Host-Read Ads (Audio)

I want to help podcasters and podcast networks navigate through the explosion of podcast ad tech. Ad tech has taken over podcasting, and everyone is touting that they have the holy grail in metrics. The sad thing is that podcast advertising is more than metrics. You need to be reaching the right audience, you must have a compelling CTA/offer, and post-purchase surveys are a must -along with trust and integrity.

Ross Adams, CEO at Acast, said, "Podscribe's track record in delivering accurate and insightful attribution solutions - which are certified at the highest level - is exceptional. We also know their approach to customer satisfaction is unmatched in this space. This collaboration reinforces Acast's commitment to offering advertisers the very best impartial tools to succeed in the podcasting space."

Podscribe is one of many attribution services that is independent, meaning not owned by a large media company. For example - Spotify owns Spotify Ad Analytics, formerly Podsights, and Podscribe is saying that they have better metrics because they are independently owned. Please do not be fooled by the label "independent" - it is simply a marketing phrase to attract brands to them instead of Spotify Ad Analytics which is now free to use. You have to pay for Podscribe and to promote that Spotify Ad Analytics is inaccurate or untrustworthy because Spotify bought it is wrong. All ad tech is the same, and why pay for it when you can get it for free? They are simply saying "independent" to encourage you to buy something you can get for free elsewhere.

Here are three points to remember about why podcast advertising works that have nothing to do with ad tech:

So remember, ad tech is one tool to use in podcast advertising, and take the time to decide who you want to partner with because no one wants multiple pixels in their feeds or possibly turning off their fans because of all the tracking ad tech that every brand wants. Limit it to one or two. And remind brands that free ad tech is as valuable as paid. Just because you are independent doesn't mean you are better.

If you are interested in advertising with us because you want the gold standard, then please email [email protected], and we will get back to you ASAP.

Host: Lisa Laporte

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/host-read-ads

Today I want to focus on podcast ad copy again, and if you missed part I, I highly recommend listening to it. Today I am going to give brands more ideas to consider when creating ad copy.

According to Nielsen, host-read podcast ads drive strong brand recall and outperform voiced ads every time. It's been well documented that podcast audiences are among the most engaged there are, and much of that reflects the hosts. Purchase power is 50% higher with host-read ads.

Here are three more tips when considering your brand's ad copy to stand out:

I am going to leave this category open as I plan to continue to add tips on ad copy because it's necessary to teach brands all the tools they need in podcasting.

If you are interested in advertising with us because you want the gold standard, then please email [email protected], and we will get back to you ASAP.

Host: Lisa Laporte

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/host-read-ads

I started my podcast a year ago to educate brands on podcast ads and why our host-read ad format, which we have used since its inception, is the best and will always outperform all other podcast ad formats.

According to Spotify, the earliest podcast sponsors understood the intimate nature of podcasting, making it an ideal medium for brands to connect with engaged listeners and support their advertising goals. Why? Because at the center of that connection is the podcast host, whose familiar voice listeners trust. As podcast advertising grew - host-read ads became advertisers preferred format. Now, since podcasting has exploded, Spotify leverages voice talent podcast ads (read by actors, producers). AND Spotify admits - host-read ads outperform talent ads because there is more of an emotional connection to the audience, and they trust the host.

Here are three reasons why you need to prioritize networks that offer host-read ads over voice talent ads:

Lastly, we understand that a brand may want to scale by implementing a massive awareness campaign, which means brands should be buying voice talent ads too. However, do not lump host-read ads in with them. They are not equal in response, nor are they equal in pricing. Voice talent ads are generally cheaper than host-read ads with a qualified audience. Brands need to understand the difference.

Here at TWiT, we help our partners solve their problems and meet their growth goals. Are you ready to grow? Reach out today - [email protected]

Host: Lisa Laporte

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/host-read-ads

Today I want to provide you with another sales tip because I have been in podcast sales (well, I call them partnership sales) for over a decade, and I believe you must continue to expand your skills, practice your craft, and improve upon your knowledge daily.

