Reaching Critical Mass Through Podcast Advertising

I often listen to audio podcasts on my long drive back to my hometown or while I’m working. I have noticed over the years how the advertisement breaks have changed. Most podcasts have no direct cost to customers, so the creator of a podcast needs to find other sources of revenue. The way that most are funded, is by the podcast host taking a commercial break from their session to read an advertisement. When I started tuning in roughly three years ago, advertisements for Audible.com were almost exclusively the only ads I heard.

In August 2013, Apple announced that in the eight years since the mediums debut, their customers have subscribed to more than a billion podcasts. By analyzing the Diffusion of Innovations Theory, I believe this group of people would be considered the innovators of our society. By choosing to advertise through this channel, companies will have a higher rate of effectiveness in communicating their message down through the social system. If their product or service is well received, these people will tell their friends and the word will spread.

In the last decade, Apple has become known for apprehending the attention of the technologically savvy innovators. Once these consumers become hooked on the latest phone or tablet, the early adopters follow and the early majority after them. I believe this to be true for podcasts as well. Those that are targeting advertising to this particular audience should, in essence, have the same flow down through society as other Apple products.

One of the commercials I have been hearing frequently is for stamps.com. I had not heard about this company previously. The commercials tell me that I cannot only buy my postage online, but that I can get it at a discounted rate. So many products and services are becoming available online, but I didn’t imagine that for the postal service — who’s buildings are cornerstones of most neighborhoods — would follow this trend. By continuing to get the word out to this selective audience, this service could dramatically change the way we handle our mail.