3 Podcast Advertising Examples That Generate Revenue

This transcript has not been edited.

[00:00:29]Heather Osgood: [00:00:29] Hello, and welcome to the podcast to advertising playbook. It's Heather, again, as always, Anne, I am here today to talk to you about podcast ads. One of the things that we see in podcasting is that the ad can make a huge difference in results. When we talk about podcasts advertising here on the show, we're always talking about host read endorsement ads.

[00:00:52] Okay. Maybe not always. We certainly have discussed the idea of programmatic ads, but by en large, we talk a lot about host [00:01:00] read endorsement ads. And if you've listened to the last few episodes we've created, we were talking a lot about how these ads are really influencer marketing and how important that element is.

[00:01:11] Now, podcast ads are really only influencer marketing if they're executed well. And not all ads are created equal, right? It's not every single host out there that has the ability to create a really good ad read. And I have talked to a lot of advertisers that say the ad read makes a huge difference in the success of their campaign.

[00:01:37] Meaning if the ad read is done well, they're going to convert. And if the ad read is not done well, they are not going to convert. So I wanted to break. Down, just some elements of what is important in an ad read. And I feel like I've got kind of a special treat for you today because I have identified three ads within our roster of shows at True Native [00:02:00] Media. And we're going to play those ads for you. And then I'm going to break down each of those and tell you what about that particular ad is done well and how it has produced results for that advertiser. 

[00:02:13] So, before we get into that, let's talk about what actually makes a good ad read. As we have already established, we are talking about host read ad.

[00:02:23] So first and foremost, the host has to use the product. It is a product that is really going to be communicated clearly. If the host understands that product, right? If the host doesn't understand the product, then they're going to have a difficult time doing it. Not every single product out there is one that can be sampled.

[00:02:46] There certainly are things where, you know, maybe your, uh, uh, banking, uh, you know, customer, or maybe, you know, you were doing investments. Um, perhaps you are, you know, we've had a software program advertising with us that [00:03:00] is specifically for Amazon sellers.  So if, as the host, I'm not an Amazon seller is going to be pretty difficult for me to experience that product.

[00:03:08] But if you can have the host experience, your product firsthand, that is ideal. And we don't want to create too many hoops for hosts to kind of jump through, to get the ad ad read, but I always encourage  advertisers, companies to think about how the host is experiencing the product.  So if I get this beautiful big box with all of these cool goodies in it from an advertiser, that's going to be pretty fun.

[00:03:36] I'm going to like that. And I'm not discouraging you to do that per se, but really what we're trying to do is we're trying to emulate the customer experience. So what happens if the host can go online and order a product? Right? So if you give them, let's say a $50 credit on your site or a hundred dollar credit on your site, and they can actually walk through the process.

[00:03:58] They can understand [00:04:00] from start to finish what it would be like to actually be a customer for you and with your product. I think that goes a long way in helping the host know how to  experience the product so that they can more clearly communicate what the product is all about and the experience will be. So, first you have to make sure that the host is actually trying and sampling your product, if at all possible.

[00:04:24] Next, we really are looking for this organic, authentic you know, air about the show.  We want the ad not to feel like an ad. Now, of course, every time I say that, I feel like I'm going to get letters from people saying, yeah, but that's against the law. Like, you can't advertise a product without saying it's a sponsored ad.

[00:04:44] And I, that's not what I'm saying at all. Like, of course we know that. It is an ad. Everybody knows that the host has received money for this. And we're not trying to pretend that it's not an exchange right of money here, but we do [00:05:00] want it to come off in a way that is something. The listener is going to want to keep listening to.

[00:05:06] So if I, as a host and maybe super laid back and I joke and I, you know, have all this fun with my audience, and then all of a sudden I come to the ad read and my entire countenance changes, my voice changes. And now I'm reading an ad, and now it's scripted. How is the listener going to react to that, right? They're not going to respond positively. 

[00:05:28] So you do really want to look for that authentic piece. How can the host relate to your product and relate, relay your product to their audience in a very unique way that they're, that they know is going to convert. The other thing that is so important about it is giving the host their own freedom and flexibility to create an ad that they know is going to resonate with their audience.

