Is Programmatic the Future of Podcast Advertising

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Is Programmatic the Future of Podcast Advertising

Given how popular podcasts have become recently, it is no surprise that businesses have attempted to capitalise on that by inserting ads within different podcast episodes. Of course, as is the case with any form of advertising, there is an ongoing discussion surrounding what is the most efficient way to do it. 

There is currently a debate going on in which people are discussing what the most effective way to insert an ad into a podcast is. Should you create a pre-produced ad (read by the host of the podcast) or voice overs that are inserted into the episode programmatically, or should the ads be live-read and baked into the show itself. One of the only things that people seem to be able to agree on is that ads that are not read out by the host don’t do as well individually; however, many people believe they are not as efficient. 

Every viewpoint on which of the two are the most effective comes with research and performance data. They both are most certainly well researched points; however, this just begs the question as to which of the two is correct. 

 

The Benefits of Host-Read Live Ads 

Those who are adamant that host-read live ads are the most effective practice will stand behind the persuasive power that podcast hosts seem to have. People are engaging with a podcast because they enjoy listening to it; however, with that enjoyment also comes an element of trust that the listeners have with their host. As such, when this host reads out an ad that comes across as both organic and authentic due to how casually it is inserted into an episode, the engagement rates for said ad increase. There isn’t much debate surrounding this as we already know such persuasiveness to be true. In fact, the majority of podcast listeners, upon hearing an ad read out by the host, will genuinely believe that the host uses the product that they are talking about. As a result, such ads are seen as a more intimate means of brands connecting with their desired audience. 

 

The Programmatic Counter 

Though the above may well be true, it is not the most productive way to run an ad. Those who stand behind taking a more programmatic approach believe that this is better because of the fact it is much simpler and efficient when it comes to targeting, especially if an ad is time sensitive, to have a general ad that can be placed towards the beginning or as an intermission within a podcast. Where these may lose the intimacy of a host reading them aloud, they are much more applicable due to the fact they can be placed in a range of different podcast episodes, so you aren’t just limited to that one live recording. Given the industry is moving further towards an audience-based buying and planning structure, if you choose to run a programmatic podcast ad then you offer a much more turnkey way that you can reach your businesses targeted audience through the means of audio. 

 

What Are Podcasts Saying? 

There is a huge amount of revenue that is being generated from people advertising on podcasts. In fact, there have been predictions that there will be a 300% increase in the expenditure from podcasts since 2020. It seems that this expenditure leans more in the direction of the programmatic approach towards podcast advertising. This is reflected in the fact that a lot of the organisations who host a huge number of podcasts are requesting ads that are programmatic. These include the likes of big players such as iHeart, Spotify and SiriusXM. The fact of the matter is, these sites are able to run more ads and they can be targeted in a much more effective way, for instance different ads for food can be placed on podcasts that discuss food etc. 

 

Why Programmatic May Be the Future of Podcast Advertising

As previously mentioned, there isn’t a yes or no answer to either of these forms of advertising as both of them come with their pros and cons; however, it does seem that more and more people are leaning towards programmatic advertising as a means of advertising. They help brands provide some contextual relevance and efficiency, which is a balance that can often be difficult to achieve when you try to market yourself using other forms of media. 

There have also been advancements within the programmatic podcast advertising industry that mean they are much easier to use when it comes to creating and implementing them, whilst also securing having some kind of contextual relevance. There have also been some planning solutions that have come out of programmatic advertising, and as such, these can also act in elevating a brand’s effectiveness. 

There is a lot of momentum that businesses can capitalise on here. With a larger push being made towards the podcast advertising space by both organisations large and small, the amount of people that could potentially find out about your brand is huge. 

 

Conclusion

There are multiple different ways that businesses are able to market themselves these days. As technology continues to advance then so too do the ways that businesses can promote what it is that they do and why people should work with them. One of the new forms of advertising that is becoming more and more popular recently is that of podcast advertising. 

There are different ways that this can be done as many organisations pay for the host of the podcast to discuss their product or service within the episode. On the other hand, there are many who believe it is more efficient to take a programmatic approach, which is backed up by big players as these ads can be incorporated into a variety of different episodes a lot easier. 

If your business would like to start using podcast advertising, then it may be worth enlisting the help of a marketing agency such as YouYaa who will be able to put these ads together for you. YouYaa are committed to helping businesses grow and as such, if you have any questions about the services they can offer then do not hesitate to get in touch.