What is the Best Podcast Ad Placement?

When it’s time to place a podcast ad, the biggest decision you’ll make is where in the show you want to place the ad: beginning, middle, or end. Are they all the same, or is one the best podcast ad placement?

Mid-roll is the first thing most advertisers think of—but mid-roll isn’t always the best audio ad placement for achieving your campaign goals. Sure, these ads are an excellent option because that’s when the audience is most engaged. However, they’re also more expensive and lack some of the benefits of other ad placements.

Each placement has its own time to shine, and they all come with caveats to consider, too.

Types of Podcast Ad Placements

You have three options for podcast and audio ad placement—pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll. The names are straightforward, but for clarity’s sake, you can place your ad before the show, during a mid-show ad break, or at the end of the show alongside the credits.

1. Pre-Roll Ads

These ads typically kick off a show, but in many podcasts, they’ll actually be placed after a brief intro from the host. Pre-roll ads are akin to the advertorial well between a magazine’s index page and editorial section.

Pre-roll ads help set the episode’s tone and signal to the listener that your brand is helping support their favorite content creators. Podcast listeners are actually appreciative of the ads on their favorite shows, with more than 75% of podcast listeners saying they don’t mind podcast ads because they support the show.

Due to the affordability and favorable web engagement efficiency of pre-roll ads, they are often the best podcast ad placement strategy for companies dipping their toes into podcast advertising or experimenting with new ad placements.

2. Mid-Roll Ads

Mid-roll ads have the highest efficiency indices after hearing the ad when it comes to web engagements and purchase conversions. Mid-roll also benefits from being placed right in the middle of the episode, when most listeners are fully engaged. They air just as the host is getting to the best part, as the story climaxes, or after the interviewer hits a celebrity with a tricky question. Plus, mid-roll ad placements often accommodate longer ad reads.

They also benefit from one of podcasting's essential traits. Because listeners are often doing other things while they listen with their headphones in or a smart speaker nearby, they are less likely to skip ahead like they would on many other digital platforms.

One caveat to consider is that mid-roll ads are significantly more expensive. A study found a campaign comprised solely of mid-roll ads would cost nearly 25% more to achieve the same number of purchase conversations as a post-roll ad.

3. Post-Roll Ads

Post-roll ads are often criticized because many assume listeners turn off the podcast or skip to the next episode when the host signs off. However, post-roll ads perform better than pre-roll ads for purchase conversions by four points (% of conversions divided by % of impressions). Post-roll placements also benefit from the fact that most podcast listeners are walking, working, commuting, running errands, or at the gym while they listen.

The average podcast fan listens to eight shows or five hours each week. And since almost all listeners consume podcasts weekly, and more than a third listen daily, they are likely going to listen to another podcast one after another, making post-roll ads even more likely to be heard.

Considerations When Deciding the Best Podcast Ad Placement

The real question is not which placement strategy is best. Instead, you should ask yourself which podcast advertising strategy is best for your brand.

Podcast listeners have proven receptive to post-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ad placements as well as host- and announcer-read ad fromats. In a our Podsurvey user study, 93% of listeners said they’re open to hearing any type of ad across all types and placements.

Campaign Goals

To determine the best audio ad placement for your brand, you must first define your campaign goals. Do you want to raise brand awareness in a new market, test the responsiveness of a new audience, or introduce a product? In those cases, you’ll want to consider creating an awareness campaign that will likely start with pre-roll ads and then introduce mid-roll and host-read ads. If your brand awareness is high and your audience is well-defined, consider mixing mid-roll and post-roll ads to move potential customers further into your purchase funnel.

Podcast Ad Types

Your final major consideration is the type of ad you want to place. The three best audio ad placement types are brand reads, announcer reads, and host-read ads.

Brand-read ads are similar to traditional AM/FM radio ads, and they are often ads brands use in other media. They range from direct-to-audience addresses from a brand spokesperson to a fully produced ad, including voice actors, sound effects, and music scoring.

A simple brand-read ad can be made quickly and affordably. When done well, they can harness all the powerful benefits of immersive audio storytelling. No matter the scale, pre-produced ads have 100% message control.

The ingredients to a successful announcer-read ad are simple and straightforward: A compelling voice and a well-crafted message. They off all of the intimacy of authenticity of host-read ads while allowing more flexibility and control. Announcer-read ads are great for shorter ad placements and perform six points better than pre-produced creative on unaided recall tests.

Announcer-read ads are also scaleable so that you can place the same campaign across multiple shows and networks or based on thousands of psychographic and demographic segments. And they're available through our in-house audio creative agency, Studio Resonate.

Host-read ads give your brand a direct tie to their favorite content creators. When a host reads an ad directly, 86% of podcast listeners report enjoying it. Host-read ads perform best in unaided recall.

The Verdict on the Best Podcast Ad Placement

Rather than singling out one type of podcast ad placement, your best bet is usually to go for a combined approach. For most campaigns, a mix of ad placements results in a higher return on ad spend.

Starting with an announcer-read or brand-read pre-roll ad may be the best option for getting started. Blanketing a show with varying ad types and placements cements a connection between your brand and your audience's favorite podcast.

Pre-Roll Benefit Summary

Pre-roll ads generate positive incremental web engagements at a much lower cost compared to mid-roll ads. These ads often work well for awareness campaigns and can drive listeners to search for more information about your brand.

Mid-Roll Benefit Summary

Mid-roll ads are costlier, but they perform nearly twice as well as pre- and post-roll ads in web engagements and purchase conversions. They are served mid-episode when listeners are locked in and fully attentive.

Post-Roll Benefit Summary

Post-roll ads perform better than pre-roll ads for purchase conversions. Post-roll ads are also most often heard by the many daily and weekly listeners who listen to one episode after another because they are engrossed in the story. 

Post-roll ads are served to the die-hard listeners—that portion of the audience that is most engrossed, listening to episode after episode.

Ready to Discover the Best Podcast Ad Placement for Your Brand?

The advertising and creative experts at SiriusXM Media and Studio Resonate are experts at customizing the proper digital audio advertising strategy to match the right message with the best audience. If you're ready to get started, let's talk.