Ready to dive into audio advertising but unsure which ad network to choose? We will explore the best 8 audio ad networks, highlighting their unique features and targeting capabilities so you can make informed decisions.

Audio advertising is growing at an unprecedented rate. According to research, podcast advertising will grow by 7.4% in 2025. Moreover, this ever-increasing advertising format is more effective than other advertising methods. 42% of Pandora users say audio ads are more likely to catch their attention than other formats.

These statistics should convince you to hop on the bandwagon. And to do that, you can join audio ad networks. These dedicated platforms are ideal for your advent into audio advertising.

Now, the main questions come. Which audio ad network should I choose? How do I choose the best network for my campaign goals? We will be answering these questions in our blog. But before that, let’s brush up on our knowledge of programmatic audio advertising.

What is Programmatic Audio Advertising?

Programmatic audio advertising is a subset of programmatic advertising that facilitates the buying/selling of audio ad space within music streaming apps, digital radio, audiobooks, and podcasts.

Audio ad networks play a significant role in streaming audio advertising. They aggregate digital audio ad inventory from various audio publishers and sell them to advertisers seeking audio marketing.

Now that we have done our bid, let’s get on to the best audio networks to achieve your audio campaign goals.

8 Top Audio Ad Networks

1. SiriusXM Media

The first in our list of audio ad networks is SiriusXM. SXM hosts the largest ad-supported audience in the USA, with their portfolio spanning across age, gender, interests, demographics, etc. With a subscriber base of 33 million, SXM offers high-value cornerstone properties (SXM, Pandora, SoundCloud) and partner publishers (SBS, idobi, Sonos) for percolative advertising.

Their USP is Fluency, which is SXM’s cultural practice that brings advertisers closer to their target market through in-depth cultural and behavioral insights.

Features:

• Receives more than 160 million monthly listeners
• Offers 72 ad-supported channels with highly engaged audiences for campaigns at scale or custom activations
• Provides a valuable sports-centric audience with six significant sports league partnerships

2. AdTonos

AdTonos is a digital audio advertising marketplace solution that utilizes its proprietary technology to ensure targeted and premium-quality ads for high-value campaigns. 

The platform offers cross-device targeting, real-time ad replacement for pre- and mid-roll insertions, and seamless integration with radio stations, among other functionalities. 

One of the cornerstone products of AdTonos is the interactive audio ad called YoursTruly. This audio advertising solution lets consumers interact with the digital audio ads for a personalized experience. The feature is available on all Alexa-enabled devices, like Amazon Echo or phones with an active Alexa app.

The audio network claims to serve one ad every second, highlighting its advanced targeting capabilities. Moreover, it is trusted by big brands like Audi, Burger King, Lego, and Coca-Cola.

Features:

• Boasts of 115.2 million unique weekly listeners
• Exclusive partnership with Magnite for open marketplaces and PMP deals

3. AudioOn.fm

AudioOn is another renowned audio ad network on our list that is known to offer minute-level audio ad campaign optimizations. The platform offers Dynamic Creative Optimization that adapts the audio ads to the listener’s context based on weather, time, zip code, and day of the week.

AudioOn’s targeting takes place at three levels: keyword targeting, socio-demographic data, and contextualized data. Depending on the target audience, the advertisers can choose their targeting mix.

Features:

• Offers a reach of +45 million unique listeners in France alone
• Boasts of +5 billion monthly ad opportunities
• Ideal programmatic audio ad network for Europe-based audiences

4. AudioGo

AudioGo is one of the top audio advertising platforms that marketers highly favor. It is a self-serve advertising platform owned by AdsWizz. The audio ad network has a strong presence in the US and Canada among English and Spanish-speaking audiences.

AudioGo claims to be superior to Spotify regarding retargeting, dynamic pricing, and premium publisher inventory. It also offers an Ad Creative Suite with unique audio ad formats (like Synthetic Voice Ads and Produced Voice Ads) for creating engaging audio ads.

Features:

• The network reaches 150+ million unique listeners
• Has more than 500 targeting options
• Minimum budget requirements start from $250
• Apart from the USA, it also allows you to target Spanish and Canadian content

5. Spotify Audience Network

The next audio ad platform in our list is Spotify, the No. 1 most home-screened app. Unlike other audio ad networks, Spotify Audience Network offers a mix of audio and video ads, guaranteeing a 66% incremental sales. It also offers Podcast ads, which carry over 58% of the listener’s engagement with a podcast (Spotify’s Sonic Science Study).

Moreover, Spotify’s unique playlist-centric setup allows inserting links, images, or clickable CTA cards into audio ads to drive traffic or direct engagement. The same setup also helps with precise targeting, as advertisers can identify audiences based on their favorite artists.

Features:

• Home to +675 million active users
• Offers a 93% engagement rate on average
• Offers Canvas for Advertisers to add looping visuals to audio ads

6. Amazon Audio Advertising

This list can’t be complete without Amazon Audio Advertising. While Amazon supports a range of online advertising, the most notable one is its audio marketing services. Powered by exclusive first- and third-party data, Amazon audio ads allow advertisers to connect with their users even in hard-to-reach moments.

