Building an audience for your show takes time, but if you’re in a rush, you can spend some cash to speed up the process. Paid podcast promotion is a simple way to put your show in front of thousands of listeners who are looking for new content. In this article, we take a look at the top opportunities for paid podcast promotion.
1. Listening Apps
There are lots of podcast directories and listening apps. It’s important to submit your show to all of them in order to capture the widest audience. Many of these apps allow you to purchase ads to drive more listeners to your show.
Podcast Addict
Podcast Addict is a podcast listening app for Android that lets you effortlessly discover, subscribe to, and listen to an extensive range of podcasts, audiobooks, and radio shows.
With its user-friendly interface and customizable features, users can organize, download, and stream episodes, create playlists, receive automatic updates, and explore a diverse array of content across various genres.
Since listeners often use this app to explore new podcasts, it’s a great place to advertise. You can either purchase a main advertisement on the home page (which costs $1,000 to $2,000) or you can buy an ad slot within a related category. Ads run for a full month.
If you want to buy ad space within a category, Podcast Addict verifies the categories in your RSS feed to ensure you’re in the right place. So if your show is about parenting, you will only be able to buy ads in the parenting category. This ensures your ads are always targeted. The platform gives you access to impressions, clicks, and click-through-rate (CTR) of each ad you buy.
Castbox
Castbox is another podcasting listening app that’s available on Android and Apple devices. You can buy advertising campaigns for around $2,000 that run for an entire month.
Yes, this is higher than most other platforms, but it gives you the chance to work directly with a member of the Castbox team. This person will help you design your creative and optimize it to get the best results. You are allowed to apply to be featured in their general banner or the “Editor’s Pick” section.
Overcast
Overcast (iOS) is one of the most popular listening apps, so it makes sense to advertise here. Ads run for 30 days, but cost varies by category. In each ad, listeners can see your artwork and a description of your show. After purchasing an ad, Overcast will email you a link to a page where you can track its performance.
Pocket Casts
Pocket Casts (iOS, Android, and desktop) offers paid podcast promotion in their Discover section. You only need two available episodes to purchase advertising. Ads run for one week and cost $1,700. One major benefit is that the site will suggest improvements to your ad before you submit it.
Podcast Republic
Podcast Republic is a popular podcast listening app just for Android users. However, they don’t publish their advertising details. You’ll have to reach out to them: [email protected].
Podbay
Podbay is a listening app for both iOS and Android devices. You can promote your show to hundreds of thousands of listeners. One of the main advantages of paid podcast promotion on this app is that you don’t have to buy a 30-day campaign. You can purchase a daily ad spot for just $25. This is a higher per-day price than other apps, but it’s helpful for shows with smaller budgets.
Get Paid for All Your Episodes with a Single Click
Castos lets you monetize all of your episodes – even the old ones – with a press of a button. We handle everything for you. That means no more chasing sponsors, negotiating deals, recording ad segments, or editing ads into episodes.
How do Castos Ads work?
Our platform will dynamically stitch short, brand-appropriate ads to the beginning and end of each episode. It’s all automatic. Your entire catalog will serve ads and earn money 24/7. There is ZERO technical setup needed from you.
Your episodes will only become one minute longer, but your smile will get a little wider as each listen adds more money to your monthly payout.
Get paid for every episode, no matter how old
Traditional sponsorship deals only apply to new episodes, but Castos Ads works with your entire library. Adding these ads to your show does not affect your rankings, ratings, or reviews on any of the podcasting directors and listening apps.
Ads are never stale or irrelevant
With dynamic ads, the ad content itself is always relevant. We never serve stale ads or ads for companies/products that don’t exist.
Great for new shows with small audiences
Most sponsors don’t want to talk to you until you have tens of thousands of listeners. That’s their loss! We will monetize your podcast even if you’ve literally just started. And we’ll keep paying you more as your audience grows.
Serve your own ads too
As your audience grows, sponsors will start to notice you. Using Castos Ads doesn’t prohibit you from including your own ads as well. Feel free to negotiate your own sponsorship deals and include them in your episodes. The sponsorship will give you a nice one-time cash bonus while Castos Ads will continue to pay you indefinitely.
Pause at any time, no questions asked
If you decide Castos Ads aren’t for you, simply pause the ads at any time in your dashboard. No questions asked. Ads will immediately cease on all episodes in your Castos account.
(But honestly, we don’t think you’ll want to pause. Everyone likes free money landing in their bank account without any effort!)
Start Making Money with Your Podcast
Flip the switch now and start making money from your show. You get that mic upgrade you’ve been eyeing or finally invest in an editor. Or treat yourself to a spa day. It’s your cash!
Turn on Castos Ads
Zero setup. Turn on and off any time.
2. AudioGO
AudioGo is a third-party monetization platform that enables creators to seamlessly insert targeted ads into audio content on mainstream platforms, like Soundcloud, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Pandora, SiriusXM, and more.
The platform dynamically places ads that align with your content and audience. The process is entirely self-service, so you can buy whatever ads you like. Based on listener’s location, demographics, interests, profiles, and preferences.
Similar to Spotify, you have to spend at least $250. The in-app creative studio has lots of tools to design creatives and will even cut a 30-second spot for just $10 in less than 24 hours. Then you just submit a script and choose a voice actor and background music.
3. Social Media Ads
Social media ads can be an effective paid podcast promotion tool. You can buy them on nearly every social network, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Snapchat, LinkedIn, or Discord.
These platforms allow you to show images, videos, image carousels, image collections, videos, banners, and other formats. Pricing is usually determined based on a bidding system.
