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We collaborated with Sounds Profitable to highlight what makes a good podcast ad by breaking down real examples from popular podcasts.
Hosted by: Troy McEady
Ad placement: Mid-roll
Ad type: Dynamic Insertion
Start point: 00:31:40
Ad copy:
“Hi, hello, it's me Troy McEady and I'm here to, of course, let you know that this week's episode is sponsored by Best Fiends. Now, for those of you who follow me, you know that not only have I been traveling a lot recently but I also had a very nightmarish travel experience that we're not gonna get into. But, I spent over 24 hours in all these different airports and I would like for you to take a wild guess at what kept my brain from pickling during that experience. If you guessed Best Fiends, you are absolutely correct. So for each level, you and your Fiends team up to solve new puzzles. Every Fiend is unique and offers some ability that's very specific to them. So a huge part of the game is picking the right Fiend. Now, the last time you and I spoke I had gotten a new phone, therefore, I'd started over and I was at level 250. I had a lot of downtime on my hands so I'm now at level 415. The greatest thing about this game is that it does not require an internet connection to play so you can partake whenever and wherever you want. Ready to give your brain some TLC - download Best Fiends free today on the apple app store or google play that's friends without the R, Best Fiends"
The hook:
“Hi, hello, it's me Troy McEady and I'm here to, of course, let you know that this week's episode is sponsored by Best Fiends. Now, for those of you who follow me, you know that not only have I been traveling a lot recently but I also had a very nightmarish travel experience that we're not gonna get into. But, I spent over 24 hours in all these different airports and I would like for you to take a wild guess at what kept my brain from pickling during that experience. If you guessed Best Fiends, you are absolutely correct.”
The best way for a creator to catch the attention of his listeners, especially when it's clear an advertisement is coming up, is by touching on a super relatable experience - airport boredom. Troy McEady quickly mentions a personal, horrible experience he had while traveling and then connects it to the sponsor at hand, Best Fiends, noting that it “kept [his] brain from pickling during that experience”.
Because this advertisement is dynamically inserted, having a strong hook is crucial in order to keep your listeners interested. What’s for sure - the mention of a super relatable topic (airports and traveling) with a splash of drama (“nightmarish travel experience”) makes for a hard-to-ignore brand promotion. It’s safe to say that the hook served its purpose.
The pitch:
“So for each level, you and your Fiends team up to solve new puzzles. Every Fiend is unique and offers some ability that's very specific to them. So a huge part of the game is picking the right Fiend. Now, the last time you and I spoke I had gotten a new phone, therefore, I'd started over and I was at level 250. I had a lot of downtime on my hands so I'm now at level 415.The greatest thing about this game is that it does not require an internet connection to play so you can partake whenever and wherever you want.”
This part of the ad explains the app - Best Fiends, highlighting its basics and its addicting nature. The podcast host explains that players solve new puzzles using characters called ‘fiends’. Troy McEady also mentions that he literally couldn’t put the game down, playing over 150 levels in an extremely short time span. Its addictive nature is also due to the fact that you don’t need internet to play the game so you can quite literally play it whenever, wherever.
Although the host touched on all the important points, he was not convincing enough. It is much harder to promote a phone game via podcast because you can’t visually show listeners the game and its basics. So, you have to come up with ways to describe the game without the visual support - such as, describing the game more in detail or taking the personal experience a little further. This is especially important with sponsorships that have very little to do with the podcast content (we were just talking about Jamie Lynn Spears and suddenly discussing Best Fiends).
The offer:
“Ready to give your brain some TLC - download Best Fiends free today on the apple app store or google play that's friends without the ‘r’ Best fiends”
Best Fiends is a free app so this promotion is completely focused on spreading awareness about the game. Also, because it's an app and free, there is no customized landing page for DUNZO! listeners.
Hits the spot:
The podcast host did a great job building a narrative around the game - highlighting where and when he played Best Fiends in order to better grasp the listeners attention and relate to listeners who might be in the same situation. This definitely made up for the lack of visual communication regarding how the game works.
Room for improvement:
This podcast episode focused on Jamie Lynn Spears and, leading up to the ad-read, the host and his guest were discussing Spears’ upbringing in the spotlight. Suddenly, mid-conversation, listeners hear “Hi, hello, it's me Troy McEady”. Not only is it quite strange because we have been listening to Troy McEady talking for 30 minutes, so the sudden introduction is jarring, but it is also extremely obvious that an ad is about to appear. This increases the chances that listeners will either skip forward to continue the podcast episode, or simply disregard the upcoming information.
Partnership track record:
Over the last year, Best Fiends has sponsored 288 podcasts and has sponsored DUNZO! 14 times.
Where else has Best Fiends sponsored?
All Things Internet’s Podcast, Broke Girl Therapy, The Only One in the Room, Against the Odds
What other brands have appeared on DUNZO!?
BetterHelp, Smile Brilliant, StoryWorth
This ad-read did everything it needed to do - peaked the listeners interest with a personal experience, explained the basics of the product, and mentioned the unique selling points (both free in cost and free from internet). But, it didn’t do much beyond that. Promoting a phone app, especially a game, is difficult via podcast. And, unfortunately, that was very obvious in this ad-read. Aside from the ad-read itself, the leadup to the sponsorship lacked seamlessness.
Have you heard a great podcast ad recently? Tell us about it.
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