The New York Times may have declared that we have reached “peak podcast”,but to us that means there’s a perfect podcast for everyone, and every brand. Americans listen to podcasts at work, during their commutes and in their free time at higher rates than ever before: 48 million Americans report listening to a podcast weekly, and more than 63 percent of these listeners have reported making a purchase after hearing marketing messages from a brand or product on a podcast.
Now Playing: Here’s A Few of My Favorite Podcasts with Smart Sponsorships
- Who? Weekly hosts Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber tell you everything you need to know about the celebrities you don’t by delving into the Whos and Thems of the pop culture landscape. Long before Lindsey and Bobby landed “the big account,” the two hosts were very vocal about their love of Dunkin’ Donuts. Since the hosts were already such big fans of the brand, when the time came for an official, paid partnership it was a natural fit and really connected with their listeners. Who? Weekly also boasts an extremely active Facebook group that they use to both engage with fans of the podcast and source material for upcoming episodes.
- On Call Your Girlfriend hosts, Aminatou Sow and Ann Freidman pride themselves on the ethical framework they apply to their business decisions and are very transparent on their podcast about only working with brands that align with their mission. The result: listeners are endeared by the brand partner as they see them as a supporter of their favorite podcasters’ voices.
- Popular podcast purveyor Crooked Media’s flagship podcast Pod Save America is known for its satirical breakdown of the current political climate. They even take their sarcastic tone and apply it to their in-episode ads. While it may seem odd for a brand to pay to be made fun of by the host of the podcast they are sponsoring, the tone works for the Pod Save audience. Since their listeners love the quippy take on politics, it makes sense for them to like a different approach to advertising.
Podcast listeners have some real buying power, too. More than 40 percent earn a household income of 75K+ per year. This popular media type has numerous applications for brand strategy to support a variety of different marketing goals to reach this affluent, engaged audience.