Get to Know TWiT.tv's Audience

Seventeen years ago, in 2005, TWiT started as a recorded conversation; now, it has fully bloomed into the tech network TWiT.tv that you know today. At our network, our audience is like our family - everything we do is ultimately to serve their benefit. When we sign on new sponsors, we make a distinguished introduction and do not take this lightly. 

We have a highly qualified assembly of loyal viewers and listeners. We know this because we asked them. One thing we will never do at TWiT.tv is invade our audience's privacy, so we survey them directly, giving us more accurate information and a more encompassing picture of who we serve. Year after year, our podcasts attract highly educated, affluent listeners because we create cutting-edge content to keep successful people at the top of their game. And now, as we are getting ready for 2023, our audience still never ceases to impress:

• Being a tech network, we pride ourselves on delivering information relevant to our audience. 72% of our listeners have a job function directly related to technology, and 87% are involved with tech/IT decisions.  
• We have top earners listening to our shows. Overall, 66% of our audience earns over $100k annually, and 23% earns over $200k. To no surprise, due to its subject matter, our highest percentage of high earners lands with our podcast This Week in Enterprise Tech, which boasts 72% earning over $100k and a whopping 94% being tech/IT decision makers.
• Half of our listeners are in management positions or above, and 65% are involved in their company's decision-making. Our audience raises the bar for us and our sponsors, explaining why our network remains at the top for delivering reliable tech news. 

Our audience remembers our sponsors; in fact, 85% of our listeners have made a purchase based on our ads. Nearly all of our audience listens to most or all of the podcast episodes (99%, to be precise). Our host-read format allows brands to leave a lasting impact that solidifies with embedded placement, allowing impressions to continue to rise as time goes on. 

Our hosts showcase partner brands audibly and visually in a meaningful and lasting way to our listeners and viewers, both live in-show and then embedded online. Email us at advertise@twit.tv if you'd like your brand introduced to our (over)qualified audience. 

Get to Know Our TWIT.tv Hosts

TWiT.tv is stacked with tech professionals from all varieties of life, offering our audience the most diverse and comprehensive overview of tech news. Our lead hosts, Leo Laporte, Jason Howell, Mikah Sargent, and Ant Pruitt, deliver an incomparable listening experience. In case you aren't already familiar, here's an introduction to how impressive our lead hosts are:

 

Founder and owner of the TWiT.tv Network is our very own Leo Laporte. From 1985 to 1988, Leo operated one of the first Macintosh-only computer bulletin board systems, MacQueue. In January 1991, he created and co-hosted Dvorak On Computers, the most listened-to high-tech talk radio show in the nation, syndicated on over 60 stations and around the world on the Armed Forces Radio Network. Leo was also a longtime host of Laporte on Computers on KSFO and KGO Radio in San Francisco. 

Leo has written four bestselling Technology Almanacs, was a Managing Editor at Ziff-Davis Television, and a Contributing Editor at Access Magazine, and the credentials don't stop there. He created, was a daily contributor to, and ultimately won an Emmy for The Site, an hour-long technology newsmagazine that aired nightly on MSNBC, CNBC International, and NBC Superchannel in Europe and Asia. He also hosted two shows on TechTV (formerly ZDTV), a 24-hour cable channel dedicated to computers and the Internet. Call for Help, and The Screen Savers aired live every weekday from 1998 to 2004. In 2005 he launched TWiT.tv with the first show, This Week in Tech, which he continues to host every Sunday. Leo directs the network, hires staff, originates new shows, and approves all advertising. He hosts other shows on TWiT.tv's network, including MacBreak Weekly, Security Now, This Week in Google, Windows Weekly, and The Tech Guy. 

Jason Howell brings fun and creativity to the topic of technology across all of the shows he touches on our network. Jason co-created and hosts All About Android and shares producer and host duties on Tech News Weekly. He has been producing original video content for the web since 2005, starting with his time at CNET, where he produced the popular daily tech news show Buzz Out Loud, among many others. Since joining TWiT in 2010, Jason has continued to elevate his approach to live video production as Technical Director, Producer, and eventually Host of Tech News Weekly, as well as producing This Week in Tech, This Week in Google, and Security Now. 

