Podcasts continue to surge in popularity and content producers and sponsors are flocking to the medium. Calls to action for advertisers are a little different for audio and require some new ways of tracking. Here are a few observations for how podcast ads can be set up to be measurable so advertisers know what’s working and so podcast producers can convey the value they bring.

Audio CTA Examples

The Tim Ferriss show is a blockbuster in the podcast world and is known to drive huge sales. Jamie Foxx calls him ‘the Oprah Winfrey of audio” for that reason. Ferriss excels at quantifying things in general and his audio ads are no exception. He’s good at monetizing content in a way that’s not slimy. So it’s no wonder his shows provide plenty of good examples of smart CTAs and campaign attribution.

Shorter URLs

URL shorteners can make it easier to direct traffic verbally, especially if you’ve got a dedicated offer you’re trying to track. Tim Ferriss uses the obscure .blog TLD for short links to content on his site, which often augments the material available directly in the podcast episode.

He also sends people to response URLs that are set up just for him. That way the sponsor can note traffic being directed to this page in their web analytics tool and have a sense of how much the podcast ad is responsible for.

Search keywords

Sometimes it’s easier to direct people to search for a resource rather than try to recite a long URL over audio. Podcast hosts (or guests) can instruct listeners how to create a query that will work on Google or in an on-site search.

Maybe the most impressive example of this technique in action is when Seth Godin is a guest on a podcast. The host simply tells the audience to google ‘Seth’ and of course his prolific marketing blog shows up first. Being able to reliably tell people to just search for your first name is reserved for enormously well-known and reputable personalities, with loads of search-friend content online (i.e. Seth Godin.)

Podcast-specific discount codes/offers

This one isn’t specific to audio format but it’s especially important there. When sponsors are willing to attach an offer for new customers, making that offer code a vanity code allows for better attribution. Plus publishers appreciate having an exclusive offer to make to listeners versus repeating an offer that’s already readily available.

Fuzzy attribution works too

Not all results have to be quantitative. In addition to hard stats, podcasters can use publish dates as a way to note the influence of their ads on the audience. Noting the business results before and after the initial airing can be effective as long as the results are dramatic enough.

The Tim Ferriss Show often notes that products sell out quickly after being featured on the air. TV shows like Shark Tank also share the attribution challenges of being a broadcast medium and often airs updates to previous deals to reinforce the value of the tank.

Triggered memory storage for delayed responses

Podcasts are often consumed in a setting that doesn’t allow for immediate response. If you’re driving, exercising or raking leaves while listening, you’re not going to take action right away and are already distracted by your task. Using tricks to make it easy to mentally file the information for later use is essential. At a minimum, use repetition to ensure the CTA isn’t lost in the clutter.