Advertising
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      1. Help Center
      2. Earning Money
      3. Advertising

      What is the RedCircle Ad Platform (RAP)?

      Work with advertisers to monetize your podcast!

      The RedCircle Ad Platform (also known as “RAP”) is our technology-driven online marketplace that offers a full suite of advertising opportunities including both Host-Read and Programmatic ads. RAP is a podcaster’s one-stop shop to monetize their show through advertising. And it’s all within your RedCircle account!

      Shows must reach 500 weekly downloads before they’re able to opt-in to RAP

      How does RAP work?
      Differences between Host-Read & Programmatic ads
      Further Resources

      How does RAP work?

      Our Advertising Platform streamlines the manual process of coordinating advertising deals on your behalf. So, no more cold-reaching out to brands in hopes of a partnership. Brands and agencies use our platform to purchase ad inventory and run campaigns across an array of podcasts (including yours!) Depending on your ad performance, you may have just started a long-standing partnership with a brand or two (or several 😄 )

      Both Programmatic and Host-Read ads are inserted dynamically into your show through the use of Insertion Points and Audio Blocks. You simply need to set up the Insertion Points and assign the Default Ad Block while we do the rest.

      Before opting-in to RAP, you do need to set up an Express Stripe account in order to receive the funds you earned. Stripe Express accounts are only available for certain countries, so be sure to review our International Coverage article before opting-in to RAP (or any of our other monetization features.)

      Once you set up your Stripe Express account, the very next step is to configure your RAP Settings. 

      All of these components play an important role in earning revenue through our Advertising Platform, so be absolutely sure you read through all the noted articles before getting started!

      Differences between Host-Read & Programmatic ads

      Host-Read and Programmatic ads differ greatly in almost every way; from CPM rates, to composition, to the entire process. See the chart below to see the differences and (few) similarities:

        Host-Read Ads Programmatic Ads
      Type of audio Ad is recorded by the host Ad is pre-recorded by the brand (typically a high-quality read by a voice actor)
      Opt-in You need to opt-in to Host-Read ads before you receive campaign invites You need to opt-in to Programmatic ads before we run these kinds of ads on your show
      Ad approval Yes, you can see all Host-Read ad campaigns in  your dashboard. You can decide whether or not to accept the campaign.

      No, these ads are played without prior approval. You can, however, fully control where ads play in your show. And you can exclude any and all categories that you feel shouldn’t play on your show.
      Control Full control over which episode(s) and where in the episode(s) you want the ads to play. Full control over which episodes and where in the episode you want the ads to play.
      Deadlines

      Yes, Host-Read campaigns have deadlines to accept/decline and to upload audio.

      		 No
      How do the ads run? Through our Dynamic Insertion Technology. We insert the ad to an Insertion Point that meets the criteria of the campaign and is assigned the “Default Ad Block”.  Through our Dynamic Insertion Technology. We insert the ad to the first available Insertion Point that’s assigned the “Default Ad Block”.
      Where do the ads run?

      Placement of the ad depends on the campaign. Brands can purchase Pre-Roll, Mid-Roll, and/or Post-Roll positions. So, a brand may buy all your Mid-Roll positions across your entire catalog. That campaign would play in the Mid-Roll Position until the campaign finishes.

      Wherever you like! We do generally recommend placing Insertion Points in all 3 positions (Pre-Roll, Mid-Roll, and Post-Roll) to generate the most revenue. But you have full control where you place the Insertion Points assigned the “Default Ad Block”.
      When do the ads run?

      Each Host-Read campaign has a specific timeline based either on a set time frame from the brand, or on your audience size and download performance.

      The campaign runs until the criteria is reached.

      		 Programmatic ads run the entire time you’re opted-in. Ads are unique per download, meaning two different listeners could receive different ads even when listening at the same exact time.
      Free product samples? Sometimes! It depends on the brand. Some brands want you to be more familiar with the product as that creates a more genuine ad-read. No
      CPM Rates You set your own CPM rate. See our Help article for tips on setting your rates. You don’t set your own CPM rates. The Programmatic bidding process (which happens within milliseconds of a listener downloading an episode) is optimized to insert the ad with the highest CPM.
      RedCircle Commission 70/30 revenue share split. You keep 70% while we only keep 30%. 50/50 revenue share split. You keep 50% and we keep 50%.
      Payment Payment is incremental and depends on when the brand is invoiced. Brands are not invoiced until after a campaign completes. Payment occurs monthly. You receive payment for the previous months’ revenue at the beginning of the next month. For example, all Programmatic revenue earned in January is paid to you during the first week of February.

      Further Resources

      Check out these articles to complete your understanding of our Ad Platform:

      Want to share feedback or thoughts concerning our Help Center? Feel free to with our Help Center survey! All responses are appreciated! 😊