[00:05:54]They have cultivated this audience. They have grown this audience. They know their audience, hopefully [00:06:00] inside and out. And so you want the host to create an ad for their audience, that their audience is going to resonate with. And I find, oftentimes, advertisers are so conditioned to saying, here's a script. This is what we want to be said. This is our product that there are too much, there's too much scripting that happens. And not enough kind of free reign with that ad read.  I highly encourage advertisers to give the hosts some creative flexibility. 

[00:06:32] Now, of course, we want to make sure that the host has guidelines and that they're not just talking about any old thing. You, as a marketer, as a company, you know what your unique selling proposition is, and you want to make sure that that's communicated. However we want to give as much creative flexibility as possible. 

[00:06:49] Um, lastly, you're going to want to make sure you have a strong call to action, right? Because if you don't have a strong call to action, then you're not going to get people who are going to [00:07:00] act.

[00:07:00] If you're looking to create a direct response campaign, it has to be strong to get people to react to it. 

[00:07:07] Okay. So just to recap, creating a good ad, you want to make sure that you are sampling your product out to the host. You want to make sure that the host can be as authentic as possible. So you want to give them those talking points, but give them the liberty to create the ad the way they see fit. And lastly, you want a strong call to action so that you can really see results.

[00:07:28] All right, let's go ahead and dig into our first ad read. So the first ad read comes to us from a podcast called what fresh hell, laughing in the face of motherhood. This show is put on by two women, Amy and Margaret, are their names, and they are comedians. And as you might know, from the title of their podcast, they like to talk about motherhood and how it is been lots of fun, but also challenges, you know, are challenging for them in their life. So they, in their, the context of their podcast are [00:08:00] definitely going to have a lot of banter back and forth. And so of course that is what we are hoping to hear in the ad as well. So let's go ahead and listen to our first ad read. 

[00:08:09]

[00:08:09]Amy. There's a lot in my life. That's not going right right now. A notable exception though, is my hair. I have been using prose for six months now and I got to say, my hair is on point, Amy. Margaret has the hair of a Palomino pony people. It's, it's bouncing and behaving as we used to say in the seventies.

[00:08:27] And no one I, because prose is the world's most personalized haircare. I took the prose in-depth hair quiz. It asks you stuff like what's your zip code? How much do you exercise it at first? You're like, why do they need to know this about me? But that's how they formulate your pros just for my hair, just for my life.

[00:08:44] It works so much better than I was buying. Whatever looked pretty in the bottle at the drug store. Pros has over 50 billion formula combinations and mine is. Just for me, Amy likes so few things in my life. Exactly. Plus pros offers a review and refine feature, which lets you tweak your formula [00:09:00] for any reason, maybe a move to change your diet or became completely sedentary or her diet and became doesn't matter if you're not 100.

[00:09:09] Yeah. Present positive pros is the best hair care you've had. They will take the products back. No questions asked. Pros is the healthy hair regimen with your name all over it. Take your free in-depth hair quiz and get 15% off your first order today. Go to prose.com/laughing  for your free in depth hair quiz, and 15% off.

[00:09:33]Heather Osgood: [00:09:33] 

[00:09:33] All right, let's go ahead and dissect this ad. What was good about the ad and what can you as a potential advertiser learn that will help you set up ad reads for podcasts that you are working with. So I wanted to start by saying that the ad is overall well produced.

[00:09:52] And what I mean by that is that. From beginning to end, there is, there is a storyline, right? So we've got a [00:10:00] beginning, we've got a middle and we've got an end, which I think is very important with an ad read that it's got some sort of a path that it is following it's it doesn't feel like it's all over the place.

[00:10:11] It doesn't feel like they are rambling. All of the words that they say are super clear. So I'm not having to guess at a word that they said. I understand the entire ad read from, start to finish. I bring that up because I have had podcasts, even though you can edit a podcast that have messed up on words and ads and not edit it out. And it drives me nuts. So, yes. So I feel like the ad is well-produced and it's clear and comprehensive. And like I mentioned, I feel like it follows a very good story arc. Next, I love that they started with a hook, right? 

[00:10:45] So as I'm listening to the ad, I don't automatically think this is an ad.  I think what are they talking about? Are they talking about something interesting? I might want to keep listening. Right. So I don't get the feeling. But, you know, I don't get the red light [00:11:00] where it's like, Oh, Hey, this is an ad. Now it's time for you to fast forward because they create a really good hook. And because they tell that personal kind of story at the beginning of the ad, which I really like a lot.

