Dynamic Ad Insertion 101

We talk a lot about monetization–it's a natural talking point when you're a podcasting platform built to help creators find success. Surprise! For a lot of podcasters, success = money. And one of the big ways that happens? With dynamic ads. If you've just started researching, we've got the answers to your questions.

What are dynamic ads?

42% of podcast ads in 2017 were dynamic ads–which means you’ve probably listened to a few, whether you noticed or not! A dynamic ad is one that isn’t part of your audio file, but can instead be inserted, moved around, and deleted over time. If you’ve ever listened to a podcast in the summertime that you know was recorded around Halloween and heard ads for Memorial Day sales, you’re listening to a dynamic ad.

How are dynamic ads different from host-reads?

Host-read ads have been a mainstay for podcast advertisements–they’re the ads you hear that are the host of the show reading advertiser copy. That copy is usually personalized so it’s relevant to the show, host, and audience. Host-read ads have been around for a while, and for good reason–they have unusually high conversion rates, making advertisers and podcast creators very happy.

The good news is that dynamic ads are a method of distribution, not content or delivery. That means a dynamic ad can still be host-read! It can also be read by someone else, or come directly from your sponsor. The opposite of a dynamic ad isn’t a host-read ad, but a “baked in” ad, where the ad is recorded as a static part of the show. Using the example from above, if you’ve listened to that same show that was recorded around Halloween in the summertime and still heard those ads for a haunted corn maze, you’re listening to a baked-in ad.

Why would you want dynamic ads?

Well, think about the example before. With baked-in ads, your back catalogue is going to have a slew of out-of-date content. Dynamic ad insertion allows you to keep things up to date, while also running a more sophisticated ad operation for your podcast. Your back catalogue can be packaged with your current episodes for sponsors–plus, you can sell not only by episode, but also by impression, or how many times your ad is potentially heard. After you hit that cap, you can start a new campaign with a new sponsor (and new money!)–and update all your episodes at once.

What kind of shows can have dynamic ads?

Any kind of shows! More often than not, you’ll find dynamic ads in chatcasts because there are more natural breaks to drop an ad slot, but it’s equally possible to drop pre-roll or even mid-roll ads into fiction podcasts or other genres with a little bit of creativity.

How does Simplecast handle dynamic ad insertion?

Enterprise and Professional customers can insert dynamic ads through Simplecast’s Moveable Audio Engine (MAE). Sound like something that could help your show? Reach out here!