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The Secret to Podcast Advertising Is Balancing Scalability With Listener Experience

Podcast listenership is different. Podcast listeners come back time and again to learn, grow, laugh and feel like they’re part of the conversation. They trust the hosts and creators of their favorite shows to deliver trusted information and messaging. And many listeners consider their relationships with podcast hosts to be a personal one. Once listeners determine they’ve found a good thing, they binge: 93% of Stitcher podcast listeners say they listen to “most or every episode” of a podcast they subscribe to. 

And this trusted, educational, informative and entertaining audio format is here to stay. Podcasts now reach 116 million U.S. adults every month—moving from a niche brand opportunity to a new mass-reach opportunity. Additionally, the on-demand listenership, where listeners opt into particular podcasts and episodes, is proving to be an effective format for advertisers, delivering 4.4 times better brand recall than other digital ad formats. So naturally, brands are ready to get involved en masse.

Investing in podcasts at scale

While the podcast realm is undoubtedly a huge opportunity for marketers, only about a quarter of large advertisers are investing at scale in this space today. So what’s the holdup? Manual planning, uncertainty about how marketing strategies extend into podcasts and more keep advertisers from jumping in. Moreover, there are questions about balancing the notion of intimacy and host/listener relationships with scaled reach strategies.

Pandora has approached the podcast space with these challenges in mind. With a powerful house of brands to represent—now including Stitcher and NBCU—we have the expertise, knowledge and curiosity to power a new podcast universe, while also keeping the creator, advertiser and listener in mind.

Here are three ways Pandora is modernizing podcast advertising:

  1. Meeting listeners where they are. Pandora has always operated under the philosophy that “what is good for the listener is good for the advertiser.” And this doesn’t change when it comes to podcasts. The reality is, as podcast listening hours continue to skyrocket, people are listening across all platforms and all devices. This creates its own advertising challenges when it comes to planning. The solution? Align brands to content wherever it’s consumed, minimizing disruption for listeners while maximizing accessibility for advertisers.
  1. Advancing ad tech to create flexible solutions. Show-level buys have been the traditional go-to for advertisers; mostly because publishers didn’t have the capability for much beyond that. Pandora has learned a lot from our 15 years in the audio advertising space, and is applying everything we know to podcasts. Offering a wide range of products—from custom episodes to audience-based buying across more than 5,000-plus shows and over 20 content categories—allows advertisers to choose a solution that fits their unique goals and objectives.
  1. Understanding that not all podcast ads are created equal. The approach to podcast creative is different. Pandora’s in-house creative consultancy, Studio Resonate, has been studying exactly what makes the listener-host bond so special, and how to create that at scale. Applying a combination of psychology and sonic science, the studio has perfected the dynamically inserted announcer read ad by tinkering with features such as vocal attributes, ad length and ad position. All this ensures that advertisers can enjoy the benefits of a turnkey solution while preserving authenticity and the very core of what makes podcasts so special.

Plug in to the podcast universe

Your audience is everywhere. From their cars to their kitchens, they’re listening to audio multiple times a day on multiple devices. And the podcast universe continues to grow, with 43 million podcast episodes and counting. For advertisers seeking more opportunities to find their consumers, there’s a new, easier way to access these individuals.

Pandora’s new podcast solution allows you to easily reach your audience in a revolutionary way, with audience-based targeting at scale. Our growing house of brands and partnerships gives advertisers access to exclusive content, formats and, most importantly, audiences. 

Stay mindful of the intimate relationship that exists in the podcast world as you automate your ad buying. By finding the right fit with the right hosts and announcers, your brand will naturally become integrated into premium content. Podcasts have the power to unite the listener, creator and advertiser. And making an authentic connection with your listeners, without disrupting the current status quo, is the key to success.