Run Ads in Your Internal Podcast

Let’s set the stage: your company is publishing (or considering) an internal company podcast. You know the purpose of the podcast. You’ve identified the point of the podcast. You have the business case and you have the buy-in. There is enthusiasm for the project.

But this is both good and bad because there are competing voices from across the company about what messaging should be communicated in the podcast. You have many cooks in the kitchen, and while these cooks are excited to make the meal, they have different ideas for what the main course should be.

Here’s a little trick: run ads in your internal company podcast about initiatives that are happening across the company. Invite the leaders and key stakeholders from across these initiatives to actually read the ads. Integrate those ads as a pre-roll or mid-roll ad just like you hear in your favorite commercial podcasts.

Your internal company podcast has an outsized opportunity to be successful because podcasts are a consumer behavior that businesses can actually replicate. People love podcasts! And actually, people like podcast ads. According to a Super Listeners 2021 report, podcast ads are the most recalled type of ad — with 86% of respondents saying they remember seeing or hearing an ad. Social Media has 80% and websites 79%.

Podcast listeners also scored high in terms of engagement with ads, as well as responsiveness with 76% of listeners saying they’ve taken action after hearing a podcast ad, which could include visiting a site, making a purchase, or taking out a subscription.

Running ads in an internal company podcast mimics an existing behavior; which is listening, enjoying, and often times taking action when listening to an ad.

So let’s play out the example a bit more. Your company has a values framework and you’ve decided that your internal company podcast will talk about transparency as a value. You’ve modeled out a 13 week series that elevates the topic of transparency. You have a host. You have the guests lined up. You’ve aligned this schedule with your editorial calendar.

You have many company initiatives taking place like open enrollment; a new research report that needs to be amplified, and the annual employee satisfaction survey. Invite the owners of these initiatives to each create a :60 second ad and run these ads as pre-rolls in your episodes.

Running ads in your internal podcast accomplishes a few things:

1. It invites colleagues to participate in the podcast without them getting in your way
2. It allows the company to creatively promote important initiatives beyond the all hands or memo. Be creative. Be funny. Use music.
3. By inviting an outside voice into the content you increase the likelihood of episode being amplified by that individual. Think about it: the head of HR is going to share the podcast episode when she is reading an ad about open enrollment.

Running ads in your internal company podcast isn’t cheesy and it doesn’t dilute from the quality of the content. It will sound and feel familiar to your listener and it can be a very impactful way to elevate key stakeholders from across your organization.

Do you have any thoughts or questions about how to create and integrate ad copy into your internal podcast? Find a time to connect here to discuss best practices.