PODCASTING CORNER: ADVERTISING FAQs

Last month, I attended Podcast Movement in Anaheim, CA, joined by TWiT.tv founder Leo Laporte and Jerry Wagley, Creative Director at TWiT.tv. Podcasting conferences are a wonderful opportunity to meet with fellow podcasters and agencies we work with - in many cases for the first time! If you were unable to attend this year’s Podcast Movement, be sure to sign up for next year’s conference and check out other conferences happening this year.

Podcasting continues to rise and several panel discussions focused on monetization and podcast advertising, creating a perfect opportunity for industry professionals to share best practices.

Podcasters often inquire about the process and ad-model established at TWiT.tv, and I am happy to share what works for our networks. Listed below are a few of the frequently asked questions we receive regarding podcast advertising.

Please feel free to reach out with additional questions at @ArtisanalLLC.

Am I ready for sponsorship?

Advertisers want audience reach, and the most successful podcast sales are for shows with over 50K downloads per episode. The smaller the reach, the harder the sell. Podcasters should have a minimum of 25K downloads per episode before considering sponsorship. In short, if you want to have a successful ad-supported podcast, focus on growing your audience and sales will follow.

How often should I record and publish my podcast?

We have found that weekly over daily, bi-weekly, and monthly podcasts are more successful. However, reliability is key. Set a publishing date and time and keep to it.

How do I decide on sponsorship rates?

Once you are ready for sponsorship, be sure to create a rate card and offer the same rate across the board. Do not update your rates more than once a year unless there are major changes in downloads.

Your CPM, or cost per thousand, is the cost for one thousand views/impressions. The total price paid is calculated by multiplying the CPM rate by the number of impressions divided by one thousand. For example, if the CPM is $15 and there are ten thousand impressions, the total price paid per show/episode is $150.

Cost per acquisition (CPA) or cost per conversion (CPC), will require the advertiser to pay for a specific acquisition i.e. a sale, click, or sign up.

How should I decide what advertisers to work with?

It’s essential to take the time and carefully vet all potential sponsors before signing them on. Do their products and services make sense for your audience? Is this a product you are familiar with? Do you have current sponsors with similar product or services? It goes without saying: do your research and never book competitors. Always put your content and your audience first.

How many ads should I have per episode?

Our ad model consists of two host-read ads per advertiser because the unaided recall is 80% greater than a single ad read. We recommend two ads, a short billboard and a 1-2 minute long interstitial ad, over one interstitial or pre-roll ad. We also recommend fewer ads per episode for increased effectiveness - no more than one ad per half hour.

Should I pre-record ads or do them live?

We highly recommend live, authentic host-read ads as your listeners want to hear product and service recommendations directly from the people they trust. Remain true to your show and let your personality shine through the ad read - don’t just read the script.

Something else to consider: live ad reads give co-hosts and guests an opportunity to chime in and share their experience with the product/service. So be sure to take a conversational tone, but always disclose an ad read.

Most importantly, honesty is key; do not endorse a product or service unless you’ve used it and genuinely recommend it.

Don't Miss Out on These 2017 Podcast Conferences

While the annual NAB show and IAB Digital Content NewFronts offer excellent opportunities to cement content creator/agency relations, podcast conferences allow podcasters, industry professionals, aspiring podcasters, and fans to come together, share what works, discuss opportunities for growth, and enjoy podcasts live.

This year, Artisanal Agency will attend the fourth annual Podcast Movement in Anaheim, California from August 23rd through August 25th. We are looking forward to this experience, which features the Academy of Podcasters Awards, networking roundtables, panel discussions, and breakout sessions with the most successful podcast networks and industry professionals.

Panel discussions include “Podcast Advertising From Every Angle,” “State of Podcasting 2017,” “Podcast Ad Tech 101,” and more! Introduced this year are interactive solution stages where attendees are encouraged to bring questions for the experts. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the future of podcasting and meet with over 50 industry exhibitors that provide podcasting specific technology. You won’t want to miss this conference for and by podcasters, so register today!

