Podcasts may not be as popular as other advertising platforms but it actually has an edge when it comes to audience reach and information retention. Recent reports have shown that it’s one of the most effective promotional tools when you know how to leverage it for your business.

If you’re curious about how podcast promotion works, here’s a guide to help you get started. As a business owner, you can use startup podcasts to promote your products and services. In order to do that, you first need to learn how podcast advertising works.

The Art of Podcast Advertising

In this digital age, most people assume that audio advertising is on the decline because of the death of radio. Companies are opting for other forms of media to send out their message with the assumption that millennials are more drawn to visual and film.

Contrary to that belief, a lot of young audiences actually prefer to listen to podcast ads because they’re catchier and easier to remember. Information is better retained through auditory measures.

According to Podcast Playbook, podcast listeners react positively to ads delivered in podcasts. These types of ads are deemed to leave a longer-lasting impact on the listeners. Data shows that 67% of listeners could recall a podcast ad better and 61% actually pay for the product it endorses.

In the US, the number of Americans listening to podcasts regularly has increased twice as much in the past nine years. And this number is expected to rise further in the future. With the rising trend, advertisers are leaning their marketing strategies towards it. In 2018, podcast ad revenue already reached almost 480 million.

One of the reasons why podcast advertising is successful is because it offers versatility for the brand. You get to choose the format of your ad, how it will be read and when it will air. Another advantage is, unlike other forms of advertising, podcast ads can impact its target market whether the screen is on or off – overcoming one of the biggest challenges of today’s overcrowded digital media environment.

Podcast Promotion: HOW TO Broadcast your BUSINESS

There are plenty of ways you can use podcasts to promote your brand. Here are some of the best podcast promotion strategies you can explore:

Paid Sponsorship

You can run ads on popular podcast shows. This is the easiest and most hassle-free option. Although this isn’t really the cheapest, it does save you a lot of time.

Podcast shows will take care of all the grunt work of airing your ad. There are two main types of podcast ads; the 15-second pre-roll and the 60-second mid-roll. You can choose whether it’s pre-recorded or done live.

These are the different kinds of podcast ads:

1. Live Read Ads – The host of the show can plug in your brand and briefly endorse it during the live broadcast of the program.

2. Pre-produced Ads – This involves hiring a voice-over artist, or using pre-recorded and pre-produced audio. The podcast host can also do a pre-recording of the endorsement.

3. Dynamic Ad Insertion – This type of ad allows a versatile placement in the broadcast. It can easily be uploaded to previous podcast episodes or inserted during live recordings.

4. Baked in Ads – This kind of ads will be recorded with the podcast episodes; listeners will hear it when they download the episode file.

Guesting

Guesting on popular podcast shows will increase your audience exposure and help you achieve your marketing goals faster. The latest Podcast Insights show that 94% of podcast listeners are active on every social media channel. This means you’re reaching audiences with their own set of networks. One person sharing your podcast episode can create a beneficial ripple effect on your brand.

You also have to consider who the listeners are. Your listeners have to be people who are business enthusiasts and are eager to hear new ideas. This is why you need to choose podcasts that are directly targeting those types of audiences.

There are several entrepreneur podcasts that have already built an impressive following through the years. These are the shows that will not only give you the exposure you need but as sources to draw invaluable advice and insights from.

Startup podcasts like Startup Hustle focus the discussion on your business story, how it started and what kind of problems you are addressing. A foolproof way to subtly entice listeners to look into your services while entertaining them in the process.

Hosting

Why not do the talking? One of the advantages of hosting your own business podcast is you get to endorse your brand any way you want. The work may seem intimidating at first, but a lot of successful entrepreneur podcasts today started off with humble beginnings.

In fact, Full Scale’s founders, Matt DeCoursey and Matt Watson created their own podcast with a simple dynamic-just them talking about business. The podcast, Startup Hustle, then grew into a popular show for business enthusiasts and entrepreneurs alike.

So, where do you begin? Simple! Just ready your equipment, research your topic, and hit record.

In preparing your equipment, you’ll need a good quality computer, audio editing software like Audacity, and a podcast hosting site to upload your file. You don’t have to be techy to host it. There are several resources and guides online to help you get started.

Lastly, do your research before the actual talk. You need to set the tone of the show and figure out what kind of topics you’ll be discussing. If you want topic ideas, listen to Startup Hustle for inspiration.

Getting Started

Now that we’ve established the what’s and how’s of podcast advertising, the next step is to implement it in your business marketing plan. You’ll need experts to guide you through your promotional efforts and oversee the entire process.

If you’re looking to scale up your startup, you need guidance from seasoned entrepreneurs. Matt DeCoursey and Matt Watson, Full Scale’s founders, have grown their own startup into a huge offshore software development company. They are angel investors that the startup community by investing in small businesses and sharing their expertise through their weekly podcast.

Ready to hear an expert advice? Talk to us today!