These days, it seems like everyone (and everything) has a podcast. There are scripted fictional podcasts, narrative nonfiction podcasts, celebrity podcasts, podcasts featuring conversations about every topic under the sun – whether it’s business and finance, health and wellness, marketing and PR, politics, sports, tech and true crime or fashion, food and pharma. There are even podcasts about dental hacks, pro wrestling and gnomes! Yes, gnomes.
We’re listening to them in the car, on the train, in the gym, in the yard, in the kitchen and bedroom. They’re everywhere.
But if you’re thinking, “Wait, haven’t podcasts been around awhile? What’s the big deal?”, you’re right. Sort of.
Podcasts have been around since the 1980s, then gained traction in the early aughts. However, the public’s appetite didn’t really become insatiable until now.
“In 2021, the number of monthly U.S. podcast listeners will increase by 10.1% year-over-year (YoY) to 117.8 million” (Insider Intelligence – July 29, 2021). The number of shows has grown from 550,000 in 2018 to more than two million today (Podcast Insights – August 25, 2021). And those numbers aren’t slowing down anytime soon.
If you aren’t adding podcasts to your media tour mix, what are you waiting for?
You can micro-target audiences, reaching niche markets more likely to be invested in your message, brand, product, etc.
Episodes have longer shelf-lives than most media interviews.
Spokespersons are able to have longer and sometimes more meaningful conversations with podcast hosts.
In addition to the actual podcast episode, your spokesperson is likely to be cross-promoted on the host’s and show’s websites and social media channels. Some podcasters also post their shows on YouTube.
Podcast hosts can be very influential, and being aligned with them can create a halo effect for your spokesperson or brand.
And why do you need us?
We’re doing the research. Researching podcasts is critical. It’s also time-consuming and complex, because there are so many podcasts and they’re all different. You need to be familiar not only with the format but also with the quality and reach, past episodes, coverage trends, the personality of the host, their social media channels and following.
We’re juggling the schedule. Podcasts may tape one day a week. They may tape once a quarter. They might tape weeks in advance. It all depends. Also, they often want more than the typical 5-10 minute window available during a media tour.
We’re building the relationships. We’re tracking down the hosts and bookers (often they’re the same person), following them on social media and learning their needs, preferences and quirks.
We’re personalizing the pitches for success, because that’s what the business demands.
We’re bringing the same level of dedication and excellence to podcast booking that we’ve brought you for SMTs, RMTs and other innovative tactics for 35 years.
Still not sure if podcasts are right for you? Call us. We’ve been on the forefront of media trends for years, and this is one bandwagon worth the ride.