeners searched for a product after hearing about it in a podcast ad? As of right now, 78% of the U.S. population is aware of podcasts. And over 57% have already listened to at least one podcast. It’s estimated that by 2024, there will be 100 million podcast listeners—and that’s just in our country!

It’s no secret podcasts are planning to stick around for a while as public demand for audio streaming entertainment continues to rise. If you’re looking for more ways to reach customers, both locally and nationally, you’ll want to consider adding podcast advertising to your marketing strategy. 

In honor of International Podcast Day (September 30th), we wanted to share a few insights on this powerful marketing tool and how it allows you to connect with more customers and generate new leads.

Before we dive in, let’s first take a step back and review the basics of podcast advertising—what it is and how it works.

What Is Podcast Advertising?

Coined radio’s younger sibling, podcasts are still considered fairly young, especially when compared to other types of audio advertising. It wasn’t until 2004, when podcasts really started gaining momentum. They soon evolved into a medium for businesses to advertise their products and services.

You’ve probably heard podcast ads while streaming your favorite shows on Apple or Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio, Pandora, etc. This may have been a programmatic ad (a pre-recording of an advertisement) or an advertisement read live by the podcast’s host (native ad). 

How Podcast Advertising Works

As with other types of audio advertising, your ads are delivered in a digital audio format. Depending on your goals and marketing strategy, you have flexible options on how you want to distribute your ads and who you want to hear them:

• Sponsorship: You may decide to sponsor a particular podcast. This gives you the option of having your ads get read by the actual host or via a pre-recorded audio stream during different parts of each episode. This is referred to as “baked in” ads, as they eventually become part of the show’s normal structure. This means listeners still feel like they’re listening to the episode vs. hearing an outside advertisement.  

• Dynamic Insertion: Many podcast platforms will offer the option to have your ads inserted into existing podcasts. Once listeners download or stream an episode, they will hear different ads playing. They may even listen to the same episode multiple times and hear new ads each download or stream.

This now leads us into another category of podcast advertising: pre, mid, and post-roll ads. These are the different types of ad slots available within each episode:

• Pre-roll = ad slot at beginning of an episode
• Mid-roll = ad slot in the middle of an episode
• Post-roll = ad slot at the end of an episode 

Basic Podcast Advertising Cost

Depending on how you decide to stream your ads, and which platform you choose, podcast advertising costs can be broken down into three basic categories:

Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPM)

Think of how you use Cost-Per-Click (CPC) in paid advertising. You only pay for ads when a user clicks on the Google or Bing advertisement—not when they choose your organic listing. 

Because podcast listeners are not typically staring at their screens while streaming, a CPC ad option isn’t always effective. Instead, a CPM rate only charges you when you’ve reached a thousand impressions. 

CPM also provides a great measurement tool to help you track how many people are hearing your ads in a given timeframe.

Cost Per Acquisition (CPA)

CPA is another payment option that allows you to pay an agreed-upon amount for each new customer your ad generates. If you’re using promo codes as part of your ad, you’ll be able to track all new customers who enter the code onto your website.

Again, this type of model allows you to measure how well your ads are performing. 

Sponsorship

You may find one (or more) podcasts that are relevant to your brand and even share a similar target audience. You may then decide to reach out to the host to discuss sponsorship opportunities. The host can charge a flat fee or use any of the other price models listed above.

How to Advertise on Podcasts

Now that you have the basics down, let’s explore how to get your ads streaming in podcasts. 

• You’ll first want to find the right podcast or network to launch your ad campaign. When choosing a podcast, be sure to find one that speaks to your same target demographic. 

• Next, consider the type of ads you want to launch (e.g., native, dynamically inserted, etc.). Also, consider their placement (i.e. pre, mid, post) and how often they need to occur. 

• Then, you’ll need to actually create the ads—this will involve strategizing, scriptwriting, recording, editing, etc. You’ll also need to make sure your ad aligns with your brand—not just campaign. 

• Finally, you’ll need to reach out to the podcast host or network to discuss getting your ads on their show, as well as deciding on the right pricing model. Many podcasts provide helpful information on their sites on how to sponsor or advertise on their show, so that is a good place to begin this step. 

Here are a few factors you’ll want to consider before getting started with podcast advertising—as they will impact your overall strategy:

• Look at how often the podcast releases new episodes (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc.). 
• Review credibility of podcasters/shows
• Decide which promotional content will generate the best leads and allow you to track progress (promo codes, free shipping, free trials, etc.)

Be sure to also check out your competitors' podcast ads for inspiration. 

Need Help Building a Podcast Advertising Strategy?

Whether you’re new to podcast advertising, or your current ads are not generating the type of leads you want, partner with East Shore Marketing to promote your brand and transform your podcast ads into better conversions. 

We’ll help you develop a strategy that aligns with your campaign's goals and marketing plan. From there, we’ll work with you to identify the best podcast(s) to advertise on—in terms of target demographic and ad placement. We’ll even negotiate the best price on a CPM basis with your chosen platform so that your ads not only work toward your goal but they also allow you to track performance. 

From developing ad campaigns that narrate your brand’s story to scriptwriting, recording/editing and finding the best ad placement for your campaign, our team can also help you plan, create, and launch effective digital audio ads that engage more listeners. 

To get started, call or email us today to schedule a consultation.