Why True Crime Podcasts Are a Must for Connecting with Women
Apr 1, 2024Women and true crime—they’re two peas in a pod(cast). Just consider this: Reports show that 66% of true crime podcast listeners are women.1 Why then, do brands that want to target female audiences hesitate to work in this space?
The truth is, if you want an in with female listeners, you need to work with true crime hosts. And in our latest Hear it From the Host webinar, we proved exactly that—with the co-host of the most popular podcast (true crime, or otherwise), Brit Prawat of Crime Junkie.
Check out the full recording to hear how we:
Cleared up common misconceptions around brand suitability in the true crime space
Highlighted some of the most relevant proprietary data on how women are engaging with these podcasts
Dove into what Brit thinks makes for a successful campaign
And so much more
7 Can’t-Miss Moments from Our Conversation
Don’t have time to watch the recording in full? Don’t worry—we’ve got the quick hits ready for you. Pop those headphones in and listen to some of the most insightful moments from our chat with Brit.
Women are the driving force behind the success of this category.
“It’s important to understand that women are the driving force behind the success of this category. After all, female listeners make up two-thirds of the true crime audience overall, and it’s actually the number two genre for women, following hotly on the heels of comedy by a really small margin. And when we think about why that is, what's important to recognize is that this genre is where female voices lead.” - Sophie Anderson, Associate Director, Podcast Sales Marketing
Podcasts are a huge source of community and connection.
“For many female listeners, podcasts are a huge source of community and connection. Hosts like Brit and Ashley feel like close personal friends, and there's an emotional connection to the victims, as well. What's more, two thirds of female listeners say that their friends and family listen to true crime podcasts, giving them something to connect with others in real life. And finally, female listeners also cite the social media communities that are born out of their favorite podcasts as being very important to them and a huge source of connection.” - Sophie Anderson, Associate Director, Podcast Sales Marketing
The best thing you can do is support female-hosted podcasts.
“True crime listeners say that their opinion of brands advertising within the content is unchanged or more positive. And it's worth noting that 8% selected none of the above, meaning that less than 3% of true crime listeners say the brand's advertising in true crime are seen as distasteful, offensive, or annoying. But if you really want to resonate with female true crime listeners, the best thing you can do is support female-hosted podcasts, since women who listen to female-hosted podcasts and produced shows are more likely to consider, recommend, purchase and spend on a brand they heard advertised than women who do not listen to female hosted shows.” - Sophie Anderson, Associate Director, Podcast Sales Marketing
We want our listeners to be our besties.
“It's just one of those things where I feel like we want our listeners to be our besties. We want them to feel comfortable with us and to trust us to make a product in our show that is ethical and that is true to us and to what we want to do.” - Brit Prawat, Co-host, Crime Junkie
They feel this safety with us and with how we choose to tell stories.
“Whether it's someone I meet at a tree store or when we were on tour in the past, they feel this safety with us and with how we choose to tell the stories that we do. And that's something that we've always been very intentional about, about doing and cultivating and fostering.” - Brit Prawat, Co-host, Crime Junkie
We’ve become the example of ethical, victim-centric true crime.
“Crime Junkie is different. We have literally become the example of what ethical, victim-centric true crime can look like and the type of good that can come from having that approach to these stories... Our dialogue isn't in the form of comedy. It's not in the form of horror or anything like that. It's engaging, it's educational, it's enlightening, and it pushes our listeners to listen with responsibility, with intention, with care, and with consideration of how serious and how touching these stories are and how much they can give back and do good in that space.” - Brit Prawat, Co-host, Crime Junkie
When it comes to host reads, I focus on authenticity.
“When it comes to host reads, I focus on authenticity. A lot of times I've shared what I like about something with my friends or with my husband… So most times it's really easy because I'm already really excited about the product. I'm really excited about what I'm going in with and really staying true to that authentic excitement of getting to use this amazing product and getting to tell our listenership, who trust me and trust Ashley and trust our opinions of things, and getting to share that with them.” - Brit Prawat, Co-host, Crime Junkie
Want to learn more about how our SiriusXM Podcast Network true crime hosts can help drive impact with female listeners? Let’s chat.
