Troubleshooting Dynamic Insertion

Have an issue with Dynamic Insertion? Check here first to see if there’s a solution.

While we strive to ensure our tech is top-notch, you may end up running into an issue from time to time. We’ve created this help article to directly address the most common questions and their solutions.

I updated my Insertion Points/Audio Blocks, but I still hear the old version.
Dynamic Insertion isn't working with Spotify
How do I add an Audio Block to multiple Insertion Points?
Can I set an Audio Block to play during a set time/date range?
I can’t hear any ads playing. Are you sure the Audio Block is set up correctly?
General Troubleshooting Tips

I updated my Insertion Points/Audio Blocks, but I still hear the old version.

There are two main reasons that this happens. The first reason being many distribution platforms download audio files onto your device in advance. You may actually be listening to a downloaded copy of your episode as opposed to the new, updated version. You can resolve this by simply deleting the cached copy and streaming the episode again.

The second reason for this issue is due to us maintaining the audio file for a listener for a full 24 hours. If a listener starts your episode and then decides to jump back in later, we maintain that connection for 24 hours. We do this to ensure that we won’t splice in different ads for the same person. We recommend listening to the newly updated episode in another app, or with another browser to get a fresh copy. Additionally, you can visit your episode’s page within RedCircle and refresh your audio using the Refresh button:

You can then listen to the updated audio by clicking on the red Play button (the triangle on the far left.)

Dynamic Insertion isn't working with Spotify.

We worked with Spotify to set up a “passthrough” that allows for Dynamic Insertion to function on their platform. If you set up distribution with Spotify on RedCircle, then that passthrough should already be enabled.

If you migrated your podcast over from a different hosting platform, but did not update Spotify to reflect that move, then we recommend following the steps in our Spotify Distribution Help article. Particularly, the section titled “Already distributing to Spotify” since you need to change your host to RedCircle on the Spotify for Podcasters dashboard.

How do I add an Audio Block to multiple Insertion Points?

Have a custom Audio Block, like an intro or an outro, that you want to add to all your episodes? No problem, we’ve got it covered! You can bulk-assign an Audio Block to already-existing Insertion Points in your episode.

Simply navigate to the Dynamic Insertion page, click on the three dots (...) next to the title of the Audio Block, and select Assign to Insertion Points:

A module pops up where you can select your show and then bulk-assign (or unassign) an Audio Block to any and all present Insertion Points.

There's been some confusion about what the checkmarks and drop-down options mean on that bulk editor page, so here's the basic gist of each option:

• First: This refers to the very first Insertion Point in the episode. So, if you have two Insertion Points in Pre-Roll, this refers to the one that's in the first position.
• First Available: This refers to the first Insertion Point available in the episode. So, say you have one Insertion Point at 00:00:00 and another Insertion Point at 00:01:02. If the Insertion Point at 00:00:00 already has an Audio Block assigned to it, then clicking First Available would assign to it the 00:01:02 spot.
• Last: This refers to the very last Insertion Point in the episode.
• Last Available: Similar to First Available, clicking this assigns the Audio Block to the last Insertion Point that's available/open. So, say you have one Insertion Point at 00:30:00 and another at 00:28:10. If the Insertion Point at 00:30:00 already has an Audio Block assigned to it, then clicking Last Available would assign to it the 00:28:10 spot.

You may have noticed some markings in the checkboxes themselves. The faint red line indicates that an Audio Block is already assigned to it. A red checkmark means that the Audio Block you’re assigning is now added to that spot. And a blank checkbox means there are no Audio Blocks assigned to that Insertion Point.

If you click All, then it overwrites the Audio Block that is already assigned. But if you click First Available, for example, then it assigns the Audio Block to the first available spot.

Can I set an Audio Block to play during a set time/date range?

Members on the Pro or Enterprise Plan are able to set a start and end date for specific Custom Audio Files. See here for more details.

If you have the Growth Plan or grandfathered Original Plan and you’d like to run a time-based promotion, then you would need to manually assign and unassign the Audio Block for the specific duration.

I can’t hear any ads playing. Are you sure the Audio Block is set up correctly?

Rest assured, just because you’re unable to hear the ads playing doesn’t mean they aren’t playing for your audience! There are plenty of reasons as to why you may not be able to hear Audio Blocks, especially ones for Programmatic Ads.

With Programmatic Ads, each individual download of one of your episodes may have entirely different ads (or no ads at all!) It really depends on who's downloading, and how much demand there is for that listener / at that time. Sometimes we may have no ads to insert, and sometimes we may have too many! 

Advertisers also consider podcasts for ads depending on several factors including audience size, audience demographics, audience geolocation, the content of the podcast, spot rates, and more. So, you yourself may not even be in the demographic to hear those ads!

But if you’re not hearing a custom Audio Block, like an intro for example, then definitely reach out to our Support team so we can investigate for you.

General Troubleshooting Tips

Sometimes running through a quick list of troubleshooting steps helps to resolve the problem. Follow the steps below to see if they help to fix the issue:

1. Clear your cache & cookies
2. Open a private/incognito window
3. Turn off any browser extensions you may have active
4. Switch to a different browser

Clearing your cache and cookies “resets” your browser and refreshes it to the most recently updated version of the website.

Testing things out in a private/incognito window turns off all extensions and removes cookies, allowing you to visit the website like a ‘new’ or ‘fresh’ user.

Turning off browser extensions helps to clear up the browser. It’s possible, and pretty common, for an extension to interfere with a website.

Sometimes websites and browsers just don’t get along. Switching to a different browser may help to alleviate the issue.