By: Abby White
Podcasts have become the talk radio of the streaming generation. Millenials have become the podcast-listening gurus, giving them stable footing and easy accessibility without radio static. It’s slowly starting to phase out radio shows in its entirety. Businesses and CEOs have been quick to jump on the bandwagon, talking industry, business, or even miscellaneous topics.
Streaming podcasts have a variety of categories that span thousands of topics. From true crime to biz, people talk about anything and everything. History and politics to advice and controversial food opinions, if there’s a passion, there’s a podcast, and people are listening.
They can be such great tools for people to use for educational purposes, and great tools to utilize for advertisements. You can lead people to listen to the whole podcast, including your sponsorships and ads. Athletes can use it to talk about their athletic brand sponsorships, ASMRtists can talk about Audible or , and you’ll open a whole new market based on your podcast listeners.
Ages are varied, but auditory learners are 30% of the population who definitely take advantage of podcast streams. Demographics have varied throughout the years, but, according to Convince and Convert’s 2020 study, 49% of all Americans, 12-34, listen to at least one podcast per month, compared to 42% in 2019. So, yeah, there are a helluva lot of people listening in on what people have to say.
Pods can also severely help with your relationships to your consumers. According to podcast.co, “Using podcasts for your brand helps the listener to develop a personal connection with the brand. If they hear a friendly voice regularly within the podcast they’re more likely to view the brand as trustworthy and reliable. They’ll also feel connected to the brand in some way and will want to support it best they can because they enjoy the podcast and therefore believe they will enjoy whatever the brand has to offer.
Customers are more likely to buy from a brand they feel they have a personal connection with that they deem to be trustworthy, reliable and tailored towards their individual character. A podcast will help to create that personal bond between brand and listener.”
People are not threatened by brands when they’re introduced to them in a positive way and positive tone. TV has friendly faces, and podcasts have friendly voices. If a non-threatening looking person or your favorite celebrity told you to buy something, you might just buy it. There’s a line of trust there, whether you think there is or not.
It’s an interesting psychological connection that people have to other humans and just voices. It’s amazing. People want to feel like they are on the phone with their friends, and will make monetary investments based on that feeling, as faint or as unnoticed as it may be.
People will rely on podcasts just as they have relied on radio. Back in the more popular radio days, many would rely on specific shows to wake them up or to soothe them and their families to sleep — especially in the earlier days of the platform. There is no difference with podcasts other than you can consistently listen to episodes in succession and relisten. So, the opportunities are endless when it comes to listening to your favorite streams.
To touch down locally, Impakt’s CEO, Luke Nesler, runs one called the Moto Marketing Podcast. It runs through Racer X, a motocross/supercross magazine. It talks all the ins and outs of creating your moto brand and helping your business flourish with the fastest sport on dirt. Luke also has endless guests to talk their success as advice for their listeners, so you’re never getting sour guidance. While it is mainly a passion, it does do well to promote Racer X, Impakt, the guests, and the ad-read sponsors.
Podcasts could be a way to help your business or personal brand grow, especially with all the attention they get in the era of streaming. It could also be a great way to shake things up and ad a little fun to your brand.