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2017 Podcast Ad Revenue Sees Monster Growth…Time to Get In

Bryan Karas

June 13, 2018

The report is out and 2017 podcast ad revenue is up 86% from the previous year topping out at 314 million dollars.

The study analyzed 14 podcast content genres, with the top four – arts/entertainment, technology, news/politics/current events and business –  generating more than half of the ad revenue in 2017.

Depending on the ad platform, there are tons of different ad formats that podcasters use. Audio ads – which are placed at the beginning (pre-roll), middle (mid-roll) and end (end-roll) of the show – display ads on the podcaster’s website, social media mentions, email and blog post links etc…

According to the report, host-read ads were the preferred type – accounting for two-thirds of all ads. Direct response ads (64.2%) and brand awareness (29.2%) also lead campaign revenue numbers.

Maybe it’s time to get Joe Rogan on the phone…

We all scream for ice cream

The gelato company Talenti took on a brand awareness approach in 30 second pre-roll spots. They had the hosts of popular foodie podcasts – Gastropod and Spilled Milk – read off delicious details about their gelato…

“Did they need to try 25 different chai teas to find the perfect spice blend for their Vanilla Chai gelato?”

And the results were yummy – 74% of Gastropod and Spilled Milk listeners were able to recall a feature of Talenti gelato from the ad they heard.

Some companies are even creating their own branded podcasts – the high end retailer Barney’s launched “In Conversation,” a podcast that interviews the world’s top designers. More on that later…

Podcasting is on the up and up

Podcasts are attracting major advertising dollars because they are a very engaging medium – over 48 million people listen to podcasts each week averaging seven shows a week. Listeners also have deep respect for the podcast hosts they follow which makes them much more receptive to the brands that the host decides to endorse.

That’s very important – podcast listeners are the hyper-engaged, super-supportive audiences that all advertisers crave…

Eric Siu put out an awesome article about everything you need to know on podcast advertising – highly recommended read if you’re looking for insights into this advertising medium. AdvertiseCast put out a podcast advertising calculator to see the current rates as well as a glossary on all the terms you need to know to get ready…

Since podcast advertising is still at the beginning of its growth curve it’s a great time to build relationships with podcasters and get highly targeted ad at a very reasonable price.


Branded Podcasts Are Long Form Advertisements and People Love Them

If you’re looking to jump into the deep end of podcasting…start your own. Branded podcasts are popping up all over the place. According to NPR, 75% of all podcast listeners take action on a sponsored message so not only do you get brand awareness but you also acquire new customers.


Sh*t You Need to Know

Snapchat is rolling out goal based bidding for Ecommerce advertisers

Instagram is giving Ecommerce stores a shopping bag icon to use on Stories

Facebook is giving customers the ability to share their feelings about advertisers on the platform

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About the Author

Bryan Karas

CEO

On a mission to save businesses $100M in wasted marketing spend by 2026. CEO at Playbook Media/ GrowTal, Angel Investor, Startup.

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