Appcast

Owned by Tom Sosnoski, created
Last updated: Apr 18, 2022
5 min read

This solution has been researched solely by the WilsonHCG Innovation team.

Website https://www.appcast.io/

Vendor Blurb

Appcast is a programmatic advertising vendor that specializes in maximizing the impact and ROI of job advertisements using machine learning and automation for talent targeting, ad purchasing, and channel management. There are two main solution types offered; Xcelerate (basic access to the programmatic job ad exchange, managed by you) and Premium (an Enterprise-grade, managed service programmatic offering).

Impressions

Strengths and Advantages

(where the solution stands out or shows impact potential)

  • Xcelerate is an excellent tool to introduce programmatic to new clients

  • Relatively quick and easy to set up (particularly with Hosted Apply, which doesn’t require ATS integration)

    • Hosted Apply is also ideal for clients whose application process is burdensome and deters conversion

  • Cost-effective compared to market competitors, especially if set up for CPA-based spend

  • Ideal for high-volume and “set it and forget it” evergreen roles

  • Insights on where applicants are coming from can help to guide recruitment marketing strategy and budget planning in future, using those historical insights at a scale that only programmatic solutions can achieve

  • Title and location expansion greatly improves advertisement reach and alternative role titles to improve visibility and engagement

Gaps and Challenges

(things that the solution overlooks or under-delivers on)

  • Limited reach when it comes to premium aggregators like Indeed (which is becoming more common across comparable solutions), although Premium includes them as part of the higher-tier solutions

  • Reporting can be limited in terms of data drill-down

Risks

(anything that could affect ROI; cost, complexity, process gaps, etc.)

  • Not about Appcast specifically (but inherent to all programmatic) is that budget spend cannot be strictly controlled like traditional job ad purchasing (based on going market rates, traffic, click or apply rates, etc.) and forecasting spend and ROI isn’t realistic (which some clients may not be comfortable with)

  • Client-owned setup processes are outside of WHCG or Appcast’s control and can greatly impact implementation timelines and overall ROI (particularly if setup is done improperly)

  • EU cookie banners for GDPR compliance cn disrupt tracking pixels on Career Sites (leading to reduced visibility on advertisement outcomes and overall ROI on CPH)

 

Overview of Solutions and Features

Solution Focuses
What it solves/achieves
How it works/notable features
Solution Focuses
What it solves/achieves
How it works/notable features

Platform Channels

Leverages the Network (global job board alliance) and is owned by StepStone

  • Accesses 10,000+ job sites and aggregators worldwide

  • Premium sites like Indeed and ZipRecruiter are available through Appcast Premium only (not Xcelerate)

  • Offer market access agility

    • Germany for example could take weeks to arrange job postings for, but with us we can get a posting up in a matter of hours for a good price

  • One contract, one currency, one invoice to consolidate all RM spend and billing processes

Xcelerate

Entry-level programmatic platform for new clients or limited support

  • Self-managed platform that accesses the majority of Appcast’s network (minus premium sites like Indeed and ZipRecruiter)

  • Setup can be done in several ways including CPC/CPA, syncing with ATS apply processes or replacing with a Hosted Apply landing page

    • Hosted Apply pages are branded landing pages that allow you to present a streamlined application processes to collect key Candidate information, as an alternative to directing advertisements to the standard career website where lengthy application processes can deter completion rates

Premium

Enterprise-grade programmatic solution

  • Fully-managed programmatic solution for enterprise clients that supports all job advertisement needs and brings in Appcast’s team of expert media planners and managers to keep application rates aligned to budget and spend goals

Supported Regions (NAM, EMEA, APAC, LATAM)

  • NAM (strongest programmatic)

  • UK (expanding into broader EMEA) for more recent programmatic support

  • Global coverage of job board/aggregator management, although true programmatic capability is not available in all regions

    • Programmatic not anticipated to reach APAC or African countries

Average Time-to-Implement

  • Typically 2-3 weeks

  • Varies by solution type, setup decisions, and client-side IT team involvement/responsiveness

Language Capabilities

  • English-only for the platform UI

  • Advertisements will be posted in whichever language they are in within the ATS

Ideal Scope and Scale (Specialized, High-Volume, etc.)

  • Ideal for high-volume, evergreen, and niche roles where talent source is less historically known

Required/Optimal Integrations

  • XML feed from ATS

  • Traxking pixels placed within the ATS (on the job site and “thank you for applying” pages)

Reporting and Analytics Features (In-Platform and/or Exportable Data)

  • Data is exportable and viewable in platform dashboards, but is not particularly strong

  • Data drill-down is very limited (especially around source of applicants/clicks)

Integrations Currently Supported

  • Most major ATS (depends more on flexibility of IT teams than the systems themselves), with several alternative setup options available

 

Resources and Collateral

YouTube Channel/Product Video: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWBYkHfhXajj7vFSRc6VFEw

 

Additional Links
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Screenshots, Images, and Attachments (paste/upload into boxes below)

 

 

 

 

Pricing

  • Monthly budget varies by solution type, number of roles, regions, job-type

  • Xcelerate is a self-managed service without a platform access fee, where the budget is based on regular monthly amounts or periodic Insertion Orders (as needed)

  • Premium pricing includes a basic platform management fee in addition to set monthly budgets

Typical Duration of Agreement

  • 12+ months for Premium

  • Xcelerate can be set up and used when needed

Pilot/Trial Opportunities

  • Xcelerate is the pilot-phase solution that organizations can start with to explore the Appcast solution and network