Milly Botes, Director of Product at Acast, the world’s largest independent podcast company, has recently contributed to expanding its self-serve podcast advertising platform. Advertisers can now coordinate sponsorship campaigns read by podcast hosts using the Acast self-service platform, making Acast the largest podcast network to offer self-service podcast sponsorship options. 

Advertisers can purchase sponsorships from Acast’s podcaster marketplace from well-known creators in podcasting, such as “Sh**ged, Married, Annoyed”, “WTF with Marc Maron”, as well as podcasts from The Higher Ground Network, and more.

Before this innovative launch, advertisers relied on purchasing podcast sponsorships through the podcaster or an ad sales representative, extending the time and complexity of the overall process. 

Milly shares, “We build solutions for advertisers to make it more effective to spend with Acast. We build solutions for podcasters to upload, host, and distribute their shows, and we build the platform that connects the advertisers to the podcasters, which is self-service ad buying.”

Acast Expands Self-Serve Advertising Platform To Enable Host-Read Sponsorships Ft. Milly Botes, Director Of Product At Acast

Pre-Recorded vs. Host-Read Podcast Ads

Podcast advertisements are often done in one of two ways: pre-recorded or host-read. 

A pre-recorded podcast ad is an insert, typically from the company, with the ad recorded and the call to action edited into the podcast. 

In contrast, a host-read ad has a much more natural, authentic feel because the host puts what they love about a product or service into their own words, making it far more engaging for listeners at home. 

Host-read sponsorships also come with a unique benefit to the advertisers: personalization from the host. 

Milly shares, “This form of advertising allows them to be creative with the brand messaging and to speak to their audiences in a way that is entirely authentic to their personal brand. This is highly effective because of the intimate relationship and trust that podcast listeners form with their favorite hosts. They are eager to hear personal stories and anecdotes from podcasters about the brands, products, and services they love.”

Key Findings on the Effectiveness of Host-Read Sponsorships for Advertisers

A recent study on frequent U.S. podcast listeners by Acast demonstrated that host-read sponsorships are an excellent opportunity for advertisers across the marketing funnel. 

62% of listeners said they had made a purchase after hearing a host-read sponsorship, and 72% said they had visited an advertiser’s website after hearing a host-read sponsorship. 

Milly elaborates, “I recently worked with a TexMex cuisine brand, and when we brought the advertiser to the podcaster, the podcaster in question was absolutely thrilled and had eaten at the restaurants before and couldn’t wait to work with the brand. So, you really know that the host-read advert they’re going to do is authentic to their experience.”

This authentic experience with the brand comes across in their advertisement, prompting more interest in the brand from viewers. At the same time, the podcaster stays true to their personal brand and interests. 

In another vein, advertising is also more effective when it reaches the right audience within the proper context. For example, frequent podcast listeners are more likely to consider a product in a podcast that reaches them based on their interests. 

95% of survey participants said their interests mattered most for reach, and 92% agreed that the context of the podcast had a significant effect on their decision to consider a product. 

Platforms like Acast help you find your audience in the right context, allowing you to better reach your target audience in a way that will inspire a purchase. Acast has many different filtering criteria that enable advertisers to look for the best podcasts their audience watches based on language, country, interest, and much more. 

By leveraging AI, Acast connects advertisers with podcasts they may not have previously considered, helping them choose the right podcast show to connect with the most relevant audiences. 

Democratizing Podcast Advertising 

One of the most significant benefits of a self-serve platform is that more businesses can access it as the company can lower the minimums required to spend with them. 

Rather than spending $10,000 on a single podcast ad, a business can land spots for as little as a few hundred dollars, allowing them to reach greater audiences. 

Milly shares, “It’s truly democratized podcast advertising for the everyday marketer, which means we can work with so many more brands that we used to before, which is super exciting and motivating.”

Since launching in November 2022, the Acast platform has evolved based on customer feedback to democratize podcast advertising further. 

The continued goal for the Acast team is to encourage more democratization in the podcasting industry for both advertisers and podcasters. 

Milly shares, “For us, it’s about having leading solutions for advertisers that can really make sure that they spend their money most effectively with Acast and within the podcasting format. That’s leading advertising technology in terms of privacy, safety, and targeting capabilities. For podcasters, that’s giving them easy-to-use tools to grow and monetize their podcast.”

Tapping into Podcast Influencers Globally

A benefit of Acast’s self-serve platform is that it allows advertisers and podcasters to connect anywhere. Milly shares that there are no discrepancies between markets. Advertisers can buy from anywhere worldwide as long as they are a registered business and pass Acast’s checks and balances. 

The ability to connect with podcasters anywhere is significant for advertisers because Acast’s study found that 82% of American podcast listeners agreed with the statement, “Listening to ads is a way to support my favorite podcasters.”

77% also feel like their favorite podcasters are their friend and are 15% more likely than average to listen to ads every time. 

The bottom line? Advertisers get more bang for their buck because podcasts are an incredibly effective way to reach listeners who often feel like they are hanging out with a friend who is telling them about a new product. 

Future Plans

Milly shares, “We want to keep improving the user experience of self-service. We want to make sure that it’s intuitive and keep it a balance between having a breadth of capabilities and keeping it an enjoyable and accessible platform to use.”

Another top priority is ensuring that the product experience is aligned with marketers’ various campaign objectives, which the Acast team plans on achieving by providing advertisers with guidance and recommendations to help them accomplish this and maximize the potential effectiveness of their campaigns with podcasters.