Podcasts are an efficient way to reach your users and portray your brand via audio. Even if you don’t have your own podcast, your company can still use them to your advantage.
How? Podcast ads.
This page will break down six different podcast ad examples to inspire your campaign and get you thinking about what effective audio ads sound like. Read on to learn more:
- What is podcast advertising?
- Why use ads on podcasts?
- Best practices for podcast ads
- 6 podcast ad examples
Want to skip directly to podcast advertising? Contact us online to chat through the process with a digital marketing expert!
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What is podcast advertising?
Podcast advertising is a type of promotion that occurs in or between podcast episodes that allows you to speak directly to users through audio. You can either create the ad yourself or have the show host talk about your brand while promoting your products and services.
Why use ads on podcasts?
Podcasts are a unique, connective format that let you reach your audience in new ways. You can connect with an attentive audience — many podcasts consist of longer episodes, and it takes an attentive person to listen to every second.
Plus, these ads are less interrupting. If you get the host to talk about your company, the listener will be more interested. It’s like influencer marketing because the host recommends you to their dedicated followers, who they built trust with.
Plus, podcast ads can be affordable. There are ways to create effective ads without spending all your budget in one place.
Best practices for podcast ads
If you want to make effective podcast ads, there are a few specific steps to take. The best podcast ads do the following:
- Establish a clear audience: To advertise appropriately, you need to find out what your target audience listens to. Look for overlap in the podcast market and your audience to find the best advertising spaces.
- Be concise: Keep your ads to the point. If you write a script for users, don’t belabor the point — show that your brand is worth working with while being straightforward.
- Add a clear call to action (CTA): Make sure users know what to do when they’ve finished listening to your ad. You can ask the host to include a link in the episode description or verbally share your website URL for the listener.
Looking at the podcast ad copy examples below can help you visualize these best practices when trying to put them into use.
6 podcast ad examples
Here are six examples of podcast ads to help you start creating:
- Grammarly
- Kimbo Coffee
- Salesforce
- Armra
- Jenny Kane
- Capital One
Let’s dive in below!
1. Grammarly
First on our list of the best podcast ads is Grammarly, who ran a series of pre-roll podcast ads with Spotify. This ad aims to increase awareness about Grammarly’s recent tone-awareness update, which helps users catch and change the tone of their writing depending on the audience.
The short messages talk about how communication is key at work. Then, it explains how Grammarly Premium’s Advanced Tone Suggestions help you send the right message, all the time.
The ad closes by telling the user to go to Grammarly.com to sign up for free and get 20% off when they upgrade to premium services.
What Works
- The length of the ad
- The positive, cheery tone
- The discount for users who upgraded to premium services
2. Kimbo Coffee
Next on our list is Kimbo Coffee, another example from Spotify. Cafè do Brasil recently launched their ecommerce brand, Kimbo Coffee, and chose Spotify to run an ad to promote their coffee pods. Before, they had a strong association with ground coffee, so they needed to get attention for their new product.
They used the non-skippable audio ad choice on Spotify to help spread awareness about the new coffee pods. This Italian company targeted the entire country for a sweeping approach to advertising.
What Works
- The general, sweeping approach for a new product
- No-skip ads to prevent users from avoiding the message
- Multiple ad versions to prevent overplaying the ad
3. Salesforce
Ads on podcasts are not strictly business-to-consumer (B2C). There are business-to-business (B2B) decision-makers out there who listen to podcasts and hear ads, too. If you have a B2B audience, it’s worth creating ads.
Take Salesforce, our next podcast ad example. They ran a campaign with Spotify consisting of audio, display, and video ads for playlists and podcasts that business leaders most often listen to. Some ads were pre-recorded ads played throughout the episode, but others were recorded by the hosts.
All the ads promoted Customer 360 — the tool from Salesforce that helps unite teams and companies to get more work done.
What Works
- The multiple formats that suit different users
- The B2B audience targeting
- The different opportunities to see which ad works best
4. Armra
Next on our list of podcast ad copy examples is Armra, a nutrients company. For this example, Armra worked with the Podcast You Made It Weird with Pete Holmes on the “Pete’s Picks” section.
Pete, the host, talks about Armra at the start of the episode as one of his latest “picks,” or things he likes to share with his audience that he thinks are quality products. He talks about Armour Colostrum, a nutrient from Armra, and how taking it has made him feel.
Pete uses a conversational tone and explains how it has helped him with working out and restoring muscle to feel better faster. At the end, he offers a discount code from the company and spells out their website for easy access.
What Works
- The personal, conversational tone of the host talking to the listeners
- The short, non-interruptive style
- The facts and data directly from the company
- The discount code
5. Jenny Kane
Up next, we have a sponsorship from Jenny Kane, a clothing company. This ad ran on the podcast De-Influenced with Dani Austin.
This ad is simple and straightforward — Dani talks about how Jenny Kane is great for refreshing your wardrobe with quality pieces, some of which she names. She talks about how she herself shops from Jenny Kane and how if you want to get clothes like her, this is the place to go.
The listener also gets a discount when they go online and enter the code from the episode.
What Works
- The lifestyle audience for the podcast overlaps with the brand
- The conversational tone from the host
- The audience connection
6. Capital One
The last example on our list of podcast ad copy examples is from Capital One. This ad specifically occurs in the NPR show Life Kit before the show starts rolling.
This 20-second ad explains what Capital One is, and how they offer checking accounts with no fees, minimums, or overdraft fees. The short, simple ad doesn’t distract from the podcast, and it encourages users to reach out and learn more.
What Works
- The length of the ad
- The positioning of the ad before the regular content
- The quick facts about the company
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Start advertising on podcasts with WebFX
Having a partner in podcast advertising can simplify the process. If you want help creating effective, entertaining podcast ads like the ones mentioned above, WebFX can help.
As a leading digital marketing agency, we know what it takes to create digital ads that entice users. Our team will create and execute the ads, all while finding the perfect place to upload and track your advertising metrics.
Want to learn more about our podcast advertising services? Contact us online today!
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Abbey is a digital marketer, copywriter, and lead editor. She has worked on over 200 client campaigns and WebFX, and she specializes in marketing strategy analysis and industry-specific digital marketing plans. Outside of writing and editing, you’ll likely find her taking pictures of her cat, making a new playlist, or tending to her houseplants. -
WebFX is a full-service marketing agency with 1,100+ client reviews and a 4.9-star rating on Clutch! Find out how our expert team and revenue-accelerating tech can drive results for you! Learn more
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