[00:11:12] The other thing that I like is obviously these guys are comedians. And they joke around, but they also joke around in a way that is very acceptable. There are certainly some comedians that are going to be very irreverent and that's just their sh their stick, right? Like that's what they do and there's nothing, nothing wrong with that.

[00:11:29] I personally don't love that for advertisers just cause it makes me so concerned about brand safety and being concerned about what that host is going to say about the product. So I liked that they made it funny without making it irreverent. 

[00:11:44] Um, next, I really like that they gave the audience a preview on the survey that the advertiser was going to ask them to take. So, obviously the, you know, the host has been through this process, which is great. So I mentioned that at the [00:12:00] beginning. They didn't just send her a bottle of this product and say, Hey, enjoy this, Margaret. They made her actually walk through the ordering process. So she knew what to expect and then she was able to provide that information for the audience.

[00:12:13] The audience could anticipate what they were going to, uh, you know, encounter when they got to the website, they knew that there would be a survey and they knew that the questions might be a little different than you would expect for a haircare product. And I thought that that was great. It was great for even me because I've thought about buying this product. I won't lie and listening to the ad, I was like, gosh, that's really interesting. So I just moved to Florida. My hair has been frizzy, as you probably can tell, and I'm like, I could really use a product that is formulated for all of this Florida humidity. So it's pretty cool to think that I'm going to get a sense. Specialized product based on where I live and based on what I eat, I wouldn't have known any of that if Margaret hadn't talked about it. [00:13:00] So she's given me the listener, the opportunity to essentially be preempted or to be exposed to what I'm going to experience when I get on the site. And then, she's made it not a big deal.  And not only has she made it not a big deal, she's made me think, well, gosh, I want to get in there. And I want to fill that survey out so that I can get the product that is going to help me with my frizzy hair. So I loved, loved, loved that. 

[00:13:26] The other thing that I thought was terrific is I feel like they did a really good job communicating the unique selling proposition of the brand. There was no question to me at the end of the ad, read what I could experience with pros when I purchased the product. So I thought that was very good. Now, this of course is on the part of the advertiser, but they did provide, I think, a good clear call to action, which was 15% off by using the code "laughing".

[00:13:53] Um, and I thought that was great, right? It's it's, uh, I would say a significant enough amount that if I were interested in buying the [00:14:00] product, that I would go about trying to remember the code or get the code  when it was time to order so that I could get that savings. 

[00:14:07] Um, and then lastly, I think they did a really good job reiterating. Uh, the, the sponsor's name at the end and spelling the sponsor's name out because while Prose maybe feels easy to spell, what if it's not?  So, I think that they did a really good job of spelling out the sponsor's name, reiterating the sponsor a couple of times, but not so many times that it was over the top.

[00:14:30] So all in all, I think that this was a really, you know, just terrific ad and I hope that, uh, yeah, going through it has been helpful for you. 

[00:14:38] So the next ad that we're going to dissect is from Eric Fisher, from beyond the to-do lists. Now, Eric is a podcaster that has been with true native media for quite a long time. And he just knocks it out of the park. I would say he does a really good job for his advertisers. His advertisers see good returns on their investment when they run ads with him. And as we go through this ad, I think that you're [00:15:00] going to see why he does such a good job. So next, we will hear an ad from Eric Fisher and beyond the to-do list.

[00:15:09]

[00:15:09]We're going to take a quick break to say thank you to our two sponsors for making this episode possible. First up is set up. I love set app set setup is aligned with me. They're on a mission to help people get more done. And one of the ways that you can get more done is making sure that you have the right tools for your computer.

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[00:16:17] All the updates are free and all the apps are full featured pro versions. I've been using setup for a long time. And in fact, I just upgraded to a family plan so that I could get all of what set-up has to offer across. All my devices in my house. That's how much I love set up. You've got to try this out.

[00:16:36] Head on over to set app.com to try set up free for a week. If you like it plans just start at nine 99 a month. Use it for as long as it's useful for you. And trust me, it will be again, adjust upgraded to a family plan again, go try it out free for a week at setapp.com.

