Every business’s biggest advertising worry is that their advertisements are being ignored. This worry is especially prevalent when you get into podcast advertising. Because listeners have the ability to skip ahead easily, it’s understandable that you may be concerned that your ad spend is being wasted. Fortunately, the ad skipping issue probably isn’t as big of a problem as you think it is.
The truth is, podcast advertising is one of the most effective ways to market. If done right, you’ll be able to reach an audience that is highly engaged and that is in your demographic. However, this doesn’t mean that podcast ad skipping is nonexistent. In this blog, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about ad skipping and how to avoid it with your podcast ads.
What Is Ad Skipping?
Podcast ad skipping is just what it sounds like. When someone is listening to a podcast, they have various playback options at their disposal. They can skip to a certain part of the podcast, they can rewind, they can skip ahead, etc. So when someone starts to hear an advertisement on a podcast and they decide they don’t want to hear it, they can simply skip ahead and avoid listening to it.
Obviously, for advertisers, this is less than ideal. You’ve put time, money and effort into these ads, so you don’t want them to be missed. But can you even tell if your ads have been skipped in the first place? In short, yes. Let’s talk about how.
Can I Measure Skips?
Obviously, it helps to know if your ads are being skipped. If you know your ads are being skipped, you can take measures to improve your ads and increase the chance that people will actually listen to them. But how can you measure skips? Is there a simple way to do it? With podcast analytics, you can.
Although you won’t get direct data that tells you exactly how many skips have occurred, you can look at data that tells you listening percentages. In other words, you can see if people listen to 100% of the podcast or just parts of it. If people are listening to over 90% of a podcast, there is a good chance they’re hearing your ads. If your data is less than ideal, you may need to look into the problems your ads might have.
Options for Skipping
As mentioned, users have plenty of options for skipping. Usually, there’s even a button that lets you jump ahead 15 seconds. With podcast ads being between 15 and 60 seconds, this makes it pretty easy for someone to avoid them if they want to. That being said, skipping doesn’t happen as often as you might think. Many people listen to ads and don’t go through the trouble of skipping. Often, it’s more trouble than it’s worth. Also, if you’re choosing the right podcast, there’s a good chance the listeners will be interested in what you’re selling. So, if you are seeing people skipping your ads, there are a few things you can do to prevent it from happening.
How to Prevent Users From Skipping an Ad
There’s pretty much no guarantee that your ads will never be skipped. That being said, if you make your ads the right way and you make the right choices, you can reduce the chance that they’ll be skipped. There will always be people who skip podcast ads consistently, but you can definitely reduce skips from those who only skip when they’re bored. Here are some good methods to improve their advertising experience.
Create Compelling Ads
First and foremost, make sure your ads are compelling. Draw them in with your value proposition, make sure the language is accessible and interesting and ensure that you’re as concise as possible. People don’t want to listen to an ad that is boring or unnecessarily drawn out.
Find Podcasts to Advertise on That Are Highly Relevant
One of the best things you can do is make sure to advertise on the right podcasts. The podcasts you choose should be highly relevant to your target audience. If you sell women’s razors, you probably wouldn’t advertise on a men’s health podcast. Make sure to choose podcasts that would actually matter to your demographic and draw them in.
Improve Your CTA
An unclear or weak call to action can prevent conversions. You need to make sure your CTA is to the point and tells the customer where they need to go to get your product or service. Be direct, be clear and make your point.
Use Data to Improve Your Ads Strategically
Using podcast analytics can make a huge difference in your advertising strategy. With the right data, you can see if your ad placement needs changing, which advertisements work best, how many people are listening, attribution data and much more. With this information in your hands, you can adjust your strategy to improve your return on investment and better customize your ads for your audience.
Get Insightful Podcast Data From Backtracks
If you’re looking for a way to get advanced podcast analytics, choose the Backtracks platform. Backtracks provides the most advanced podcast analytics in the industry. You can use this data to improve your ads and keep ad skipping to a minimum. Learn more about the Backtracks platform and sign up today.
