Creating an Effective Ad Read
No one likes ads. In the age of digital media where interruptive advertisements pervade the web, choosing to disrupt your intimate podcast with a message from your sponsors might seem like a dreadful idea. However, there are surprisingly seamless ways to integrate an ad into your podcast to actually enhance your listeners experience. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
Choosing the Right Sponsors
At YEA, we think this is incredibly important. Choosing the right sponsors for your podcast can make the difference between a seamless ad and one that takes listeners entirely out of the experience. For example, if your a sports podcast, our partners at SeatGeek would be a perfect choice as their product can be woven into any sports narrative you have for a given podcast.
On the other hand, a company like Audible is very versatile. Since audio books can appeal to a wide audience most podcasts regardless of genre can find ways to integrate a message from Audible elegantly without causing interruption for their listeners.
Your listeners should be your top priority. If they feel you have sold them on something, they will lose trust for you and become less engaged with your show. However, if your audience feels as though you are guiding them to a product that will enhance their experience, they will be grateful towards you and it will build more engagement.
Recording Your Sponsor’s Message
Once you have chosen your sponsor, you must record the advertisement that showcases their product to your listeners. The sponsor will write a blurb for you to make sure you hit their key talking points, but then it is up to you to speak about their product in a way that gets the message across effectively.
You will likely be recording an advertisement not just for one podcast, but for the length of the campaign, which can be a few weeks to a month long. Thus it is important to record the advertisement as non time specific. Be vague enough where it will blend in with any podcast you publish in the next month, yet specific enough about the product to show your audience the benefits of using it. A good ad read delivers value to your audience. It shouldn’t be something that listeners tolerate while waiting for the next segment. It should be something both informative and entertaining in and of itself. Fundamentally, when you read a podcast ad you should be telling your audience about something you want them to know.
Don’t feel like you have to put on a different persona to do your ad messages. Ad reads work best and are most memorable when you take ownership of them and imprint your own signature style that your audience has grown to love.
This is what advertisers are paying you for, after all, so give it all you got. Your sponsors can track your campaigns effectiveness, so as long as you keep it lively and your listeners engaged, they will keep sponsoring you and maybe even want to continue the campaign after it ends!