Host-Read or Prerecorded Ads: What’s the Right Mix in Your Campaign?

In recent years, digital audio has experienced a significant surge in popularity, reshaping the way audiences consume content. From streaming music platforms to audiobooks, the convenience and accessibility of digital audio have captivated listeners. Among these formats, podcasts have emerged as a standout, rapidly growing into one of the most influential mediums in the digital landscape.

As of 2024, nearly half (47%) of the U.S. population aged 12 and older tune into podcasts monthly, marking an all-time high for podcast listenership. With content ranging from news, entertainment, education, and niche interests, podcasts provide a flexible listening experience that fits into people’s busy lives—whether during commutes, workouts, or leisure time.

For advertisers, the boom in podcast listenership offers a unique and highly engaged audience. In fact, U.S. podcast ad revenue is projected to exceed $2.1 billion by 2024, fueled by the intimate, on-demand nature of podcasts that fosters deep listener connections with hosts and brands alike. Advertisers benefit from highly targeted opportunities, as podcast platforms allow for ads tailored to specific demographics, interests, and listening behaviors, resulting in higher engagement and return on investment.

As podcast consumption continues to grow, so too does the opportunity for brands to integrate into the digital audio space, making it an essential part of the modern marketing strategy.

The Benefits of Podcast Advertising

As podcasts continue to grow in popularity, hosts and producers (“podcasters”) will look for ways to monetize their channels. In turn, advertisers have unique opportunities to reach listeners with ads embedded in the podcast content.

There are many benefits advertisers will see when investing in podcast advertising, including:

• Reach a younger audience. The average age of broadcast radio listeners is 47, whereas, for podcast listeners, that drops to 34. In fact, a 2024 study by Edison Research found that 59% of U.S. consumers aged 12 to 34 had listened to a podcast within the last month.
• Podcast listeners are receptive to ads. After listening to a host-read ad, it was found that 64% of listeners had made a purchase.
• Podcast Listeners are engaged. In Audacy’s 2024 Podcast Playbook, 46% of listeners surveyed said podcast ads are “not intrusive at all”, and 80% stay tuned for the entirety of an ad.

Finding the Best Podcast Ad Format for your brand

Podcast advertising offers unique benefits for brands; however, each creative ad format provides its respective benefits. With both host-read and prerecorded ads, advertisers can target listeners by genre, geographically, or device type. However, these two different formats offer a unique listening experience for consumers, and thus, it’s important to understand the differences, benefits, and drawbacks.

Host-Read Podcast Ads

As the name indicates, host-read ads are live-read podcast ads read by the podcast host(s) during the recording of a podcast. The ad is often delivered without a script and becomes a permanent part of the podcast episode, therefore it is typically a bit longer than prerecorded spots because the host provides storytelling from their perspective.

Take NFL stars Jason and Travis Kelce, for example, in a recent episode of their podcast New Heights. During a host-read ad for AG1 Greens, they share why these athletic greens are part of their daily routines, highlighting the benefits in a relatable, personal way. Their endorsement carries extra weight, not just because of their status as athletes, but because their fans genuinely trust them. Football enthusiasts—and particularly fans of the Kelce brothers—are more likely to consider their recommendations as authentic and credible.

Benefits of Host-Read Podcast Ads

• Perceived to be more natural and authentic.
• Less disruptive to the listening experience.
• Host-read ads drive more brand recall than non-host-read ads.

Draw-Backs of Host-Read Podcast Ads

• Smaller reach since you are limited to the number of podcasts that can be played during.
• Less control over the content around your brand since you are relying on the host.

Are curious about the additional benefits of host-read ads and how to get started with this format? Check out our blog to learn more: Considering the Power of Host-Read Podcast Ads.

Prerecorded Podcast Ads

Pre-produced or prerecorded podcast ads are similar to a traditional radio spot. They are either sponsor-produced or host-read in advance using a script. These ads are then added to the podcast post-production.

Consider a personal finance podcast, as an example. Listeners might hear a range of pre-recorded ads, such as a promotion for a budgeting app designed to help users manage their money, a credit card offering special deals for first-time sign-ups, or even a campaign promoting a new financial literacy book. These ads are carefully tailored to the podcast’s audience, making them more contextually relevant and likely to resonate with listeners interested in improving their financial well-being.

Benefits of Prerecorded Podcast Ads

• More control over brand or product messaging.
• Ad placements are lower cost to produce.
• Greater reach and performance transparency.

Draw-Back of Prerecorded Podcast Ads

• These ads tend to be more disruptive and don’t create as native of a listening experience.

What is the right podcast ad mix for your brand?

As with all digital advertising initiatives, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to podcast advertising. When investing in this ad format, the ideal scenario would be to incorporate a mix of both host-read and prerecorded ads. Advertisers can run an A/B test to track performance to see which type resonates best with your audience. If you are offering a promotion or discount in your ad, designate different landing pages for the different formats to see which one has better engagement and conversions.

Many advertisers haven’t made the jump over to digital audio, or specifically, podcast advertising. So, if you know your consumers fall within podcast listener groups, don’t wait to get ahead of the curve, and put your brand in front of a captive audience.

Digilant’s Digital Audio Solutions

At Digilant, we offer digital audio advertising solutions across traditional, satellite, and streaming radios, as well as podcasts. We have partnerships with leading global audio providers such as Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and more, which provides our clients a worldwide presence and relatively unlimited reach. We have access to thousands of premium stations that offer direct, programmatic, and marketplace buys.

Additionally, as an omni-media digital advertising provider, we offer our clients unique solutions to enhance their digital audio advertising, such as:

• Creative services such as the production of audio spots and dynamic symphonic ads which updates the background music of an ad to match the music genre.
• Sequential messaging to retarget audio listening with video, native, or display banners.
• Custom units to drive action – users shake their phone to download a coupon or go to a landing page.

Interested in learning more about the benefits of podcast advertising with Digilant? We’re interested in discussing how we can help you reach your goals. Let’s talk.