Mikah Sargent's empathetic and gentle explanatory style could win over even the grumpiest tech-fumblers. Before joining us at TWiT.Mikah has been a freelance graphic designer, web developer, and cake decorator. Mikah was a contributor and senior editor at Mobile Nations, and before that, a senior editor at Newsy. In the past, Mikah has hosted news and entertainment videos for various media outlets, including covered news and tech for AOL, Mashable, iMore, and Tom's Guide. Currently, you can find Mikah co-hosting on iOS Today, Tech News Weekly, Hands-On Mac, and The Tech Guy. 

Covering Photoshop, Lightroom, Android, Google, and more, Ant Pruitt is a creative force to be reckoned with. A technology-professional-turned-photographer, Ant's expertise lies in photography, videography, and content creation. Ant co-hosts This Week in Google and hosts Hands-On Photography, a fan favorite for game-changing photography tips. Originally from North Carolina, Ant was an enterprise IT professional for over a decade. Ant eventually turned his creativity into a business, providing writing, photography, video, and post-production services. After moving across the country to join us, Ant continues to handle various creative assignments, including portraits, product photography, event photography, social media marketing, and branding content.

Our hosts embody what TWiT.tv is about; enthusiastic, honest delivery and technology news analysis. Email advertise@twit.tv to get a formal introduction and see how our hosts can elevate your brand.  

Advertising on Podcasts - They Work!

 

Let’s set the record straight - podcasts aren’t going anywhere. Podcast listening numbers have globally increased by 42% since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and the numbers continue to rise. Podcasts are the perfect place for advertisers to reach a more informed consumer with premium purchasing power. 

At TWiT.tv, we have a highly qualified and educated, tech-minded audience. Our podcasts are created to honor our audience’s credentials, meaning if we partner with a brand, they must align with our values and benefit our listeners. Our partners have the ongoing opportunity to reach new customers on a very intimate and engaged level via our host-read advertisement structure. And, because our ads are embedded, these customers can be reached anytime, anywhere across the globe for years to come.

Podcast ads are different than any other digital marketing medium out there. Unlike automatic ads interrupting a program, people enjoy listening to their host deliver a programmatic break. It offers an exclusive insight into something that the host and listener could potentially hold in common.

According to the Edison Research Super Listeners 2021 report, podcast ads are the most recalled type of advertisement. This was corroborated by 86% of respondents. Host-read ads like ours create memorable impressions with impactful audiences, which goes further than any dynamic or canned commercial could hope to get. 

Email us at advertise@twit.tv for more information about how we can elevate your business. 

The Proven Entrepreneur Interview

 

Recently I had the opportunity to talk with Don Williams, host of The Proven Entrepreneur. We discussed my beginnings leading up to becoming CEO of TWiT.tv and integral parts of the sales landscape that affect our advertising today.

Take a peek at our conversation: 

“Don: You have this deep, pureblood pedigree in finance, but somehow, you also picked up   what many people will consider being the opposite skill of sales. Tell us how you crossed that bridge. How did that happen?

 

Lisa: I am a lifelong learner, so being unafraid to try things was part of it. I tried a lot of things, but the one thing I applied to this process was integrity. I decided I was not going to overinflate what we can do. I was not going to oversell or over-promise anything. 

What I promised people was that we were going to guarantee these impressions, if not deliver more, because our ads are embedded, so our rate cards were discounted slightly on downloads. I was going to guarantee a qualified audience, so we started to survey the audience to find out more about them.

 

We were also going to guarantee the right impressions and get you in front of our audience. To me, it was all about super-serving our audience. I am only going to sign companies with high integrity that have products and services that will benefit my audience. That became my focus. Did I make a lot of mistakes? Yes, and I learned from them and realized that we treat everybody the same. We do not discount our rate card. We layer in value add, which is bonus ads with our advertisers. We always do a lot for our sponsors.”

I’m not the only person at TWiT.tv that has a background of multiple talents. Our phenomenal hosts come from a wide variety of professional expertise, and that’s what makes our network so unique and successful in so many fields. 

 

Check out Don and my full interview at The Proven Entrepreneur or listen on your podcast player. If you would like to partner with us at TWiT.tv, please reach out at advertise@twit.tv. 

Client Testimonials - ITProTV & TWiT.tv

 

We go the extra mile for our partners because we believe their services/products will ultimately benefit our audience.