If you can’t make it to Podcast Movement this year, be sure to check out the list below for podcast conferences taking place later this year:

Werk IT

Los Angeles, CA | October 3-5

This all-woman podcast festival produced by WNYC Studios includes workshops, demos, mentoring sessions, live podcast tapings, and more. Werk It was created to give women an opportunity to learn new skills, network with other women in the industry, and increase the number of podcasts hosted by women. New to this year’s conference is Podcast Bootcamp, a one-day course for entry-level audio producers and women new to the industry. Presenters include NPR Correspondent Karen Grigsby Bates, Start Up’s Lisa Chow, Fake the Nation’s Negin Farsad, 2 Dope Queens host Jessica Williams, and Recode/Decode host Kara Swisher. Please note: While the workshops and mentoring sessions are created for women, men are welcome to attend the live podcast tapings in the evenings.

LA Podcast Festival

Los Angeles, CA | October 6-8

The 6th annual Los Angeles podcast festival celebrates all things related to podcasting. And while this event is geared more for fans, you will enjoy live podcasts and a standup show, engage with other podcasters and industry professionals, and sit in for panel discussions. Confirmed shows include WTF with Marc Maron, Comedy Film Nerds, and Lovett or Leave It.

New to the festival this year is the Podcast Pros conference, which invites network executives, agencies, advertisers, and podcasters to share their expertise. Speakers include PodcastOne founder Norm Pattiz and Tom Webster, Vice President of Strategy for Edison Research.

DC Podfest

Washington, DC | November 10-11

The third annual DC Podfest’s theme this year is “Power to the Podcast,” meaning a focus on “business, creativity, and influence of podcasting.” Check out their schedule of sessions, which includes topics like “How to Benefit from Podcast Partnerships” and “The Triple Power of Killer Show Notes.” And it’s not too late to register and be part of the programming, so join other podcasters and share your expertise!

PodCon

Seattle, WA | December 9-10

Founded by Hank Green, Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor, and Travis McElroy, PodCon features podcasts from all genres. Don’t miss the panel discussions, workshops, and special guest performances. Speakers include Dear Hank & John’s Hank and John Green, 99% Invisible host Roman Mars, Last Name Basis co-host Franchesca Ramsey, Lore’s Aaron Mahnke, and more!

Will you attend any conferences this year?

We hope to see you at Podcast Movement! Be sure to Tweet us @ArtisanalLLC.

Marketing Listens: How to Keep Up With the Latest Marketing Trends

If you’re looking for industry insights from experienced marketing professionals, podcasts provide an entertaining and convenient way to stay up-to-date on the latest marketing trends, tech, news, and issues. Hosted by Bob Knorpp, a noted leader in the advertising industry and marketing professor at New York University, The BeanCast podcast remains one of my favorites with topics that range from brand processes and creative, to B2B practices and ad tech accountability.

I’ve had the pleasure of participating in The BeanCast panel on several occasions, including the most recent episode, “My Secret Sauce.” Bob Knorpp, Rose Cameron, Saul Colt, Scott Monty, John J. Wall, and I discussed the NewFronts, Facebook ad revenue, branded viral videos, and Snapchat’s self-serve ad platform.

One highlight from this episode was our discussion of the Upfronts and Digital Content NewFronts model. While the NewFronts are a great opportunity for content creators and networks to showcase what they have to offer and secure buys, it’s essential to maintain an exchange of ideas with advertisers throughout the year. With the growth and demand in this space, it’s crucial to keep up with changes, which is why I propose conservative upfronts while reserving a budget for new content. Ongoing communication is key for this to be a mutually beneficial working relationship, and aside from picking up the phone, I suggest attending three to four smaller, boutique gatherings per year at events like the Podcast Movement. Check out this episode for more insights from the panel.

With the growing list of marketing, business, and sales podcasts available, I’ve included some of my favorites below:

The Tim Ferriss Show

Tim Ferriss is the author of the best-selling business book The 4-Hour Workweek. While The Tim Ferriss Show isn’t a marketing podcast, Tim interviews leading journalists, authors, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders to share their tools, tricks, and insight. Past guests include Kara Swisher, Kevin Rose, Malcolm Gladwell, Peter Thiel, Seth Godin, Kevin Kelly, and Chris Sacca.

The Advanced Selling Podcast

Hosted by veteran sales trainers Bryan Neale and Bill Caskey, The Advanced Selling Podcast offers a comprehensive look at sales. Bryan and Bill share their strategies and take listener questions with topics that include branding philosophy, goal setting, leading and managing, content, decision making, sales strategy, and more.

