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How to Create the Perfect Audio Ad

Audio ads are one of the most prominent forms of digital advertising today. They are incredibly effective at getting people's attention, and they can be very entertaining as well. For many years audio ads have been distributed via the traditional radio.

With the popularity of streaming services, new channels have opened up for digital audio advertisements. Globally podcast listeners have grown by

42%⁠

and in Europe, the number has increased by 53%. With the increase in audio-streaming services, an audio ad seems like a no-brainer for companies to pursue.

In the contemporary world, competition in the audio advertisement space is increasing, so it is important for companies to create effective and engaging ads. This article will discuss the tips to create the perfect audio ad:

Target your audience

Before creating an audio ad, it is essential to think about your target audience and what they might be interested in. Do not waste your money and time on an ad that no one will ever hear. Make sure you know your target audience and create an ad that speaks to them directly.

Tailoring your ad to a specific audience will help ensure that it's more effective. Once you finalize your target audience, you need to decide on the platforms that are most utilized by your target audience. The step can be done easily using a product tour software.

You need to know

what is product tour software⁠

and how it can help you navigate the features of different platforms to gauge their value. To find the most suitable platform for your advertisement, you need to understand the product software’s user retention rates and adoption.

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Source⁠

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With a product tour software, you can analyze the feedback from different customers. Understand what your target audience needs and provide them a solution to their problem(s). A sign of an effective ad campaign is one that can show you the way out of your misery.

While producing the perfect audio ad, accessibility should also be kept in mind. To allow visually disabled people to be included in the decision-making process, you can make use of

advanced text-to-speech software⁠

so that the ad brief and copy are accessible to everyone.

Select the type of audio ad

Next you need to select the type of audio ad. Some of the most popular types of audio ads include: native audio ads and programmatic audio ads.

Native audio ads are integrated into the content of a website or app. Native audio ads are less intrusive than other audio ads because they are part of the user’s content experience.

Programmatic audio ads are bought and sold through automated systems. They are usually inserted into different types of audio content including audio articles, streaming services, podcasts and digital radio.

Campaigns which use programmatic audio ads are able to do targeting and retargeting of ads effectively. It is necessary to decide where to include your audio content. Podcasts and streaming services allow better tracking of results as compared to traditional radio in which it is difficult to trace how many people listened to the advertisement.

According to a survey conducted,

60%⁠

of listeners made a purchase after listening to an audio ad during podcasts. In addition, around

44%⁠

of listeners agreed that they pay more attention to advertisements that come while they are listening to a podcast.

You need to choose between:

An audio ad type in which the users stream and consume content by their own will in a time that suits them (easily trackable and a higher attention span).

Traditional radio where the users will listen to the advertisements at fixed times such as while commuting to work in their cars (difficult to trace and can’t comment on attention spans).

Decide on ad placement

Once you select the type of audio ad, your next task is to decide on the ad placement. The two most common placement of audio ads are pre-roll and post-roll. Pre-roll audio ads are played before the content, while post-roll audio ads are played after the content finishes.

Pre-roll audio ads are a great way to grab attention and create a more captive audience. They are usually shorter than post-roll audio ads and can be more effective in getting people to listen to your ad. Spotify plays your ad before a streaming session starts to ensure that the listener will definitely hear your ad.

⁠

You can also play your ad during a break in the streaming content. With this ad placement, there is a chance that instead of catching the listener's attention, they might get annoyed with your ad since they were disturbed while being engaged in the content.

Playing your ad after the streaming session has ended, allows you to keep the listener engaged with your content after they have finished consuming it. Post-roll audio ads can be more effective in getting people to remember your ad, since it usually is the last thing they listen to before turning off the stream. If the ad is catchy, there is a high chance it will remain on the person’s mind.

Make it interesting

The very first thing that people will hear is your headline, so it is important to use a strong hook to grab their attention from the beginning. An interesting audio ad will be able to capture the listener's attention and hold it until the end.

Make sure that you put some thought into what message you want to convey across. Be creative and try to come up with something unique. Often a tone or a line is catchy because of its creativity. The best way to keep the ad engaging is to come up with a compelling copy and a strong voiceover.

Proper production of audio ad

Make sure that your ad is produced in an appropriate manner. This means that it should be clear and free of any background noise. Although music can be a great addition to an audio ad, too much music can be distracting and will take away from the message you are trying to communicate.

The audio should also be properly balanced and mixed. You can hire professional voice actors to record your ad to ensure that your ad sounds polished and professional. Nowadays with the advancement of AI, there are some text-to-speech software that can generate audio for your ad in a natural tone. A software would be a good investment if your company releases audio ads regularly.

Keep it brief

The length of an audio ad can be 15 seconds, 30 seconds or a even a minute. The average attention span is decreasing now more than ever, so it is important to make sure that your ad is not too long.

An ideal audio ad should be around 30 seconds long. If the ad placement is in the middle of the audio content, it is best to limit the duration to 15 seconds to reduce the chances of listeners being annoyed.

Consider using a call to action

A call to action (CTA) can be a great way to end your audio ad and encourage listeners to take action - whether that is visiting your website, signing up for your newsletter, or making a purchase - be clear about what you want them to do.

A CTA can differ according to the type of ad. Some brands make use of ad sequencing in which a story is told through multiple ads that are released over a time period. Usually a CTA is added to the last ad in the sequence.

Test it out

Finally, you need to make sure that you test your ad before you launch it. Listen to it yourself and see how it sounds. You also want to get feedback from others to see what they think.

Before you release your audio ad to the public, it's important to get feedback from friends, family, and colleagues to see if they think it is effective. If you can, try to test your ad on a few different people to get a feel for how it will be received.

Create a feedback form and gauge what areas require the most improvements. Incorporate the changes accordingly and continue working on revisions, until you cater to all the areas of improvement.

In addition, you can also test out skippable ads which are usually part of pre-rolls. After you analyze the listening patterns, you can decide if skippable ads are feasible. If a lot of people are skipping the ad and the return on investment (ROI) is less than expected, it is time to try out a different type of audio ad this time.

Summing Up the Things to Know About the Perfect Audio Ad

Creating the perfect audio ad is not always easy, but it is definitely possible. A perfect audio ad is one that is receptive.

Just keep the following tips in mind and you should be able to create an ad that will really stand out.

An audio ad needs to be brief, interesting and properly produced in order to be effective. A call to action can also be a great way to encourage listeners to take action. Be sure to test your ad before you release it to the public to get feedback and gauge its effectiveness.

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