The cycle of trust in audio – The Short Stack

“One thing leads to another.” (The Fixx)

Friends, 

I’m sure that when The Fixx wrote that hit, they had no expectation of it being used one day in an audio-tech newsletter. Well here you have it! Apart from merely keeping great pop songs alive, the line seemed relevant to something I'm thinking about in advance of our Podcast Movement/SXSW panel next week: the cycle of trust in audio.

It starts with the listener, i.e., the most important part of the equation. How do publishers establish trust with their audiences and prove that they’re doing everything they can to create the best possible experience? Answer number one: by continually producing indispensable podcasts and radio shows.

After that, it’s about how publishers handle ads. Do they feel connected to the show? Host reads help. So does curation/customization; think of a (great) show like Rick Rubin’s Tetragrammaton, where a limited set of ads gets the same kitchy, retro, creative treatment. What about ad load? Is the publisher creating a good balance to make sure they're respecting the listener’s time? What about relevance? Are they employing the right tech to help audiences feel that the overall show is catered to them? All on the table.

WBGO’s story shows how audio publishers can go even further in engendering listener trust. When they started running “regular” programmatic ads to help navigate dried up government funding, they addressed it directly with their loyal audience. They were so transparent that station president Steve Williams himself responded to listener questions – explaining why the change was necessary – and everyone got behind it.

But the cycle of trust actually starts long before shows/ads reach the listener. Just as audiences need it from publishers, publishers need the same from their tech providers. Are they being equally transparent, opening up the hood of their tech, inviting publishers in to collaborate on truly useful solutions? Are they adhering to measurement standards and making it easier for advertisers to spend in audio? Are they giving publishers adequate controls to feed that listener trust?

That last point in particular became especially relevant as some public stations made the leap to programmatic and needed to know they could still provide a suitable experience. In the spirit of trust with them and ALL of our publisher partners, we’ve built out those controls even further.

Our new product – aptly named Ad Control (clarity is a virtue!) – is the latest way we’re giving publishers more agency over their business. Running on our own AI, Ad Control can identify ad attributes like language, category, and brand. Publishers can create rule sets to block what isn't suitable, including words or phrases (transcript review!). And they can set it and forget it; rules are automatically applied across the board before ads get inserted into the content. Ask us about it.

Transparency and control – the engine that drives the cycle of trust, from platform to publisher to advertiser to listener. Hear more about it from us, Axios, KUT Austin, and Acast, at SXSW on Friday March 13th (don’t be afraid).

See you there!

Best.