A lot of people have been trying to answer the question of what makes for a great pre-produced podcast ad, and how it fits into your marketing plan. Recently, there have been many different surveys, articles and research papers supporting the message that podcast advertising needs to be an entirely separate asset in the creation of your brand's marketing campaign. 

What do I mean by that? 

Let’s look at a part of your marketing plan that’s been around for a very long time, and where brands know that diversity in asset creation is a must in order to see engagement and success: the video advertising campaign. When you approach your marketing department or agency and you’re doing a video campaign, they are likely going to tell you that you need to create a TV ad, then a similar but separate ad for Facebook, Instagram, X, Tiktok and Youtube (and, if you’re really invested in making the campaign work, you’ll even have unique assets for all those digital platforms as well). You’re going to have show bumpers, overlays, banner ads, interstitials, L-Frame advertisements and more! The video and digital advertising space knows that one asset will not effectively cover all of these different mediums.

So why is it when agencies and brands come to audio, they stop their asset generation at a :30 and/or :60 second radio ad?

Radio ads are created to reach a broad audience while talking to listeners who are PASSIVELY engaging with the content they’re consuming. These listeners are working, driving, walking around a department store, not necessarily choosing the entertainment they are listening to OR leaning into the experience. Therefore, radio ads are designed to “grab” a listener's attention with loud music, yelling announcers, and big sound effects to pull a listener's attention back into an ACTIVE listening experience.

Podcasts are not radio. 

Are people doing other things while they’re listening to a podcast? Absolutely. And for many people, that is one of the huge benefits of listening to podcasts over other media.

The Podcast Landscape 2023 - Sounds Profitable

But a big question to consider is “where is the host of the podcast during a listener’s experience?” They are more often coming through a smartphone or tablet, while often connected to headphones. They are right next to that listener, who has chosen to engage with the content and be taken on a journey with this podcast host and their guest. They are learning and ACTIVELY listening in an intimate environment.

So when you insert a radio ad designed to PULL you back into an active listening mindset, the effect on your podcast listener is jarring: they were already immersed in an experience and suddenly they’re being told to PAY MORE ATTENTION! There are horns blaring… and music cuts in that’s too loud, and that is not what any listener came to this podcast for. It’s not intimate. It pushes them out of the moment and leads them towards the skip button. 

So how does your brand fix that and meet podcast listeners where they are?

Ideally, you would tailor podcast ads that are as intimate an experience as a listener’s favourite podcast. You want to tell a story that engages and continues to draw that same listener further into the narrative surrounding your company's brand. 

It should be compelling, high quality, and creatively brave in a way that fits the podcast medium, and it should come in a form that fits your brand's message and goals.

At Pacific Content, our team has been constantly reinventing how brands can earn and retain attention through podcasts, and how to develop an audience for them. We understand that each business’s goal is different and that you have goals for the short and long term.

Both long-term goals and short-term branding strategies can benefit from a combination of approaches. By utilizing short-form storytelling and innovative podcast advertisements, brands can tap into their existing audience while also reaching new, previously untapped demographics, thus maximizing their potential.

This is one of the most important steps along the way to engaging with the podcast audience. The next is finding your target audience.

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