Duct Tape Marketing

Hosted by author and small business marketing consultant John Jantsch, Duct Tape Marketing provides business marketing tips and resources by industry experts and thought leaders. Guests include Mike Blumenthal, Chris Moody, Joanna Wiebe, Howard Behar, and Robert Cialdini. Listen for SEO tactics, budgets, content marketing, personal branding, sales, social media, and more!

Be sure to tune in and subscribe to your favorite marketing and business podcasts to stay informed on the latest marketing trends.

A Glimpse into Podcast Ad Effectiveness

I’ve recently launched several websites to provide some insight into the process established at TWiT.tv and Artisanal Agency. Podcasting continues to grow as a medium, so it’s important for industry professionals to share what works and what doesn’t.

Edison Research and Triton Digital recently published the 2017 Infinite Dial consumer survey results*, which revealed that 60% of Americans 12 years old and above are familiar with podcasts, while 40% have listened to a podcast in the last month. That’s 67 million Americans tuning in monthly!

The survey also revealed that 40% of podcast audiences listen to the entire podcast episode, while 45% listen to most of the podcast. While that’s great news for podcasters, it’s reassuring for advertisers: yes, both pre-roll and interstitial ads have an audience.

Ad efficiency, however, was not included in the latest Infinite Dial survey, so I’d like to take a moment and share the 2017 TWiT.tv audience survey results. Every year, more than 20,000 TWiT.tv listeners complete TWiT.tv’s audience survey, and this year’s results show that 80% of listeners made a purchased based on a TWiT.tv ad.

This success is in part due to TWiT.tv’s two ad model, which consists of both a billboard and an interstitial ad. The unaided recall is significantly higher (60%+) using fewer advertisers with the two ad approach, rather than having several advertisers with one ad placement per episode. And as the Infinite Dial survey results show, at least 85% of listeners are tuning in for both ads.

Essential to ad effectiveness are authentic, host-read ads. Podcast listeners trust their favorite hosts to promote the most innovative, high-quality products and services. The organic and live, host-read ads on our networks provide both a better audience experience and a higher ROI.

If you’re interested in podcasting, ad sales, and marketing tips, please visit Lisalaporte.org. For everything tech related, from the latest wearable tech to IoT devices, visit Lisalaporte.net. And you can find my professional overview at Lisalaporte.com. I will also be publishing content regularly on Medium and Contently, as well as other social media platforms.

Be sure to check out the websites and follow for updates!

*For complete Infinite Dial results, visit edisonresearch.com/infinite-dial-2017.

Building a Highly Engaged Audience

The number one question I receive from podcasters is how do they become an ad-supported podcast?  While the answer may be simple, the process takes hard work, consistency, dedication, amazing content and a host that people want to hear from and connect with on a regular basis.

Best practices if you want to become ad-supported podcast:

• Be consistent and release your show weekly at the same time and on the same day of the week (weekly podcasts outsell daily, bi-weekly, and monthly podcasts)
• Have amazing content
• Engage your audience
• Build your audience as podcasts with over 50,000 downloads per show will attract advertisers
• Establish a Patreon page to have your fans support you financially while you are building an audience
• If you offer your podcast in both audio and video formats then post to YouTube and monetize your podcast until you sign sponsors
• Reach out to your contacts in your industry and offer an exclusive advertising deal for your podcast at a flat rate that makes sense to you and them (check out TWiT host-read ads at Artisanal Agency)
• Host-read ads outshine commercials as highly engaged audiences want to hear from the hosts they trust
• Have fun, love what you do, and be as passionate about your ad reads as you are your content

Security Now 600th Episode

Congratulations Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte on your 600th episode of Security Now!  I recall skipping over this show when I first started at TWiT.tv because I didn't understand the content and after a few years it became one of my favorite shows.  I look forward to listening to it each and every week, and I look forward to another 600 episodes.

Podcast Advertising Advice

Now that podcasts are hot I've noticed the rise of "podcast sales experts" that have minimal sales experience but tout themselves as experts and sell their advice for profit. It's sad that so many people are trying to profit from podcasts without actually working and my best advice it to speak to someone who really sells for a living. I've worked with Podtrac, now Authentic, for years, and they had sound advice and inspired me to create Artisanal Agency.  My boutique agency super-serves tech podcast audiences by working closely with tech networks, sales brokers, sales agencies, and direct clients.  I continue to work with Authentic today, and they don't charge for their sales advice, and neither do I.