To monetize your podcast effectively using Podbean’s Ads Marketplace or PodAds (Dynamic Ad Insertion), you need to define exactly where ads should appear in your episodes. This guide will show you how to manage your ad placements using both automated and manual tools.


  1. Before You Get Started: Key Concepts
  2. Where to View and Set Ad Time Slots
  3. Auto Ad Time Slots
  4. Manual Setup
  5. FAQ



1. Before You Get Started: Key Concepts


i. What is an Ad Position?

Ad position refers to the general area within your episode where an ad is placed:

  • Pre-roll: Plays at the beginning of an episode.
  • Mid-roll: Plays during the middle of an episode.
  • Post-roll: Plays at the end of an episode.



ii. What is an Ad Time Slot?

A Time Slot is a specific timestamp within an episode where an ad is allowed to play. For example, you might set a mid-roll time slot at the 20:00 mark.


Ads can only be inserted where time slots are available. If an episode only has a time slot at 20:00, ads will only play at that specific moment. Ads will never be inserted into positions without a designated time slot.



iii. Introducing “SPP”

SPP is Podbean’s Smart PodAds Point mechanism.


It automatically detects noticeable pauses or natural breaks in your episode audio and selects suitable ad insertion points as mid-roll time slots.


In short, SPP helps you effortlessly find and set the best mid-roll time slots.



2. Where to View and Set Ad Time Slots


Once you have started using Podbean's ad features (such as joining the Ads Marketplace or using PodAds DAI), you will see the Set Ad Time Slots button on your podcast dashboard’s Episode List page. Click it to view and manage time slots for all your episodes.




3. Auto Ad Time Slots


Podbean provides an Auto Ad Time Slots feature that fully automates the process for you.

On the Set Ad Time Slots page, click the Enable Auto Time Slots button in the top right corner to configure the settings.



You can choose which ad positions to enable for auto time slots. By default, all positions are selected:

  • Pre-roll: Automatically set at the very beginning of the episode.
  • Mid-roll: Automatically set by SPP at natural breaks within the episode.
  • Post-roll: Automatically set at the very end of the episode.




What happens after enabling?


Whether you’re new to the Ads Marketplace or PodAds, when ads start running on your podcast for the first time, Podbean will automatically apply your Auto Time Slots settings to your 100 most recent episodes.


Moving forward, your Auto Time Slots settings will automatically be applied to every new episode you publish.



4. Manual Setup


Beyond automation, you have the flexibility to manually specify time slots for any episode.


A. Setting Time Slots for a Single Episode


To set time slots for a specific episode:

  1. On the Set Ad Time Slots page, click on a specific episode to open the time slot settings panel.
  2. Check the box for the ad position you want to set (e.g., Mid-roll).
  3. Enter your desired time point for ad insertion (e.g., 00:10:25).
  4. Once finished, click Save.



You will then see the time slots successfully applied to that episode.



To Remove: 

To remove a slot (e.g., you no longer want the mid-roll), simply unselect that position and save.


Notes:

- The time slot you set corresponds to the timestamp in your original, ad-free episode audio. You do not need to account for ad lengths when setting time slots.

- If you check a position but leave the timestamp blank, the system will apply defaults: Pre/Post-roll at the very start/end, and Mid-roll at natural breaks via SPP.



B. Batch Set or Delete Episodes


You can also manage time slots in bulk.


To batch set time slots:

  1. Select episodes using the checkboxes on the left.

  2. Click Pre-roll, Mid-roll, or Post-roll and select "Batch Set" to apply time slots for the selected episodes:
    • For Pre-roll: You can use the default start or specify a custom timestamp.
    • For Mid-roll: Time slots will be set by SPP at natural breaks.
    • For Post-roll: Time slots will be set at the very end.



To batch delete:

You can also batch delete time slots for a specific ad position for the selected episodes.




5. FAQ


  • How many ad time slots can I set per episode?
    You can set 1 Pre-roll, 1 Post-roll, and up to 20 Mid-roll time slots for each episode.

  • Can one time slot play multiple ads? How is the order determined?
    Yes, each slot can accommodate up to 3 ads. For more details regarding ad delivery and playback order, please refer to our detailed FAQ: Deep Dive into Ad Priorities and Playback Logic.

  • What does "SPP Failed" mean?
    If you see the “SPP failed” message, it means the system couldn't find a clear "natural break" or a suitable insertion point as mid-roll time slot in that specific episode.
    You can still set your mid-roll slots manually, or simply ignore the message if you don’t need mid-roll ads for that episode.

  • Can I protect specific episodes from ads?
    Yes. When setting ad time slots for that episode, uncheck all positions (Pre/Mid/Post) and click "Save". Without an active time slot, no ads will be inserted.

  • Can I set slots for video episodes?
    No. Currently, Podbean only supports ad insertion for audio episodes. Video episodes do NOT support ad time slots at this time.