Founder’s Note

Hey hey, everyone! Can you believe it’s already been a week since we launched The Mic Drop? Let me just say how grateful I am for all your fantastic feedback, your thoughtful critiques, and all the ideas you’ve shared. I’m having so much fun writing this newsletter, and knowing you’re enjoying it makes it even better.

As promised, I want to take you along for the ride of what life looks like for me as a founder of a corporate audio startup. This past week, I attended the Radio Advertising Summit for the very first time—and I know what you’re thinking: “What’s a corporate podcast guy doing at a radio event?” But it was surprisingly great! It brought together a ton of people from the digital audio world, including old friends, new connections, and colleagues I’ve admired from a distance.

One big takeaway for me was how local radio stations, despite working hard to transform themselves digitally, often underestimate the power they already have. Between their deep connections in local communities, strong on-air talent, and a built-in fan base, they’re perfectly positioned to become major players in the on-demand audio world—if they only embrace podcasting and think of themselves as full-fledged media houses, not just radio stations.

And now that you’re up to speed, let’s dive into our big topic of the week: advertising. Buckle up!

The Big Topic

Advertising - it’s basically the big engine that seems to be fueling most of what what is happening in audio, whether we’re talking podcasts, radio, or beyond. Over the last years and ever since podcast advertising has become more professional, we have learned that host-read ads are “the holy grail of podcast monetization,” and honestly, there’s some serious truth to that. When a host genuinely endorses a product, listeners often follow their lead because, hey, they trust that person.

For anyone who is not familiar with host-read ads, here is a short description: A host-read ad is a type of podcast advertisement where the show’s host personally delivers the promotional message. Rather than playing a pre-recorded commercial, the host speaks about the product or service in their own voice, leveraging the trust and rapport they’ve established with their audience. This personal touch often makes host-read ads feel more authentic and engaging than traditional spots.

But - like so many brilliant ideas- host-read ads can get tricky if you don’t handle them the right way.