How to run a podcast advertising product comparison without a sales deck

What to take away

Set the criteria first

Write your criteria before any sales call, so a good demo cannot rewrite your priorities. For a podcast advertising product comparison, four groups cover most decisions: delivery and inventory access, measurement and reporting, compliance and data handling, and commercial terms.

Draw the shortlist from both sides of the market. On the platform side, UK buyers weigh up Acast, DAX (Global's digital audio exchange), Spotify Audience Network, Megaphone, AdsWizz and Triton Digital. On the measurement side, Podsights, Chartable, Magellan AI and Barometer cover attribution, download analytics and ad-spend intelligence. The IAB Tech Lab's Podcast Measurement Technical Guidelines set the reporting definitions every seller should be measured against.

Give each group a weight that reflects your campaign. A brand buying awareness slots might weight delivery at 40 per cent, while a performance-led buyer might weight measurement at 40 per cent instead.

Score each product

The rubric below uses a 1 to 5 scale. A score of 3 means the product meets the stated requirement with no evidence of failure. A score of 5 requires documented proof, such as a sample report or a signed insertion order template.

Multiply each score by its weight and total the column. Two products within five points of each other are effectively tied, so decide on the weakest criterion rather than the total.

Worked example: an agency shortlisting Acast, DAX and Spotify Audience Network scores all three on the same sheet, using Podsights or Magellan AI output to check delivery claims rather than the vendor's own dashboard. Each platform is asked for a sample campaign report, a standard insertion order and a data-processing summary, and the answers are filed alongside the score. Any criterion that cannot be evidenced scores no higher than 3, however strong the pitch.

Check the claims

Ask every shortlisted seller for the same three documents: a sample campaign report, a standard insertion order, and a summary of how listener data is processed. If a seller cannot supply all three, that is your answer.

Podcast inventory is normally priced on a CPM basis, so ask for a written rate card per show, in the same format from every seller. Compare like with like: host-read, pre-roll, mid-roll and programme sponsorship carry different rates and different delivery guarantees.

Advertising claims in the UK sit under the CAP Code, enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority. Read the latest ASA news on regulatory change affecting advertising including digital audio before you accept a bold audience promise, and check the ASA's published rulings when a seller's audience claim sounds familiar.

Marketing consent and data handling are separate matters, governed by the UK GDPR and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003. The ICO's published enforcement actions, which include monetary penalties for unlawful marketing, show how seriously sloppy consent is treated, and they are worth reading before you sign a data-processing clause.

Where a seller bundles counterfeit-adjacent merchandise or unauthorised audio, the IP crime and infringement guidance published by the Intellectual Property Office sets out the risk you are taking on. Ask the seller to name the rights holder for every show on the list, and walk away if it cannot.

Build a due diligence file

Keep one folder per seller: company number, registered address, sample report, contract template, and notes from reference calls. Check the company record at Companies House and note filing gaps.

If the seller is an intermediary rather than a platform, the checks change. Ask which inventory it buys directly and which it resells, what margin or commission it takes, who signs the insertion order, and which trade body it belongs to — then confirm that membership with the body rather than the seller.

Score due diligence separately from the product rubric. A strong product from a weak company is still a weak buy.

Re-score at renewal

Products change: inventory shifts, attribution methods get revised and pricing moves. Re-run the same rubric twelve weeks before renewal and compare the new totals against the originals. Check that the measurement tool still reports against the definitions you scored it on, and that the reporting dashboard is still worth its subscription.

For example, a team paying £400 a month for a reporting dashboard may find that the same spend buys better attribution elsewhere. The score tells you whether to move.

Common questions

How many products should a comparison cover?

Three is usually enough. Two gives no triangulation and five wastes time on sellers you would never choose.

Should price carry the highest weight?

Rarely. Price matters, but a cheap product with unclear attribution usually costs more in wasted spend than a dearer one with clean reporting.

What if a seller refuses to share a sample report?

Treat it as a failed criterion. You cannot score what you cannot see, and the refusal itself is evidence about how the relationship will run.

How often should the rubric change?

Review the weights once a year, or whenever your campaign objective changes. Keep the criteria themselves stable so scores stay comparable.