Moving on to measurement and optimization, how do you track podcast performance? Through dynamic ad insertion, in which a pixel is appended to the ad itself. Impressions are only registered when a listener actually hears the ad and the pixel fires.

Dynamic ad insertion offers a more accurate form of measurement compared to baked-in or embedded spots, where ads are integrated into the show content and cannot be separated.

Delivery of baked-in ads can only be tracked through promo codes, or by pixeling the entire episode, which makes measuring whether listeners actually heard the ad challenging. Pixel tracking via DAI is superior, as it provides a record of the ad actually being delivered, and the most accurate measurement in the podcast advertising space. It is a somewhat common misconceptions that DAI entails foregoing the ‘host read’...more and more, shows are recording and dynamically inserting their host read endorsements, which is a great way to maintain the personal elements of this ad type while also using the tracking and creative control that is enabled by DAI.