[00:16:57]Heather Osgood: [00:16:57] 

[00:16:57] Okay, so let's [00:17:00] go ahead and critique the ad by Eric. So, as I had mentioned, Eric has been with us for a very long time and he just does a great job overall. But what I love about Eric and his reads is his level of enthusiasm. So there is not a change in his energy between the content that he creates and the ad, because as I was mentioning at the beginning, you want to see that consistency because as a listener, if you feel like the energy shifts, then all of a sudden, it's this cue to you that you should move on. And I think it's important when you, when you think about the shifts, it is, it's about the energy. It's about the volume, it's about the mic, right? And I see that this happens fairly frequently in podcasts where all of a sudden it's like, I'm listening to this show. It sounds great. It sounds really well-produced, and all of a sudden the ad comes up and you're like, Did they use their iPhone to record that ad? Like why does it sound so [00:18:00] bad? It's just so different.  So I think that that is really important. The tone of the ad has to match the tone of the podcast. And Eric does a really good job of that. He brings all of this energy. 

[00:18:14] The other thing that I love about this ad read is that the content of the ad matches the content of the podcast. So beyond the to-do list is all about how you can create more productivity and efficiencies in your life.

[00:18:29] He's advertising a product, that's going to do the very thing that his show is all about. And so it makes it feel like such a natural fit. So. You know, he could do a segment on set app and it would be a natural fit for his podcast.  So, as a listener, it doesn't feel like why are you advertising this product to me? It feels like, Oh, this is so cool. Eric is telling us about something that is going to benefit our lives, right? And the reason that people are [00:19:00] listening to his podcast in particular is to get tips and advice on how to be more productive.  So this advertiser is an advertiser to help people be more productive.

[00:19:10] So it feels very in context with the program, which I think makes it a double win. The other thing that I really like about the ad read is that Eric explains it very well. So especially with software products, sometimes it can be very difficult to envision what that product is actually going to offer.

[00:19:30] Now, in the prior ad, when we're talking about hair care products, it's not that difficult to envision what a haircare product is going to do for someone.  But it can be difficult with a software product because I haven't seen it. I don't know how maybe it's going to interact with my life. And I think he does a really good job of breaking down the app or the program as it were, as it were and making you really want to interact with that app because you've got a really clear vision of what it can bring to your life and to your productivity.

[00:19:59] I [00:20:00] like that he talked about the fact that he liked it so much that he upgraded to the family plan.  So we know in this, that it wasn't just like, Oh, Hey, Setapp gave him a free trial and so he's talking about it, the fact that he decided to upgrade to the family plan for his entire household, because he likes it so much is very compelling.  It gives us that story. It gives us that authenticity that we're looking for. And I can say, I can, I can vouch for Eric that he isn't making this up. He really actually genuinely loves Setapp, which is terrific. 

[00:20:35] The other thing that I loved about this ad is he says, you've got to get this, right. And so if you're thinking about interacting with a friend and really with podcast advertising, it's just amplified word of mouth. If I'm talking with a friend and they recommend a product, they're going to tell me all about the product. They're going to be like, look at this product, it's amazing. You have to check it out. It's going to make your life way better. [00:21:00] And I will say I'm holding up right now Bye Bye Pores Pressed from IT cosmetics, a friend recommended this to me. She was like, you have to get it. It's amazing. And so, I got it because she recommended it to me. And in the same way with an ad read, when Eric says, Hey, you've got to go get this. I'm feeling very compelled as a listener to go purchase this product because Eric's my friend. And he just told me to go buy it.  

[00:21:25] The other thing that I like about the ad, and this is from an advertising perspective, I like that they, that he told me the price of the product in the ad. Now, that isn't always the best move. It depends a lot on the product that you're selling, but in my opinion, it gives context, right? We all know on average what we're paying for our different apps and to say, Oh man, if I just paid 10 bucks a month, I could get apps to all of these ads. You know, instead of paying my $30 or $40 a month, that I'm paying right now in app fees, I could consolidate that. So it gives the context of the pricing, which I think is [00:22:00] really, really super important. 

[00:22:01] All right, the last ad that we're going to deconstruct for you on today's podcast is an ad from Pat Flynn on the Smart Passive Income Podcast. Now, Pat, obviously, is a super content creator. He's been creating content in many different veins for lots of years now.

