Could podcasts help decide the election?

Here we are in the final days before the most consequential Presidential Election of our lives.Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are criss-crossing the battleground states – and the podcast studios!

Sure, we’ve got wall-to-wall TV and radio ads as always.  My wife and I have YouTube TV as our cable provider -the ads are also there, and on traditional YouTube, where we spend a fair amount of time as well.

But as Trump and Harris make their closing arguments to Americans, they’ve found a new arena this cycle– podcasts.  And with podcasts having pretty well-defined audiences, even the largest ones, both candidates are staying in their respective lanes.   No matter how you slice it, 45% of the country’s going to vote for Harris, and 45% is going to vote for Trump.  Now while both would love to reach that 10% in the middle, they are also trying to drive turnout among their predicted supporters.   Harris has been on one of the top podcasts consumed by females, Call Her Daddy, to talk about reproductive rights.  She’s also been on All The Smoke, with former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Club Shay Shay with former NFL player turned analyst Shannon Sharpe, and Unlocking Us with Brene Brown.

For Trump’s part, he’s gone on the world’s biggest podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, as well as Barstool Sports’ Bussin With The Boys, and the comedy Podcast Flagrant.

Now, I’m not saying that podcasts are GOING to decide the election, but their influence and reach are certainly being considered by both campaigns.  Yes, our media landscape is split among ideological lines, and podcasts are no exception.  But media as a whole is now so fragmented.  Gone are the days were network news shows were the end-all be-all of media reach.  You’ve got to meet your audience – and your potential voters – where they are.   And they’re listening to – and watching podcasts. Lata!

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