By Greg Bortkiewicz, Senior Account Executive & Digital Specialist
I’m a huge podcast fan – they’ve made my hour-long commute each morning not only bearable, but enjoyable. Whether I’m in the mood to be informed or entertained, there is a podcast for everything and I’ve become a loyal subscriber to a handful of shows (shout out to ‘Four Finger Discount’ the podcast that reviews episodes of America’s greatest export: The Simpsons).
I’ve also found podcast adverts to feel less intrusive than on other mediums. I don’t have cable, if I’m streaming something on my laptop I’ll mute the ads, and I use an ad blocker online. Occasionally I’ll skip adverts on a podcast, depending on how many ads there are in a row, and if I can be bothered to take my phone out of my pocket!
Regardless of how many ads I skip, I can reel of a list of companies who I know advertise on podcasts, the key being that they advertise on multiple shows and run long campaigns. Many companies are reluctant to advertise on podcasts because it’s still a relatively new medium, and there is a distinct lack of metrics available. Currently, the only audience data is number of subscribers to a podcast, and number of downloads of an episode.
This may be about to change. Last week, the American Public Media show Marketplace reported that Apple would soon make more metrics available, including when people listen, where they listen, when they bail out during an episode, and if they listen to ads. This data would not only be useful for advertisers, but for the podcasts themselves.
In our office, there are three of us who regularly listen to podcasts. Ashley is away right now, so I sat down with Nick to have a quick chat about these new metrics and what it might mean for the future of podcasts:
Do you listen to podcasts, or have you advertised on any? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter @greg_borko.
Nice blog and thanks for the insightful tips. I’m highly considering some of those podcast suggestions!
Greg and Nick, my fellow podcast-listening friends, thank you for this blog. I binged several episodes of “Criminal” on vacation and found the content super fascinating. The one about the faces of missing kids on milk cartons was really good. Other favorites include “Modern Love” from The New York Times and 99% Invisible, which I had a client interviewed for once. I mostly listen on my walk home from work. I think podcast advertising is wise if you have a budget that allows your ads to run for several months. For ads to stick it takes repetition. Think about how successful the Mail Chimp ad was on Serial. Everyone remembers that girl at the end saying “Mail Kimp.”
Great ideas, guys. Love the new conversational video blog format and I appreciate your ideas about what advertising you listen to – and don’t – on podcasts. Keep up the good work. Cheers, David
While I think podcasts are good to go, I barely have time in my day to listen to them. The only one I am a religious follower of is Darren Hardy’s motivational daily podcast. He’s the author of Entrepreneur Roller Coaster. Sign up! Promise it is worth it.