How to Leverage Diverse Voices for Your Next Podcast Campaign

With Black History Month in the rearview, it’s important for brands to continue supporting BIPOC creators going forward. And podcasts are the perfect way to do so—and to both reach multicultural audiences and see results. While there is a significant lack of representation in other media, podcasts offer a wide range of diverse perspectives. For example, journalism is a mostly-white profession, and Hollywood has backslid in recent years when it comes to representing women and people of color.

Podcasts offer a wealth of diverse, culturally relevant stories and conversations all year-round. Not to mention, 43% of podcast creators identify as non-white, making them more diverse than the general US population. This makes podcasts the perfect medium for brands looking to expand their investments in multicultural content.

Massive Reach & Relevance

BIPOC creators play a significant role in diversifying the podcast landscape, leading discussions across many genres and driving growth in multicultural podcast listening, which has increased by +396% in the last decade alone. And multicultural icons like LeVar Burton, Nicole Byer, and Hoda Kotb are raking in the accolades for their podcasts, with repeated recognition from top institutions like Adweek, the Webbys, the NAACP, and more.

But there is still so much room for improvement. That’s why SiriusXM Media is devoted to developing diverse audio talent and promoting inclusivity through programs like our newly launched Listen Next, an initiative designed to help the next generation of creators break through the audio landscape and launch successful, sustainable podcasting careers.

Drawn to Familiar Voices

With the unique ability to tackle topics that are often complex and specific to their lived experiences, diverse podcasters appeal to multicultural listeners. From conversations around social justice and identity politics to pop culture commentary, BIPOC-hosted podcasts both educate and foster a sense of belonging and community among listeners. No wonder one in two Black listeners say most or all of the podcasts they listen to are Black-hosted,​ and 41% of Latino listeners tune in to Latino-hosted podcasts weekly​.  

This affinity doesn’t stop with the content. Advertisers who invest in BIPOC-hosted podcasts see great campaign results among multicultural listeners. They are more likely to purchase, recommend, and gather information around products they hear advertised on those shows.

Stand for Sonic Diversity

The voice of the podcaster isn’t the only one that matters. Brands can also see significant results when their announcer-read ads are voiced by diverse talent. In fact, 39% of Black podcast listeners think sponsored messages are more interesting if they know it is being read by a Black announcer, and one in three Latino podcast listeners agree that they would like to hear more ads featuring diverse perspectives.

Fortunately, Studio Resonate, our in-house audio creative agency, has no shortage of BIPOC voice-over talent, having set a benchmark of casting at least 50% through their Stand for Sonic Diversity. Our team of multicultural creative experts produce and modify ad scripts in a way that is authentic to the identity of the voiceover talent.

Cultivating Trust 

Diverse podcast hosts have a knack for building a strong sense of trust that’s hard to come by in other media formats. When asked how they would describe a few different types of media, 45% of multicultural listeners said they think of podcasts as “authentic & trustworthy” vs. just 7% for streaming video and 3% for social media. This speaks to the special connection that diverse creators are able to forge with their audiences. It also explains why listeners continue to flock to hosts like Kid Fury and Crissle, Nikki and Brie Garcia, and Jameela Jamil in search of authentic conversations they can’t get anywhere else.

Speak Their Language

In an era where consumers seek brands that resonate with their values and identities, demonstrating inclusivity becomes a foundation of brand loyalty and trust. And one of the best ways to demonstrate inclusivity is by adopting the language with which listeners feel most comfortable.

Many Latino listeners, for instance, have made it known that they feel a stronger connection to brands that translate messaging into their native tongue, with 46% saying they are more likely to purchase from a brand advertising on Spanish-language podcast and 53% saying they find advertisements on Spanish-language podcasts to be more relatable.

Still unconvinced? Take it up with the financial services advertiser that saw an 11pt lift in aided awareness and a 10pt lift in recommendation among Spanish-speaking podcast listeners 18 and over following a recent sponsorship of Erazno Y La Chokolata.

Invest in BIPOC Creators at Scale

The enduring impact of podcasts as a platform for amplifying BIPOC voices cannot be overstated. And as we extend our focus beyond Black History Month, our Diverse Creators collection is the most efficient way to activate a campaign across a wide-range of BIPOC-hosted shows, while elevating diverse voices year round. This brand-new targeting capability allows advertisers to tap into a curated network of diverse content in one easy buy. To zero in on a more specific creator segment, brands can also select from Black Creator and Hispanic Creator collections. No matter your specific approach, SiriusXM Media has all the tools you need to tap into a wide range of diverse creators.

Now, let’s chat!