Is Podcasting the Next Format for Great Influencer Marketing?

Podcasting is finally having its moment more than a decade after the format got a name. The much-discussed and litigated about format was originally a way to broadcast audio content intended for listening on an iPod. While it became popular with commuters as an alternative to traditional radio, podcasting remained a fairly obscure way to hear often similarly obscure content from experts who spoke about specific subjects with a small target audience in mind. Similarly, advertising on the format was limited, especially when compared to the money put into advertising on traditional radio formats. Only in the last couple of years have more mainstream podcasts hit big with shows like Serial passing 100 million downloads in less than two years of existence. Couple that with comedian Marc Maron’s podcast featuring an appearance by President Barack Obama and podcasting is no longer just a niche audience format. Podcasts have been available on iTunes for a decade but only in 2014 did Apple decide to add an app specifically for it. That led to Pandora and Spotify starting to include podcasts the following year. Clearly, the podcast has arrived.

With nearly 89 million Americans now listening to podcasts, brands and advertisers are starting to take notice of the first major success stories and they suggest a different take on ads than simple placement in a 30 second block between regular show content. While technology is being built for optimized ad placement, early signs shows that the most effective podcast ads are authentic and useful content marketing that relies on tying in with the tone and character of the show on which it is featured. If that sounds suspiciously like influencer marketing, it’s because social and new media creators (including podcasters) are the ideal people to generate this type of content.

Podcasting Goes Naturally With Influencer Marketing

While the most viral ad from podcasting comes from Mailchimp’s use of user-generated content to create an ad that includes a 14-year old girl mispronouncing the name of the company along with regular people talking about their email service, most of the successful podcasting ads are incorporated into the podcaster’s show or produced by the podcaster themselves. There are many excellent examples of ads where the podcaster themselves actually produced the ad that would be featured on their show, like this one from the StartUp podcast where the host interviews an employee from Ford about car safety in a unique way. Even better has been disruptive mattress seller Casper’s ads on the podcast The Theory of Everything, which started with scripted ads that host Benjamen Walker voiced but that eventually turned into full-scale endorsements as he grew to love the company’s products.

On the face of it, this isn’t a new idea since radio shows and even television commercials from decades ago used to include on-air talent talking about products during breaks in the broadcast. What is completely different now is who is voicing that product endorsement. While those old ads on traditional media were voiced by actors, podcast hosts are the content creators themselves and usually the guardians of what actually makes it on digital air.

As a result, they are more likely to only feature products that line up with their interests and that of their audience. Without that kind of focus, they risk appearing inauthentic and they could lose listeners. More importantly, they are more likely to be trusted by their listeners because the audience gets to know them well and values their opinion. Since it’s also the same voice that is talking the whole time, listeners are less likely to skip through ads that include the personality of the podcaster with whom they have developed a relationship.

If brands line up with the ideal podcaster that has a true brand affinity, the opportunity for a long term. Podcasting audiences are engaged and loyal to the shows they love. In fact, as the second season of Serial has launched, fans were even tweeting about the fact that they missed the Mailchimp ad. How often does that happen with traditional advertising?

I really miss the @MailChimp ad at the start of the @Serial podcast! pic.twitter.com/1ZksCITuKr

— Mark Kelleher (@mark_f_kelleher) April 6, 2015

Image Source: Pete Souza