Leveraging its in-house product Alexa, Amazon also offers exclusive branded experiences with Alexa. Advertisers can add a custom-branded Alexa call-to-action (CTA) to make the engagement more meaningful.

Features:

• Ads appear on exclusive Amazon-owned platforms like Amazon Music, Twitch, Amazon Publisher Direct, and Wondery
• Ad formats include Non-skippable standard audio ads, Interactive audio ads, and Podcast ads
• Primarily available in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Italy, and the UK

7. Audio.ad

Audio.ad is Latin America’s first digital audio advertising company, mainly serving Hispanic countries. However, they also cater to non-Hispanic countries within South America, like Brazil. 

Unlike other audio ad networks on our list, Audio.ad mostly deals with radio advertising. The platform utilizes data gathered from radios to provide publishers with the optimal value for their digital radio inventory. Moreover, with its broad reach, it also acts as an ideal platform for advertisers to reach their Latin American audience.

Features:

• Reaches more than 55 million listeners per month
• Also has a presence among the Hispanic markets in the USA
• Has over 130 million audio spots played

8. StackAdapt

StackAdapt is one of the top DSPs in the market, doubling up as an audio ad network. The programmatic advertising partner utilizes ML and AI to sift through first-party data, contextual targeting, and lookalike targeting to deliver tailored ads to the listeners.

The audio ad formats include pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll audio ads.

Features:

• Provides brand-safe environment through both private marketplaces and open marketplaces
• Offers insertion of audio companion ads to amplify the brand’s message

Benefits of Programmatic Audio Ad Networks

Programmatic audio ad networks offer numerous benefits to advertisers and publishers alike. Publishers get a platform to sell their inventory for fixed returns, while advertisers get aggregated spaces to display their audio ads.

Publishers

• Increased Ad Revenue: Audio ad networks are ideal for selling remnant inventory. Moreover, access to real-time bidding (RTB) and other deals like direct, programmatic, or private marketplaces (PMPs) can further increase the yield.
• Access to Larger Advertiser Pool: Audio advertising platforms serve as a gateway for publishers to gain access to greater demand on a global scale. This diverse demand allows audio publishers to serve the most relevant ads to their listeners.
• Reduced Impact of Ad Blockers: Ad blockers are yet to reach the programmatic audio advertising landscape. Due to this, publishers do not lose out on ad revenue due to blocked impressions. Hence, audio ads can be monetized effectively without losing out on revenue.

Advertisers

• Diverse Targeting Options: Audio ad networks, especially programmatic ones, provide advertisers with various targeting options. This allows them to tailor their campaigns according to the target audience, ensuring relevance and higher ROI.
• Access to Wider Audience: Just like publishers gain access to a broader demand pool, advertisers also get access to varied impressions. This extensive reach across platforms and devices lets brands establish their presence in major domains, increasing the chances of conversions.
• Advanced Analytics: Most programmatic audio ad networks have sophisticated dashboards with granular insights. These comprehensive reporting features allow advertisers to make data-driven decisions to achieve their campaign objectives.

How to Choose the Best Audio Ad Network?

Choosing the best audio ad network can be tiresome when many options are available. However, you can set some parameters to guide you towards your decision. Some of them include:

Geographic Targeting

Amongst all targeting options, geotargeting trumps them all. You may wonder why. This is so because audio ads are not available in every country. For example, Amazon audio ads mainly cater to North America and a few European countries. On the other hand, AudioOn.fm has a predominantly French audience.

Language

The second criterion that advertisers should consider before choosing an audio advertising platform is language. Not all listeners would prefer audio ads in English. Hence, as an advertiser, it becomes even more important to tailor the ads to suit their audiences. For example, AudioGo caters to English and Spanish speakers, while Amazon provides European language options.

Ad Formats

As an advertiser, it’s no given that ad formats can make or break your ad campaigns. The same applies to audio advertising campaigns, making it another factor for ad networks. If plain audio ads do not suit your taste, you can explore audio ads that combine other elements like videos. Spotify Audience Network is an example of this. Or you can even try Alexa-enabled interactive audio ads on Amazon.

Key Takeaways on Audio Ad Networks

1. Programmatic Audio Advertising: A form of programmatic advertising that involves selling of aggregated audio ad inventory to interested advertisers.

2. Best audio ad networks include SiriusXM, StackAdapt, Spotify Audience Network, Amazon Audio Services, AdTonos, and AudioGo.

3. Benefits of audio ad networks for publishers include increased ad revenue, access to a larger advertiser pool, and resistance to ad blockers.

4. Benefits of audio ad networks for advertisers include diverse targeting options, access to a wider audience, and advanced analytics capabilities for data-driven decisions.

5. Factors to consider while choosing the best audio ad network: Geographic targeting, languages offered, and audio ad formats offered.

FAQs on Audio Ad Networks

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