Do Podcasts Actually Build Brand Awareness?

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again…

Your branded podcast shouldn’t read like a series of 30-minute ads. In fact, this is probably the worst thing you could do for your business, your audience, and your show.

Ultimately, what we strive to create with each of our clients is a value-packed series, focused on their ideal audience — not their brand.

You might be asking yourself how this promotes your business or drives conversion, and how you can ensure your listeners will connect your brand with your show.

While we don’t recommend that you run traditional ads for your own business within your branded podcast, we do encourage creators to include a brand mention at the top, middle, and end of each episode.

But does this really work? Do listeners pay attention to brand mentions? And if they do, how does this impact your business?

We explore these topics below.

Do listeners even hear brand mentions?

This is a totally reasonable question to ask.

We’ve all been skipping commercials since the early days of DVR, right? And when it comes to newer media — like streaming services and YouTube — an ad-free experience is either expected or easy to set up.

But there are some key differences here…

First of all, a brand mention, when compared against an ad, is snappy and casual. Second, podcasts really don’t invite listeners to fast forward in the way that mediums like TV and YouTube do.

We believe there are a few reasons for this…

• Your listener is likely multitasking and probably won’t stop what they’re doing to bypass a five-second sidebar.
• When there isn’t a visual component to your content, fast-forwarding can cause them to overshoot, bypassing the quality material they actually came for
• Podcasts offer extraordinary value and are consumed with more intention than that autoplay YouTube video or your Sunday afternoon channel surf

If you’re a podcast consumer, you might want to ask yourself how often you’ve fast-forwarded through an episode that wasn’t absolutely riddled with ads.

We’re guessing the answer is “seldom” or “never.”

Are they paying attention?

Sure, this is all great in theory…

But won’t listeners just tune brand mentions out?

While this might be true with some mediums, data suggests that when it comes to podcasts the answer is a definitive “no.”

It’s actually a bit shocking just how open listeners are to brand mentions within podcast episodes — even to us.

One 2019 report from BBC found that consumers are even more engaged during the branded parts of a podcast episode than they are during the rest of the content.

Pretty wild, right?

This is a serious asset and an extraordinary omen for savvy content marketers.

Will they remember your brand?

Okay, we’ve established that folks are hearing brand mentions but attention doesn’t necessarily equal retention.

Will podcast listeners actually remember the name and nature of your brand?

Again, the evidence points to yes.

Recent data from Midroll shows that, across two listener surveys, 84% of folks were able to recall brands mentioned during a podcast, totally unaided.

And in more good news for content marketers, this absolutely smashes the stats surrounding other forms of advertising.

For context, let’s compare this to recent data surrounding web ads.

It showed that, of 3600 US adults …

• 48% recalled seeing full page ads they’d seen on smartphones, tablets and desktops
• 33% remembered seeing webpage banners
• And only 35% of folks who saw midsize ads on desktops, smartphones, or tablets remembered them

This makes a pretty compelling case for the branded podcast.

How can this affect your business?

Yes, we’re bombarded with ads and surrounded by various forms of branding all day every day…

That said, we think it’s pretty clear that in-podcast brand mentions can make a serious — and totally exceptional — impact on your business.

An audience-centered branded podcast with these simple inclusions can…

• Skyrocket share of voice
• Increase brand awareness
• Boost community engagement
• Improve consumer-brand relationships
• And establish your brand as the expert in your space

And trust us, that’s not all…

To better understand the endless potential of the branded podcast — and how it can change the position of your business for good — check out our Ultimate Guide to Podcast ROI.

Written by Roger Nairn, JarAudio.com