Maximize Your Podcast’s Ad Revenue
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Maximize Your Podcast’s Ad Revenue
Blogs swept the internet in popularity, but it took a while for advertisers to take notice. However, podcasting has gained instant attention with the ad world and the reach they have is attracting everyone from small business advertisers to global powerhouses. It’s a multi-million-dollar industry — so, how can you tap into it?
Selling the Space
Selling ad space on a podcast is much like selling advertising space on a website. Selling your podcasting ad space can be quite appealing since podcasts are generally free. This revenue can help you cover the cost of producing your podcast and create better content, so you gain more listeners.
Commercial Placement
Keep commercials limited and control their placement carefully. Some podcasters insert a commercial at the beginning of the podcast, some have a commercial in the middle, and some have one at the end. Be sure you’re not bombarding the listener.
Commercial Length
Most podcast listeners don’t mind a 15-second commercial. Two minutes is way too long, and even 60 seconds is a stretch.
By keeping the commercial length short and limiting the placement, you can continue to serve listeners first. You don’t want to turn your podcast into a barrage of commercials that detracts from the hard work you put into your podcast and doesn’t give your listeners anything valuable.
Who is Listening?
Auto advertisers are really jumping on the podcast advertising bandwagon. Honda, Toyota, Lexus, Volvo, and more are testing the podcasting waters. A majority of podcasts aren’t going to be able to gain these kinds of advertisers. What you can do instead is target those who may listen to your podcast.
Podcasting Ad Rates
The value of a podcast is hard for both podcasters and advertisers to gage this early in the game. Audible’s “Word Cast” is providing a service that allows podcasters to see how many people are downloading your podcast to help you establish an advertising rate card.
The service charges the podcaster up to five and a half cents per podcast download. The info WordCast gathers helps the podcaster determine precisely who the listeners are and what they are downloading.
Sponsorships Instead of Ads
An alternative to podcast advertising is to find yourself a sponsor. Georgia-Pacific entered into a six-figure deal with a parenting podcast called “Mommycast.” A 15-year-old girl in Texas has sponsors for her “EmoGirlTalk” podcast that include an acne treatment product.
Sponsorships generally have the podcaster mentioning the sponsor within the podcast. Don’t underestimate the value of a sponsor. Many podcasters have found more success by getting a solid sponsor rather than selling podcast advertising space.
No matter how you pursue advertising for your podcast, make sure your content doesn’t suffer. Otherwise, you won’t gain any new listeners, and you’ll lose the following you had, ultimately losing your advertisers in the process.