Tim Broom, Founder of ITPro.TV has this to say about our partnership: 

"ITPro.TV would not be where it is today without the TWiT Network. We began marketing with them since day one. They were able to target the tech enthusiasts as well as the professionals that allowed us to market directly to consumers as well as people that are in the enterprise space. We've seen success on many different shows like Windows Weekly, MacBreak Weekly, of course Security Now, and This Week in Tech. Many years ago, I really started out as a fan of Leo and the TWiT Network. I always call him like 'the godfather of technology broadcast,' and I've become a consumer of many of the advertisements of the products that he talks about because I know that it comes from a trusted source, and he's always been very accurate in the way that he explains it. I end up buying products! When we started  ITPro.TV, I knew that that's the place that I wanted to go to first. Working with Lisa has really been fantastic. In fact, it spoiled us because we've tried to replicate the success we've had there on other networks, but the service that she gives us on giving us our reporting, helping us with ad copy, giving us advice, I always know she has our best interest in mind, and it's always been very helpful, and it's led to much more success for us. We sincerely thank the TWiT Network, especially Leo and Lisa, that's been very special to us because, without them, we wouldn't be where we are today. This year we will exceed 12 million in sales we have over 70 employees, and we continue to grow each year, and it's because of the TWiT Network. It's our main source of marketing and advertising to get our audience."

Our entire goal at TWiT.tv is to super-serve our audience, which in turn super-serves our partners. Ready to launch your campaign and let us help you grow? Email us at advertise@twit.tv to see which spots we have available for the upcoming broadcast year.

Why Testimonials Matter

 

Testimonials speak for themselves. Who better to prove that a business is legitimate than a satisfied customer? We live in a world where real customer testimonials are the unofficial stamp of approval that other consumers look for. That matters. Customers trust their peers to give unfiltered opinions on whether or not a product or service is worth its salt. 

Reputation is everything in any industry - would you trust a business with no reviews or case studies? Probably not. Positive reviews are one of the most powerful influences to attract your audience. Remember, too, that attention spans are shorter these days. Research shows that customers give roughly 15 seconds of attention before deciding to engage or move on to something else. Promoting a glowing, genuine testimonial can convince them to stick around and find out more. 

Testimonials are free, organic marketing tools that cost your advertising budget nothing. Honest customer reviews build irreplicable credibility for your brand, and credibility builds loyalty. Reviews can also showcase aspects of your business that your website might not highlight, like customer service. At TWiT.tv, we love to create powerful ad reads that spotlight our excellent partners, including customer testimonials when and where we can. 

Positive reviews and testimonials have an incredible impact on building a brand's credibility and reputation. At the end of the day, testimonials humanize your brand. It's much easier to trust something that's been vouched for, and reading a solid review from a fellow human is the next best thing to trying it for yourself.  

Ready to elevate your business and work with the best tech podcast network's highly qualified audience? Reach out to us at advertise@twit.tv today.

Enhancing Your Podcast Advertising Campaign with Ad Tech

 

At TWiT, our audience is affluent, sophisticated, privacy-focused, and tech-savvy. They typically don't visit landing pages - they google our partner names, and only those special few will remember to go to our custom landing page if they make a purchase. We know this because we annually survey our audience, receiving over 10,000 responses, and the truth is most do not bother with landing pages or offer codes. Since brands want to gauge traction from podcast campaigns, advertising technology gives them further insight into how many fans we send to their website.

 

We always vet our sponsors thoroughly to ensure they align with our values. Brands must also have products/services that will benefit our audience. We also do the same thing with our business partners. Currently, for TWiT’s ad tech, we are using Podsights.  Podsights' approach of combining downloads, site traffic, and cross-device data gives us an encompassing view of how our advertising campaigns perform. Since privacy is of the utmost importance to us and our audience, the only thing our partner sees is the traction to their website - meaning nothing about the IP address is being shared, only when someone downloaded an episode with their ad in it and went to their website.

 

We use this ad tech because we know that we send 3 times more traffic to partners' websites than landing page visits on direct response campaigns, and it's 6-7x greater on branding campaigns. Podsights works by tracking the IP address when an episode is downloaded with a partner's ad read in it. They then follow that IP address for 60 days to see if it visits our partner's website. We require our partners to place the pixel run-of-website to capture all traffic we send to it. This way, when our fans google our partner's name, they can see the traffic we send to their website.

 

One thing to remember is that Podsights can only track our audio feeds, and they must reject downloads outside of the US from cell towers and business IPs. They only track US household IP addresses. They then show a gross-up if they could count everything they ingested. They cannot count YouTube, Spotify, or any podcatcher without an API, and they do not ingest our video feeds. Therefore, we provide an additional gross-up to count ALL downloads we report to our partners.

