How Digital Audio Complements Video, Social, & Display Campaigns

Today’s listeners don’t stay in one place: They’re listening to their most-loved music in the car, sharing podcast content across social media, and following their favorite creators on multiple platforms. Therefore, a truly effective marketing strategy lies in a cross-channel approach—with digital audio at the center. 

While audio alone is an effective medium, you can reap even more rewards when you combine multiple channels. After analyzing 100+ campaigns, we found that adding video and display ads to an audio-only campaign with SiriusXM Media delivers +52% incremental reach.

Explore how pairing audio with video, social, and display is the secret weapon you need for your next campaign.

How Video Campaigns Complement Digital Audio 

Digital audio and video are not competitors—they are complementary teammates, creating campaigns that connect with audiences on multiple (and deeper) levels. Amplified reach, higher recall, and stronger results across the funnel are just some of the results you can expect from bringing these two powerful formats together.

Reward Listeners upon Engagement 

Everybody loves a freebie. With rewarded ads, specifically Pandora’s video plus, you can offer your listeners valuable incentives in exchange for engaging with your ad. The benefits can be a period of uninterrupted listening, access to premium features, or skip extensions. Rewarded ads are a great way to keep your audience engaged and build positive brand associations, while the visual format of video ads reinforces your messaging. 

Expand Your Reach with Platforms like YouTube 

Video podcasts have exploded, offering listeners the option of listening or watching. YouTube has emerged as the most popular podcast consumption platform among listeners, seeing +106% growth in the last five years. So, it only makes sense to use video as a natural extension of your podcast advertising campaign. Advertising on video podcasts allows you to connect with existing audiences that initially met your brand through other channels and reach a new audience to maximize exposure and impact.

Deliver Emotion and Personality with Video Host Reads 

Host-read ads are powerful because they’re built on authenticity, adding to the trustworthy nature of podcasts. In fact, over seven in 10 listeners appreciate when their favorite podcasters are authentic and uncensored. A video host-read can further enhance the invaluable host-listener bond. Listeners get to see the host’s genuine reactions, non-verbal cues, and infectious enthusiasm for your messaging, making an ad even more impactful and persuasive. So, it comes as no surprise that almost six in 10 video podcast viewers say they watch video podcasts to see the reactions and emotions of the podcast hosts.

Leverage 100% Share of Voice (SOV)

When you advertise with us, your ad takes center stage (literally). SOV is the metric that evaluates a brand’s presence compared to the competition. And we offer 100% SOV with our video ads—ensuring that there’s no clutter when you run a video—just your message, clear and direct. What’s more, we only serve video ads when your listeners are actively engaged with our platform, so you can rest assured that your message is landing with maximum impact. 

How Social Campaigns Complement Digital Audio 

Modern podcast creators are not just voices; they are multimedia brands with a strong presence across every major social media platform. For marketers, partnering with creators both in and out of the studio is a massive opportunity and direct line to an engaged audience.

Leverage Influencer Marketing 

Among endless feeds of highlight reels, audiences are craving authenticity. This is where podcast creators take center stage, becoming a new and more powerful class of influencers. Their unique connection with listeners is built on trust, shared interests, and countless hours of quality time—the exact features to expect from an ideal spokesperson for your brand. Almost half of listeners say podcasters offer a deep sense of connection that traditional media personalities lack, and one in three listeners say they’re more likely to buy a product that the podcaster endorses.

Creators are increasingly engaging with audiences directly, across platforms and digital and IRL spaces. Brands can get in on the action by partnering with the SiriusXM Podcast Network and picking from sponsored stories or posts, audio or video clips, and organic or paid media. 

Build a Digital and IRL Community

Many podcast hosts and artists have already cultivated passionate and engaged fan communities online. Allow your brand to become a part of these communities IRL and effectively tap into their power. Move beyond simple ads, and sponsor unique experiences that fans will love and remember. With in-person experiences like live podcast tapings, sponsored live shows, intimate meet-and-greets, and beyond, you can generate organic buzz and weave your brand into cultural conversations your audience is already a part of.

And don’t forget, some streaming audio platforms double as social media networks. For instance, SoundCloud is where music and social culture thrive together. Some of today’s biggest names, from Doechii to Bad Bunny, got their start on SoundCloud with the help of OG fans. The platform’s users don’t just sit back and listen, they actively press like, comment, and share while taking advantage of built-in features to directly engage with artists. 

How Display Campaigns Complement Digital Audio 

Display ads are the visual reinforcements of your audio advertising campaigns. They are clickable, eye-catching, and designed to attract attention quickly. When paired with audio and effective messaging, display ads become a visual reminder that closes the loop between hearing and taking action.  

Take Advantage of 100% Share of Screen 

While our video ads offer 100% SOV, our display ads deliver 100% share of screen, known as the visual advertising space a brand can occupy. When your display ad appears on Pandora, it’s the only visual on the screen, free of competing messaging, ensuring that it’s impossible to miss. Unlike the cluttered environments of other digital platforms, we allow your ad creative to truly shine.

Visually Reinforce Your Message 

Pairing audio with visuals packs an even bigger punch. A display ad can visually reinforce your message, boost brand recognition, and create a multi-sensory experience. Brands can leverage this visual space by adding a logo for better brand recall and links and CTAs to promote action. Hint: These are all possible on podcasts with video host reads, not solely streaming audio. By illustrating your product or service, you can connect your message with a concrete visual, cementing your message in the audience’s mind.

Minimize Ad Fatigue 

One risk with any advertising campaign is ad fatigue: a phenomenon that occurs when audiences see or hear the same ad over and over again, causing them to tune out the message. However, multi-media campaigns that thoughtfully combine and switch up different elements minimize this risk by keeping things novel. If your brand has historically delivered audio-only ad formats, switching to display ads can be a breath of fresh air. Leveraging multiple ad formats that complement each other is a smart way to boost your ad without overwhelming consumers.

Spark Action with CTAs

Audio is a highly effective tool for storytelling and engagement. Now, a clear, compelling, and visual CTA can be the final nudge a listener needs. An audio ad might say “visit now” while spelling out a URL, but a display ad can provide the CTA button to get your audience to where they need to go with one click. Together, audio and display elements move consumers seamlessly down the funnel, from awareness to action.

Driving Full-Funnel Success with Cross-Channel Solutions

Here’s an example of how we used these cross-channel insights in a successful, real-world scenario. We partnered with a telecom advertiser to increase brand awareness, drive brand favorability, and improve consideration intent. The campaign targeted audio streamers and podcast listeners aged 21+ in key DMAs. The product mix we used was truly impressive and diverse, including display, sponsored, audio, video ads, and more across the SiriusXM Streaming and Podcast Networks. 

The results proved how a diverse product mix pays off:

• +10 pts lift in brand favorability

• +10 pts lift in brand-specific attribute

• +9 pts lift in brand familiarity

• +8 pts lift in online ad awareness

Amplify Campaign Performance with SiriusXM Media

We understand digital audio and how to amplify it in a way that drives solid ROI. With our powerhouse portfolio—including SiriusXM, Pandora, SoundCloud, and the SiriusXM Podcast Network—we connect brands with over 170M monthly listeners ready to tune in. 

Ready for your brand to engage your audience wherever they listen, watch, or scroll? Let’s chat.

More Platforms = More Results