The New Influencers
Reporter
Spotify has launched its first Global Podcast Trends Tour, an interactive exploration of the latest trends in podcasting showcasing fresh insights and a free VIP pass to explore how people are engaging with podcasts.
For brands looking to extend their reach there are new stats revealing that the tides have turned, and showcasing your products via a podcast ad are more effective — and highly trusted — especially among Gen Z listeners.
Spotify AU/NZ Podcast Account Director, Sam Moles says podcast ads have grown in popularity, becoming a proven and effective format to drive business results.
“Podcasts continue to be one of the best ways for brands to reach audiences, mixing scale with high trust scores,” Moles said.
The Global Podcast Trends tour breaks down how Spotify’s audience which now reaches over half of all podcast listeners in Australia, generates conversion rates above industry benchmarks.
“This provides brands with a window to align themselves with culture and ‘Podfluencers’, who are now more trusted than social media influencers by 63% of people globally,” Moles said.
Podcasts with video episodes have also seen a 39% increase in average daily streams, according to Moles, with Gen Z 18% more likely to engage with video podcasts.
Gen Z are more likely to trust brands through podcast marketing. Image: RDNE Stock project
Spotify Global Brand Strategy ‘Thought Leadership Lead’, Jenny Haggard, says it is natural to see a new type of influencer emerge as people turn to podcasts to be inspired, informed and educated.
“Through the Podcast Trends Tour, we’ve uncovered how important podfluencers are for marketers looking to connect with audiences in a genuine way,” Haggard said.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
PODCAST ERA: A WINDOW INTO CULTURE
In Australia, a big cultural moment featured a local leading lady (Margot Robbie) and had Oz seeing pink:
+61%: increase in global streams of podcasts discussing Barbie the week of the Oscar nominations announcement when many felt the movie and its star were snubbed
+67%: increase in global streams of podcasts discussing Barbie the following week as conversations continued, a trend unique to Australia
SOUND INVESTMENT
Categories trending in Australian Spotify podcasts:
Most popular categories: Comedy, Health & Fitness, Society & Culture, True Crime, Sports
Fastest-growing categories: Religion & Spirituality (75.2%), Business & Technology (70.7%), Society & Culture (60.5%), Science (60%)
Nerd out, Oz: Australia is the only country among those analysed that has Science in its fastest growing categories.
TOTALLY SKETCH
What Gen Zs are currently streaming in podcasts:
Most popular categories: Comedy, Society & Culture, Health & Fitness, True Crime, and Arts
Fastest-growing categories: Science (+62.9%), Religion & Spirituality (+54.8%), Business & Technology (+51.6%), Society & Culture (+23.5%)
NOW STREAMING: RESULTS
Sixty-two percent of study respondents took an action after hearing an ad during a podcast show, such as: searching for the product, purchasing the product, or talking about it.
Spotify helps you reach over half of all podcast listeners in Australia.
Podcast advertising grew faster than music advertising revenue over the last year, and so far in 2024, the Spotify Audience Network continues to see positive growth in participating publishers and shows
Spotify podcast conversion rates perform 26% better than Spotify Ad Analytics industry benchmarks across 240 publishers.
BREAKING BORDERS
Passport, please: Gen Zs are using podcasts to expand their horizons. In Australia, 50% of podcast streams by users aged 18-24 were users streaming from a country different from the show’s origin country. That number is even higher for users aged 13-17 (66%).
Users aged 13-17 and 18-25 are streaming outside of their own country more than all other age groups.
Out-of-country listening is highest for shows originating in English-speaking markets like the United States and Australia, while content from countries like Brazil and Japan gets mostly local listeners due to the native language.
Globally, 22% of podcasts have half or more of their audience made up of international streamers.
KEY GLOBAL FINDINGS
Podcast hosts build trust with their audience, and have become highly influential in purchasing decisions.
55% of Gen Zs follow someone on social media and listen to their podcast, they like their podcast content more.
Nearly half (48%) of Gen Zs and Millennials are more likely to be interested in ads/products when promoted by their favorite podcasters.
45% of Millennials and Gen Zs said that when they hear an ad during a podcast, they trust the brand/product being promoted because of the trusted relationship they have with the hosts.