Podcast ad insertion has come a long way! Today it is done through the use of dynamic ad tools. These tools allow you to target your exact audience at the time you want to reach them. They deliver ads based on geo-location, time of day, type of listening device, and much more. This exact targeting benefits everyone — the advertiser, the podcaster and especially the audience!
Client-Side Ad Insertion
The “client” in this equation is the platform an ad plays on (mobile phone, desktop, etc.), depending on where the audience is listening. It works by making calls from the player to an ad server that responds with the ad.
Request times are determined by compiled listener data — exactly WHEN it is best for an audience to hear a particular ad. Streaming is then paused, ad insertion takes place and streaming resumes.
Ad Markers Make It Happen
Ad makers indicate when to break the stream for ad insertion. The podcast player reads these markers and automatically switches to the dynamically chosen advertisement. The ad itself contains tags for tracking, so you get metrics that read impressions. The player switches back to the podcast stream when the ad is done. Pre-roll and post-roll ads that play before or after the stream are also available.
Metrics Are Key
It is well-known that podcasting provides a very captive audience for advertisements. After all, listeners are choosing to be tuned in. They often have a relationship with their hosts and trust them to serve up relevant information. This extends to the ads in their podcasts.
In addition, listeners understand that their favorite podcasts need advertising to stay on air, and extra appreciate it when ads correlate with their lifestyle.
A podcast advertising network, such as Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast Marketplace, can configure podcasts to return the data needed to measure ROI, focusing on these numbers:
- Traffic: Just how many people are listening and for how long. Participation and duration are key.
- Attribution: What podcasts/episodes result in customers/conversions? What platforms are listeners using and where are they located?
This information is essential to successively tailoring ad campaigns and scaling them to target a specific market.
That’s why, as an advertiser seeking the perfect podcast advertising mix, being able to search by demographics rather than show is so important.
At Libsyn’s AdvertiseCast Marketplace advertisers buy the AUDIENCE, not the podcast.
Our ad inventory consists of 3,000+ podcasts, 240 of them being exclusive partners whose shows are only available through AdvertiseCast. With a total monthly reach exceeding 170M listeners, we’re clearly able to scale efforts to meet your advertising needs.
If you’re a brand that wants to see how podcast advertising can reach the audience you’ve been searching for with substantial ROI visit AdvertiseCast for a free advertising consultation.
If you are a podcaster looking to incorporate advertising into your show, you can get started monetizing with AdvertiseCast here.
Not enough downloads per episode? Start with Libsyn Auto Ads that require only 2,000 downloads per episode. This interview with Dave Hanley from AdvertiseCast explains exactly how auto ads work.
Want to learn more about podcast monetization regardless of your download number? Read this great blog for 10 monetization strategies.
