Podcasting has grown wildly since the early 2020s, popular podcasts like Serial have become household names, people have made careers out of podcasting, and even incredibly famous people have taken up the microphone to give their two cents. All of this has only continued to bolster the medium of podcasting. According to Edison Research, 218 million Americans have listened to at least one podcast a month (a 12% jump since last year!)
It’s not only listeners who have taken notice of podcasts, either. Plenty of brands have seen what advertising on podcasts can do. Sounds Profitable, a leading source in the podcast industry, has reported in their most recent edition of The Ad Bargain that “71% of podcast listeners are willing to learn more about the brands that advertise on podcasts – higher than any other medium.”
So, if you’re curious about dipping your toes into the world of podcast advertising, then let us be your guides!
Defining Podcast Advertising
So, what exactly is podcast advertising? Put simply, it’s advertisements that are added directly into podcasts – through dynamic means or edited directly into the audio (called “baked-in”). Podcast advertising has grown more sophisticated these days with dynamically inserted Programmatic Ads and Host-Read Ads. Instead of having the podcaster manually edit the advertisement directly in their episode indefinitely, platforms like RedCircle allow for dozens of campaigns to cycle through podcast episodes. On RedCircle, advertisers purchase a set amount of time for their campaign(s) to run across multiple episodes and multiple podcasts. This helps to keep advertising content fresh. Listeners hear up-to-date info on your business including relevant promo codes (instead of super old promo codes they can’t use!)
There are two types of ads in podcasting: Programmatic and Host-Read. Programmatic Ads are typically professionally pre-recorded advertisements that play on a podcast either in the Pre-Roll, Mid-Roll, or Post-Roll spot depending on the Dynamic Insertion configuration. Similar to old-school radio ads, these ads range from a large variety of categories including entertainment, education, real estate, technology, and more.
Host-Read Ads are exactly what they sound like – the podcast host reads the ad directly to their audience. Either straight from the heart or off of paper! We usually recommend that advertisers send along a script or talking points to help the podcast host create a more effective advertisement. Be sure to send one along, too, to ensure the success of your partner podcast host!
How Host-Read Ads Work on RedCircle
Our Advertising Platform streamlines the manual process of coordinating and executing ad campaigns across multiple podcasts. No more communicating with dozens of different podcasters via email in hopes of a partnership! Brands and agencies use our platform to purchase ad inventory and run campaigns on podcasts across all genres and demographics.
To set up a campaign, you simply input information about your brand and your preferences on ad placement and frequency. You can then browse our extensive catalog of podcasts to find the best fit(s) for your campaign. Our technology makes it easy for you to invite shows (whether it’s one show or one hundred shows!) and run your campaign seamlessly. We even offer the ability to proactively vet shows to ensure that the shows you’re interested in align with your brand. When you invite shows to join, you can see how many impressions they can offer during the timeframe of your campaign so that you can smartly allocate your budget.
Once your selected shows have accepted your invite, you can upload your script and/or talking points for your campaign. You can even upload multiple scripts for multiple podcasts all at once using our multi-script feature! Podcasters then record and upload the ad audio so you can give it a listen before the campaign is set to start. If you find any issues with their ad recording, you can even request an audio swap from the podcaster! When your campaign begins, RedCircle’s dynamic insertion technology allows your ad to play across the inventory available on shows in your campaign.
We also offer a unique suite of reporting tools to help you better understand the success of your campaigns. You can download the reports and share them with anyone you want, too.
Our goal with RAP is to make the experience as painless as possible, for both advertisers and podcasters. After a bit of practice, you can start running your campaigns all on your own with little issue!
Tips to Get Started
Knowing why and how ads work is a great place to start, but what about next steps? Well, we have a few recommendations when it comes to running podcast ad campaigns for the first time.
Have a Budget in Mind
Understanding how much you want to invest in podcast advertising is the best first step. Keep in mind when determining your budget what type of shows you want to advertise on. While larger shows with huge audiences seem like the ideal option, they can be rather pricey and you may end up getting less coverage than you were hoping. Smaller shows are often more worthwhile as you can run your campaign on more episodes which may reach a larger variety of listeners.
Know Your Target Audience
A part of finding the right podcast to advertise on is understanding your audience. Take the time to create detailed customer personas, including demographics, interests, and pain points. Think about how you want to talk to them and what key information you want them to take away from the ad. This knowledge will guide you in selecting podcasts that align with your ideal customer base.
When you know your audience well, you can choose podcasts that share a similar audience profile, ensuring that your message reaches the right people. This targeted approach maximizes the impact of your ad campaigns.
Variety Over Popularity
It’s, of course, tempting to spend all your budget on one huge show, but it’s a more reliable strategy to choose frequency over popularity. Advertising experts recommend running your campaign anywhere between 2 and 10 shows as it allows you to test different reads, types of shows, new audiences, and more.
You’d be surprised how highly engaged listeners of small podcasts really are! Investing in a show with a smaller, but mightier, audience is the recommended approach when getting started with podcast advertising.
Advertising on podcasts continues to show its effectiveness, especially when compared to other mediums today. Trust in podcasts is among the highest across all media. The best way to reach your ideal audience, and really have them hear your message, is through podcasting.
If we’ve piqued your interest, then sign up for an account and get started today!
