If you’re new to podcasting, you’ve probably heard the term “IAB certified” thrown around in the podcasting community and wondered what on earth people were talking about. Even if you are familiar with the IAB certification, you may be wondering if it’s worth it to use a certified podcast hosting service or not.
Let’s get into today and make it easier to understand! If you currently host ads on your podcast or want to in the future, this podcast is especially for you.
What is the IAB Certification and Why is it Important?
IAB stands for the Interactive Advertising Bureau. The IAB Tech Lab released a set of standards that podcast hosts can use to correctly monitor and report the number of downloads and listens a podcast episode gets.
Why is this important? Well, in the past, it was hard to tell how many people actually listened to a podcast. The difference between the number of downloads an episode has and how many people actually listened to it was fuzzy.
This problem means that podcasters can’t track their numbers accurately, which creates friction when it comes to pitching your show to advertisers. Brands want to see accurate stats before they purchase ads, so having inaccurate numbers can make you lose out on big brand deals for your podcast.
Even worse, the number of downloads you have can get mixed up with your listens, and report higher stats than your podcast actually gets. This can lead to disappointed sponsors that pull out of ad deals if they aren’t seeing the results they were promised!
Why You Need to Use an IAB Certified Player for Your Podcast
Thankfully, tracking podcast downloads versus listens is much more accurate thanks to the IAB. Now, with the IAB certification, podcast players must adhere to strict standards to accurately track and report their podcast numbers. I tell all my clients to use an IAB-certified podcast host to avoid any problems down the road.
The podcast host I use for my own podcast and the podcasts I produce is Acast. I recommend Acast because they are one of the only hosting company that complies with all of the IAB metrics to measure your podcast episode listens.
The metrics include:
- Minimum Download
- User Agent Filter
- IP Address Filter
- 24-hour Window
Find out more about what these metrics mean here!
Join Acast Today
If you’re currently using a podcast player that isn’t IAB certified, I strongly encourage you to switch to one that is. I’ve researched tons of hosting platforms, and Acast is my favorite. You can easily switch from your current player to Acast.
Along with the IAB certification, there are a ton of other benefits to using Acast, such as using the Acast marketplace to find advertisers and monetize your podcast. Check out Acast here!
If you are ready to launch your podcast, need help setting up your Acast account, and getting your podcast on players, contact me for a consultation today!
The links included in this blog post may contain affiliate links, which means when you sign up or purchase through them, I will make a small commission. I only share products that I love and trust!
