Edison Shows How Not to Buy Podcast Ads; Why Your Customers Are Leaving You; A New Podcast Reveals Your Secrets; Picky Podcast Host Persuades

June is here! Perhaps because most Americans were focused on topping off the propane tanks in preparation for the official launch of grilling season, it was a slow week in media news. However, the media researchers were still hard at work. The most interesting bit, in our opinion, comes from Edison Research’s Weekly Insights Email (subscribe here).

With a reported 4.1 million podcasts globally, it’s daunting for many advertisers to know how to jump in. Edison’s recent report attempts to put everything into perspective.

According to Edison, brands can reach a staggering 33% of U.S. podcast listeners by just running on the top 10 podcasts. Expanding your podcast test to the top 25 podcasts will get you close to half of the podcast listening audience. From there, you begin to see diminishing returns. The top 100 podcasts get you 59% of the audience, the top 500 podcasts, 75%, and running on the top 1,000 shows will get you 82% of the audience.

However, the problem with Edison’s assessment is twofold.

First, sponsorship on nearly every podcast within the top 50 shows is only available through dynamic insertion (DAI). Therefore to truly hit 33% of the US audience by running on just the top 10 shows, you’d need to somehow achieve 100% share of voice on each show which is essentially impossible to do. With the proliferation of DAI, this would be the case as you move down the list of the top 1,000 shows.

But let’s assume, as a thought experiment, that achieving 100% share on every show is possible. Is this the right way to approach podcast advertising? We need to consider the goal of the campaign. If your goal is to simply “get your word out” to the podcast audience, this would be a great strategy. If, however, your goals are performance-based, this most definitely is not the route to take.

The podcast advertising landscape is littered with the bones of brands that have employed a similar strategy. When we speak to prospective advertisers who have “tried Podcast but couldn’t make it work”, we often see that their initial strategy was targeting top shows. From a performance standpoint, the largest podcasts are rarely the most efficient. So while the top 10 podcasts may drive awareness, “cost-per” and ROAS targets are seldom met.

Chasing the audience is not the way, but it can be part of it. A balanced approach of buying larger shows to drive volume and awareness, in addition to podcasts that have a track record of driving performance, will help grow your share of voice while maintaining efficiency.

The rest of this week’s edition has one more bit of research that will show you why your customers are leaving you and a very interesting new solution to audience targeting on podcasts.

As always, we have a couple of new show opportunities that you should consider for your podcast portfolio and an example of how impactful a podcast read can be when the host does their homework.

The Classifieds

The Terrible Twos Meet Their Mommy Matches

Being the parent of a toddler is the hardest job you could ever have, and most parenting guides don’t address the emotional and mental burdens that go along with it. Deena Margolin (child therapist and new mom) and Kristin Gallant (parent coach and mom of two toddlers) want to cease the shame and guilt attributed to being at your rope’s end and provide the needed slack for mothers in need. Since creating their mommy crash course and gentle parenting Instagram, their fans have fervently followed the duo’s advice on everything from food fights and potty training to emotional regulation and discipline. The June launch of this newest podcast from Audacy is heavily recommended for clients targeting young mothers of toddlers interested in self-improvement and mental health. Everyone and their mother should click below for more info.

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Submit Your Sins for Our Enjoyable Cringe

Some of the best content on the internet comes from anonymous sources, a fact that Youtuber Alyx Weiss knows all too well. She has been on a mission to give a voice to her private audience of 1.8m followers by reading their absurd, unhinged, and rarefied secrets for the entire internet’s enjoyment. On her new podcast with Kast, she will break down longer stories from various sources, commenting and hilariously reacting to the most shocking secrets yet. The show is also differentiated by a monthly advice segment by Weiss’ own therapist. This is a great opportunity for any advertiser aiming for a loyal female audience interested in comedy and internet culture. This is already an open secret; more details in the link below.

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In Case You Missed It

How Many Podcasts Do You Need?

Edison Research shared their finding that brands can reach 33% of the US podcast listening population with just the top 10 shows. While the news is interesting, this is not a podcast test strategy – we just told you why.

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Why Your Customers Are Switching Brands

With a wavering economy, achieving true brand loyalty is harder than ever. A report from eMarketer shares why consumers are swapping brands, and arming yourselves with this knowledge could help lower your attrition in the coming months. The report shares that two-thirds of consumers are looking for a better deal, while more than half are looking for better quality. Consider a messaging strategy that underscores your value to the consumer and perhaps even a loyalty discount on their next purchase.

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Conversational Ad Targeting?

Acast just announced the launch of episode-level conversational targeting for podcasts. Using speech-to-text transcription technology combined with AI, Acast can now allow brands to target podcasts where the conversation within a particular episode is aligned with their message. Let’s say you’re a company that provides a solution for snoring. Acast can scan the back catalog of hundreds of thousands of individual podcast episodes to find instances where the conversation on that episode turned to snoring. This innovative technology is not unlike Oxford Road partner, Barometer’s AI tool for brand safety, but rather than highlighting shows with a potential risk for a brand, Acast’s tool highlights an opportunity to align your message within the conversation on a particular episode. More details on Acast’s new toy to follow, but if you’re interested in testing, let’s talk.

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This Week in Great Podcast Reads

Sharp Tongue Delivers a Pointed Read

As the adage goes, trust is the foundation of any strong relationship. And that goes for the relationship between podcast hosts and their audience. This is especially true when they’re talking about a supplement for hair loss, in a market saturated with over-the-counter cure-alls and all-natural gimmicks. Who wouldn’t be skeptical? Sharp Tongue’s Jessimae Peluso feels your pain. That’s why she provided next-level substantiation in her endorsement for Nutrafol—the #1 dermatologist-recommended hair growth supplement. The comedian reveals doing her own research on the product in addition to vetting it with her podcast network Cloud10, then further eases any doubts when she mentions seeing Nutrafol in her own dermatologist’s office. It’s clear why a podcast like Sharp Tongue has such a loyal following and continues to prove itself as a favorite among brands.

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