Acast continue to provide tailored options for Australian podcasters and advertisers. After allowing advertisers to utilise their first-party data towards more effective campaigns, they are now expanding their self-serve podcast advertising platform to let advertisers buy host-read sponsorships across the Acast Marketplace.

Host read live and pre-recorded advertising has worked well, and at an additional cost, on commercial radio. Acast’s new automation allows any advertiser to book host-read sponsorships across a roster including the Obamas and Bruce Springsteen and, closer to home, Meshel Laurie, Osher Günsberg or The Chaser team.

Acast launched their self-serve platform last year. With radio and podcast advertising traditionally bought through an ad rep or through the podcaster or network themselves, this self-serve advertising platform could pave the way for better and more accurate investments in podcasting and may later translate to radio, with advertisers seeking more control over how, when and who their message is delivered through.

Product Manager at Acast Niklas Lagerberg, says on their website:

“This is a real moment for us. Host-read sponsorships are what makes podcast advertising so special and they’re the ultimate personal endorsement for advertisers because podcast listeners have such a deep, intimate connection with the creators they love and truly value their recommendations. By opening up sponsorships in our self-serve advertising platform, Acast has created even more opportunities for advertisers of all sizes to reach high-value podcast audiences in the way that our medium has become so famous for.”

A study of frequent podcast listeners in the US, conducted by Acast, showed host-read sponsorships were effective for advertisers with 62% of listeners making a purchase after hearing a host-read sponsorship and 72% saying they had visited the advertiser’s website.