By Amit Doshi
Podcasting was climbing in popularity among listeners even before Covid-19 hit. In fact, at the very start of the pandemic, we saw a definite drop in listeners as people were not commuting or going to the gym. But then, we saw that newer audiences discovered podcasts and newer creators started creating them. With the pandemic driving all of us indoor for an extended period of time, media consumption soared. The fact that this content is on-demand and easy to consume created new listening patterns and podcasts served as a backdrop to people’s daily lives as they did their own chores and worked from home.
I can’t think of too many other content formats that generate an equivalent amount of genuine loyalty between creator and audience. Moreover, listeners are loyal to their favourite hosts and will likely listen to all or most of the episodes they release. This intimacy has driven a novel interest among Indian advertisers who are realising the niche audiences they can reach via the sheer variety of podcasts topics that exist. Regardless of what kind of content you’re interested in, chances are there is a podcast out there for you. With bigger podcasts, it’s possible to know exactly what kind of audience listens to them and thereby a more accurate targeting is possible.
This is where the branded podcast comes into play. A branded podcast is a show that is created with the key demographic of the brand in mind without a focus on ‘selling’ so much as engagement. The goal is to get your brands core values out in front of listeners in a format that fosters a deep relationship with them. Branded podcasts are a great way to engage with a carefully curated audience that’s actually willing to invest a significant portion of time into podcast listening.
Over the last year, Indian podcasting emerged as a highly effective and lucrative marketing tool for large companies, small brands, and entrepreneurs looking to grow their reach. It is today the only medium in India with regular over 30 minutes engagement and far superior completion rates compared to most forms of OTT content. According to a listener survey by IVM Podcasts, around 96% tuned in via their phones and we saw more women that ever listening to podcasts. 80% of listeners prefer to listen to episodes that are more than 20 minutes long, and serious listeners get about 7-8 hours of listening per week.
Increasingly it is also being noticed that most listeners will finish the entire podcast episode they are listening to, a far lower drop-off rate in comparison to other platforms. This combined with other conducive listening behaviour makes podcasts the perfect addition to a traditional marketing mix.
The author is head of IVM Podcasts at Pratilipi. Views expressed are personal.