Win Over Advertisers With This Podcast Media Kit Guide
When it comes to growing your podcast, few things can be more valuable than a podcast media kit. Though these press kits are primarily used to gain sponsorships, they can also make it easier to appeal to potential guests who you would want to appear on your show.
With a well-designed podcast media kit, you provide potential sponsors with everything they need to know about why they should advertise on your show. In this article, we’ll cover how to design a quality podcast media kit and what it should include so you can maximize its potential.
How to Design an Attractive Podcast Media Kit
Even though podcasts are an audio experience, your podcast media kit is going to be largely visual — so you need to make it visually appealing! Fortunately, you don’t need to have a big design background to create an attractive media kit.
You can actually find media kit templates online — many of which are completely free — to help you get started. For example, Canva offers several podcast media kit templates that you can customize with your own cover art, graphs, and text. Always incorporate your podcast logo and color scheme to provide a consistent look for the entire kit.
Of course, to help your media kit stand out, you’ll need to supply some of your own images as well. Potential sponsors will want to see who you are, which means including a headshot and possibly one or two photos of you during the recording of your podcast. Headshots of previous guests can also be helpful. Any charts or graphs that you include should be customized to reflect relevant data for your podcast.
Most podcast media kits are exported to a PDF format when complete. Compressing the media kit to a pdf ensures that the file size will be small enough to be sent via email, while still allowing potential sponsors to click on embedded links for more information.
It may also be helpful to include the media kit on your podcast website. This could be labeled as an “Information For Sponsors” or “Media Page” that includes your entire media kit in a one-page layout that interested sponsors could scroll through.
7 Things Your Podcast Press Kit Needs
Your podcast media kit should provide some basic information to help advertisers better understand your show and what it has to offer. The following info should be considered a must-have when putting your press kit together.
1. Podcast Host
Some background information about you as the podcast host is always welcomed by potential advertisers. In addition to a headshot, include a brief bio that describes who you are, what you do outside of podcasting, and why you started your podcast. Include any details that help illustrate why you are a good host for your show, be it a background in broadcasting or public speaking, or detailed knowledge of the topics that you cover on your podcast.
2. Target Audience
The demographics of your podcast audience will be one of the most important things a potential sponsor will want to consider. After all, if your show primarily appeals to males age 24-35, it probably won’t be a good match for a brand that targets females age 55 and up.
Of course, the more details you can provide about your target audience, the better. Interests, hobbies, and income level are just a few factors that can help a sponsor determine if their products or services would benefit from being advertised on your show. You could also include information about previous guests who have appeared on your show and the attributes of their followers.
Understanding your target audience will ultimately make it easier for you to identify which sponsors are most likely to be a good fit for your show in the first place, so you can pitch the right people.
3. Metrics
To make a compelling pitch to sponsors, you need to provide quantifiable numbers that prove the size of your audience and your growth trajectory. As such, you should include the number of downloads your new episodes get, as well as other relevant data points, such as weekly web traffic. It can also be helpful to show the growth of your podcast over time in a graph. This helps illustrate the development of your show, as well as its potential for future growth.
You should never take a “set it and forget it” approach with your podcast metrics. After all, the download numbers for the first podcast episode of your show will be quite different from what you can hopefully achieve 6 months later. Even if you don’t need to update other aspects of your media kit, it’s a good idea to review and update your metrics monthly. This ensures total transparency with advertisers, and can help you adjust your advertising rates accordingly.
4. Advertising Options
Include the specific types of advertising you plan to offer. This could include a 30-second ad that you read during the middle of the show, inserting the brand’s pre-recorded ad during pre-roll, social media posts, and more. Be specific about the types of ads you are willing to do, and highlight the benefits of each. It can also be helpful to include your advertising rate — though you should make sure the rate is realistic based on the size of your current listenership. The average rate for a 30-second podcast ad is $18 per 1,000 listeners (CPM).
5. Social Media Engagement
Your social media engagement levels can also give sponsors a better idea of the size of your audience and their overall investment with your show. Be sure to include links to the platforms you are active on, whether it’s LinkedIn or TikTok. Including the number of social media followers you have on each platform or including screenshots of top-performing posts can help showcase your brand authority.
6. Testimonials
Testimonials can prove your know-how and the overall quality of your podcast. If your podcast has been featured by bloggers or media outlets, links to good press can give potential sponsors greater confidence in working with you. Include screenshots or highlighted quotes from such articles.
If you’ve worked with other sponsors in the past, be sure to include their testimonials. Testimonials that describe what it is like to work with you on an ad campaign or that highlight the results your podcast ads delivered can be extremely convincing. Finally, don’t be afraid to include reviews from your listeners, either — after all, they are the ones your sponsors will be trying to reach!
7. Contact Information
If sponsors are interested, they need a way to get in touch! Your media kit should include basic contact information, as well as links to where interested advertisers can learn more about your show. Important links include your podcast website, social media channels where you are active, and links to where your podcast is available. Be sure to include your email address and phone number.
Start Landing Sponsors
When done right, a podcast media kit can make a significant difference in your ability to earn advertising revenue through your podcast. By presenting your show in the best light possible, it can help you gain new sponsorship opportunities — and when those ads deliver meaningful results for sponsors, you create true win-wins.
With Castr, you have even more support to help create successful podcast sponsorships. Castr helps podcasts source, negotiate, and manage sponsorships to build long-lasting relationships with brands that are relevant to their target audience. Quality sponsorships will help your show enjoy long-lasting success.