“I think we kind of owe it to ourselves as publishers to remember what made podcast ads so effective in the first place - they actually sounded authentic.” NPR is one of America’s largest media companies - so they must be doing something right! In today’s episode, Heather Osgood is joined by Brett Robinson, Senior Vice President of Ad Operations at NPR. During their conversation, they discuss:  Ways the podcast industry has changed over the years.  How ads are run at a non-profit.  The importance of building trust between a brand and listeners.  Why you might be missing ou ..read more

“I have certainly had conversations with some of the OGs in the podcast space that are like, ‘Hey, podcasts were created to be ad-free. We were trying to get away from this in terrestrial radio, and that’s why we started podcasting.’ I totally get that, but also, it feels like there are people you can reach on podcasts that you can’t reach with any other marketing messages.”  Getting ads on your podcast is only half the battle. The real work comes when you create your ad and find a balance between the number of ads and the length of your show. Kimberly Alexandre of Branded Podcast Pros jo ..read more

“If you’ve never done podcast advertising before, when you run your first campaign, as much as I would love to say that it’s gonna knock it out of the park, it probably isn’t.”  Your first ad campaign probably won’t be your best - but we all have to start somewhere, right?  Sarah Marini, Senior Manager of Audio Partnerships at Athletic Greens, joins True Native Media founder Heather Osgood on today’s episode. Sarah shares her wealth of knowledge surrounding successful podcast ads, including why it’s okay if your first ad isn’t a home run.  Tune in to learn: Why influencer marke ..read more

“It’s a privilege to get the attention of advertisers. Just as much as it's a privilege for advertisers to be able to work with certain publishers and podcast hosts.” Podcast ads aren’t always easy to produce, and we can all tell when the host is phoning it in. This week’s guest is right; finding a show to advertise on and having ads on your show is a privilege - one that should be taken seriously by both parties.  A.J. Feliciano, Head of The Roost Podcast Network, joins True Native Media CEO Heather Osgood on today’s episode of The Podcast Advertising Playbook. In this episode, they disc ..read more

“What makes podcast advertising unique is the ability to establish intimate relationships that are real, and, you know, aren’t digital.”  We’ve all heard the joke - if you’re a podcast host, you get a mattress! And who knows more about mattress podcast ads than Ashleigh Colón, Offline Media Manager at Eight Sleep? We think she’s the expert, which is why she’s joining Heather Osgood on today’s episode of The Podcast Advertising Playbook. While mattress ads are a category of their own, Ashleigh also offers her expertise on: How audience size plays a role in advertising.  The importanc ..read more

“So I want to close out and leave you with this thought: How are we elevating the voice of the podcast host?” It’s easy to feel isolated when you’re in podcasting. A lot of the time, you’re working alone behind a computer screen, but the podcast community is amazing - which is why we LOVE podcast events.  Our True Native Media sales team joined our CEO and VP at Podcast Movement Evolutions in Las Vegas, Nevada. Today, Heather gives her recap of everything you need to know about the future of podcasting.  This includes: How the economy is affecting podcasting  The 411 on program ..read more

“The great thing about Pixel Solutions, to your point, is that you’re not asking the client to complete an extra step, to remember a URL, or to remember a promo code. You’re allowing them just to access the website however is easiest for them, and then we can tie that to the actual show that drove them there.”  If you’ve spent any amount of time in the podcasting industry, you’ve heard about pixel tracking. But what does that mean? What are pixels?  That’s exactly what Caleb Mansfield explains on today’s episode of The Podcast Advertising Playbook. Caleb is the Director of Partner Su ..read more

“Yes, there’s a warning that podcast listeners want to get away from ads, and they’re starting to recognize ads on podcasts… [but] people still trust podcast advertisements more than they do radio or TV ads.”  Podcast ads are special because the listeners trust to host like they trust their best friend. But is it possible to have too much of a good thing?  That’s exactly what Gabriel Soto, Director of Research at Edison Research, aims to answer on today’s episode of The Podcast Advertising Playbook.  In this episode, Heather and Gabriel discuss:  How to decode your podcast ..read more

“We cannot continue to sign contracts that say the ad is going to live in the episode forever.  That’s right. You heard it - forever.” Today, Heather Osgood is back with a solo episode to discuss the changes she’s been seeing in the podcast industry.  This includes: Faked in ads and why we need to start calling them what they are.  Ways to make dynamically inserted ads more successful.  Why we should move towards a pure CPM pricing model.  The podcast industry is changing… are you able to keep up?  ________________________________________ More of a visual perso ..read more

“The other thing is, if you’re utilizing host read ads and the host is game, please let them do their thing. The host knows how to speak to their audience, and they know what resonates.” We are so excited to introduce our new Senior Director of Revenue and Sales Strategy, Brittany Bernado! Brittany joined the True Native Media team a few months ago, and she’s ready to share her wealth of knowledge with us here at The Podcast Advertising Playbook.  Brittany and Heather discuss: A successful three-prong strategy for advertising  Why advertisers need to let the host do their thing Podc ..read more