These days you’re far more likely to overhear people talking about which podcast they’re really into than hear talk of their favorite book series.
…Or which podcast helps lull them to sleep, instead of infomercials.
…Or how podcasts have replaced public radio on long road trips.
What we’re getting at is that podcasts have created a ginormous platform for the “informer.” And where there are informers, there are listeners.
And where there are listeners, there’s an opportunity for advertising.
While podcast advertising is incredibly effective, it is still a fairly new and niche form of marketing. Since 2004 when podcasts burst on the scene, thousands of different genres and topics have been generated for the explosive podcast world.
If you are an entrepreneur, a business owner, or trying to break into a market one way or another, the wide scope of discussions and collaborations that the podcast world is generating should give you confidence that there is bound to be a platform that you can market yourself or your business on. And because we’re all about helping folks tell their story, we’ve compiled some tips on how to begin advertising your product or service on the podcast platform.
Marketing 101: Know Your Audience
First, you’ll need to understand podcast demographics. Unlike the varying age demographics that TV shows often attract, podcasts generally lure a select age group. In Hubspot’s “Ultimate Guide to Podcast Advertising and Sponsorship,” the “affluent educated millennials” are said to make up the majority of the podcast consumer demographic. This group is typically old enough to make purchases, has the money to make those purchases, and generally consumes information in multiple fields. This tip can help you know how to frame your advertising so that it catches the attention of your most likely audience.
Know Your Budget
Secondly, you might want to plan ahead for how much it will cost to advertise. According to former Hubspot Podcast Manager, Sam Balter, the pricing is pretty consistent across podcast platforms based on this formula: cost of sponsoring one episode= (# of downloads per episode/ 1000) x CPM (cost per mille – or the amount an advertiser pays a website per one thousand visitors who see its advertisements). Costs will look different (likely less) if you are only looking to slot in a small advertisement at the beginning or middle of an episode. Make sure to reach out to the producers/ owners of the podcast you are wanting to advertise on for details like these.
Know Who’s In Your Niche
Your next move, and maybe most important of all, will be finding podcasts that relate to your product or industry.
Notice how we said “podcasts” plural. You need to have options! With over 2 million active podcasts in the world right now, you are bound to find a few that cater to your niche.
Finding an audience that will have an interest in your product or service is only the first step. Next, it will be most advantageous to find a host who will not only read a descriptive blurb you provide for their show but also promote it themselves. A host who has built up trust with loyal listeners will most likely sell more on your behalf if he or she “swears” by your product or service, per se. If the audience likes the information and knowledge provided by the host week after week, your product or service could fit right into that bank of information and knowledge if the host promotes it in a personal way.
While these are only a few tips on the process of podcast advertising, you can get a solid start on creating a window of exposure for your business through this method. When you’ve found your niche in the podcast world, you can start to reach audiences (and eventually future customers) that you may have not been able to reach otherwise.