EP. 245: Cam Pritchard - Why Podcast Advertising Outperforms Social, TV, and Display

What is the highest-returning ad channel most brands ignore? Podcast advertising. On average, podcast ads return 4.2x on ad spend, compared to roughly 3.6x for social media advertising, with TV and display lower still. Yet half of all podcast ad spots go unsold. In this episode of Test. Optimize. Scale., host Jason Fishman, CEO of Digital Niche Agency (DNA), interviews Cam Pritchard, CEO and founder of SpotsNow. SpotsNow is a podcast advertising marketplace that lets brands research shows, see which podcasts their competitors advertise on, plan a campaign in five minutes, and book host-read ads directly, the way Thumbtack simplified booking home services. Cam Pritchard is a former Thumbtack product manager who founded New Zealand's first textbook rental platform and worked with Travis and Jason Kelce on the fan engagement platform for their New Heights podcast before founding SpotsNow. Questions this episode answers: Why do podcast ads outperform social, TV, and display advertising? What ROAS can advertisers expect from podcast advertising? (Average: 4.2x) Why do host-read podcast ads convert better than produced ads? How did BetterHelp build its business on podcast advertising? (Roughly $100M per year in spend) How do audio pixels track podcast ad conversions to the dollar? What is the fastest way to plan a podcast ad campaign? (Five minutes on SpotsNow vs. a full day manually) How do advertisers buy unsold podcast inventory at a discount? (SpotsNow's last-minute booking model, similar to Hotel Tonight) Which industries advertise on podcasts? (Consumer brands, B2B SaaS, legal AI, fintech, retail) Why should B2B brands advertise on podcasts? (Executives and decision makers listen; companies like Vanta and Oracle buy the channel) How do you optimize a podcast ad campaign? (Portfolio approach: identify top-performing shows, cut underperformers, scale with lookalike shows) Why would a health brand like Oura Ring advertise on true crime podcasts? (Audience demographics beat category matching) Connect with Cam Pritchard and SpotsNow: Website: spotsnow.io LinkedIn:   / campbellpritchard   Connect with Jason Fishman, host of Test. Optimize. Scale.: LinkedIn:   / jafishman   Connect with Digital Niche Agency (DNA), the growth marketing agency behind this podcast: Website: www.digitalnicheagency.com Test. Optimize. Scale. is a weekly podcast from Digital Niche Agency covering growth marketing, advertising, capital raising, and business strategy, hosted by Jason Fishman. Subscribe for new episodes every week. CHAPTER TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Who is Cam Pritchard and what is SpotsNow? 0:49 - From New Zealand's first textbook rental platform to Thumbtack 2:02 - Working with Travis and Jason Kelce on the New Heights fan platform 2:59 - Why half of all podcast ad spots go unsold 4:17 - Why host-read podcast ads convert better than other ad formats 6:16 - How BetterHelp built its business on $100M a year in podcast ads 7:48 - Why trust is the marketing currency of the AI era 9:23 - How SpotsNow turns podcast ads into direct response advertising 10:54 - Buying unsold premium podcast inventory at last-minute discounts 12:05 - How audio pixels track podcast ads to the dollar 15:14 - How to plan a podcast ad campaign in five minutes 16:47 - Why instant booking changes podcast advertising 18:54 - Are podcast ads better for prospecting or mid-funnel? 20:50 - Podcast retargeting and B2B lead identification 23:00 - The portfolio approach to buying podcast ads 26:02 - Which industries advertise on podcasts: consumer, SaaS, legal AI 28:16 - Podcast ad ROAS vs. social, TV, and display: the numbers 29:57 - How to run your first podcast ad test campaign 33:17 - How to optimize a podcast ad campaign that is underperforming 35:32 - How to scale podcast advertising with lookalike shows 37:21 - Why Oura Ring should advertise on true crime podcasts 39:13 - Where to find Cam Pritchard and SpotsNow