Need more proof that podcasts are a good advertising investment for your clients? According to research by eMarketer, podcast ad spending in the U.S. is estimated to total more than $2 billion in 2023. By 2026, that investment will reach $3 billion. That means podcast ads will account for more than 25% of digital audio ad spending in 2022. And by 2027, that percentage will raise to over 33% of total digital audio ad spend. Consumers are interested and advertisers are responding. Are your clients among them?

The Future of Podcast Ads

Budgets

According to eMarketer, 53% of advertisers are planning on increasing their podcast ad spending this year. Another 46% plan on keeping their podcast ad budgets the same, and only 1% plan to reduce their podcast ad spending.

Audience

According to AudienceSCAN on AdMall by SalesFuel, approximately 20% of U.S. adults have listened to an audio podcast within the last 30 days. Podcasts’ primary demographics are:

Male vs. Female: 55.6% to 44.4%
Age 35 to 44: 26.7%
Age 25 to 34: 22.1%
Average Household Income of Between $50,000 and $74,999: 17.9%
Average Household Income of Between $25,000 and $49,999: 17.9%
Average Household Income of Over $150,000: 17.2%
Employed Full Time: 59.9%

If you want to know what percentage of your client’s target audience listens to and responds to podcasts ads, as well as what their favorite programming categories are, check out their audience profile on AudienceSCAN on AdMall by SalesFuel.

Attitudes Toward Podcast Ads

A recent SalesFuel blog based on data from NCSolutions reports that 33% of podcast listeners say podcast ads are a great way for advertisers to reach them. 27% even say they enjoy listening to ads placed during their podcasts! Additionally, “34% say they’ve purchased products two or more times after hearing an advertisement on a podcast, while 17% have bought products they’ve heard featured four or more times.”

Crafting Effective Podcast Ads

How Long Should They Be?

Overall, according to a study by Audacy, “Ads that ran for 30 seconds outperformed others on most key performance indicators such as engagement, brand effect, and recall, and were also heard as more trustworthy, likable, and relevant.”

Now, that outcome changes when you consider different industries. Audacy reports that for auto and financial services, 30-second podcast ads are the most effective for targeting potential customers. As for the retail industry, those customers prefer shorter ads. For them, 15-second audio ads are the sweet spot.

The only area 60-second ads excel in is making listeners think about how the advertised product or service could fit into their lives. Longer ads also offer more information to listeners since they have more time to do so. However, 30-second podcast ads fared fairly similarly in both these categories. So, Audacy recommends that, if your client wants to use a 60-second ad, they should consider creating two 30-second ads instead.

How Should They Be Presented?

There are two different methods your client can use to broadcast their podcast ads. They can record them and have the podcaster play them or they can have the podcast host read them aloud. According to a previous SalesFuel article on eMarketer data, there’s a huge difference between the two.

Ads read by the podcast’s host are the more effective of the two. Why? Because the listeners trust the host. They’re more likely to take ads spoken by the host more seriously than pre-recorded ones. Additionally, having your client’s podcast ads read by the host allows the ads to come across as more personal and authentic. Listeners are also more likely to pay attention to what the host has to say compared to a recorded ad by anonymous talent.

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