A Guide to Updating Your Podcast Episodes with Ads

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Monetizing your podcast can significantly boost its profitability, and adding advertisements to your episodes is a common strategy. If you’re looking to integrate pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll ads into already published episodes, it’s crucial to do so in a way that enhances, rather than detracts from, the listener experience. Here’s how you can update your existing podcast content with ads effectively and efficiently.

Understanding Ad Placements

Pre-roll Ads

These are short ads placed at the beginning of an episode, usually lasting 15-30 seconds. They are the first thing your listeners will hear, so it’s important that they are engaging and not too intrusive.

Mid-roll Ads

Placed in the middle of episodes, these ads can be up to 60 seconds long. They work best during natural breaks in content to minimize disruption to the narrative flow.

Post-roll Ads

These ads are placed at the end of the episode and can be a great way to round off the listening experience without impacting the main content.

Steps to Add Ads to Existing Episodes

Choose Your Ad Content Carefully

Ensure that the ads you choose to integrate are relevant to your audience and align with your podcast’s theme. Irrelevant or excessive advertising can alienate listeners.

Use Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI)

Consider using Dynamic Ad Insertion technology, which allows you to insert ads into episodes after they’ve been published. DAI can target ads based on listener data and can be updated over time without altering the original content.

Edit Episodes with Precision

If you’re manually adding ads, revisit your episodes and find natural breaks for mid-roll ads. Ensure that the transitions into and out of ads are smooth and that audio levels are consistent.

Update Metadata

Modify the episode’s metadata to reflect the addition of ads. This might include updating the episode description to mention sponsors or noting the ad timings.

Inform Your Listeners

Let your audience know about the addition of ads through your podcast’s website, social media channels, or a brief mention in subsequent episodes. Transparency helps maintain trust and understanding with your listeners.

Monitor Listener Feedback and Metrics

After adding ads, keep an eye on listener feedback and episode analytics. This can provide insights into how the ads are affecting listener engagement and help you make adjustments if necessary.


Adding advertisements to already published episodes can be a viable strategy to monetize your podcast’s back catalog. By carefully planning where and how ads are integrated, you can enhance your podcast’s revenue potential while maintaining a positive listener experience. Remember, the key is balancing monetization with content integrity to keep your audience engaged and loyal.


Have you added ads to your previously published podcast episodes? What challenges did you face, and what strategies did you find most effective? Share your experiences in the comments below to help fellow podcasters navigate this aspect of podcast monetization.


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