Ad Spend: Podcast or YouTube?

In the world of digital brand partnerships, there are two giants: Podcast and YouTube.

But as a partnerships manager, where do you decide where to channel your ad spend to: 1) achieve high ROI and 2) build long-term partnerships?

The answer: YouTube

Why? Let’s break it down together….

Podcast Ads: downloads

Listening Experience – you enjoy the host; topics discussed; questions asked
Sensory Appeal – focuses on what you hear vs. what you see
Content Depth – listeners prefer longer episodes (commutes; workouts; breaks)
Ad Delivery – hosts deliver with personal touch / vocal emphasis

Extra Cooks – 50+ podcast hosts, each with a different method for data / analytics
Unclear Data – ‘downloads’ don’t equal ‘listens’…Ex. Pod XYZ has “25k downloads”
Default Downloads – if you’re subscribed to a XYZpodcast and get a new episode on your phone – that counts as a ‘download’ regardless if you actually listen – this causes data problems
Repeat Listens – some podcast hosts count 2+ listens from same device as separate downloads – this causes more problems
Harder Conversions – listeners have to 1) listen to an ad offer, then 2) remember the website and code, and then 3) type in URL separately at different time
Listening Depth – unclear what % of true audience listens and how far they listen into each episode – depending on your ad placement, it may not get heard

Unclear Gamble – you don’t know the audience you’re getting; in reality host doesn’t truly know audience size
Audience Work – you’re asking the audience to take more steps to redeem an offer

Sole Source – all of YouTube execution / data stems from parent company: Google
Watching Experience – you enjoy the creativity; content covered; unique formats / ideas
Sensory Appeal – favors what you see vs. what you hear
Content Efficiency – captures the imagination of viewers in short time frame (<10mins)
Ad Delivery – customer sees your brand / product and is one-click away from offer
Data Clarity – internal traffic; external traffic; age; gender; geography; views; audience retention

Busy Platform – other videos; banner ads; distractions to steal attention from viewer
Content Trends – videos are getting shorter over time which will decrease ad length

Better Predictability – exact measure on audience size; historical view data;
Creative Ads – YouTube is creator-centric, encouraging creators to make a visually memorable ad to influence customers quickly (skits; product interaction; etc.)
Immediate Action – if customer is influenced by ad, they can click, immediately

If we have $10k+ a month ad spend, we’re finding the best YouTube creators we can find, negotiating great value, and going all in!