If you’re just starting out in podcast advertising, one of the most important aspects of your campaign is deciding which shows you want to advertise on. With hundreds or even thousands of options to select from, deciding what podcasts are the best fit for your brand is an overwhelming and daunting task for any marketer. Here are a few best practices that will help you select the right shows for your podcast campaign.
Know your target audience
It’s critical to know that you are advertising to the right listeners, otherwise your money and efforts will go to waste. So before you start looking at a list of potential podcasts, first you’ll need to clearly define the audience that you are trying to reach. If your target audience is too broad or large, not only will the process of selecting be much more complicated, but your campaign will not be as effective.
Standard demographic labels are a good place to start, including your target audience’s gender, age, education, and interests. Next you’ll want to think about the categories of podcasts that fit your target audience. It’s important to think outside the box when it comes to categories. For example, if moms that are 25-35 years old are your target audience, parenting shows are an obvious fit. But young moms aren’t just listening to parenting podcasts, they’re also listening to pop culture podcasts, news podcasts, etc. Which is why it’s also important to understand your existing customers and use that data as the basis for your target audience. Surveys are a great way to quickly gain a deeper understanding of your customers interest and habits, including the types of podcasts they listen to.
Maximize your budget
Your target audience and broader content categories will help to narrow down the field of potential shows. In order to narrow that list down further, you’ll want to consider what size of shows you want to partner with and how that will factor into the overall budget and scale of your campaign.
Bigger shows aren’t always better when it comes to podcast advertising. The bigger the podcast, the more expensive it is to advertise on and you don’t want to spend your entire budget on a single ad spot. In order to really see if your ad is effective or the show is a good fit, it’s ideal to advertise on consecutive episodes for four to six weeks.
Independent shows offer a huge benefit to brands that want to accurately match up shows to their target audience. Not only do the independent shows have CPMs that are much more affordable, they also have dedicated audiences with content that is focused around niche categories. Since the inventory is generally less expensive, it also provides flexibility to test your budget across multiple shows and broaden your overall reach.
There are several more advantages to buying ads on smaller, independent shows. Smaller and new shows are often priced with lower CPMs. Less expensive inventory enables brands to be more flexible and test their budget across multiple shows and broaden their reach. Independent podcasts have dedicated audiences with content that is focused around niche categories. It’s a huge benefit to brands that want to accurately match up shows to their target audience.
Make sure the show is a good fit
After narrowing down your options by budget and target audience, next you’ll want to identify the shows that best align with your brand and customers. If you are new to podcast advertising, it’s helpful to listen to a few of the top shows you’re considering partnering with. This way you can determine first hand if the show is something that your customers would listen to and if the podcast’s tone and content will be a good fit for your brand.
It’s helpful to learn what type of brands the podcast partners with and see if that is inline with your target audience. This will also give you a sense of their approach to advertising. Keep an ear out for hosts that are passionate about the brands they are promoting and are able to naturally incorporate the ad into the conversation.
RedCircle is here to help
We’re here to help you find the right podcasts for your business. RedCircle’s Ad Platform was built to make host-read podcast campaigns easy and scalable for brands of all sizes. Whether you are just starting out advertising on podcasts or looking for ways to expand your existing reach, sign up to learn more about advertising with RedCircle.
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