A short PSA about podcast promo codes.

There’s a certain advertiser on podcasts right now who has a podcast promo code in the copy, which is absolutely fine.

But they specify in the copy that the promo code listeners should use for the discount must be, “All lower case.”

Really!?

Is there really any kind of online vendor that can’t handle cases? If they can’t, they really need to take a long hard look at themselves, and their ecommerce provider. It’s not exactly hard to code LOWER(promo_code_entry) or whatever into your webform. Of course people are going to include random capitalisation. You just need to fix that for them.

Similarly, those advertisers that insist on spelling the promo code out in their podcast ad copy. How about instead choosing a simpler promo code that is less likely to be misspelt. Or indeed, just make all the common misspellings applicable for the discount as well. You’re not supposed to be annoying your potential new customers after all, but making life easier for them.

And while I’m at it, having unnecessarily complicated URLs of the www.bigcorporation.com/country_specific_site/this_promotion style! Do you honestly expect to get anyone to remember that?

In the old days of having phone numbers in radio ads, they just blasted you repeatedly with as simple a number as they could get hold of. They didn’t include a non-freephone dialling code, and throw in an extension number you expected callers to ask the operator for!

If you’re using direct response for your podcast advertising, please try to make the actual responding as easy as possible.