Podcast advertising is a match made in heaven for brands looking to form meaningful connections with their audience. With millions of listeners tuning in daily, podcasts offer a unique, intimate setting where messages can be whispered sweetly into consumers’ ears. But as with any great relationship, honesty and transparency are key.
Hosts should hold their listeners’ trust at the heart of their advertising disclosure, so here are some tips for ad disclosure for your next podcast.
The Secret to a Strong Podcast Ad Relationship
Just as no one likes mixed signals in romance, listeners don’t appreciate hidden advertising. Our guidance is clear: podcast ads should be easily distinguishable from the surrounding content. Advertisers must be upfront about paid partnerships, ensuring there’s no confusion about whether a segment is an ad or genuine podcast content.
To avoid heartbreak with your listeners, here are six best practices for podcast ads:
Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve
When there is ‘payment’, whether in the form of money or other reciprocal benefits, any segments in the podcast that refer to the brand should make this clear. Clear, up-front signifying phrases like “This is an ad for” or “sponsored by…” help your listeners differentiate between editorial and advertising.
Don’t Play Hard to Get
Advertisers and podcasters should ensure that ads are obviously identifiable and are not confused with editorial content. Therefore, it is best to avoid vague or misleading language that might leave your audience second guessing.
Set the Mood with Audio Cues
Podcasters and platforms may choose to place their ads in different parts of each episode, so the distinction between ‘editorial’ and advertising material may not always be obvious from the placement alone. Just like a love song sets the mood for romance, using a distinct sound or background music can signal to listeners that an ad break is happening.
Ad breaks that are read out by a third party, who is not a presenter of the surrounding podcast, can also be generally identifiable from context. A change in the host’s tone of voice can support the audience to obviously identify an ad from adjacent editorial.
In scenarios where the hosts of a show have lent their voices to paid-for ads during breaks in the programming, it is more likely a specific label or identifier will be required.
Don’t Break Your Listeners Hearts … With Incorrect Placement
To avoid any crossed wires and broken hearts you should clearly declare the ad at the beginning rather than in the middle or at the end.
Whisper Sweet Nothings… Transparently
Keeping an ad relatively short and focused on the product or service being promoted and avoiding the conversation diverging onto other unrelated topics is also likely to aid recognition. Hosts should bear in mind that lengthy tangents may contribute to listeners’ confusion about whether content is an ad or part of the editorial.
Love by the Other Code Rules
Advertisers should remember that the content of their ads in podcasts must also comply with all other CAP Code rules and guidance, in addition to being identifiable.
Avoiding a messy breakup with the ASA
When assessing complaints about podcast advertising, the ASA is likely to hold the brand and the creator of the podcast (i.e. the publishers) jointly responsible. Depending on the extent of their involvement, the podcast platform may also be considered partly responsible. If so, all of them would be named in ASA rulings that result from the investigation.
When done right, podcast ads can create strong, lasting relationships with listeners, but honesty is the key to a happily ever after. For further advice, see our guidance here and here. And for free, bespoke advice on your non-broadcast advertising you can contact the Copy Advice team.
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