Should You Use Podcasts for Video Game Marketing?

With the increase in smartphone sales around the world, podcasts are increasingly becoming popular and are becoming a preferred form of entertainment. According to MusicOomph, the younger generation accounts for 67 percent of that listens to podcasts on a daily basis - driving massive engagements. With the magnitude of podcasting at this level, it is no doubt a great place for gaming studios to advertise their games and services.

What is a podcast?

Invented by Dave Winer and Adam Curry in 2004, the term podcast was mentioned for the first time in The Guardian newspaper in February 2004. Podcasts are a series of episodes that are aired specifically through audio broadcasting over the internet. Unlike videos and blog posts that require the complete attention of a person, podcasts don’t. They can be listened to on the go while commuting, doing other chores and more. 

Today, we find a plethora of podcasts on different topics spread across varied industries. When compared to vlogs or video production, the cost of running a podcast is much cheaper and easier to operate. Audiences can subscribe to the podcast channels that interest them and also get notified when new episodes are released. 

You may be thinking that this sounds like radio. However, podcasts are pre-recorded and edited content whereas most radio shows are recorded live and cannot be edited. Podcasts are readily available on the internet, and the only thing that a listener needs to do is download the file and get listening. 

What is podcast advertising? 

Podcast advertising is as the name suggests - advertising your product through product mentions or product promotions in podcast shows. Podcasts unlock a world of marketing opportunities and can magnify your reach to your target audience. Let’s look at some statistics to understand its power. 

Research from DiscoverPods reveals that as many as 76.8 percent people spend over 7 hours listening to podcasts on a weekly basis, around 61 percent of people listen to podcasts more than watching television, and as many as 70 percent of individuals do no other work while listening to podcasts. 

If you look at this picture, doesn’t it seem more like influencer marketing? Yes, it does! It functions in a similar fashion through product mentions, recommendations, and paid advertising. However, the difference lies in the fact that influencer marketing is primarily visual, where they showcase your products through pictures and videos; whereas in podcasts, your audience are communicated about your product in an audio format. 

Influencers in the podcast industry have built a community that respects them for their opinions and thought processes. Digital Marketing Institute states that as many as 6 out of 10 teenagers purchase a product when recommended by an influencer they follow. Another way of advertising your product through podcasts is give away discount codes or coupon codes when mentioned by a podcast influencer. In addition to inciting the need to purchase your game through these mentions, giving away discount codes encourage people to buy in your game. An accomplished influencer marketing agency can help you decode podcast influencer marketing and bolster your sales. 

Why is podcasting good to promote video games?

Now that we understand that podcasts are effective for promotion, let's look into how podcasting can help your game grow in different ways.

Reaching audiences in relevant niches

When we look at the podcasting industry at large today, we see that they span multiple niches. In fact, there are numerous podcasts for many industries covering different segments. While looking at the numbers as of October 2020, there are as many 1.5 million podcast shows and over 34 million podcast episodes across a variety of platforms, niches, audiences and more (data from Podcast Insights). No matter what genre your game belongs to, you have the potential to reach out to your target market.  

Presents info in a personal way

Oliver Deane, Global Radio’s commercial digital director, explains that a podcast helps develop a strong connection between listeners and advertisers. When ads are run on podcasts, it stimulates the imagination of listeners as there is no visual component. He further states that this helps listeners relate to the ads on a personal level. Edison Research claims that more than 67% of podcast listeners don’t get annoyed by sponsorship ads but in fact enjoy them and find them relevant unlike television or radio ads. One of the major reasons behind this is listeners don’t view it as a sponsorship ad but look at it as a recommendation from a friend. 

The audience of podcasts tend to also be mobile gamers

The number of podcast listeners is only going up. Listeners use these platforms to gain information, and many of them also happen to be gamers. Chart Boost shows that 33 percent of podcast listeners also use their mobile devices for gaming purposes. There is an undeniable correlation between mobile gamers and podcast listeners. You can't go wrong with including podcast marketing in your game marketing strategies. 

An intimate look at your brand for a fraction of the price

Now that we understand the impact of people's favorite podcast shows on marketing, we need to look at its pricing. Ads that run on podcasts are much cheaper when compared to those adverts on television, radio and other platforms. Seems like a good option to us!

Forget about adblocks when it comes to podcast ads

One of the downsides about ads are adblock web extensions. While watching a video or reading a blog post or reading a news article, people don’t like being interrupted by ads, so they often install adblock extensions. However, podcast advertising faces no roadblocks when it comes to in-stream podcast advertising as adblock extensions are not applicable. So when you advertise your game on a podcast, you can rest assured that your ad is being heard and your brand awareness is increasing. 

Some famous video game podcasts

Let’s take a look at some noteworthy video game podcasts that created their space in this industry.

Filthy Casuals

Launched in September 2015, Filthy Casuals is a comedy podcast channel that focuses on video games and pop culture. With the three popular hosts (Adam Knox, Tommy Dassalo, and Ben Vernel), this Australian comedy show has witnessed millions of downloads by audiences from across the globe. Their unique take on video games helped them establish themselves in this industry segment predominantly, and helped them earn live appearances at noteworthy Australian events including PAX AUS. When you have a great content strategy and excellent content delivery, the results are astounding, and Filthy Casuals is the living testament for the same. 

Spawn On Me

Hosted by Kahlief Adams, Spawn On Me is a one of a kind podcast show concentrating on gamers of color. From gaming news, reviews, and previews to emphasizing how games are impacting the world and bringing transformation in the entertainment industry, Spawn On Me covers it all. With thousands of subscribers, this podcast weaves information with humor and helps them gain insights into the gaming industry in Adam’s unique flavor. 

 Figure 1: Spawn On Me. Source: Spawn On Me

Podcast marketing is the future for video game marketing. You can’t afford to miss out on your potential audience who are podcast listeners - it's time for you to start thinking about working on your strategy. We understand that crafting compelling content and vetting podcast influencers and shows can be difficult. That's why you should work with a gaming marketing agency to bring all your efforts to fruition.

Game Marketing Genie can help you construct a concrete actionable podcast marketing strategy to reach out to your potential customers and maximize your game’s sales. 

Need more info? Contact us today!