How to Advertise on Podcasts: Here's What You Need to Know

Podcasts are the moment. If you ask anyone on the street to recommend their favorite one, chances are they'll actually have five. Whether it’s true crime, the daily news, or their favorite cooking show, there’s a reason why podcasts have achieved a 47% growth in the last five years.

It's all thanks to the intimacy and accessibility the medium has to offer. And with so much content available at listeners' fingertips, the time is ripe to advertise on podcasts. So, if you’re a brand looking to break into the podcasting industry, here are the basics of advertising on podcasts.

Understanding the Different Podcast Ad Types

Across the board, podcast ads drive action. In fact, 91% of podcast listeners take any action after hearing a podcast ad. So really, no matter which road you take to get your message in front of your target audience, you can expect great results. Still, it helps to understand the different options available to you, so you can choose the right one for your unique needs.

Host Reads

Host reads can be some of the most successful and impactful podcast ad types—particularly if the listeners have an affinity for the host. With this option, the host delivers the ad themselves. In many cases, the brand might allow the host to take some liberties with the delivery, so long as they hit a few key messaging points.

This approach is particularly effective because it allows the host to leverage their personality to advertise your service or product, which can be both intimate and authentic. Consider this: 65% of listeners said they feel a personal connection to the host. And since the podcast host is a trusted and favored voice, their personal endorsement can strongly influence your target audience.

Announcer Reads

Much like the name would suggest, this type of ad leverages an announcer, or hired voiceover talent, to deliver your brand's message. This approach offers its own unique set of advantages that make it another highly effective option to advertise on podcasts.

For instance, choosing voiceover talent might allow your brand to deliver your message in a way that resonates with your listeners in a more similar way. For example, a dad in his forties could read an ad about carting the kids to the Saturday soccer game in an SUV. The announcer reads’ relatable and authentic tone can be very effective for listeners. In fact, one of our studies found that announcer-read ads contributed significantly to brand lift and unaided recall.

Get to Know the Different Ways to Buy Podcast Ads

Podcast listeners are engaged and listening intently. By choosing podcast advertising, you’ll have the opportunity to reach your target audience as they listen mindfully.

Show-Level Buys

Show-level buys allow advertisers to reach the audience of a specific show. It leverages the relationship between a host and their audience, so you can effectively target a specific type of demographic and audience. Capitalizing on the host and audience relationship means your brand will be heard by an engaged and passionate fan base who trusts their hosts’ opinion.

Network Buys

Did you know that most podcast listeners tune into about eight episodes a week? Podcast listeners are engaged and tuning into several shows within the same genre, plus special feature episodes. Network buys help advertisers get the full scope of a podcast network by running ads on multiple shows, rather than just one.

Brands can set targeting parameters, like genre and audience segments, and then place ads across multiple shows. By investing in a network buy, you can maximize your advertising dollars to ensure your brand gets appropriate reach and is heard by a wider fanbase.

Custom Sponsorships

Custom sponsorships allow advertisers to provide a more seamless advertising experience for podcast listeners. Branded content gets baked into the audio, so it’s a more natural integration into the show experience.

You can choose from sponsored segments, branded segments, branded episodes, and other custom sponsorship experiences (like live events). Your brand won’t feel like an add-on to the show, but rather, a crucial part of its storytelling. You’ll be able to go deeper with telling your brand’s extended story and get more exposure over time.

All About Podcast Targeting

With podcast targeting, advertisers have more opportunities to reach listeners within a specific context, timing, genre, and interest.

Inventory Source Targeting

This type of podcast targeting lets brands build on top of an existing show-level campaign to build a relationship with a wider fanbase. Most popular shows are part of a network that attracts a similar demographic or audience, so brands can advertise on even more shows with invested audiences.

Brands can graduate from host reads to rotational ads across a broader inventory. You can choose similar podcast shows or a wide network of shows approved by a famous media personality. These additional creative assets allow you to scale your campaign and have broader flexibility within your advertisement decisions.

Category Targeting

Podcast shows are categorized into specific content categories, allowing advertisers to reach a specific demographic within a certain interest and genre. For example, if you want to reach parents, you can target them on a parenting podcast when they’re more susceptible and in the mood to receive your message. You can also move beyond an interest identifier into additional genres as well.

Contextual Alignment

Contextual alignment is a more refined approach to reach audiences through content that aligns with listeners’ interests. When a podcast interviews a specific person, like an Olympian or an international journalist, brands can run ads on these specific episodes. These special episodes go beyond a show’s usual audience into a broader fanbase. It allows brands to take their targeting strategies to a higher level while getting more bang for their buck.

Predictive Audiences

The Predictive Audience targeting strategy homes in on audience behavior as another level of contextual alignment. So, for example, an audience that takes an interest in crafting can be reached beyond multiple genres and beyond a single show-level. It targets audiences based on life stages, habits, and behaviors to reach listeners on a deeper psychological level.

Podcast advertising provides brands with multiple opportunities to reach its target audience. With attentive listeners tuning in at times and moments that make sense to them, advertisers have several chances to meet their audience at the right time and place. Along with its strategic targeting capabilities, podcast advertising creates the perfect recipe for converting your ideal consumer.

Ready to advertise on podcasts? Let’s talk.