On Monday, we brought you the first four pro tips for leveling up your podcast advertising strategy.
The party isn’t over yet – keep scrolling for four more tips on maximizing your pod ads! 👇
5️⃣ Send the host your product to try.
You know what they say: experience breeds authenticity.
And when it comes to ads, authenticity sells. 💰
A podcast host who actually used your product (and had a great experience with it) will be able to speak organically about it in an ad, which will be more appealing to listeners.
So don’t forget to send the host the goods – and if you can, go above and beyond to really wow them!
6️⃣ Keep your ads as unscripted as possible.
Generally speaking, organic, unscripted ads perform best on podcasts.
They tend to come across as more genuine to the listener and let the host’s personality to shine through (AND make it easier for brands to scale).
💡 In fact, the whole appeal of podcasts is that they’re organic and unscripted, right?
However, you’ll still want to provide the host with a high-level list of messaging points:
- Encourage them to tell a story about their experience with your brand, how they use the product in their daily life, what they love about it, etc.
- Include product details and features that their specific audience might be interested in (e.g. “100% plant-based” for a vegan health podcast).
- Important offer terms, details, or expiration dates.
- Coupon code.
- Vanity URL.
Podcast ads are definitely more of an art than a science, so give the host the space to be an artist! 🎨
7️⃣ Use custom landing pages.
Trust us, the juice is so worth the squeeze here.
A custom landing page not only creates a seamless and authentic experience for the customer, but it also allows brands to track the performance of each podcast much more easily.
For example, Athletic Greens uses custom LPs for all of their major podcasts:
But don’t worry, it doesn’t need to be complicated. Even AG just uses a templated page and swaps out the hero image and quote for each podcast. Easy peasy. 👌
8️⃣ Know how you’ll measure success – and be patient.
Measuring ROI on podcasts can be a frustrating endeavor for data-driven marketers.
The average podcast listener’s path to conversion is often complex and nonlinear.
Most people tune in while doing something else – like driving, walking, or working out – which means they’re less likely to take action on an ad right away. This makes it tricky to attribute purchases, and even harder to know if your podcast ads are paying off, or if you’re just throwing money into the ether. 👋💸
While it’s impossible to be 100% on this, here are a few ways to beef up your tracking on podcast ads:
- Use unique URLs and promo codes. Make them as short and as easy to remember as possible – again, people are doing other stuff while they’re listening!
- Bonus tip: Ask the host what code they would prefer. Sometimes they like to use the same code across brands to make it easier for listeners to remember.
- Another plug for custom landing pages. This way, you can track conversions even if people forget to use the discount code (or have it auto-applied).
- Implement post-checkout surveys. Ask purchasers where they heard about your brand so you can catch untracked podcast listeners.
And one final word of wisdom…
🎧 Podcast ads may not always be a high ROI play, especially at first. Reframe your mindset to use them as a tool for brand awareness and exposure. And if you’re doing all the things on this list, you might be surprised by how much growth they lead to down the road!
