Many podcasters aim to monetize their shows; whether that’s through community-generated streams like sponsorships or more traditional options like advertising, there’s an option for everyone!
For shows with a high amount of downloads, podcast advertising is an attractive option as it’s relatively easy to get started! There are two main ways podcasters can go about monetizing their content: Programmatic ads and Host-Read ads. Each is valuable in its own way! Some podcasts may only stick with Host-Reads while others like to keep things simple with Programmatic. It all depends on what you want from your monetization setup. Some products, like OpenRAP, only feature Host-Read ads which help to garner more revenue in the long run.
So, before you open the proverbial floodgates, let’s dive deeper into these podcast advertising options to help determine the best fit for you!
Defining Ad Types
There are plenty of ways to monetize a podcast through ads but we’ll focus on the two most common ways so this blog article isn’t thousands of words long!
Programmatic ads are typically professionally pre-recorded advertisements that play on your podcast either in the Pre-Roll, Mid-Roll, or Post-Roll spot depending on your 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 pretty much what they sound like – you, the podcaster, read the ad to your audience. Either straight from the heart or off of paper!
Each of these ads can be inserted dynamically into your podcast with tools like the RedCircle Ad Platform (RAP). RAP, both for podcasters hosting on RedCircle and those utilizing OpenRAP, is essentially a plug-and-play feature. You configure your Insertion Points (add timestamps for ad breaks) and let us do the rest!
How Are They Different?
The major commonality between these two ad types is the fact that they help you to generate revenue for your show. However, they differ quite wildly when put into practice! Let’s take a look at the key differences between these two advertising options:
| Host-Read Ads | Programmatic Ads | |
| Type of Audio | Ad is recorded by the podcast host. | Ad is pre-recorded by the brand (typically a high-quality read by a voice actor). |
| Ad Approval | Podcast hosts are able to accept & decline campaigns depending on their preferences. | Typically, podcast hosts are not able to approve of ads before they run. But with RedCircle, hosts can exclude specific categories and brands for better control. |
| Deadlines | There are deadlines to accepting and creating ads. | None. |
| Where do the ads run? | Placement of the ad depends on the campaign. Brands can purchase Pre-Roll, Mid-Roll, and/or Post-Roll positions. So, a brand may buy all your Mid-Roll positions across your entire catalog. That campaign would play in the Mid-Roll Position until the campaign finishes. | Wherever you like! We do generally recommend placing Insertion Points in all 3 positions (Pre-Roll, Mid-Roll, and Post-Roll) to generate the most revenue. But you have full control where you place the Insertion Points assigned to the Default Ad Blocks. |
| When do the ads run? | Each Host-Read campaign has a specific timeline based either on a set time frame from the brand, or on your audience size and download performance. The campaign runs until the criteria is reached, which could be number of impressions or a specific time/date. | Programmatic ads run the entire time you’re opted-in. Ads are unique per download, meaning two different listeners could receive different ads even when listening at the same exact time. |
| Product Samples? | Sometimes! It depends on the brand. Some brands want you to be more familiar with the product as that creates a more genuine ad-read. | Sadly, none. |
| CPM Rates | You can set your own CPM rates. | You don’t set your own CPM rates. The Programmatic bidding process (which happens within milliseconds of a listener downloading an episode) is optimized to insert the ad with the highest CPM. |
As you can see from the above chart, Host-Read ads are far more involved than Programmatic ads. With Programmatic ads, you can set them up and pretty much forget about them. Host-Read ads, on the other hand, require a level of effort from the brand inquiry to the execution of the campaign.
All of this effort isn’t in vain, though! Host-Read ads tend to have much higher CPMs than Programmatic. Programmatic CPMs can range in the single digits while Host-Read ads can sometimes reach the hundreds! It all depends on the popularity of your show and how well your ads perform.
How Programmatic Ads & Host-Read Ads Work on RedCircle
Our Advertising Platform (RAP) streamlines the manual process of coordinating advertising deals on your behalf. That means no more cold-reaching out to brands in hopes of a partnership! Brands and agencies use our platform to purchase ad inventory and run campaigns across an array of podcasts (including yours!)
For Host-Read ads, we do the heavy lifting for you. We pitch your show to our brand partners, coordinate both of your needs, keep you updated on the progress, and even automatically set up Insertion Points for every new episode. All you need to do is accept the campaign and record the ad!
For Programmatic ads, we work with third-party platforms to insert the ad with the highest CPM at the time of download, while also making sure to adhere to your specified exclusions. Just like Host-Read ads, we automatically add Insertion Points to every new episode uploaded on RedCircle.
If you’re moving over from a new platform, then the setup of RAP and correlating Dynamic Insertion for your past episodes is the most vital part. The key to generating the most revenue is to ensure your ad inventory is properly set up. Luckily, we have dozens of articles dedicated to ensuring you get it right the first time! Check out this blog to make sure you’re maximizing your revenue!
A Word on OpenRAP
We’ve spoken quite a bit about the OpenRAP program in this article (and a few others, too!) Put simply, OpenRAP is our way to opening Host-Read ad opportunities to everyone in podcasting. Instead of allowing a Programmatic ad with a lower CPM, or even worse an unfilled ad spot, take precious ad inventory, fill that ad spot with a Host-Read ad which can help you earn more in the long run.
You can take advantage of our Ad Platform and its hundreds of advertisers all while keeping your current hosting platform, too. You can forget the difficulties of switching your show from host to host and instead keep doing what you do best – creating content! Let us do what we do best and handle the world of podcast advertising for you.
Interested in monetizing your show with RedCircle? Check out OpenRAP and sign up for RedCircle today!
