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Learn more about the world of Programmatic Ads
The RedCircle Ad Platform (RAP) is your one-stop shop to monetize your show with advertising, all from right inside your RedCircle account. Check out this article to learn more about RAP and this article for information on getting started with RAP.
Programmatic Ads are typically professionally pre-recorded advertisements. Similar to old-school radio ads, these ads range from a large variety of categories including entertainment, education, real estate, technology, and more. These ads are automatically dropped into your podcast through the use of Dynamic Insertion. Read on to learn more about these types of ads!
How do Programmatic Ads work?
How do I set them up?
I have a question about…
How do Programmatic Ads work?
Programmatic Ads are similar to TV and Radio advertisements; a professional pre-recorded ad plays on your podcast either in the pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll spot depending on your Dynamic Insertion configuration.
There’s not much work on your end after the initial setup and Dynamic Insertion configuration. It’s pretty much a plug-and-play feature!
Check out the differences between Programmatic and Host-Read Ads to fully understand how they each function.
How do I set them up?
Easy! Once you reach the required 500 weekly downloads to opt-in to RAP, you simply need to check the box next to Programmatic Ads to enable them.
Check out our Help article on configuring your settings for Programmatic Ads. You’re able to customize the sorts of ads you want, or don’t want, running on your show(s) through the category exclusion tool.
I have a question about…
Have a question about Programmatic Ads? No problem, we’ve gathered the most common questions we receive about this feature and the solutions. Check them out!
Why don’t I hear the ads?
Rest assured that Programmatic Ads are running your show even if you yourself are unable to hear them. With Programmatic Ads, each individual download/stream of one of your episodes may have entirely different ads (or no ads at all!) It really depends on who's listening and how much demand there is for that listener’s demographic at that time. Sometimes we may have no ads to insert, and sometimes we may have too many!
If you do want to verify, we recommend listening on a ‘clean slate’ as you may be listening to a cached version of your episode. RedCircle adheres to IAB guidelines which means that the downloaded audio is cached for a period of 24 hours. If you listen to the same episode within that 24 hours on the same application and IP address, then you won’t hear the updated audio. Try listening on a different device or connection to 'reset' the audio.
I heard an ad that should have been excluded. What should I do?
We’re sorry about that! We do our best to ensure that ads are properly categorized, but on rare occasions, an ad may slip through the cracks. It's important to note that Programmatic Ads are a distributed ecosystem; unfortunately, RedCircle doesn't maintain direct relationships with the advertisers. As a result, we can be responsive to miscategorized ads, but it can be a challenge to catch them early.
If this ever happens, please reach out to our Support team and we’ll make sure the ad is properly categorized.
How does payment work?
Payment occurs monthly. You receive payment for the previous month’s 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.
Unlike Host-Read Ads, 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.
Why is Programmatic revenue lower at the beginning of the year?
It's pretty typical in the podcasting industry to see a dip in revenue starting in January. Advertisers plan on a yearly basis, so their budgets are used up by December and they start planning in early January. Revenue tends to pick up closer to the end of Q1, which is around March. Don’t fret if you’re seeing a dip early in the year as it’s expected!
Check out our Blog Post on the basics of Programmatic Ads for even more information on this great monetization option!