Latino podcast listeners are highly engaged with ads, according to a new report by Edison Research, with nearly half (49%) having purchased a product or service after hearing it advertised on a podcast they were listening to.
The market research company published its 2023 U.S. Latino Podcast Listener Report yesterday, commissioned by LWC Studios, Latina to Latina podcast, Libsyn, Latino Media Network, and SXM Media. The data used in the report is derived from online interviews conducted with 2,637 US Hispanic/Latino adults aged 18 and above in August 2023.
According to the report, as well as making purchasing decisions based on podcast ads, over half of respondents have recommended a product to a family member or friend and gathered more information about the company or product. Podcast ads are also the least avoided types of ads for Latino listeners, compared to ads on social media, YouTube, and other mediums.
“Investing in Latino podcasts is about more than diversity, equity, and inclusion, it is also a smart business decision,” said Edison Research senior director Gabriel Soto. “There are more Latino podcast listeners than ever, and they are interested in purchasing products from podcast advertisers, paying to subscribe to podcasts, and even buying merchandise from podcasts.”
Compared to US weekly podcast listeners overall, the number of Latino weekly podcast listeners that have made a purchase after listening to a podcast ad is 3% higher, according to Edison’s Podcast Metrics survey from June. Advertising on Spanish-language podcasts proved to be even more effective, as 37% are more likely to purchase from a brand on a monthly basis, compared to 29% of Latino listeners that consume English-speaking podcasts.
A recent case study from Acast proved the effectiveness of advertising on Spanish-language podcasts, as beauty brand Schwarzkopf saw a 43% increase in purchase intent following a podcast advertising campaign for its Keratin Color haircare product on Spanish-language podcasts Yo Quiero Dinero and Se Regalan Dudas.
Latino listeners also engage more with hosts that reflect their identity as 48% of respondents said they are% more likely to purchased from a brand that’s advertised on a podcast hosted by Latinos. These findings are similar to results from previous demographic-based research reports from Edison, including the Black Podcast Listener Report and the Gen Z Podcast Listener report.
The Latino podcast market also shows huge growth and opportunity for advertisers, according to the report, and the number of monthly Latino podcast listeners in the US has grown by over 50% since 2020. They now account for 38% of monthly listeners in the US, which is just 4% under the US population of monthly listeners as a whole.
The majority of Latino podcast listeners are also employed, and 32% of weekly podcast listeners have a household income of over $75,000, which could be an advantage for creators that want to build a sustainable business with paid memberships. One in five weekly Latino podcast listeners pay for a podcast subscription and at least 30% have purchased branded merchandise and signed up for a podcast newsletter.
“There simply isn’t a more desirable digital audience out there,” said LWC Studios CEO Juleyka Lantigua. “Latinos are early adapters, digital natives, multi-platform, and social connectors. That’s a dream consumer, if ever there was one.”