[00:22:17] And so he does do a really great job with his ad reads. So let's go ahead and listen to an ad by Pat Flynn.

[00:22:24]You know, I love brands that want to sponsor the podcast who've I've already worked with and have used before. And today I'm super grateful to be working with HelloFresh, which if you didn't know, they send you free premeasured ingredients and super amazing recipes delivered right to your door and they let you skip the grocery store and they let you cook at home with just all the stuff right there in that box.

[00:22:44] And I've used them. I love it, especially because it brings my family together. We can cook together. We can eat together. It's affordable. And that's why it's America's number one meal kit. And I recommend you should check them out. So not only are they great, but they have a lot of options too, right? 23 plus recipes [00:23:00] each week, a lot of flavors, cuisines ingredients, you'll never get bored of, which is really important.

[00:23:04] I've used others before, but I found out why most people love HelloFresh it's because. Of the variety, the different kinds of healthy options as well, low Cal carb, smart, vegetarian pescatarian options every single week, no matter what you choose, it's super fresh and they offer you flexibility with your plan.

[00:23:21] Like you can change and customize it every week. If you'd like and delivery days, food preferences, et cetera, you could skip a week if you want. It's just super cool. And again, the fact of the matter is anything that brings my family closer together and has us eat healthier. In my opinion is always a good thing.

[00:23:34] So. Go to hellofresh.com/spi 10 and use code SPI 10 for 10 free meals, including free shipping. Again, that's hellofresh.com/spi 10 for 10 free meals, including free shipping.

[00:23:48]Heather Osgood: [00:23:48] 

[00:23:48] Okay. For our final ad read, we had Pat Flynn as you just heard talking about hello, fresh. And what I really love about this ad read is the [00:24:00] personalization that went into it. Now, Pat, obviously from listening to that ad is a personal fan of the product. And I loved that. He started the ad out by saying, Hey, this is a product that I already use.

[00:24:12] So we know that he isn't just doing the ad read that he actually is very fond of the product and that is going to go a long way in the ad read to make it successful.  The other thing that I love that he did here was he talked about his family, right? So he took something that could be outside of himself and he made it very personalized because he said, Hey, if it brings my family closer together, then I'm super happy. And so we know that he has this ability to endorse the product, but also bring it into his family, personalize it to a great extent. In this ad read, I think it's great that he conveys the variety of options that HelloFresh can provide. So that's nice because you get a good sense of the product.

[00:24:52] And the other thing that he does is he talks about the ease of use of this. And this is an entrepreneurial show. Typically we [00:25:00] think of entrepreneurs as being very busy. And so he's talking about a product and recommending a product that he knows that you know, people are going to use that are going to make their lives easier. So there's a really good, nice hook to this. 

[00:25:12] Now, the other thing that I love about this ad read is I love the 10 free meals because as you're listening to him, talk about this product. And if you are somebody who may dread making dinner and you want to eat healthily and you know that it's going to be a lot of work.

[00:25:28] We have this feeling that it's going to be very easy, but also, Hey, I could get 10 free meals so I could try it out. And it would be super easy essentially for me to get these 10 free meals. So I think the offer that HelloFresh gives is very compelling.

[00:25:44] All right, that wraps this episode up. And I hope that it's been helpful for you.

[00:25:48] I hope that you've been able to see what the strengths are of the different ad reads and as you're going out, and you're thinking about creating ad reads, whether you're an advertiser or a podcaster, I just want you to [00:26:00] remember how important it is to really be authentic and organic. And what is going to create that authentic, organic feel is understanding the product, it is knowing the product. And then it's creating an ad read that is compelling. It is something that you want to listen to. And Oh, by the way, the reason that our company is named True Native Media is that native media is content in ad form content and less like ads. And so the very fiber of what we do at True Native Media is wrapped around that host read endorsement ad, and I hope that they will bring success for you. 

[00:26:36] If you were interested in learning more about True Native Media, please head on over to truenativemedia.com. We have several guides there for you.

[00:26:45] If you want to download a guide about how to make successful advertising campaigns happen in podcast advertising.  I hope this has been a great episode for you and I'll catch you again soon.