Here are four tips to level up and stay relevant in sales:

Thanks for listening to my podcast & have a great day.

Host: Lisa Laporte

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/host-read-ads

Two months ago I did a podcast about the reasons why brands should work directly with podcast networks and I realized I should do a series on this because there are so many reasons and saving money through buying smarter should be a priority for brands. Therefore, this is now part II and I will do as many as I feel necessary to educate brands in this space.

First, let me remind you all that I have been in the podcasting industry since inception. I have worked with several brands, agencies, and consultants. I am open and honest about my experience in this industry. My goal is to provide information for brands to excel in this space by working directly with podcast networks who will take care of them. All agencies do is promise make-goods and free ads because they do not invest the time to understand the best way to buy on individual podcast networks. Especially when they are boutique like ours. They try to lump us in with the DAI networks and it's simply the wrong approach.

Here are four more reasons why brands should go direct:

There is a lot more to cover and I want to make the point that brands need to spend time to identify who their target client is and what do they want to say to them before buying podcast ads.

Here at TWiT.tv we only improve our communication processes with brands and continue to research and apply best practices. We don't want clients, we want partners.

Thanks for listening to podcast & have a great day.

These show notes have been truncated due to length. For the full show notes, visit https://twit.tv/shows/host-read-ads/episodes/48

Host: Lisa Laporte

Here are three overview tips when considering your brand's CTA to stand out.

There is much more to cover, and I want to make the point that brands need to spend time identifying their target client and what they want to say to them before buying podcast ads.

TWiT.tv has been around since 2005, and we help our partners meet their growth goals.

If you are interested in advertising with us because you want the gold standard, please email [email protected], and we will get back to you ASAP.

Host: Lisa Laporte

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/host-read-ads

Today I want to talk about the rise of the B2B influencer. Brands have been partnering with influencers for years, promoting B2C products & services with great effectiveness. Today, brands are now focusing on influencers to promote B2B products/services. And here at TWiT.tv is one of the original B2B influencers.

Brands know there are several ways to promote B2B that, include social media, content marketing, newsletters, email, paid search, organic search, and streaming TV/podcasts. You need multiple touchpoints to gain conversions, and B2B typically needs more touchpoints than B2C, especially if the service is complex.

Here at TWiT.tv, we offer long-format host-read ads, and here are the three reasons why our hosts are highly effective B2B influencers.

TWiT.tv has been around since 2005, and our B2B ad reads stand out. As I said, we are one of the original B2B influencers, and our network delivers for our partners.

If you are interested in advertising with TWiT.tv because you want the gold standard in podcast advertising, then please email [email protected], and we will get back to you ASAP.

Host: Lisa Laporte

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/host-read-ads

Today I am going to continue from last week's Part I of Setting Brands Expectations from a podcast campaign. Please listen to it if you haven't already.

The reason why I put emphasis on exploring what brands have done in marketing and what they are doing now IS to set goals and expectations from working with our network and how we are going to elevate the brand further with host-read ads on TWiT. In order to make a campaign successful, we need to know they are re-targeting the traffic we are sending to their website with Google Ads, social media ads, other pods/TV/radio ads, and anywhere else they are advertising. It's always my goal to align with the brand marketing that is working and to be sure they provide us with a compelling call to action, also known as the CTA. Why? Because it takes an average of eight touchpoints to close a sale.

Once you have established that the brand you are working with is promoting its services/products on several different platforms, then you can focus on boosting performance with podcast host read ads. Remember that podcasts are on-demand. It's not TV or radio in which a commercial runs; you know it was heard or missed at that moment. Podcasts are downloaded, consumed when fans want to listen, and ads are not heard all at once. Therefore, the expectation that one podcast ad can take up to eight weeks to reach its fullest impact is normal. Brands must be educated that podcast ads take time. Otherwise, brands will complain two days after a podcast ad drops. Host-read podcast ads work because audiences listening already trust the host and expect them to deliver ads they want to hear about and with high integrity.

As I said, there is so much to cover that there will be part III and many more. Brands, please remember podcast ads take time. Just because a fan downloaded an episode doesn't mean they listened to it right away - you must give it time.

