See our blog post on this topic at https://www.greenlanemarketing.com/blog/podcast-ads-2018-marketing-plan/. Your audience is in more places than ever. Learn how Podcast marketing can help your overall marketing initiatives.

1. 8 Reasons Podcast Ads Should Be
In Your 2018 Marketing Plan
Ashley Morrison & Maddie Goodwin

2. The value of podcast ads
● Many brands are starting to see the value of podcast
advertising and gaining brand recognition from it
○ SquareSpace
○ Blue Apron
○ Audible
○ And many others
● Podcast listeners are more likely to buy products
they’ve heard advertised on podcasts
● But where’s the proof?

3. More than 67
million people
listen to
podcasts every
month.
3

4. 1. More than 67 million people listen to podcasts every month.
The number of consumers
listening to podcasts is on a
steady growth trajectory
● Up nearly 18% from 57 million in
2016
The number of diehard fans
listening on a weekly basis
jumped from about 35 million
to 42 million

5. 1. More than 67 million people listen to podcasts every month.
There are podcasts for just about
everyone
● Top podcast lists are varied and diverse
○ Hosts range from nerd culture kings to past
Bachelor contestants and NPR personalities

6. The
“unreachables”
are listening, too.
Cord cutter
Youtube Ad
skipper
Ad block
enabler

7. 2. The “unreachables” are listening, too.
People who aren’t paying for cable anymore are
paying more for ad-free subscription services
● Spotify, Netflix, etc.
● They want to escape unwanted advertisements
According to Sarah Van Mosel, chief podcast sales
and strategy officer of Market Enginuity, 70% of
podcast fans use ad blockers online
● They’re not seeing or hearing many traditional ads
● As you’ll see, podcast listeners actually listen to the ads

8. People actually
listen to the ads
(and the entire
podcast).
8

9. 3. People actually listen to the ads (and the entire podcast).
● Podcast listeners are less likely to skip an ad read
on the podcast
○ They don’t want to miss part of the show
● With the right host + product combo, host-read ads
can feel like a natural part of the podcast episode
● Ads are typically read in the beginning, middle, and
(sometimes) end of a podcast
○ 40% of people listen to entire podcasts and 45% listen
to most of the podcast
↳ Gives you multiple opportunities to leave an
impression!

10. It’s a platform
for word-of-
mouth
marketing.
We want real, relatable
content. We want brands
that represent qualities that
align with ourselves and
our beliefs. Brands need to
infuse their Social content
with relatable qualities to
maximize the brand power.
Chelsea Kryder, “Are Your Social
Campaigns Infused with a Brand
Persona?”

11. 4. It’s a platform for word-of-mouth marketing.
Great podcast reads feel like a recommendation
from a friend
● Large amounts of time invested in podcasts
⇢ Feelings of connection with hosts
● Listeners trust hosts and value their opinions
○ When ads are:
↳ Read by hosts
↳ Infused with Personality
➢ It feels like “genuine” word-of-mouth, not a
sales pitch

12. 4. It’s a platform for word-of-mouth marketing.
Relationships between hosts and brands play a big
role
● When the hosts and brands are a perfect match, everything
feels natural
○ Listeners are able to tell when something feels right or if it feels
forced
● Chelsea said it best: ”We want real, relatable content”
The podcasts you choose for your ads should:
● Be relevant to your audience
● Have hosts that mesh with your product or service

13. The target
demographic
research is
precise.
13
If you want to target college
educated women between 25-
44 who buy gluten-free
products every month that get
delivered to the home they
own, you can.

14. 5. The target demographic research is precise.
Podcast listeners take part in regular surveys. They
realize they have a symbiotic relationship with podcast
production and media companies
● Listeners tell these companies information about themselves
so the companies can offer relevant brand ads
● They share information about:
○ The things they buy
○ Their interests
○ Their income
○ And much more

15. There are easy
ways to pay and
measure ROI.

16. 6. There are easy ways to pay and measure ROI.
Podcast ads are typically purchased through advertising
networks on a CPM (cost per thousand) basis
● Measured using guaranteed user downloads based on the
number of subscribers a podcast has
● According to AdvertiseCast, the industry average rates for a
podcast with 5,000+ listeners are:
$15 for a
10-second
ad (CPM)
$18 for a
30-second
ad (CPM)
$25 for a
60-second
ad (CPM)

17. 6. There are easy ways to pay and measure ROI.
How can you tell if the ads are working?
● Unique checkout codes
● Vanity URLs offered in the ad
● A “How did you hear about us?” prompt at checkout
Some of these options do have flaws:
● E.g., coupon codes being spread on sites like RetailMeNot

18. They offer an
elevator pitch
for your
product.
18

19. 7. They offer an elevator pitch for your product.
Podcasts are the perfect medium for companies who
have a great product but need help selling the idea of
it. Great for:
● Driving awareness for a product or service
● Proprietary products that need some explanation
Ad spots should:
● Be kept short
● Be succinct and to-the-point
● Highlight your product’s best features

20. Over 80% of
listeners can
recall the brand.

21. 8. Over 80% of listeners can recall the brand.
Midroll Media conducted a recall study of 11,123 podcast
listeners and found that:

22. 8. Over 80% of listeners can recall the brand.
Midroll also found that longer campaigns perform
better than shorter ones
● Campaigns with ads on 5+ episodes of a podcast lead
to 39% more listener recall than campaigns with one
ad spot
● This means consumers are actually listening to the ads
○ They aren’t tuning out as they might with TV or radio ads

23. I’m interested...now what?

24. Decide if it’s right for your company
Finances
$10k is the recommended monthly spend.
Does this line up with important metrics –
customer acquisition costs, lifetime value, etc.?
Audience
Is your target audience there? Is there
potential for a new audience here?
Marketing Mix
Will this be a game changer for your business,
or just a supporting piece in your mix?

25. If it is a Fit...
Start small.
Try a few ads on several relevant podcasts to
start, and branch out when you begin to see
results.
Test.
Test ad messaging, different shows, the
number of spots run on each show, etc. Tweak
and refine as necessary to find your stride.
Test against radio ads.
If you or your client run radio ads, test them
against podcast ads and compare. You may
even begin to slowly replace the radio ads!

26. Resources
● Original Post: 8 Reasons Podcast Ads Should Be In Your
2018 Marketing Plan
● Want to reach those unreachable ad-blockers? Try
podcast ads.
● Are Your Social Campaigns Infused With A Brand
Persona?
● Midroll’s Recall Study
● The Infinite Dial 2017 by Edison Research