Social platforms typically offer powerful targeting tools that allow you to put your ads in front of the exact type of listener you’re after. You can sort by demographics, psychographics, geolocation, and profile information. You can even target people who are part of specific communities that align with your show.
The downside to social media ads is their interpretive nature. No one goes looking for an ad, so they have to be forced in front of the user. This lack of internal motivation means people often scroll right by without ever digesting your ad content.
That said, those targeted benefits I just mentioned mean you don’t have to spend a lot of money for broad exposure. You can put your ads in front of the people who care the most.
4. Google Ads
Google Ads are similar to social ads in that they’re placed on a platform your listeners already use. The difference, however, is that Google Ads are non-interruptive. They are only shown when a user searches for a specific piece of information.
For example, if a user searches for “true crime stories,” they’re going to see some true crime podcasts at the top of the results. That user is much more likely to explore a new podcast because in this setting than when they are force-fed an ad on Facebook.
Like social media platforms, Google knows a lot about its users, so it can offer advanced targeting features. You can buy text, image, video, and even shopping ads.
And since Google has their own podcast directory, they are inclined to show podcasts at the top of any search that seems to be after audio content. There’s even a tab for podcast content.
5. Spotify Advertising
Spotify Advertising is just what it sounds like: ads on Spotify. You can serve audio ads, video ads, in-episode podcast ads, and custom experiences to non-premium members (premium users don’t see ads).
Technically these are all interruptive ads, but Spotify goes out of their way to serve them without disrupting the listening experience. You’ll get to see the reach, completion rate, clicks, click-through-rate, and audience metrics for each ad.
Like other platforms, Spotify has great targeting options. You can serve ads based on age, gender, country, interests, real-time contexts, music preference, and more. Spotify even has a team to help produce your ads if you don’t have the skills or resources to do it yourself.
Tip
In order to be successful on Spotify, it’s smart to take a few steps to promote your show on the platform. Learn seven simple steps to promote a podcast on Spotify.
6. Acast
Acast is another audio marketplace. When you buy ads on Acast, you get access to over 25,000 shows and 300 million listeners. You can submit your own audio creative or work with their team to develop custom content. They will help you identify shows that are most closely related to yours.
What’s unique about Acast is that they use dynamic ad insertion. This means they can add your advertisement to a show’s back catalog. This means your ad can appear in episodes that were released before you started your campaign.
7. Other Podcasts
One of the most effective ways to grow your audience is to promote yourself in similar podcasts. There are two ways to go about this:
- Appear as a guest on someone’s show. They could interview you, include you in a panel discussion, or let you guest host for one episode. This generally doesn’t cost anything because your payment is the content you provide, but some high profile podcasters may be able to charge guests.
- Put a pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll ad in their episode. This is basically a sponsorship opportunity. You could record the ad yourself or ask the show’s host to do it.
If you decide to buy ad space on another podcast, it is absolutely critical that you make sure your audiences overlap. If your show is unrelated to the one they’re listening to, they’ll just ignore your ad. (In fact, if the other host knows what they’re doing, they won’t allow you to promote an unrelated podcast on their show.)
How do you know where to buy ads? Survey your listeners. Ask them for the names of other shows they listen to. If you see a trend, that’s a great place to find new listeners.
Benefits of Paid Podcast Promotion
Paid ads for podcasts can offer several benefits to podcasters. Here are some of the key advantages:
Increased Visibility
Paid ads can help your podcast reach a larger audience quickly. They can expose your show to listeners who might not have discovered it otherwise, boosting your overall visibility and potential listenership.
Targeted Audience Reach
Paid ads allow you to target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors. This means your ads will be shown to people who are more likely to be interested in your podcast content, increasing the chances of gaining engaged listeners.
Faster Growth
By reaching a broader audience through paid advertising, your podcast can experience faster growth in terms of subscribers, downloads, and overall popularity.
Monetization Opportunities
For podcasts that are looking to monetize, paid ads can be a significant revenue stream. Advertisers pay to have their products or services promoted on your podcast, providing you with a source of income.
Cross-Promotion
Partnering with other podcasts or companies through paid ads can help with cross-promotion. This allows you to tap into their audience base while they tap into yours, creating a mutually beneficial promotional strategy.
Data and Analytics
Many advertising platforms provide detailed data and analytics about the performance of your ads. This information can help you understand which ads are resonating with your audience, allowing you to refine your marketing strategy over time.
Brand Awareness
Podcast ads can help build brand awareness not only for the advertiser but also for your podcast. Consistent exposure to your podcast through ads can help establish it as a recognized and respected show within your niche.
Professionalism and Credibility
Paid ads can lend an air of professionalism and credibility to your podcast. When advertisers are willing to invest in promoting their products on your show, it can signal to listeners that your content is worth their time.
Support for Free Content
For podcasts that are offered for free to listeners, revenue from paid ads can help cover production costs, equipment upgrades, and other expenses associated with maintaining a high-quality podcast.
Experimentation and Feedback
Paid ads offer an opportunity to test different messaging, creative formats, and targeting strategies. By analyzing the results, you can gain insights into what resonates best with your audience and adapt your content accordingly.
It’s important to note that while paid ads can offer these benefits, they also require careful planning and execution. A well-designed ad campaign that aligns with your podcast’s brand and content can yield positive results, but a poorly executed campaign might not provide the expected returns.
Don’t Be Afraid of Paid Podcast Promotion
Purchasing paid ads can be intimidating. If you aren’t sure what you’re doing, you’re probably worried about losing money. It’s best to step in slowly by purchasing small ads until you find something that works. Once you have an ad that converts, you can safely scale up.
