Whether you’d like to try growing your podcast through cross-promotional partnerships or simply want to start monetizing your show by selling ads, it can be important to consider how it will impact the listener experience. Both ads and cross-promos can have major benefits to your show. These positives typically outweigh the costs. However, it’s important to consider your listeners if this is a shift in how they will experience the show.
Will it cause them to stop listening to the podcast? The answer is probably not. But here are a few things to keep in mind when introducing ads and cross-promos to your show.
How to Choose the Right Advertising Partners
One key way to maintain listener retention when incorporating ad breaks into your show is by filling the spots with content that your listeners don’t mind (maybe even like) hearing. Maybe it’s a 30-second clip recommending a podcast that they end up loving, or an ad for a product that solves a problem in their life.
Either way, it’s important to fill ad space with information about podcasts, products, or services that you think will benefit your listeners. That means doing the research. Know your audience demographics and try to stick to partnerships for things you genuinely recommend.
When choosing a cross-promo partner for a feed drop, ensure that the content aligns with your audience demographics and measure the outcome.
1. Place Ad Markers Strategically
We’ve probably all experienced an improperly placed ad marker. One second you’re listening to a fascinating conversation with a host and a guest and the next you’re jarred by an ad. Ads should never feel like unexpected interruptions in an episode. To avoid this, make sure you’re placing ad markers in natural pauses between conversation topics to make it as seamless as possible.
2. How to Add Transitions & Cues
As podcast advertising has risen in popularity, there are a few things listeners have come to expect including sonic cues like music, sound effects, or even a host note saying “we’ll be right back”. These are all great ways to convey to most listeners that they’re about to hear an ad or announcement that isn’t part of the regular episode content. Additionally, having a few bars of music to introduce or play throughout the advertisement increases the production quality and helps the listener orient themselves.
3. Analyzing the Data: Best Practices
While all of these tips can help you improve listener retention when incorporating ads, nothing beats having data to back up your strategies. Using tools like Spotify for Podcasters or Apple Podcasts Connect allows you to look at consumption data for your show to determine where listener drop off occurs. Does it correspond to your ad markers? A small amount of drop off during ads is normal and not something to be concerned about.
However, if you’re seeing steep drop-offs, it’s likely a sign you misplaced an ad marker, chose an advertising partner that didn’t suit your audience, or placed too many ads in an episode to the point of frustration.
For peace of mind, you can even spend a few weeks analyzing your baseline churn rate before even incorporating ads – that way you aren’t inaccurately attributing every loss in listenership to advertisements.
While it can be intimidating to add advertisements into what was previously ad free content, it’s important to remember that most podcasts do have ads. It’s typically not something that will take any listeners by surprise, as long as you’ve taken care to carry out all the steps above.
Pitching Podcast Cross-promos When You Don’t Have an Audience – Yet
Pitching a cross-promotional ad or feed drop can feel daunting when launching a new show. Remember, every podcast starts somewhere. Podcasting is a welcoming industry, and if you pitch your cross-promo with the right message and tone, you might be surprised how open more established creators are to cross-promos with emerging shows.
Here are some tips to pitching your first cross-promo as a new show:
1. Lead with What You Offer (Not Just What You Need)
Even if your audience is small, think about what else you bring to the table. Do you have a niche or underserved audience segment? Is your content aligned with theirs? Can you offer to create a custom promo spot tailored to their tone or audience? Can you share the promo in other owned channels — like your newsletter, social media, or website?
2. Pitch Laterally, Not Just Up
Start by targeting podcasts at your level or slightly above in terms of audience size and maturity. Podcasters who are also building an audience are more likely to say yes, because they see the mutual benefits.
3. Make It Easy to Say Yes
Podcasters are busy, so it’s important to respect the other creator’s time. In your cross-promo pitch, make sure to provide:
- A ready-made promo script or audio file.
- A suggested air date or promo window.
- Clear info about what your podcast is and who it’s for.
- Examples of what you’ll say to promote their show.
- An outline of your owned channels and their followings.
You may be surprised by what you have to offer. Think outside the box – do you have a network connection you can introduce them to, for example? Play to your strengths, and don’t be afraid to celebrate what makes you (and your podcast) unique.
Have questions? Interested in having The Podglomerate help grow your show? Connect with us to hear more about our services.
