Podtrac: Matching Advertisers to Targeted Podcasts

Podtrac has introduced an online service to make it easier for advertising agencies to find the right podcast for their clients. The Podtrac Media Planner lets buyers sample content from more than 4,000 audio and video podcasts and to order a menu of shows that could reach their customized requirements.

Below, a screenshot of the planner which lets advertisers specify the demographics of their target audience. Click the graphic for a larger version.

"We've surveyed over 70,000 podcast listeners, and we update that data every quarter," said Mark McCrery, Washington, DC-based Podtrac's CEO and co-founder. "We're able to provide the buyers data in a form with which they are familiar.” The presentation is similar to a common industry consumer guide, Mediamark's Survey of the American Consumer.

In an interview, the founder of the firm which connects podcasters and advertisers characterized the shows as serial content. "The advertiser is endorsing or sponsoring this specific [podcast] and it's important that he have a good idea about what it's going to be,” McCrery said. Since many podcasts have themes like technology, travel, or movies, they draw an audience with some predictable interests. Banner ads or text ads on a Web page do not, he said.

A source close to the company said some of this year’s advertising buys were made by "mavericks" in the companies' marketing divisions. The effectiveness, or return on investment, for podcast advertising is very difficult to measure but they were willing to experiment. McCrery hopes his Media Planner will help marketers become comfortable with podcasts as an option.

That's one of the reasons McCrery began collecting listener data more than a year ago. So he can show marketers the same kind of numbers they see when they buy other media. The Podtrac Media Planner is another response to "speak to advertisers in their own language,” McCrery said.

In the past year, McCrery's put a number of brand name advertisers into his network of programs. Dell Computer (DELL), AT&T (T), and HBO (TWX) are among them. One of the next big sponsors for Podtrac will be Viacom's (VIA) Paramount Pictures.

Listen to Podtrac's Mark McCrery talk about  the challenge of selling podcast advertising.

Disclaimer: I own shares of Viacom.