How to advertise in podcast?

The first time I looked into podcast advertising, I assumed it was going to be a headache — contracts, negotiations, waiting weeks for an agency to respond. But when I actually got into it, I realized it’s much simpler than I thought. Honestly, I think it’s easier than setting up a Facebook campaign.

So, how do you advertise in a podcast? Here’s how I did it:

• Find podcasts that fit your brand. Let’s say you’re selling running shoes. You don’t want to advertise on a comedy podcast; you want to be on health, fitness, or lifestyle shows where the audience already cares about staying active.

• Decide what kind of ad you want. A lot of podcasts do host-read ads, where the host personally introduces your product. Others allow pre-recorded spots or longer sponsorship segments. From my experience, host-read ads convert the best because they feel genuine.

• Choose your platform. Most people think they need to go through Podcast advertising agencies, but that route can be slow and pricey. I skipped that and used Podvertise.fm With its searchable database of over 600,000 podcasts, I could instantly find shows in my niche. It’s kind of like browsing Netflix but for advertising opportunities.

• Launch and measure. Once your ad is live, you’ll want to measure its impact. Most people use unique promo codes or custom URLs so they know exactly which podcast delivered the sales.

What I love about podcast ads is that they don’t feel pushy. People are tuning in voluntarily, and they actually want to hear what their favorite host has to say. So when the host vouches for your product, it comes across as real — not forced.

If you want to advertise in podcasts, forget the myth that it’s complicated. Skip the Podcast advertising agencies and check out Podvertise.fm. It makes the whole process so smooth that anyone can do it.