Monetizing your podcast can be equally complicated as it is exciting. One issue not nearly talked about enough is the possibility of underdelivering a campaign. It’s a fairly atypical issue, which is why you may not have heard of it or encountered it before, but it’s an important one to keep in mind if you’re monetizing your show! Creating a long-term partnership with a brand requires some effort, and making sure to knock the campaign out of the park is a surefire way to impress brands and create that coveted partnership.
Ensuring that your Host-Read Ad performs well includes ensuring that the agreed-upon number of impressions is met by the end of the campaign. Most campaigns meet these expectations, but there can be an odd one here and there that might be in danger of underdelivering. With this guide, though, you’ll know exactly how to prevent it!
What Causes Underdelivery?
As we mentioned earlier, the issue of underdelivery is fairly rare and typically only happens for a number of different reasons. These reasons can range from things totally out of control, like the behavior of your listeners, to things you can directly influence, like your Ad Markers.
Speaking of Ad Markers, the amount of Insertion Points across your entire catalog can be a large factor in your campaigns possibly being underdelivered. It’s not uncommon for new listeners of your show to binge your entire catalog – especially if your content is designed to be built upon itself. Most new listeners want to experience the full show, so they dig through your old episodes and binge-listen. If you don’t add Insertion Points to these episodes, you could be leaving a significant chunk of ad impressions on the table!
Another common cause for underdelivery is the amount of episodes you’re posting during the time of the campaign. If you’re not consistent with your upload schedule during this time, then you may lose some downloads and even listeners. It’s usually not hyperbole to say that consistency is key when it comes to podcasting as a whole!
One last common cause for this occasional mishap is the possibility of overbooking yourself when it comes to campaigns. This is especially true for podcasters who book both on-platform and off-platform ads. If you try and meet the demands of each partner brand, then there may not be enough inventory to satisfy them all. Be careful not to overbook yourself when setting up advertising for the month, quarter, year, etc.!
What You Can Do to Fix It
The good news is that the problem of underdelivery is often easily affected by the choices of the podcaster. There are things you can do right away to stave off the possibility!
One of the best ways to combat underdelivery issues is to add more inventory to your podcast. Remember what we said about back catalogs? Utilize these untouched episodes by adding Insertion Points and the associated Ad Audio Blocks to them. Doing this opens up a large swathe of available inventory!
Another way podcasters can make a direct impact on underlivery is ensuring that their show is keeping consistent. If your show posts on a weekly basis, then it’s imperative to keep your show on that same schedule, even if you’re away on vacation! Setting yourself up to hit those delivery goals early will help to ease any worry of underdelivering.
And finally, be mindful not to overcommit when it comes to running multiple ad campaigns. While it may be tempting to stack your calendar with campaigns, you don’t want to overpromise and underdeliver! This can cause some brands to lose trust in your ability to be a good partner.
Underdelivery is an uncommon issue that can be easily prevented by making sure you have an enough inventory to fulfill the campaign. This could mean adding more Ad Markers to your show, keeping a consistent upload schedule, or saying ‘no’ to conflicting campaigns. Maximize your revenue by minimizing the chance of underdelivery!
Interested in monetizing your podcast? Why not give RedCircle a try? We’ll help you bring your podcast to new heights!
