With more and more people experiencing success in the podcast world, it’s no surprise advertising has become a key component. As a podcaster you might be wondering, do my listeners mind hearing ads? Should I include more or less ads during my podcast episodes? Recent data shows that 78% of people don’t mind hearing ads while listening to podcasts while 62% of people actually consider buying a product after hearing about it in a podcast ad. Should you be considering ads in your podcast? Let’s discuss.
Are the ads relevant to your audience?
One of the biggest factors to consider when you start venturing into podcast ads is how you can make them relevant to your audience. If the advertising opportunities coming your way are off-topic or not at all something that you think your audience would genuinely be interested in then stay away! In order for podcast ads to work successfully, you have to understand who your audience is and what types of things they would be interested in. Before proceeding into podcast advertising, make sure you only focus on things that will keep your audience interested and coming back for more.
Do you have time?
Podcasting is a time-consuming process, and advertising is no different. To put together multiple ads for just one podcast episode can take up a lot of your time. From the editing to trying to get the right take, if you have the time and staff to record, edit, and produce ads then they are definitely right for you. If you’re on your own or with a smaller group, this production process might be difficult for your team to manage on a regular basis – not to mention you might not be making enough revenue from the ad to even pay for all of the hours you’ve put in to edit and produce it. Start small with a couple of ads to give you a better idea of what it takes to maintain podcast ads regularly.
Are you going to rely on ads?
While advertising is enticing for the modern-day podcaster, it’s also important to keep in mind that ads are not always a reliable source of income – especially long term. Not to mention, all ads have contracts, and one day that contract could end, leaving you scrambling to find another one to fill that financial void. Depending on the number of podcast listeners you have who are actually buying the products or services you’re advertising, you could end up not making a lot of income off of specific ads. This is especially important if this podcast is your only source of income. Advertising cannot provide much of a financial cushion unless your podcast is already extremely popular with a large audience. On the other hand, if you are receiving enough income without ads, advertising will only help your podcast progress and become more successful.
As advertising becomes more common in every type of podcast, think about whether podcast ads are right for your show. Ultimately, it’s important for you to do what’s best for you, your employees, and the future of your podcast. If executed properly, this type of advertising can present many positive opportunities for your podcast team.
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