With more than 80 million users in the United States, a similar and growing number in Latin America, especially in Mexico where there are more than 34 million listeners, podcasts are a space that still has a lot of room to explore.
That audio format that’s halfway between radio, news show, interview, or monologue has a trait that all marketers love: audience loyalty.
Podcasts, why are they effective?
Let’s think about when people listen to a podcast: when they’re driving and want to take advantage of that time with valuable content, when they have “me” time and want to disconnect with a walk or bike ride, a session at the gym, or even doing housework.
That person who listens to a podcast does so voluntarily because they are pushed by a desire to learn, delve into a topic of interest, or simply have fun. He’s an informed listener who knows what he’s looking for in the podcast format.
And it is precisely this detail that makes podcasts extremely attractive for marketing. A brand that wants to converse with a specific target only has to look for that space where the content meets the expectations of its listeners.
Next, we’ll look at why podcasts are so appealing and how brands can connect with their audiences.
captive audience
Typically, podcast followers listen to 80% of the episodes. On average, podcast episodes are longer than 30 minutes. This means a captive and attentive audience.
This time is a valuable space for brands that want to connect with an attentive audience in an environment that feels more intimate than other formats with more noise and interruptions.
Working with podcast influencers can provide a wide variety of opportunities. You can promote products, offer user testimonials or interviews with influential voices depending on the goals of the brand and the podcaster’s niche.
Greater credibility
According to the Pew Research Center, listeners regard podcasts as a trusted source of news and information. Some listeners even trust podcasts more than print and traditional media.
As we have seen, in terms of influence, credibility is a basic pillar of influencer marketing. If audiences trust the content of a podcast and its host, you’re pretty far along the way.
Ad Tolerance
Since their inception, podcasts have been spaces embraced by independent content creators. Journalists, conductors, sports commentators, politicians or influencers have jumped into the podcasting arena to expand their content offer.
In this sense, the public has not only been faithful to their favorite podcasts. They also understand that their creators need advertising or sponsorship.
advertising is welcome
While in other formats, advertising is often rejected by the user, who tends to doubt the credibility of the content when there are too many ads, podcast listeners welcome advertising benevolently.
According to Nielsen data, 78% of podcast listeners are not bothered by ads as they understand that the space needs sponsors to survive. Also, 83% still think the podcast host or host is authentic even when there are ads or sponsors in their space, and 74% think that advertiser generally fits the show’s content.
Brand recall
In addition to holding the attention of their audience for much longer than an Instagram or TikTok post, podcasters also naturally align with the goals and objectives of most influencer marketing campaigns, especially those related to product discovery, tutorials, sponsorships and cultural relevance. Continuing with the Nielsen data, 62% of listeners remember the brand advertised in a podcast.
new hearings
Podcasts originated as an audio-only communication format, but in recent years many podcasts have experimented with including video, which not only expands their offering but allows them to reach new audiences.
About half of the top-ranked podcasts (51%) post some type of accompanying video to their episodes, almost always on YouTube.
In the fast-changing world of social media, influencers are constantly trying to have a multi-channel presence and influence, which makes sense for any marketing plan, expanding the message to podcasts as well means meeting your audience where it is.
Ishmael El-Qudsi CEO and co-founder of Internet República, one of the main digital marketing agencies in Spain, since November 2011. He is also co-founder and CEO of the influencer marketing platform SocialPubli, founded in 2015, which currently operates in 9 countries.