There is a lot of hesitancy in the world of podcast advertising these days. Potential advertisers wonder whether it is worth it to invest in advertising within podcasts with questionable metrics. Podcast producers wonder whether it will really pay to carry ads at the rates currently offered. They also wonder if the services being promoted are really relevant to their audience members.

We understand both sides of the issue. After all, we represent both podcast advertisers and podcast producers.

In a perfect world advertisers would understand the great value of being able to reach an audience of millions via podcasting at a fraction of the cost of traditional media ads. Microsoft certainly could have benefited from bringing their Vista message directly to users via podcasts. Metrics be damned. There isn’t a medium in existence that can give exact numbers on who you’re reaching except maybe door to door surveys. Yet advertisers gladly allocate budget to outlets with metrics that have a pretty wide margin for error.

So the reason that more advertisers aren’t in podcasting has nothing to do with horrible metrics. We provide stats to all of our advertisers where the deal calls for it. Its just that the medium is relatively new and seen as risky by those responsible for making decisions. Companies old and new want to protect their brands and the more traditional mediums are a safer way to go. We’d like to invite those people to talk with us about the possibilities.

Podcast producers have expectations about what their content is worth and the kind of brands they would like to advertise. Sometimes these expectations are realistic and sometimes they aren’t. Podcast producers are also very cognizant of metrics as well. So in a way the producers and the advertisers have the same fears when it comes to advertising and podcasting. The big difference between the two groups is that many podcasters we talk to are very sure that advertising in podcasts is worthwhile and effective.

At RawVoice we can bridge the gap for advertisers by introducing them to quality shows that reach the kind of people that will take interest in their brands. We also don’t require podcasters within our communities to buy into every ad deal that comes across. This pragmatic approach might result in lower ad sales overall but it ensures that everyone is happier in the long run.

We’re appreciative of the pioneers like GoDaddy and GoToMeeting who are taking the plunge and helping to support podcasters. And we’re also glad to work with the content providers who take a chance on allowing RawVoice to be the one’s to represent their podcasts to the world of advertisers.

We can tell you that inquiries about advertising within podcasts are increasing. And smaller companies are starting to realize that this is a much more efficient and accessible medium for them than any other that exists today. We’ll do all we can to bring those types of businesses into the space so that everyone has more opportunities.