People of all ages, stages, backgrounds and nationalities adore listening to podcasts.
Audience numbers are at an all-time high, with global podcast listeners forecast to hit 424.2 million by the end of 2022. So, it’s not surprising that podcast influencer numbers are on the rise, too.
There are millions of podcasts available online, too. Rephonic, an all-in-one podcast outreach and research tool for savvy marketers, has more than 2.5 million podcasts in its database, with 424,194 of them actively recording at the last count.
Podcasts are listener-friendly and portable — they go anywhere your phone goes. That means a podcast host can be in your ear at the gym, in the bath and on that long commute home from work.
So, how can an influencer marketing strategy help your brand?
Let’s find out.
What is a podcast influencer?
Few podcasts appeal to mass audiences. Instead, most podcasts cater to a niche. Podcast influencers are hosts who have built up a considerable number of loyal, highly engaged fans.
For example, Gary Vaynerchuk speaks to some 270,000 business people and entrepreneurs every day.
And Brandon Gaille, The Blogging Millionaire, has built up a fan base of 21,000 bloggers, all tuning in to the weekly podcast to learn concrete strategies on building and monetizing their blogs.
Listeners of these popular podcasts download new episodes to ensure they don’t miss a single one. They binge-listen to the podcast’s back catalog and are highly likely to buy from brands and sponsors aligned with the show.
Why use a podcast influencer for marketing your brand?
Podcast subscribers love to learn. According to Edison Research, 74% of podcast fans say learning new things is their top reason for listening to podcasts. They’re interested in hearing “the story behind” — whether that be a brand, a celebrity, an event or a movement.
So, it’s no surprise that the top influencers have guests with interesting, heartwarming or controversial stories to tell. These guests can make the ratings soar on the podcast charts — good news for podcast sponsors and marketers, as well as the host.
Podcast listener numbers are expanding — especially at the micro-level
Podcasts are overwhelmingly popular in the US, with approximately 80 million Americans listening every week. That’s an increase of 17% in one year.
What’s more, many people tune in several times each week, with Edison survey respondents reporting that they listened to more than 6 hours worth of episodes a week in 2020.
However, if you’re looking to partner with the best podcast influencers, it’s crucial to target the right influencer level for your brand.
For example, if you’re not a big-name celebrity yourself, you’re unlikely to catch the attention of a macro podcaster (one with millions of weekly podcast subscribers). Instead, look for “micro” or “nano” podcast influencers.
Highly engaged listeners
Micro podcast influencers have a loyal, active fan base in specific niches.
Some use comedy to spread their message. Many influencers interview thought leaders and experts in their niche, while others have guests just a few steps ahead of the listeners in their journey.
Listeners tune into these weekly podcasts without fail. They feel like they’ve formed a bond with the host and their guest — as if they’re part of the conversation.
Think about it; how many times have you nodded agreement or voiced your opinion out loud while listening to a podcast?
Micro-influencers are very aware of their audience’s trust, too. They tend only to promote products, services, and brands they genuinely use and admire. It’s’ the opposite of celebrity ads on TV or social media — everyone knows they’ve been paid mega bucks to promote that brand.
But, if a podcast influencer tells their audience, “hey, this is how I use this product and this is how it helps me,” many listeners will put that brand on their radar.
When the same problem arises for them, that solution is already ‘front of mind.’
That’s why it makes sense for your brand to align with podcast influencers where you have an audience in common.
Great conversion rate
More than half of all avid podcast fans say that podcast ads are the best way to reach them, according to Edison’s 2021 Super Listeners Survey.
It used to be tricky to put a figure on podcast ad or sponsorship ROI and even more challenging to know if being a podcast guest had a measurable effect.
However, in 2022 there are many ways to measure your conversion rate. For example, you can use promo codes, lead pages and questions like “how did you hear about us?” to track those customers who’ve come from a podcast.
ROI should also be thought of in terms of brand exposure. Listening to a brand in many episodes can cement it as a real purchase option for podcast fans.
Get permanent brand exposure
Podcasts are evergreen.
That’s another huge plus when using the podcast influencer industry. It means that the episodes in your sponsorship season or the interviews you recorded with those five podcast influencers will be discoverable for years after they were made.
What’s more, they’re likely to be available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart and a host of other podcasting platforms.
So, even if the podcaster isn’t currently recording, new listeners can find the show and binge-listen to the back catalog — including your episodes.
Easily find your target audience
But, how do you find those podcast influencers that are the best match for your brand?
That’s where Rephonic steps in to help.
Rephonic’s search tool helps you sift through more than two million podcasts to find the ones that could work for you. Its advanced filters let you specify the category, podcast listener numbers, location, audience engagement and more to come up with a list of suitable shows.
It even provides their contact information and direct links to each podcast’s episodes and social media platforms.
Understanding the numbers, listening to podcast episodes and checking out the comments and engagement stats on social media are three essentials when you’re choosing the top podcasting influencers who would be suitable for brand partnerships with you.
Conclusion
These are five of the most powerful reasons you should consider podcasts when thinking of influencer marketing.
Podcasts are arguably one of the hottest media at the moment. Many businesses still think of social media platforms or the current most successful YouTuber when they hear the words ‘influencer marketing campaign.’
But you can get ahead of the game by using Rephonic to find podcasting influencers and reach out to them with your pitch or proposals.
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