Big Reach, Bigger Potential
464.7 million people listen to podcasts worldwide. By the end of this year, that number is projected to reach 504.9 million. Here in the United States, we have 135 million people who listen regularly on a monthly basis. Even more astonishingly, the average listener spends 7 hours listening to their favorite podcasts—with the ads that are presented to them—on their daily commute, while doing chores, or exercising.
Take Crime Weekly, hosted by retired police detective and private investigator Derrick Levasseur and true crime Youtube creator Stephanie Harlowe. Over the course of just four years, they have fascinated an avid listener base who are fully engaged on social media, community forums, and discussion groups. Because of this, Strategic Media is able to substantively and confidently showcase our clients to a group of people who are actively listening.
And yet, advertisers are still timid in taking advantage of the channel’s enormous reach and impressive growth year over year. “Only 9% of audio media consumption currently translates to ad revenue,” as reported by IAB’s 2024 Podcast Upfront Recap, which signals to agencies like ours that there is an outsized potential for our clients to be heard loud and clear on the air.
A Prime Audience
It has become common knowledge that podcasts draw engaged and receptive audiences but now there is even more exciting evidence of who these listeners are. According to the Infinite Dial Report released by Edison Research, podcast listeners are more likely to be employed, more affluent, and more educated. Precisely the type of people advertisers want to attract.
To drill down even further, 28.7 million senior executives are listening every month, and not just to tech related content. In addition to the ever-popular true crime genre, sports, culture, and comedy are big draws for these high-powered individuals with plenty of expendable income.
Young People Trust Podcasts
The often coveted and hard-to-predict 18-34 demographic is now fully invested in podcasts. More impressively, this pod preference will soon outrival that of television watching. Integration with social media only strengthens the allure and discourse that podcasts provide. With many up-and-coming creators being cast as influencers, this is a group that is expecting to be heard and worthy of being courted—particularly in light of their loyalty.
“45% of Millennials and Gen Zs said that when they hear an ad during a podcast, they trust the brand/product being promoted because of the trusted relationship they have with the hosts.” (Spotify Podcast Trends Report)
That being said, marketers should learn the lesson already that counting anyone out just leaves money on the table. Considering that podcast listeners aged 55 and up are growing in numbers, advertisers would be prudent to consider them in any strategy going forward.
Lastly, it’s not just the age of the listener that determines a capacity for trust. That onus is also on the advertisers, agencies, and hosts themselves. As Crime Weekly’s Derrick Levasseur put it, “our audience is loyal because we choose products we actually believe in and don’t just read off a script.”
Make Relationships Strategic
Podcasts themselves are the essence of relationships: they build connection, trust, and loyalty much more easily than traditional, outbound marketing. All of these qualities are key to the success of our clients and integral to our mission here at Strategic Media.
Relationships with representative agencies, networks, and shows are invaluable. Over time, we’ve made lucrative inroads within the podcast world. Our commitment to collaboration helps us be the first to hear about openings, hot guests, and good opportunities for our clients (before your competitors do!) and allows us to negotiate from an advantageous position in regard to placement and pricing.
SMI goes the extra mile. Through onboarding calls and multiple touchpoints to provide clarity and gain feedback, we work hard to establish a communication style that can prevent problems before they arise. Because of the relationships we take time and effort to build, we can solve issues more efficiently and proactively pursue opportunities. Plus, through our getting to know each other process, we can refer new clients to new shows that fit and vice versa.
In addition to all of that, SMI’s Lee Syatt (a legendary former podcaster in his own right) puts it simply: “building strong relationships with hosts just makes the reads better!’’
Lee is tenaciously thorough in prepping hosts and teams while constantly looking for ways to benefit both our clients and the shows we work with. Take it from true crime host Derrick Levasseur:
