The Top 4 Dos and Don’ts for Podcast Advertising

If you aren’t already considering podcast advertising for your business, there is a good chance you’ll place an ad in one in the near future. The medium is growing too fast to avoid.

Podcast advertising spending will surpass $5 billion in the next three years, which is no surprise when you consider that 135 million people listen to podcasts each month.  

Podcast listeners are three times more likely to pay attention during a podcast ad than traditional radio, TV, and print ads. Podcasts also garner two times more attention than online streaming and social media ads.

It’s the perfect opportunity for brands who need budget flexibility to take advantage of a growing platform. 

As much as the medium may resemble radio or other digital audio platforms, listeners expect something completely different from podcasts and the advertisers who support their favorite shows.

So, if you want to resonate, drive impact, and ultimately achieve ROI, there are some major dos and don'ts for podcast advertising you need to keep in mind. Let’s get into them.

Don't:

1. Limit Your Audience

Podcasts create niche audiences in a world where everyone interacts with faceless media platforms. This is why fans are so engaged in their favorite podcasts’ communities and why advertisers are finding so much success.

But because it’s so easy to target audiences based on the show, brands can get tunnel vision. In your effort to find the perfect show partner, don’t forget that your audience listens to more than one show, and advertising across those communities boosts incremental reach.

2. Use Ads Created for Other Media

Brands that simply use radio ads or, worse, clip audio files from video ads, miss out on podcasting’s biggest benefits. Repurposing is akin to running an AM radio ad during a live TV commercial break.

Podcasting’s unique benefits include:

• Higher listener engagement

• Powerful host reads

• The theatre-of-the-mind effect

Where a purposefully under-produced YouTube or TikTok ad may perform well because of the silly editing, a podcast ad would suffer. Similarly, the booming announcer voice from infomercials and radio ads comes across as forced and inauthentic during podcasts. 

Podcast ad performance typically suffers when it includes cheap sound effects, out-of-sync audio, awkward edits, and off-brand music.

3. Limit Your Ad Format

Host reads are no longer the only option. Though they are often slightly more effective, other formats perform competitively and offer more production, placement, and budget flexibility. Each ad format has its own benefits, and thanks to the loyalty podcast listeners feel to the hosts, more than 93% of listeners report being open to hearing any podcast ad type.

4. Discount Particular Ad Placements

Brands can choose from three primary ad placements, each of which offers its own unique benefits:

• Pre-roll

• Mid-roll

• Post-roll

Logic would dictate advertisers benefit most from placing their advertisements in the middle of an episode. And logic would be correct—until you factor in campaign goals, budget, and other placements within the campaign. 

Sure, a mid-roll, host-read ad will perform well, but a mixture of types and placements can generate an exponentially higher return with more budget and audience flexibility. Don’t get stuck placing the same ad in the same slot.

Do:

1. Scale Your Campaign Beyond a Single Show

Sticking to one show can grow brand loyalty—but it also restricts your audience. Brands that use diverse ad types and formats tend to have better results on tighter budgets because they benefit from incremental reach. 

Creating a multi-show campaign based on genre, network, or several other data points can grow your audience while reinforcing your message to crossover multi-show listeners—all without leaving your target audience parameters.

2. Leverage the Laid-Back Intimacy of the Environment

Listeners turn to podcasts for the laid-back, authentic, and often humorous nature of the medium. Podcast hosts rarely take themselves too seriously, even when tackling serious issues. 

Take advantage of that casual nature. Don’t speed up to make room for more content or legal disclaimers. Simply put the listener (not your brand) at the forefront and speak to them authentically.

• Be straightforward

• Skip to the benefit

• Be funny, but don't force it

• Give hosts clear directions—not long scripts

• Use plain language in disclaimers

• Casually mention your brand throughout

3. Use a Variety of Ad Types

Pre-produced ads allow your brand to include sound design and voice actors. Studio Resonate, the SiriusXM Media in-house creative studio, helps brands produce ads that fit perfectly into the shows your audience is already listening to with announcer-read ads. 

When you use a variety of ad formats, your brand can scale campaigns across multiple shows and networks. Announcer-read ads fit perfectly into shorter ad placements, making them an excellent option for supplementing show-specific host-read ads or scaling a campaign across multiple shows and networks. 

Host-reads give brands an opportunity to create a direct association with podcast hosts since 65% of listeners report feeling a close connection to the hosts of their favorite shows.

4. Use a Variety of Ad Placements

Pre-roll ads have a chance to capture the largest portion of the audience, have a positive impact on incremental web engagements, and cost much less than mid-roll—making them a great choice for awareness campaigns. 

Post-roll ads reach a smaller but more engaged portion of the audience and do a better job driving purchase conversations for listeners already aware of a brand. 

Even with post-roll, advertisers don’t have to worry about listeners skipping post-roll ads because podcast fans listen to an average of eight episodes per week, usually one after another.  

Mid-roll ads are the most expensive but perform almost twice as well as other types across performance metrics. 

Much like with ad formats, the best choice of ad placements is a variety of ad placements. A 2022 Claritas study found campaigns comprised of only mid-roll ads would cost 24% more than a mixed campaign to achieve the same purchase conversion results.

Are You Ready to See What Podcast Advertising Can Do for You?

You don’t have to worry as much about the dos and donts for podcast advertising when you have the right partner. With the SiriusXM Podcast Network, we connect you with your audiences’ favorite shows and give you the data you need to tell compelling stories. 

Ready to see how these new approaches will drive better results? Let’s talk.