COMPANIES STAY ON YOUR MIND WITH SPONSORED PODCASTS
More than 73 million listen to them monthly
Richie Burke saw what publishing a podcast did for his own company.
Burke wasn’t pitching his company’s services. At the end of 2016, Burke’s media and marketing company, GoGeddit, launched the GoGedders podcast, publishing 37 episodes in 13 months.
“I just wanted to highlight people who had inspiring stories and were making a difference and interesting in the community,” Burke said.
The first season featured 41 Milwaukeeans ranging from entrepreneurs and business people to athletes, politicians and musicians.
The podcast, which also was shared as a video on Facebook, accumulated more than 100,000 views over the season, Burke said. It also led to more than six figures in sales, Burke said, from people who learned about his company through the show.
That response was encouraging, so the GoGedders podcast is back for a second season. The first episode went live Thursday. A media partner, OnMilwaukee, signed on for season two.
GoGeddit also is launching a new service to produce audio and podcasts for clients.
“There’s a big opportunity there,” Burke said.
The idea is to build a connection with a brand so when customers have a need, the sponsoring company will be top of mind.
“I don’t think I’ve pitched GoGeddit’s services once on any of the episodes or to anyone who has ever come in here, but people are listening to the show and hopefully we’re
“People listen typically to most of a podcast . ... So you’re really in someone’s ear. There’s a skip button, but they’re not pressing that very often. They’re really engaging with that content.”
Richie Burke Founder of GoGeddit
in their ear in a positive light for a half hour, 45 minutes, and now they’re aware of the brand and it’s positioning us as a community leader,” he said. “It paid off monetarily as a consequence, not a direct (reason) why I’m doing it. It just happened.”
Getting in customers’ ears
Many companies are taking advantage of the power of sponsored audio. Both the dating app Tinder and the subscription meal service Blue Apron team up with a production company, Gimlet Media, to publish sponsored podcasts.
The end goal: more contact with customers. The Tinder and Blue Apron shows aren’t just hour-long commercials but content built for the target audience for their product.
“People listen typically to most of a podcast,” Burke said. “So you’re really in someone’s ear. There’s a skip button, but they’re not pressing that very often. They’re really engaging with that content.”
The average weekly podcast consumer spends six hours and 37 minutes listening each week, according to an Edison Research report “The Podcast Consumer” released in April.
Frequent listeners are consuming content — in the car, in their bedroom, at the gym, in the kitchen, on public transit and while just walking. What’s more: People stick around. The same report found that 43 percent listen to the entire podcast and 44 percent listen to most of the show.
The audience for podcasts is wide. More than 73 million people are monthly listeners in the U.S., according to Edison Research data released in March. Listeners skew younger and male. But each show has a pretty specific audience for advertisers to target.
Milwaukee’s Pfister Hotel will launch a podcast this fall from Anna Lardinois, its narrator in residence. The hope, she said, is to introduce new people to the Pfister and spend more time with the hotel’s current audience.
“We live in a busy world where many of us are multitasking while accessing information,” Lardinois said. “Podcasting lets us fit into the packed schedules of those who’d like to connect to us. Because of the format, it allows us to tell stories with more depth and lets key figures in stories speak directly to the audience.”
Finding the perfect ad fit
Many companies stick to advertising on shows produced by others. About a third of marketers expect to invest in podcast content this year.
Milwaukee-based Bright Cellars advertises on a few podcasts.
The wine pairing and subscription service most heavily advertises its product on “Off the Vine,” a show hosted by wine-loving Kaitlyn Bristowe, a former lead character on the reality TV dating series “The Bachelorette.”
Podcast ad results are difficult to track, since there is not a link to click on embedded in audio like an advertisement on a website. More than 40 percent of podcast listeners in one survey looked up an item or service that was advertised. The survey, conducted by consumer business strategy and research company Magid, also said nearly 30 percent had purchased an item or service after hearing it advertised on a podcast.
Christie Low, Bright Cellars’ director of business development, said the company is “pretty picky” about its placements to make sure the host, content and audience are a perfect fit.
“We always send the product to the hosts beforehand so that they can make sure they’re only recommending products they’ve used and are excited to recommend to their listeners,” Low said.
The company has also placed ads on “Almost 30 Podcast” and “Wine Two Five,” Low said.
Money spent on podcast advertising is on the rise. Around $326 million will be spent this year, and that’s expected to increase to $420 million in 2019, according to Bridge Ratings Media Research.
Betting on audio
Burke is optimistic about the future of audio and its impact.
“I just saw the amount of success running a podcast with a $70 Amazon mic and a camcorder brought to my company and what it did for a lot of the guests on it,” he said. “It just makes a lot of sense to double down. I enjoy doing it, but bringing it to market, I think, is a smart business decision.”
To add the podcasting service, GoGeddit built an audio studio and invested in production equipment when it moved last month into a new, bigger office in St. Francis.
Burke, 30, started the company in 2011. It now has eight employees who provide services to around 20 clients. The company’s clients range in size and industry from Thrivent Financial and Atkinson Candy Company to coupon package company CityTins and the Keg-a-Que.
GoGeddit’s revenues grew 65 percent last year, Burke said. He predicts the company will experience similar growth this year. He hopes the audio services will contribute to that growth.
“I’m betting on it,” Burke said. “You never know until you launch something.”
Sarah Hauer can be reached at shauer@journalsentinel.com or on Instagram @HauerSarah and Twitter @SarahHauer.
“We live in a busy world where many of us are multitasking while accessing information . ... Podcasting lets us fit into the packed schedules of those who’d like to connect to us. Because of the format, it allows us to tell stories with more depth and lets key figures in stories speak directly to the audience.”
Anna Lardinois