If you are interested in working with our partnership team here at TWiT, please reach out to [email protected], and our team will reach out. Have a great day, and thanks for listening to my pod.

Host: Lisa Laporte

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/host-read-ads

Today I am going to talk about why you must set brand expectations before starting a podcast campaign with them, and I am going to refer to this as Part 1 because there is a lot to cover, and I want to be sure I touch on all points. Therefore I am leaving it open, and this series will be as long as it needs to be.

First, I want to remind everyone that podcasts have only been around for 20 years. No one has the exact number of active pods because people start and stop them all the time, and there are millions of pods out there, with hundreds of millions of episodes. And in 2023, you can consume content in almost any format you want. Traditionally there was TV, movies, radio, and print (books, magazines, newspapers, etc.). Today we have so much more - pods, social media, online print & audio, information, disinformation, and so much more that hardly anyone is consuming the same content, let alone the same way. The birth of the Internet has allowed us to become a fragmented society making it a challenge for brands to reach who they want.

The first point I want to make when meeting with a brand is to set advertising expectations by exploring what marketing efforts they are doing now. What have they done in the past that was successful? What wasn't? What is active now that's work? I do a deep dive into past and existing advertising campaigns because I want to understand the brands efforts to this point.

It is imperative to ask these questions because, according to research, it takes an average of 8 touchpoints to close a sale. Therefore, if a brand wants to start a podcast campaign and they are doing nothing else, then how will its campaign be successful if they are not targeting the audience they want on multiple platforms? Brands must combine marketing tools to reach the audiences they want. Spreading out marketing dollars without the right frequency and platforms will waste brands advertising dollars. Therefore, your first call with a new brand needs to be exploratory. Find out their pain points and focus on solving their growth goals before discussing campaign ideas.

There is a plethora of content to cover on this topic. Stay tuned for Part 2.

And if you are interested in working with our partnership team here at TWiT, please reach out to [email protected], and our team will reach out. Have a great day, and thanks for listening to my pod.

Host: Lisa Laporte

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/host-read-ads

Today I am going to talk about the addition of DAI, Dynamic Ad Insertion, to our network TWiT.tv and the difference between it and host-read ads.

First, a little context. When the pandemic first hit in 2020, we lost 60% of our advertisers in two weeks. We quickly realized we were one-dimensional because we were an ad-supported network that only offered host-read ads.

Since 2020 we have added DAI, which means dynamic ad insertion, and we allow Advertisecast to sell our residual open audio inventory. We also diversified our host-read ad inventory by allowing agencies to book small test campaigns to complement their testing phase with new clients. However, 65% of our host-read ads are with direct partners, and we prefer to grow direct business because having a relationship with the partner is always better than working with an agency. Plus we care and know what we are doing and find that most agencies throw newbies on accounts and honestly waste their clients money because volume doesn't produce results unless you're working with the best and that's not what podcast clients get when going to an agency.

Here is the difference between host-read and dynamic ad insertion ads:

Host-read ads are delivered by our technology hosts, and they can provide insights, a PE or implied endorsement, features/benefits, and take as long as they want in an ad read to educate our fans about the clients products and services. Plus, the fans of our shows trust our hosts and listen to what they have to say about a product/service.

DAI ads are producer-read ads that are inserted directly into our shows. They are :15, :30 or :60 seconds long and never longer. Plus, they are served until the download number is reached that was promised to the client. They do work well for clients and cost less than host-read ads, BUT they lack the trust with the audience because the audience doesn't know who's reading the ad.

Both ads work well, and it truly depends on what a client is looking for, and personally, I would recommend both because it takes multiple touchpoints to convert a fan, and the more ways you can reach people, the better.

Here at TWiT.tv, we care about brand goals and focus on what it takes to help them grow. If you are interested in advertising with TWiT.tv because you want the gold standard in podcast advertising, then please email [email protected], and we will get back to you ASAP.

Host: Lisa Laporte

Download or subscribe to this show at https://twit.tv/shows/host-read-ads