Is Your Brand Missing Out?

Who do you picture when you think of a stereotypical podcast listener? They’re probably a Millennial, right? Likely the intellectual type with an advanced degree who enjoys highbrow content and proudly sports their public radio tote bag on their way to their 9-5 white collar office job. And let’s be honest, you probably pictured a white dude. Am I far off here?

For a long time, you probably wouldn’t have been far off in that assumption. Podcast listeners were overwhelmingly tech-y type white guys who got into the medium largely because they had an appreciation for the technology that drives it. But the profile of the “average” podcast listener has changed dramatically in the last 5+ years, and continues to evolve rapidly– largely driven by an influx of new content that directly appeals to new audiences. 

People love to tout the “democratic” nature of podcasting– the barrier to entry is so low! All you need is a microphone! But the truth is that it really has not been very accessible for very long. When I first decided I wanted to make a podcast back in 2015, it felt impossible to parse through all of the jargon in chat rooms or blog posts just to understand what the hell an RSS feed is and why the hell I needed one. (And for what it’s worth, I AM a white Millennial intellectual type with an advanced degree who enjoys highbrow content and proudly sports my public radio tote bag on the way to my 9-5 white collar office job. Not a dude, but otherwise, I tick all the boxes. This gave me access to the gates of podcasting, but I still felt like that door was shut to me back then.) 

But as new faces joined the industry from behind the scenes, the barrier to entry genuinely has gotten (a little) lower. This has brought in new creators, who are making content for their communities. And that has led to more and more new people tuning into podcasts. The average podcast listener no longer looks like that stereotypical listener you might have first envisioned. 

The problem is that most brands don’t seem to know this. Most brands think of podcasts as a tool to reach that “stereotypical” podcast listener mentioned above. And sure, podcasts can be a great way to reach those listeners! But there is already quite a lot of content out there targeting our stereotypical podcast listener. This makes it even harder to capture their attention, even harder to stand out. On the contrary, there are so many listeners who are keen for new content, but are greatly underserved by brands in podcasting. This presents a huge opportunity for brave brands to stand out. It also presents an opportunity to continue expanding the diversity of podcast listeners, by creating new content that invites in new audiences who are primed to become podcast superfans. 

As Tom Webster of Sounds Profitable puts it, “[If] you want to grow your audience, you can either try to be an existing listener’s 6th favorite show, or you can try and create a new podcast listener.”

So I’ve decided to launch this blog series. I’ll be combining data with anecdotal examples to hopefully convince you, dear sweet reader, that there are a lot of brands leaving opportunities on the table by NOT jumping into podcasting. Let’s expand our imaginations and broaden our perception of which brands should be launching their own podcasts. 

Starting with blue collar workers. 

A couple of years ago I attended a talk with a brand marketer from a large home improvement chain. They shared how difficult employee engagement can be, as most of their team are on their feet all day, then often working with their hands at night. As a result, their company intranet saw very little activity, as most team members spent very little time in front of screens (their most effective form of internal communications remained good ol’ pamphlets in the break rooms). 

This got me thinking about how many other people there are whose lifestyles or jobs leave little room for much screen time. And THAT got me thinking about how podcasts might be a perfect tool to reach them.

Who Is the Blue Collar Worker? 

“Blue Collar Workers” obviously are not a monolith. This group encompasses a wide range of professions– from electricians, to plumbers, to bakers, to hairstylists, to landscapers, to construction workers, and much more. But there are some common characteristics among the group. 

Typically, blue collar workers spend long stretches of time working with their hands, performing screen-free tasks. This group of workers is unlikely to have transitioned to working from home, meaning their commute times haven’t changed– on the contrary, many blue collar workers spend hours driving from jobsite to jobsite each day.

This makes them a difficult group for brands to reach. Unlike white collar workers, skilled tradespeople and service workers don’t have the same opportunity in their work day to read a lengthy article or scroll mindlessly on LinkedIn while procrastinating a task (such as, oh, I don’t know, writing a blog post perhaps). You might not have success reaching a blue collar worker with a social media ad or convincing them to work with you through a long branded film. But you might be able to catch them with a podcast on their drive to a worksite, while they’re frosting a cake, or as they’re digging up a garden. 

This group is also commonly self-employed, balancing multiple roles needed to keep their gig running smoothly. They’re the decision makers about how their business will run, what tools they’re going to use, and what services to outsource– making them a very appealing group for lots of brands. 

Keen Listeners

As I’ve said before, there’s already a wealth of podcasts from brands targeting white collar workers (especially in the tech and finance sectors). And maybe that’s self-perpetuating– finance and tech brands see other finance and tech brands making podcasts and figure they’d better get in on that too. But the opposite is also true: brands targeting blue collar workers don’t see any of their competitors producing podcasts, and (wrongly) assume it’s not the medium for reaching their target audience.

But we know podcasts for skilled tradespeople can be hugely successful. A recent article from the Washington Post shared the story of “HVAC School,” a podcast offering insights for HVAC professionals that has achieved 7.5 million downloads and currently earns $400,000 per year in revenue. The article quotes listeners who directly reference their long driving times as a perfect opportunity to upskill by listening to the podcast. 

Blue collar workers do listen to podcasts. They’re hungry for the content. But there aren’t enough brands seeking their attention through podcasting. 

On the contrary, white collar workers’ attention is fragmented across so many podcasts vying for their attention. These are workers who spend their workdays in meetings, composing reports or emails, and generally unable to divide their attention between their screens and a podcast. Podcast listening is relegated to leisure time– and it’s way harder to compete for attention during someone’s leisure time. Who wants to consume work-related content from a brand during their leisure hours? Blue collar workers, on the other hand, spend their workdays performing tasks that perfectly lend themselves to podcast listening, allowing brands to step in and deliver helpful career-building content that can be easily consumed during the workday. 

Conclusion

The podcasting landscape is evolving, and brands need to broaden their perspectives on who their audience could be. The blue collar worker represents a significant opportunity that many marketers are missing. In the coming posts of this series, I’ll be pointing out some other gaps (and opportunities) that I see in the world of branded podcasting. There are so many opportunities that brands are missing out on, simply because we’re failing to challenge our preconceived notions about who is listening to podcasts and which brands should be creating in this space. Watch this space to push your imagination on what is possible for diverse brands in podcasting.

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