 

Interested in partnering with us? Email us today at advertise@twit.tv

Are We in a Recession or Not? Brands Must Continue to Advertise

 

There's a saying in sales, "In times of prosperity, you should advertise. In times of hardship, you must advertise." 

During these times of uncertainty, it makes sense to want to save as much money as possible. Businesses often downsize during times of recession to accommodate for losses. One forefront of thought is reducing advertising and marketing expenses - this is a classic pitfall that usually ends with businesses having to shut down. For the sake of your business's longevity, you must continue to move forward, as consumers have higher expectations from brands in times of crisis. It is proven that brands that continue to advertise in a recession fair the best. 

Keeping up with advertising and marketing during a recession is one of the most powerful investments you can make for your business. Stability and consistency displayed to your targeted audience go a long way. Think about it - if your competitors start slowing down and cutting back on marketing dollars, that leaves all the open-air space for your business. Don't let that opportunity go to waste! Keep your business at the forefront of people's minds and stay in front of your target audience. 

And let's not forget about gestures - recession discounts go much further to show consumers you care and that your brand can be relied on. Here at TWiT, we immediately reached out to our partners at the beginning of the 2020 pandemic and offered free added value to showcase our appreciation and gratitude during that unprecedented time. We're doing it again now because we all know this is another unusual situation, and we are encouraging our partners to pay it forward to their customers. 

It's as simple as this. If you have the money to spend on advertising, you should spend it on advertising!  

Are you ready for smart growth and to elevate your business? Want to work with the best tech podcast network with a highly qualified audience? Reach out to us at advertise@twit.tv today.

Leo Laporte & Why TWiT Works

Sponsoring TWiT's innovative podcasts automatically puts your business in front of an affluent, highly-engaged, tech-savvy audience with one-click purchasing power. TWiT only partners with sponsors who have products/services that will benefit their audience. 

Our top-ranked flagship podcast, and network's namesake, This Week in Tech, hosted by Leo Laporte, is the crown jewel of our ad reads. Leo and his ever-changing panel of experts discuss the who, what, and why of tech news. This Week in Tech spotlights Leo's 40+ years of broadcasting experience and passion for tech. 

This Week in Tech is also one of the longest-running podcasts. It all started in 2005 when Leo and several former TechTV colleagues gathered for a reunion at the Macworld Expo in San Francisco and recorded their conversation. Leo posted the recording on his website, which led to overwhelming fan requests for more. Three months later, in April 2005, Leo and the crew launched the show as a weekly podcast - the rest is history!

Today, This Week in Tech has audience statistics sure to make any executive swoon. With an average impression rate of 260,000 per episode, 67% of listeners earn over $100,000 yearly, 50% are in management positions, and 87% are Tech/IT decision-makers. This Week in Tech's audience also ranges from companies of all sizes; Whether it's for companies with less than 100 employees (36% of listeners), or 1000+ employees (43% of listeners), This Week in Tech has valuable information for all of our tech-minded listeners. These are powerful percentages and what makes our qualified audience stand out. 

Interested in having Leo Laporte help elevate your business? Reach out today to advertise@twit.tv.

Trust Doesn't Come Easily: Why Host Read Ads Work

 

Why do Host Read ads work? It all boils down to trust. Podcast audiences trust the hosts they listen to more than they would a pre-recorded or producer-read ad. Here at TWiT, our hosts are experienced, knowledgeable professionals with decades of experience; we don't take giving out tech advice lightly. Our hosts support our listeners by providing accurate, beneficial tech guidance, and we only partner with sponsors who align with our values. Our listeners know they can trust that whatever they hear on TWiT will bear their best interest in mind. 

Now, it takes a lot of work to ensure we partner with high-integrity sponsors - here at TWiT, we have a rigorous vetting process for all potential partners. We discuss their goals with our editorial team, as well as the entire overview of a campaign. Part of what sets us at the gold standard here at TWiT is providing white glove service and only signing those with products or services that benefit our audience.

Our listeners often become our partners. Founder of Thinkst Canary, Haroon Meer, says, “We expected TWiT to work well for us because we were long-time listeners who, over the years, bought many of the products and services we learned about on various shows. We were not disappointed. The combination of the very personal ad-reads, and the careful selection of products that TWiT largely believes in, gives the ads an authentic, trusted voice that works really well for products like ours. 10/10 - Will use again." 

