What Makes for an Unbeatable Podcast Ad Network?

Podcasts are the darling of digital media these days, with no sign of relinquishing the honor. More than 135M Americans listen to podcasts each month—a 47%+ increase in the last five years. Thanks to this boom in popularity, many businesses justifiably turn their attention to podcasts as a way to advertise. That’s where podcast advertising networks come in.

Are you a brand planning to expand your advertising reach into the world of podcasts? Let’s talk about podcast ad networks, why you should work with them, and how to choose the best partner for your next campaign.

What Is a Podcast Ad Network?

Simply put, a podcast advertising network is a platform that connects advertisers with podcast publishers. A podcast ad network will have a database of podcasts and studios and an inventory of ad space to fill. It helps brands by facilitating placement, targeting, reporting, and other essential aspects to ensure they reach their intended audiences.

Podcast ad networks offer brands a host of benefits, from an extensive slate of podcasts and a variety of genres to choose from, to help with creative, to targeting and measurement solutions. Networks may also offer solutions to use a mix of podcast studios, hosts, and creators to reach various audiences. However, podcast ad networks vary in approach, audience diversity, network depth, transparency, measurement capability, targeting functionality, and other characteristics.

Why Should You Work with a Podcast Ad Network?

Podcasts are a uniquely powerful consideration for more than just listenership volume. Those who tune in deem podcasts as more trustworthy and authentic than other media formats: 6.6x more than online/streaming video, 9x more than traditional television, and a whole 23x more than social media. Coupled with the ability to target audiences and choose hosts and placement options, podcasts can deliver genuine connections in a contextual and personal way.

Podcast ad networks help maximize return on ad spend (ROAS) for brands. As an advertiser, you can enjoy the efficiency of working with a single partner to achieve access to hundreds or thousands of publishers. Podcast ad networks provide varying targeting capabilities, such as demographics, geography, and genre. What’s more, they can contribute strategic advice and guidance from a dedicated team with deep channel expertise.

How to Find the Best Partner for Your Ads

From campaign configuration to creatives to measurement and beyond, with all the options available it sure can get overwhelming. Having the right podcast ad network to back you up is crucial for success. Let’s look at what makes a great partner for your podcast ad campaigns.

Content Variety

There’s true crime and talk shows. Sports, business, and comedy. And way, way more. When it comes to selecting a podcast advertising network, be sure they have a variety of genres that attract your key audiences. Partnering with a network with both content depth and breadth allows you to achieve major reach from the beginning. From there, you can assess and refine to maximize your campaign’s scale and impact.

Measurement Capabilities

No matter which KPIs or marketing objectives you’re tracking, you need detailed measurement and reporting. Podcast ad analytics and insights are rich, when you have the right partner. You of course want the core measurement abilities, such as audience metrics, engagement, conversions, and so on. But you can maximize your ROI by going even deeper.

Ways to Buy

When working with a podcast ad network, you can still opt for show-level buys—ad placements on a single, carefully selected podcast known to resonate with your target audience. But one great reason for working with a podcast ad network is the network buy, where you can scale your message across the hundreds or thousands of shows they’ve partnered with for maximum reach. Or you can opt for somewhere in between, perhaps only shows in the business or political spaces, say. With some partners, brands can even choose custom sponsored segments or branded episodes as a premium option.

Advertising Formats

You have different choices for how your ads play. For example, on the SiriusXM Podcast Network, we offer host reads, announcer reads, brand reads, and video host reads. Select one or mix and match—whatever works best for your campaign. 

Brand reads are what you might think of when you think of a commercial break, and you can create them yourself or work with the ad network or an agency. Announcer reads use voice talent usually hired by the publisher. Host reads leverage the trust creators have earned from their audience in a natural, authentic way, a kind of influencer marketing. And, there are even video host reads, which add studio-recorded video, on-camera video, or animated audiogram to really drive your message across.

Brand Safety

Look for networks with catalogs that adhere to brand safety standards and also offer brand suitability solutions to ensure your ads plan in the right context. From contextual targeting to measurable solutions, advertisers can fine-tune parameters to ensure their ads will appear only in shows that are brand suitable.

Support

There are plenty of podcast advertising networks to choose from. Some bring years of expertise to ensure your campaigns deliver. A few can even take credit for helping to shape the industry. 

If you’re new to the podcast advertising space, look for an ad network with an in-house creative team to help with scripting to recording. Seek out a partner that can advise on targeting and measurement. An experienced, supportive partner by your side will make a world of difference.

Look no Further Than the SiriusXM Podcast Network

With unmatched reach to valuable audiences, multiple targeting and buy solutions, and best-in-class customer service, the SiriusXM Podcast Network offers everything you need to meet your brand’s advertising needs. 58M people listen to our podcasts monthly, which is every two in five podcast listeners in the US. And thanks to our open ecosystem, your message will reach your target audience no matter what app they use—Pandora, Apple, Spotify, or iHeart. 

Are you ready to meet your new podcast advertising network partner? Let’s talk.