Spotify updates podcast advertising capabilities

As podcast listener numbers increase and the topics available on podcasts broaden, Spotify have launched a new feature to directly engage listeners with brands. CTA (call-to-action) cards.

The CTA cards will appear as a small, interactive button near the middle of the listeners device when a podcast is paused for an advert. The listener can touch the button which will redirect them to an advertisers website landing page. This process enables brands to provide more information about their products and services to the listener in just one step and to engage directly with them as an alternative to an audible 15-30 second advert.

CTA cards are also intended to make it easier for listeners to remember useful information from advertisers  such as a promotional code or URL that may have got easily forgotten in an audible advert.

Spotify has 28 million podcast listeners worldwide (2021) and is the number one podcast streaming service in the world,  followed by Apple Podcasts. It’s success is derived from the acquisition of Anchor, a digital platform which aids creators to produce and monetize original podcasts.

2021 saw Spotify’s ad revenue increase by 75% (Q3) due mainly to podcast streaming. It is estimated that podcast ad spend is set to double from $1.31 billion to $2.71 billion between 2021 & 2025 (Insider Intelligence data)

Ulta Beauty was one of the first companies to test the new CTA cards on Spotify. Advertising via podcasts, says Christine White, head of content at Ulta Beauty, is all about “finding the right connection points” — those moments where it’s possible to grab and hold listeners’ attention.

CTA podcast ads are currently only available in the US and through bookings with a minimum spend of 40K linked to it, but will be widely available after the Spring in the UK!

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