How to Upgrade Your Storytelling with Sequential Advertising

Great storytelling lies at the heart of every great marketing campaign. But, as consumer attention spans grow shorter and ad fatigue is on the line, how do you ensure your message cuts through the clutter? Put another way, how do you tell a comprehensive story when standard ad formats can limit creative expression to just 15 or 30 seconds? Spoiler alert, the answer is sequential audio.

Sequential audio is a powerful strategy that leverages storytelling across multiple touchpoints to boost engagement, ad recall, and brand awareness. If you haven’t tried this advertising approach yet—or you’re not seeing results from your current campaigns—this strategy can set you on the right path. Below, we’ll explain what sequential audio ads are, their top benefits, and how you can get started with expert partners like us.

What Is Sequential Audio?

Sequential audio is an advertising technique that allows brands to tell a story over time, with listeners hearing a series of audio ads in a set order. Unlike traditional ads, where you pack everything into a single message, sequential audio allows you to guide listeners through a step-by-step narrative. Each ad builds upon the previous one, creating a cohesive story that evolves over time. However, this scenario may not always be the case. Sequentially targeted audio ads can also personalize the listener experience by delivering new messages based on whether a consumer has previously listened to or interacted with your ad.

This advertising approach takes your audience through different stages of the customer journey, from awareness down to consideration, keeping your audience engaged and interested—and your brand top-of-mind.

What Are the Benefits of Sequential Audio?

Sequential audio stands out for several reasons. Here’s how it can transform your advertising strategy and yield tangible results.

Control Over How Listeners Experience Campaigns

With sequential audio, your brand is in the driver’s seat. By mapping out your ads in a defined sequence, you can guide listeners through a story that aligns with your campaign goals. In a typical campaign, you might consider three to five ad spots. You can build intrigue and awareness in the first ad, reveal key details in the second, and close with a strong call-to-action and a sense of urgency in the final ad. This strategic unveiling ensures your audience stays engaged without overwhelming them upfront.

Boost in Brand Awareness

Unlike one-off advertisements, sequential audio builds a narrative over time, allowing brands to tell their story in a way that resonates. By presenting tailored messages at different stages of the consumer journey, you can create a cohesive experience that strengthens brand awareness and fosters trust. We previously found that across 170+ studies, four or more ad exposures generated the highest brand awareness.

Increase in Ad Recall

Think of ads that you’ve heard just once versus ones you’ve heard several times—which one are you most likely to remember? Sequential ads draw listeners in through long-term storytelling. When your audience hears ads connected by a shared theme or storyline, they’re more likely to remember the message.

Less Redundancy and Ad Fatigue

Excessive ad repetition can be the enemy of engagement. Traditional ad campaigns can overwhelm listeners with repetitive messaging, especially when the script, ad length, and creative are the same each time. Meanwhile, sequential ads minimize ad fatigue by delivering varied and relevant content in each spot, with slightly new information each time to pique listener interest and receptivity.

The Best Practices for Sequential Audio Advertising

Now that you understand the potential of sequential audio, here’s how to create effective campaigns that captivate your audience.

Plan the Beginning and End

The first ad should hook your audience—start with an intriguing story or a compelling product introduction that leaves them wanting more. Ask yourself these questions:

Do I want to highlight an offer or a single product?
Should the campaign start off creatively or more educationally?
Do I want to switch up the CTAs with each ad or use the same one for consistency?

Subsequent ads should amplify the narrative, adding details or incentives to drive listeners further down the funnel. From there, build momentum. Each follow-up ad should advance the story while subtly reminding listeners of the previous message. End the campaign with a strong call-to-action that drives conversions.

But remember, each ad should still be able to stand on its own while complementing each other. Not all listeners will have heard the previous ad, so ensure every spot delivers enough information to make an impact without relying too much on previous context.

Consider Ad Length and Frequency

With sequential audio, there’s no pressure to limit your message or entire brand story to a 30-second ad—as you’ll be getting in your listeners’ ears a few times. You can run 10-, 15-, or 30-second ads for sequential campaigns. Aim for a mix of lengths to keep the format engaging. For example, the first ad could introduce your brand in 30 seconds, while 15-second, follow-up ads can act as quick reminders of your message, whether it’s a seasonal promotion or the introduction of a different product.

Frequency is equally important—serve the ads in a timely manner where listeners won’t forget the key narrative threads but also won’t feel like they’ve been given too much information in a short timespan.

Produce the Ad Yourself

When you partner with SiriusXM Media, you have the flexibility of creating your own ads. Brands can work with their preferred creative production partners, and when you’re ready, reach out to us to help facilitate. Through our sequential audio offering, we serve listeners an ad based on whether they’ve been exposed to a previous message—ensuring that only the most relevant audience is on the other side of the headphones.

Get Started with SiriusXM Media

Sequential audio storytelling has redefined modern advertising, giving brands a unique opportunity to captivate listeners through narratives they’ll remember. By leveraging the SiriusXM Streaming Network and our platforms like Pandora and SoundCloud, advertisers can connect with millions of music-obsessed listeners.

Whether you’re looking to generate stronger brand awareness or redefine consumer engagement, now is the time to upgrade your campaigns with sequential advertising.

Ready to launch? Let’s talk.