And the Webby Award for Best Host goes to….
More than 4,000 brands have advertised on podcasts. Get a heads-up when new brands test podcasts as a marketing channel for the first time: learn more.
At the 23rd Annual Webby Awards, there were over 100 podcasts nominated. Categories included Best Podcast in 14 different genres, Best Host, Best Series, Best Mini Series and more. You can find a full list of all 21categories and winning podcasts here.
We’re breaking down the 2018 advertising history of Pod Save The People, the winner of Best Host. Pod Save the People is a podcast that covers topics like news, culture, social justice and politics with their weekly guests.
Which advertisers are winning Best Host
Since the show covers a wide range of topics, most brands fit into the context of the show. Brands that have advertised on the show include beverage, clothing, travel, financial services, bedding, furniture, and personal care brands, among others.
In 2018, Pod Save the People ran over 100 ads. 95% of the ads picked up on Pod Save the People were from direct response advertisers. The top five advertisers were Betterment, an online investment company; Sun Basket, a meal delivery kit; Casper, a bedding company; The New Yorker, a magazine; and Hubble Contacts, a contact lens company.
Some campaigns were brief, consisting of less than three ads. While other campaigns, consisted of 10 or more ads. Betterment ran ads from January to December, a total of 11 months, we didn’t pick up any ads in February.
Lets take a look at some ads
Host-read ads on Pod Save the People include more than just the talking points from a brand. During the ad, the hosts include their own personal endorsement for the product and banter between each other.
In this ad for Betterment, the hosts talks about the benefits of using Betterment and why financial planning is important. During the ad one of the hosts says:
“y’all know I do not believe anything having to do with money should be confusing.”
There, she references times when Brittany has talked to the listeners in the past about money and saving and tying the ad into the content of the show.
In an ad from Sun Basket, the hosts talk about how easy it is to make a healthy and delicious meal. While reading off the meal plan options, one of the hosts mentions how she can’t eat vegan. Later in the ad the other host calls her out on this before continuing on with the rest of the ad. It’s little snippets like this that show off the hosts’ personalities and keeps the ad engaging.
One of the ads they did for Casper, starts off with one of the hosts talking about how when he first received his Casper mattress, he was shocked that they got a big mattress in a box. Then the other host chimes in with “you got to love engineering” and ties it back into the engineering of the product. The ad is clever and still talks about all of the features of the mattress.
Many of the ads on Pod Save The People are made to blend in with the content of the show. The hosts make the ads personal and bring their personalities into each read. The ability to make ads engaging and sell a product to a base of listeners who trust the host is one of the things that sets podcast advertising apart from other mediums.
Magellan AI creates tools that help marketers at brands like SimpliSafe, Wix, and ThredUP spend intelligently on podcast advertising. Podcast publishers like WNYC and Gimlet Media use Magellan to track advertisers spending money in the podcast space. Learn More.
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