“Promoting podcasts on social has become so much more challenging because of the ways that algorithms have changed,” bemoaned Getting Curious host Jonathan Van Ness during an Advertising Week panel Wednesday. The growing number of shows to pick from only adds to the hurdle faced by podcasters. Artificial intelligence is part of the solution according to Amaze Media Labs, which is turning to AI for a new marketing tool designed to help creators find new listeners.
The company has launched Trailergram, a service that uses AI targeting that is designed to reach a show’s ideal audience. It does that by promoting a podcast on websites like Yahoo, CNN, People and Comedy Central with contextually relevant articles, exposing the show to millions of potential listeners. When someone interacts with the ad, they can watch or hear the podcast trailer, follow the show, listen to episodes, and opt-in for push notifications about new episodes.
“Without predictable and efficient tools to attract and keep listeners, even the best podcasts can struggle to thrive,” said Robert Tuchman, cofounder of Amaze Media Labs. “We've put Trailergram to the test, and it's a game changer.” He says the beta-testing phase has delivered results such that Amaze has already signed up more than 70 networks, companies, and podcasters to use Trailergram.
During the test period, Amaze Media Labs says a true crime series spent $10,000 on a campaign and it received more than a million plays of its trailer which led to 177,000-episode listeners. And among those that interreacted with the show from the Trailergram ad, 31,000 opted-in to receive push notifications from the show.
In another case, a documentary podcast spent $5,000 on a Trailergram campaign netting it 515,000 plays of its trailer which converted into more than 45,000 episode plays. And 15,000 people opted-in to receive push notifications from the show. Other beta users spent as little as $500 and got thousands of trailer plays and episode listens.
Among its test users was Entropy Media Podcast Network, home to podcasts such as Brokers, Bagman and Moles. Entropy founder Anjay Nagpal credits Trailergram with helping them find an audience for their shows.
Example of Trailergram Ad:
Because the ads are placed programmatically, podcasters are not able to see them live in real time on a specific page. But Amaze says that campaign progress is transparent with trailer plays, ad views, and opt-in reports available in Trailergram's analytics dashboard. Amaze Media Labs has partnered with Cloudflare to certify and ensure accuracy and full transparency with consumption. The trailers are geotargeted to primarily play in the U.S. and Canada. However, the company says roughly 2% to 5% of the trailer plays are from outside North America. Pricing is based on a guaranteed number of podcast trailer plays.
Trailergram is the first product emerging from the labs following its strategic acquisition of the podcast ad network Rockable in March. The company, which was formed in 2020 by Tuchman and Brett Sklar who sold their experiential and event business Goviva to CAA, has to date created branded podcasts for more than 70 clients including companies like Pfizer, Visa, Facebook, MetLife, Ford and Estee Lauder.
“We’re in a unique position working with large brands and developing proprietary podcast technology,” said Sklar. “Every day, we introduce people to podcasts and convert them into loyal listeners.