Why You Can’t Afford to Ignore the Podcast Sponsorship Opportunities this Election Cycle Brings

And, among the hubbub, there’s another story right under the surface: we’ve changed how we consume news. As the traditional media landscape fractures, the medium gaining traction is podcasts. NYU professor and host of Vox Media’s Pivot podcast Scott Galloway is quoted last year as predicting that podcasts will be a defining factor of this election cycle. That might be why podcast sponsorship is now the go-to marketing strategy for companies seeking to connect more meaningfully with their target audience—even if that means sponsoring podcasts that feature political content.

Perhaps that’s not a surprise, since more Americans than ever before listen to podcasts—about half of all American adults have listened to a podcast at some point in the last year, according to data from the Pew Research Center. And more Americans are choosing podcasts as a news source, with 29% of listeners stating that they choose podcasts because they want to stay up-to-date on current affairs.

At a time when distrust in traditional media is rising, many people still see podcasting as a trustworthy source of information. The same Pew Research Center paper found that 87% of podcast listeners expect the news they get from podcasts to be accurate, which far outstrips how we view news from cable channels and newspapers. And nearly half of those listeners surveyed estimated that they hear a broad mix of political views on their podcasts.

With listeners turning to podcasts to get their news and with a high loyalty rating in podcasting as a whole (did you know that 80% of listeners tune into all or most of a podcast episode?), podcasting is now the brand awareness tool that companies can’t afford to ignore. But if you’re new to the game, it’s not too late to join in.

Podcast sponsorship often gets bracketed with its counterpart podcast advertising, but you’d be mistaken to think they were the same. Whereas podcast advertising calls on consumers to take a specific action—usually to purchase their product—podcast sponsorship is a more subtle tool. Through voiceover commercials or host-read messages or testimonies, podcast sponsorship aims to increase brand awareness and brand favorability ratings, positioning podcast listeners to become customers. Sponsorship also implies a deeper relationship between the podcast and its sponsor, with sponsor messages far from the extent of the involvement between the two parties. Penske, sponsor of Evergreen Podcasts’ Pit Pass Indy podcast, has their logo featured on the podcast’s cover art, as well as the company name in the full show title. The commitment between a brand and podcast demonstrated by sponsorship allows for more creative collaboration and a greater range of marketing touchpoints than you could ever find in a podcast advertisement deal.

However, this world of productive partnerships between podcasts and brands has some gaping holes, particularly in the case of podcasts that discuss controversial topics, including politics. Traditionally, brands have shied away from affiliating themselves with highly political media for fear of damaging their reputation or alienating potential consumers. However, an overly cautious attitude might hinder rather than help brands, because topics considered off-limits today might become commonplace tomorrow. Additionally, as research from Audacy last year showed, podcast listeners react better to many topics than brands anticipated. Even when a podcast touches on risky subject matter, nearly three-quarters of listeners state they wouldn’t associate a commercial on the same episode with the contentious issue discussed.

Sponsoring a political or current affairs podcast in the run-up to an election is a viable marketing strategy that might be perfect for your brand. Under most deal terms, podcast sponsorship will get your message and brand on every episode, increasing the chance that the audience will hear it. As the race heats up, it seems likely that podcast listeners will tune into their favorite shows at an even higher rate to stay informed, absorbing your sponsorship message at the same time.

And we only have to look across the pond to see how elections set podcasts alight: during the recent UK general election, leading British political podcasts saw downloads increase by 50% or more. The numbers from the previous 12 months have been astonishing, with a 49% increase in the number of hours of news and politics podcasts played in the UK, according to Spotify.

And this probably won’t slow down, at least not if you ask Acast’s UK content director Sam Shetabi, who expects that shows that saw a boost during the UK election period will be able to retain their new listeners in the future.

Evergreen Podcasts, is proud to have several shows covering the US election from different angles, some of which are already working podcast sponsors. We teamed up with multimedia group Big Whig in 2022 to bring you a range of podcasts on current affairs, politics, finances, famous political figures, and behind-the-scenes insights into life in Washington D.C., and listeners have consistently rated these shows highly for their engaging and informative content.

Evergreen’s approach to sponsorship is the key to our many successful podcast sponsorship examples.

If you’re a brand looking to start sponsoring a podcast, Samantha’s advice is to zero in on the goals of your campaign. “Be clear on what you want to achieve. Do you want to build brand awareness? Drive conversions? Increase web traffic? Having a goal in mind allows us to work together to craft the perfect campaign. Also, really understand who your target audience is… The more we know about them, the better we can position your brand to solve their problems.” In podcast sponsorship, clarity is the key that unlocks the best brand-podcast partnership.

If you think that podcast sponsorship is the right next step for your brand, get in touch with Evergreen’s Global Sales Agency. We’re excited to put you in the ears and minds of your ideal customers, whatever podcasts they listen to.