While ads are the norm in podcasting, most of us would probably be surprised to hear them in an audiobook. But audiobook ads may not be far away.

Audible, an online audiobook and podcast service owned by Amazon, shared with Marketing Brew that they are “conducting limited testing” of ads in audiobooks. According to Audible’s help page, non-members could hear up to eight ads within a 24-hour period, regardless of the title.

While most people who work in the audiobook industry would prefer to keep audiobooks ad-free, the future potential has marketers talking.

The Rise of Audiobooks

Undoubtedly, audiobooks have become more popular over the years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Between 2010 and 2020, the number of published audiobook titles in the United States rose from over six thousand to more than 71 thousand, according to Statistica. And in 2021, audiobook book sales revenue in the U.S. grew to $1.6 billion, a 25% increase from the previous year.

Audiobook growth has piqued advertisers’ interest. Spotify launched audiobooks for U.S. listeners in September of 2022 — but they haven’t made any official announcements on the audiobook ad front.

Google Play Books and other popular audiobook platforms aren’t currently offering audiobook advertising. Realm, an audio entertainment company, tested ads in ebooks and audiobooks a few years back and concluded they aren’t considering using them anytime soon.

Audiobook Ads Are Unlikely to Appear Soon

Most customers have grown accustomed to paying for audiobooks in exchange for ad-free experiences. So, it’s unlikely that paid audiobooks will have ads in the near future.

Gretchen Ruben, author of the book The Happiness Project and host of the podcast Happier, said at the Hot Pod Summit that she would be open to considering ads in her audiobooks. Rubin said, “…a reader, listener, might really like advertising support because that means it’s free for them, so that’s value that can bring in people to my work.”

While the doors currently seem closed on audiobook advertising, marketers and businesses should keep an eye on future news as Audible and other companies conduct future ad testing.

Sources

About the Author: Jim Gibbs

Vice President of Sales & Marketing at The Dingley Press. Jim has been with Dingley since 2002 and lives in Maine near our Lisbon, Maine plant location.

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