How often do you complete daily tasks like driving, washing dishes, taking a walk, or doing laundry in total silence, with nothing streaming or playing in the background? If your answer is “regularly,” we’re impressed, but we can’t relate (and we have questions). For the rest of us, the rise of streaming video, audiobooks, and podcasts has opened up a world of multitasking, and that’s great news for marketers.
With numbers like that, marketers can’t ignore that podcast advertising – and podcast marketing in general – have become powerful tools for brands to engage with their audiences wherever they are, including their most personal spaces, like at home or in their cars.
Brands that understand how to leverage that unique relationship can connect with audiences in a way that’s not available through other formats. However, entering the world of podcasts requires strategy, creativity, and a long-term commitment. It should start with a critical question: Should you produce your own content, or should you sponsor and advertise within someone else’s? Each path has distinct benefits, and the right fit depends on your specific goals, available resources, and target audience.
Whether your brand is interested in branded podcasts, improving your podcast content strategy, or exploring podcast marketing for the first time, there are a few guideposts that have been helpful for our clients as we partner with them in their podcast marketing strategy. Let’s break it down.
Podcast Production: Owning the Mic
Any marketing endeavor should begin with evaluating your audience, your goals, and your budget, and podcasting is no exception. If your brand has internal experts, unique stories to share, you want to build long-term audience loyalty, and you have the resources to invest, then launching your own original podcast may be the path for you.
Remember, however, that the podcast landscape is already incredibly dense. There are more than four million registered podcasts worldwide, and that number is growing fast. In order to carve out your unique place in the pod, remember that production quality, and strategic promotion are key, and entertainment value is essential.
Podcast Production Tips:
Poor audio quality or awkward editing can kill trust and listener retention, so using good microphones, a quiet space, and proper editing tools is non-negotiable.
Be sure they have strong communications skills, speak clearly and confidently, are engaging, thoughtful, authentic, and a joy to listen to over and over.
The average podcast length is 20-40 minutes, so consider how best to tell your story and match your tone to your audience’s preferences with the time you have. Make sure to invite guests and collaborators that expand your listener base and add new, engaging points of view for repeat listeners.
If you want to be invited into your audience’s regular routine, you’ve got to be routine. Whether it’s weekly or biweekly, stick to a publishing cadence that builds anticipation and creates a rhythm your audience can rely on.
While podcasts are a valuable marketing tool in their own right, they have to be promoted strategically. Plan a content calendar, promote each episode across channels, and repurpose content into social clips, email highlights, or blog recaps to grow your audience across platforms.
Producing your podcast with professional quality and delivering content that is strategically tailored to engage your audience can help your brand build long-term listener loyalty and brand affinity.
Podcast Advertising: Renting the Audience
An original podcast production offers a unique channel to tell your brand story in a controlled environment, but there’s no denying it’s an investment, and it may not be the right decision for every brand.
As an alternative, podcast advertising has proven to be an effective and cost-efficient method for reaching those coveted listening audiences.
With millions of shows and niche communities across every vertical, podcast marketing gives you pinpoint access to the right listeners that are already engaged. So, if your brand is looking for immediate scale and impact with lower production overhead, consider producing and placing branded ads into existing podcasts instead of developing a show from scratch.
Best Practices for Podcast Advertising
- Consider your format. Podcast ads can be placed in pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll slots and can take various forms, including live reads by the host, recorded content, or even sponsored segments. Explore the best options for your budget, and remember that, regardless of the format, podcast ads should sound just as polished as the podcast itself.
- Segment by audience. Listeners ages 12 to 34 account for 66% of the podcast audience in the United States, but there’s a niche for everyone in the podcast world. Align with shows whose listeners match your target personas, and tailor your message to that each podcast audience individually.
- Tailor your CTA. Make sure that your listeners have a clear course of action after listening to your ad. Use vanity URLs or promo codes that are easy for listeners to remember and for you to track.
Following these practices, we’ve seen the power of podcast advertising in our work with clients like Hpnotiq.
A Case Study in Podcast Advertising: Hpnotiq Liquor
During our 2022 planning phase with Hpnotiq, Leap Group spotted an opportunity to align the unique liquor brand with pre-existing buzzworthy moments, rather than our previous strategy of creating these original moments from scratch.
Our research revealed that audiences streaming NBA content were more likely to be Hpnotiq consumers, so we aligned Hpnotiq with ESPN and some of the most iconic voices in sports and professional basketball. Our connection with ESPN included host and live-read ads on the network’s most popular podcasts, as well as targeted pre-roll and mid-roll pre-recorded ads to increase reach, frequency, and overall campaign efficiency.
We worked with iHeartMedia, owners of the NBA Podcast Network, to create audio spots and further solidify Hpnotiq’s alignment with the NBA playoffs. At the same time, we supported Hpnotiq’s social presence across Instagram, X, and Facebook by amplifying the brand’s owned social content to drive engagement and relevance with content that resonated with sports fans during the playoffs.
By associating Hpnotiq with the buzz of the NBA Playoffs and leveraging placements with ESPN and iHeartMedia, we were able to deliver more than 22 million impressions in the brand’s top markets, effectively creating new connections with Hpnotiq among basketball fans and reinforcing its relevance among its heritage consumer base and new millennial audiences.
Tap into the Power of Podcasting
Whether your brand is ready to take the mic or start with strategic ad buys, podcasting presents a uniquely intimate and scalable opportunity to connect with your target audiences. The key is to find your voice and treat it with care – and that’s what our team here at (spark) loves to do. We help brands at every stage of the podcast journey, from production to placement. If you’re ready to find your path to podcasting, (spark) is only a click or call away.
