Podcast Advertising FAQ

1. Can audio ads be made clickable like banner ads?

2. Who is the typical podcast listener?

3. How do you measure the number of podcast ads served in my campaign?

4. Is it easy to create an audio ad?

5. Can you tell if a user listened to a podcast ad?

6. How can listeners take action on my ad while listening to a podcast?

7. What companies are advertising in podcasts?

8. My competitors aren't advertising in podcasts, so why should I?

9. When will my ad campaign start and end?

10. How do I submit the assets for my campaign?

11. Can you design a banner ad for my campaign?

12. What are the different ad formats in your podcast sponsorship?

13. Is podcast advertising more effective than other forms of advertising?

14. How do people receive the podcast?

15. Where will my podcast ad appear?

16. How do I purchase podcast ads?

17. Will users just skip my audio ad?

18. How can I measure the effectiveness of my campaign?

19. How many seconds long can my audio ad be?

20. How can I reach someone to discuss my campaign needs?

21. What is the content policy for ads?

22. What if my ad is not accepted? will I be refunded?

1. Can audio ads be made clickable like banner ads?
By mentioning an easy to remember URL, Coupon Code, or 800 number in your audio ad, listeners can immediately take action on your ad just as they do with banner ads. Roughly half of our audience listens to podcasts while at the computer, making it easy for them to navigate to a URL with their Web browser. Even offline users can take advantage of your offer with their mobile phone when you include an 800 number in the audio advertisement, and many phones now have their own Web browsers. You can also check out our Guide to Creating Effective Podcast Ads for more details on setting up a call for action in your podcast ad.

We also offer a number of clickable banner and text ads that appear in different areas of our Web site. By combining ad formats (display and audio), you will increase the frequency of exposure to your message and maximize your response rate. Take a look at our Advertising Formats & Rates page for more details on the different ad formats that can be purchased separately or in a package for greater savings.

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2. Who is the typical podcast listener?
A recent Arbitron study found podcast listeners to be a broad and balanced audience of young and old, male and female. The study found roughly the same amount of 55 and older listeners as there were 18 to 24-year-olds. Podcast listeners tend to be more affluent, well educated and spend more money online than the average Internet user. Podcasts also give marketers the opportunity to reach some of the hard-to-reach niche audiences that are moving away from traditional media. For specific information on the Patriots Daily Web site demographics click here.

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3. How do you measure the number of podcast ads served in my campaign?
The number of podcast ads served is determined by counting the number of downloads that include your audio advertisement. Podcast listeners can stream podcasts through our audio player or download them directly from the Web site using a browser. Listeners can also setup software to automatically download their podcasts directly to their iPod or other mp3 player so that they can listen at a time and place of their choosing.

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4. Is it easy to create an audio ad?
Creating an audio ad is as simple as supplying us with the script you'd like read in our podcast. You can provide us with up to 3 different variations of your advertisement. Please visit our Guide to Creating Effective Podcast Ads to see how easy it is to generate creative and effective audio ads. For the most powerful delivery of your message, we offer professional voice-over services. If you have a pre-existing audio commercial, we can use that as well. Just make sure it doesn't exceed 20 seconds.

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5. Can you tell if a user listened to a podcast?
As with all forms of advertising, there are no guarantees that your message will be heard or seen every time. Just because a radio or TV is turned on doesn't mean there's somebody in the room. When people flip through a magazine, they don't read every page. When a Web page is loaded, it doesn't always mean that a banner ad was viewed.

A large portion of our podcast users listen to the podcasts while browsing our Web site through our flash audio player. When a user clicks on our audio player, we know they are present and interacting with the podcast. To maximize your ad's noticeability, we deliver the ad just after the introduction of the podcast, when people are most likely to be paying attention. Our ads are usually delivered in the first 20 seconds of the podcast.

In the case of a podcast subscriber, we can say that this is a highly engaged audience that self-selects their content. These listeners care enough about the content to have gone through the trouble of setting up an RSS feed subscription so they can receive our show on a regular basis. This is a very tuned-in audience that is more likely to be attentive when your message is delivered.

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6. How can listeners take action on my ad while listening to a podcast?
Please see FAQ Question #1 for the details on how you can set up a call to action in your podcast ad. You can also check out our Guide to Creating Effective Podcast Ads.

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7. What companies are advertising in podcasts?
Here's a short list of some of the big companies that have begun realizing the benefits of advertising in podcasts:

Volvo, Lexus, IBM, Oracle, Purina, Castrol Oil, Apple Stores, Virgin Mobile, Tower Records, Novartis, EarthLink, Dixie Paper, Motorola, Starbucks, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler, Verizon, McDonalds, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, AOL, Paramount, Dell, T-Mobile, HBO, Acura, Land Rover, Symantec, GoDaddy.

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8. My competitors aren't advertising in podcasts, so why should I?
Because your competitors aren't advertising in podcasts... That's why. If you always follow in your competitors' footsteps how do you expect to gain an advantage? By establishing your brand in a new channel that is not being used by the competition, you'll see much better results from your marketing efforts. By thinking outside of the box and being an innovator in your industry you can get the upper hand in the game of market share.

