Eight years ago, I wrote a blog called “Direct Marketing is Easy. Brand Marketing is Hard.”
You could argue that today, we have more tools than ever to prove what works. At The Podcast Show in London recently, I kept getting variations of the same question: “How do we prove the advertising worked?” That extends beyond ads, too: “How do I know if someone heard my trailer and then listened to my podcast?”
The pressure to measure everything has never been higher.
And yet, a quote I shared back then from Seth Godin feels just as relevant now:
“If you want to do brand marketing, you have to refuse to measure.”
Refuse to measure? It sounds absurd.
To be clear, I believe deeply in attribution. At Coleman Insights, we have Validate, which has helped bring much-needed accountability to radio—arguably one of the most brand-driven mediums in existence. When done right, attribution is powerful. It can unlock smarter decisions and demonstrate real value.
But it’s only part of the story.
If someone hears your podcast ad and doesn’t immediately visit your website, is that a failure? If they hear your ad multiple times, see your brand on a streaming service, pass a billboard, and then—three months later—click a paid search ad when they’re finally in-market… should Google get all the credit?
Of course not. But they often will.
Here’s the part that matters most:
YOU BUILD AWARENESS AND PERCEPTION WITH EVERY IMPRESSION.
Radio professionals have long understood this, largely because they had to. Without precise consumption data, they’ve relied on the cumulative power of reach and frequency to shape perception over time.
Podcasters, on the other hand, have grown up with detailed consumption metrics. So it’s completely natural to want to track everything and tie it neatly to outcomes.
But not everything that matters shows up in a dashboard.
That’s one of the reasons I partnered with Arielle Nissenblatt from Earbuds Podcast Collective to develop our podcast trailer study. We wanted to understand what listeners actually retain from trailers and what drives intent to listen.
Our overflow session debuting findings from our podcast trailer study at The Podcast Show in London
The findings are fascinating—and in some cases, surprising. There are clear creative and strategic takeaways, even if results vary by show and category. This kind of research doesn’t just tell you what happened; it helps you make your content more compelling going forward.
And importantly: if someone doesn’t listen today after hearing your trailer, that doesn’t mean it didn’t work.
YOU BUILD AWARENESS AND PERCEPTION WITH EVERY IMPRESSION.
Maybe they will see your show mentioned in an article. Or hear about it on another podcast. Or notice it in their feed. Or get a recommendation from a friend. And then—weeks or months later—they finally press play.
That journey is real. And you won’t capture every step of it.
You don’t have to measure everything.
And that’s okay.
Focus on making your content as appealing as possible to your target audience. Use research to understand and shape perception. Apply consistent, strategic marketing.
The results will come. Just not always on your preferred timeline.
So when you’re evaluating performance, remember:
YOU BUILD AWARENESS AND PERCEPTION WITH EVERY IMPRESSION.
If you want to go deeper on how to make trailers more effective, join us for “Podcast Trailers: A Playbook for Producing Successful Teasers” on Wednesday, June 3rd at 1PM ET. We’ll share real examples and practical guidance you can apply immediately.
