Setting Ad Markers and Executing Dynamic Ad Campaigns Effectively

If you’re responsible for managing dynamic ad campaigns for your podcast, you’re familiar with how a campaign could quickly go off the rails. This article will help outline all the things you should consider when setting up your campaigns. We will walk through some best practices for setting up and delivering ads effectively, all while keeping your listeners engaged and your advertisers happy.

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First and foremost, please ensure that all of the episodes in your catalog are set up with the correct placement and amount of ad markers and positions. For context, an ad marker is the ad break set within an episode, while an ad position is the number of placements set up within each ad marker. 

Here is an example of an episode with 1 pre-roll marker (2 positions), 2 midroll markers (2 positions per marker), and 1 post-roll marker (2 positions): 

When you set up each ad marker, be sure this aligns with the number of positions listed on your show in Gumball.

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Smart Ad Marker Placement

Secondly, the placement of your ad markers is critical to ensure maximum delivery, improved performance, and increased likelihood to earn campaign renewals. We advise that each ad marker placement in specific zones within an episode regardless of each episode's length. 

• Place Midroll 1 Marker Between Minutes 15-20: We recommend all shows place their first midroll break between minutes 15 and 20 of each episode. This will retain maximum value and protect against listener drop-off that's typical later in an episode. 
• Place Midroll 2 Marker Between Minutes 30-35: For shows that have two midroll breaks, we recommend placing your second midroll break between minutes 30 and 35 of each episode. If your show is longer than 90 minutes, you might consider having a third midroll spot at the 65-70% mark of your episode, but it remains critically important to follow the above guidelines for Midroll 1 and Midroll 2.

Setting Up a Campaign

The process to set up a campaign varies between host platforms. You want to be sure to have several key details included in your campaign. 

• Advertiser Name
• Start Date and End Date
• Rate/CPM
• Tracking URLS: Be sure to implement all tracking pixels as noted in the Script page of your dashboard in Gumball. 
• Ad Priority/Pacing: Set the ad to a high priority in order to deliver as fast as possible.
• Impressions: We recommend that you add 2-3% more impressions per campaign to account for any potential discrepancies between platforms. 
• Placement Type (Pre-roll, Mid-roll).
• Targeting: Be sure to target the episode or full catalog according to what is required in your Gumball dashboard.

**Once your campaign is live, please monitor your campaign’s delivery via your dashboard.**

Every dynamically inserted ad requires a Gumshoe tracking pixel. You will receive a Gumball notification like this if your pixel is not firing. 

Go to your dashboard to review the ad’s delivery. If you see the delivery progress bar displaying that impressions are “delivered using pixel tracking”, the pixel is firing properly and you can disregard the notification. 

Alternatively, if you see the delivery progress bar displaying that impressions are “estimated impressions,” the pixel is not tracking. You will need to confirm that the pixel is implemented correctly and re-apply the pixel if needed. Reach out to [e-mail] if you need assistance in troubleshooting the pixel implementation. 

If delivery falls behind, you might need to tweak your setup. This could involve redistributing ad positions or adjusting placements to avoid exceeding the ad load. If you find that delivery is pacing behind approximately halfway through your flight, please review the following: 

• Is your host platform data showing similar delivery counts as what is displaying via Gumshoe data? If there is a noticeable discrepancy, please reach out to [e-mail] with the campaign name, drop date, and a screenshot of current delivery from your host platform. 
• Was the Gumshoe pixel applied before the ad went live?
• Does each episode of your show’s catalog have the appropriate amount of pre-rolls and mid-rolls in place according to your Gumball listing? For example, if your show is listed at 1 pre-roll and 2 mid-rolls, you should have each episode set up accordingly. 
• Do you have any additional ads that would exceed the ad load? For example, if your show is listed at 1 pre-roll and 2 mid-rolls and you have 2 pre-rolls and 3 mid-rolls currently live, you have exceeded the ad load and delivery will be negatively impacted.
• If you have exceeded the ad load, you can consider adding an additional pre-roll or midroll placement to improve delivery. 

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Need Additional Help?

Troubleshooting ad delivery can be tricky, but you’re not alone. If you’re stuck on how to improve full delivery of your ad campaigns, please reach out to your primary contact at Gumball and they will set up a troubleshooting call with our Ad Ops team!