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9. When will my ad campaign start and end?
After we have received all the necessary assets, we will set up the campaign within a few business days. Once an ad starts running, it will continue to run until all impressions purchased have been served. We will notify you once your campaign is active, and upon completion, we will send you a report of the details of your campaign. If you have specific start and end time requirements please contact us and we work to accommodate your needs.

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10. How do I submit the assets for my campaign?
Once we have received your payment, we will send you an email with information about how to submit your campaign assets. We will work closely with you to make sure that all of your campaign needs are satisfied. Our goal is to make you a repeat customer by ensuring that you receive your desired result from your campaign.

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11. Can you design a banner ad for my campaign?
If you do not currently have banner designs in the sizes we offer, we can provide you with professional design services. You can add professional design services to your order and we will work with you to create a high quality banner ad designed for your campaign.

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12. What are the different ad formats in your podcast sponsorship?
Our podcast sponsorship allows you to pick and choose from several different audio and display ad formats. We also offer a package that provides the maximum effectiveness for your campaign as well as cost savings. See the podcast ad formats and pricing page for more information.

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13. Is podcast advertising more effective than other forms of advertising?
A recent report from TNS Global tracked podcast advertising from 2006 to 2008 and found it to be 7 times more effective than Television ads. The report also found the ads to be 3 times more effective than traditional online video advertising. Doug Keith, a researcher from eMarketer, had this to say after analyzing the TNS report...

"The data suggest audiences are paying close attention to show content and the embedded ads within them which greatly increased ad effectiveness in the studies. The high unaided ad recall figures are no doubt the results of a less cluttered environment."

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14. How do people receive the podcast?
There are several methods our listeners use to receive podcasts. They may choose to listen to the podcast by clicking on the "Listen to this article" link that is located on each article on our Web site. Our podcast audio player is located on the homepage and throughout the site, allowing our audience to listen to streaming podcasts from many locations on our Web site. Listeners may also choose to download podcasts automatically to their iPod or other MP3 device. For more general information on how podcasting works, visit our What is Podcasting section.

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15. Where will my podcast ad appear?
Audio podcast ads are read just after the introduction of the article or at the end of an article, depending on whether you order our "Mid-Roll" or "Post-Roll" audio ads. For display ads, we have several different formats that can appear in different areas of our Web site. Please visit our podcast ad formats and pricing page for more details about ad positioning.

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16. How do I purchase podcast ads?
You can conveniently purchase our podcast ads directly from our Web site. You can pay with any major credit card or through PayPal. If you have specific advertising purchasing needs, please contact us directly.

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17. Will users just skip my audio ad?
There's no getting around the fact that today's consumers are in control. History shows that the best approach is to embrace change and adapt to consumer trends instead of trying to fight them. For the podcast user, this control over their media is what makes them a highly engaged and tuned in audience. Studies have shown that podcast listeners are highly receptive to short, relevant and creative advertisments.

We do several things to ensure that our ads are well received and less likely to be skipped. First, we don't put ads at the very beginning of the podcast, which makes it easy for people to anticipate when an ad will occur. Next, ads are read just after the introduction of the podcast after the user has already relaxed and removed their hands from the controls. We also limit our ads to about 20 seconds, making it more trouble to find the fast-forward button and skip an ad than it is to just listen to the message.

By focusing on producing creative and engaging advertisements that are relevant to the audience, you will be likely to receive a positive response to your advertisement. There are several techniques you can use to ensure that your ads are well received. Please review our information on how to develop creative and effective podcast ads

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18. How can I measure the effectiveness of my campaign?
We encourage you to track your results. By providing a call to action with a trackable URL, 800 number or coupon code, you will be able to measure the effectiveness of your campaign. By varying your message and tracking success on each call to action, you can easily adapt your campaign to maximize its effectiveness. If you need assistance in tracking and monitoring your campaign, just contact us and we'll be happy to help.

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19. How many seconds long can my audio ad be?
Audio ads should be between 15 - 20 seconds. For more information on creating audio ads, click here.

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20. How can I reach someone to discuss my campaign needs?
Feel free to contact us to discuss your specific advertising needs. We're happy to develop custom campaigns that will suit your particular needs or answer any questions you may have.

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21. What is the content policy for ads?
We reserve the right to not accept advertising content at our discretion. Please see below a list of content that may be deemed inappropriate.

Adult/Sexual Content, Alcohol, Cable Descramblers, Defamatory, Libelous, or Slanderous Content, Drug Testing, Drugs and rug Paraphernalia, Fake Documents, Firearms, Fireworks, Free Offers and Sweepstakes without terms and conditions, Gambling Content, Hate Speech, Illegal Activity, Illegal Contests, Pyramid Schemes, and Chain Letters, Non-accredited Universities, Pharmacies and Medical/Pharmaceutical Products, Political Content, Privacy Statement, Profanity, Religious Content, Software, Spam, Suffering and Violence, Telephone Numbers, Tobacco, Traffic Ticket Avoidance, Unauthorized Trademark Usage, Webcams/Surveillance Equipment

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22. What if my ad is not accepted? will I be refunded?
If you have purchased advertising that has been rejected for any reason, you will receive a full refund promptly for any ads we have not served.