Are you ready to discuss your campaign? Reach out to advertise@twit.tv today.

TWiT.tv Sales Process Overview

Our sales process is extensive at TWiT.tv because we want to ensure our audience can benefit from the partners we sign to our network.  

First, we start with a conversation. Before we dive into budgets and timing, we need to hear from our potential partners about their advertising needs and goals. Since I own a sales agency and have placed buys on several other podcast networks for my direct clients, I find that no one asks questions. Why not? It's crucial to listen to your potential partners and then decide if a campaign makes sense. Plus, the potential partner must have services/products that will benefit our audience. Hence why we start with a conversation. We also ask about their existing and past campaigns and cover the features and benefits of working with TWiT.

Next, we check in with our production team and build out our ideas based on our team's feedback, results from other partner campaigns, and using our notes from our initial conversation. Once ideas are presented, we scale up or down based on what the partner wants to do and execute the IO.

We take time to set up new partner campaigns. We help them build their ad copy, implement Podsight's pixels, and schedule a host call to ask questions before campaigns begin. We find that our extra care continuously improves messaging and builds excitement with our team and partner. We constantly improve ad copy on onboarding calls, and our partners can ask for updates weekly. 

Lastly, podcast ads need time to reach their full impact. Think about it, we drop an ad. You need to give it time for our audience to download the episode, listen to it, and then act. It can take 8 - 15 advertising touchpoints to entice a fan to make a purchase. We recommend waiting 8 weeks after every ad drops to gauge traction. 

Interested in partnering with us? Reach out - advertise@twit.tv.

 

Why TWiT? Because TWiT's Host-Read Ads Stand Out

 

Sponsoring TWiT's innovative podcasts puts your brand in front of an affluent, highly-engaged, tech-savvy audience with one-click purchasing power. TWiT only partners with sponsors who have products/services that will benefit their audience. Read client testimonials here: Advertise with TWiT.

TWiT's podcasts are in audio/video formats, except for new shows, allowing for product or service demos. Our full-service continuity team will care for your copywriting, graphics, and editing needs.

85% of listeners made a purchase based on a TWiT host-read ad

99% listen to most or the entire podcast

87% are involved in their company's tech/IT decision-making process

TWiT believes in delivering powerful host-read ads that properly introduce a sponsor's products/services to its audience. Overdelivery on impressions is guaranteed as all ads are embedded. Sponsorship promotion appears on TWiT's sponsor page, show episode page, and RSS feed. Newsletter and social media promotion is included, and courtesy commercials on video shows are provided with every ad read.

Are you ready to grow your business?

Reach out today to advertise@twit.tv and start your powerful campaign with TWiT.tv and have your products/services promoted by its expert hosts.

Ridiculously Insecure Digital Driver’s License

 Sometimes the news shared on the podcast Security Now is baffling. Take, for example, driver's licenses. Driver's licenses aren't usually considered insecure, but Australia has effectively made it so with the New South Whales Digital Driver's License ("DDL"). This story has extended to the most recent SN podcasts 873 and 874.

The first episode has Steve explaining what the DDL is and how poorly it is secured. Released in 2019, the DDL is currently being used by approximately 70% of the population, which means 3.9 million people have opted into using it.

The New South Wales government has touted the DDL as "difficult to counterfeit," but that is far from the truth. A hacking group called DVULN, known for pen testing and secure application development, revealed many security issues with the DDL.

DVULN found that DDL data can be manipulated and used to create fraudulent digital identities. In other words, if bad actors were interested in altering data, they could potentially do it straight from the NSW government's iOS app! One of the testers went so far as to prove that this is a problem publicly.

But how do we know the information on DDLs is already being altered? Itnews.com.au reported, "Farmer observed that social media users reported that a number of underage people were using fake DDLs that are easy to make to visit drinking establishments in the state."

There wasn't a formal response from the New South Wales government when Steve first brought the situation to Security Now fans, but by episode 874, there was a response that Steve found to be lacking.

The NSW rebuttal states that this issue is not a risk, that no other customer data or data source has been compromised, and that the licenses are hard to forge. And, by the way, altering a DDL is against the law.

In both episodes, Steve gives us the rundown as to why the security systems for DDLs that are in place are not enough and, even more importantly, that real-world physical driver's license counterfeiting is far more challenging to accomplish.

An exasperated Steve says, "Apparently now we believe digital, over 'real world,' 'old school' physical."

Check out both of these and future episodes of Security Now.