The Unchartered Realms of Podcast Marketing

If you’ve been keeping up with the rapidly evolving digital landscape, you're likely familiar with podcasts, a medium that has taken the world by storm by being thoroughly interactive and versatile for purposes.

With over 100 million podcast listeners in 2023 and an expected growth of 40% by 2025, the podcast market in China is brimming with untapped potential. This makes podcast marketing for your brand worthy of your interest.

With all the reasons curated, you can discover why podcast marketing in China is a promising venture and how you can leverage it to build recognition as a new or established brand in the Chinese market.

First, let’s define the concept of podcast marketing.

Podcast marketing is the process of promoting a brand, company, or product on podcast episodes. This can be done through advertisements within podcasts, collaboration with podcast hosts, or creating a brand-owned podcast. It’s a powerful tool that creates value for listeners, transcending the traditional methods of advertising and into a realm of personalized, more engaging content.

The surging popularity of podcasts can be attributed to their portability; as it makes them a perfect companion during commutes. Secondly, they can serve as a secondary activity, providing entertainment or knowledge during routine tasks. Another attraction point to podcasts is how a vast range of topics caters to unique interests, no matter how niche.

Have you considered podcast marketing in China for your brand yet? This blog gives you good reasons to explore this strategy by expressing thoughts on its practicality.

With an emphasis on the increasing popularity of podcasting in China, its potential applications and advantages as a marketing channel in the contemporary business landscape will be highlighted.

Keep reading!

Why Podcasts May Be a Good Idea

The Chinese market is renowned for being challenging and nearly daunting to establish in, but the strategy of interacting with customers beyond routine transactions is still an effective method to attain and retain their loyalty.

In getting this done, podcasting might be the channel you never knew you needed. Here’s why:

• High Purchasing Power: Podcast listeners in China are predominantly young people, a demographic statistically appraised for its high purchasing power. By targeting this group, brands can establish a recognition base in the Chinese market.
• Unsaturated Market: Unlike other traditional marketing channels in China, podcast marketing is still relatively untapped. This lack of saturation presents an excellent opportunity for brands to reap the benefits of pioneering.
• High User Engagement: Podcasts, by design, involve long-form content that can generate higher user engagement. When listeners are engaged with a podcast, they’re more likely to resonate with the brand associated with it.
• Targeted Marketing: Podcasts typically cater to niche audiences, making it an effective platform for targeted marketing. Brands can pinpoint their ideal consumer base by choosing podcasts that align with their personalities and goals.
• Creative Freedom: With podcast marketing, the sky’s the creativity limit. Brands can experiment with different content formats, storytelling techniques, and collaboration strategies to make their marketing campaigns more captivating.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Compared to traditional media outlets like TV and billboards, podcast marketing is relatively cost-effective, making it a viable option for brands with smaller budgets.

Podcast Marketing in China

Evidently, podcast marketing is not at all a bad idea for your brand’s first outing in China or for leveling up your brand presence.

Globally, there are platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts on which millions of podcasts run every day, but the Chinese market has its collection of local platforms that will help you better reach target audiences.

Ximalaya FM

Ximalaya FM is a heavyweight in China’s podcast industry, with over 600 million registered users that have tuned in to over 10 million tracks in various genres such as education, comedy, health, and technology.

Apart from hosting podcasts, Ximalaya FM features a premium knowledge feature that allows content creators to charge listeners for exclusive content, which can generate significant revenue. Therefore, if your brand targets a knowledge-seeking audience, Ximalaya FM may be the ideal platform for your podcast marketing.

Qingting FM

Qingting FM, launched in 2009, was one of the first online radio platforms in China. The platform also has its millions of users and provides a broad range of content, including radio dramas, news broadcasts, and user-generated content.

This platform’s unique feature is its “time-based” channel arrangement, which simulates the experience of traditional radio broadcasting. Brands can use this to schedule their marketing content strategically throughout the day.

Xiaoyuzhou FM

Established in 2012, Xiaoyuzhou FM stands out for its focus on knowledge-sharing and self-improvement content. With millions of active users, this platform appeals to a demographic seeking intellectual growth and personal development.

Xiaoyuzhou FM’s content revolves around themes such as philosophy, economics, history, and psychology, making it a prime platform for brands in the education, personal development, or self-help industry.

Lizhi

Lizhi, with over 50 million active users, is more than just a podcast platform; it's a social networking service where users can share their audio content and interact with each other.

Unlike other platforms, Lizhi allows users to record and upload their audio content directly, creating a sense of authenticity. To build a community and engage audiences more closely, brands can use this platform.

On any of these platforms, your brand can launch a formidable podcast marketing campaign in three ways:

• Special Brand Podcast Channel: This involves creating a dedicated podcast channel that allows your brand to have full control over the content; ensuring that the brand message is communicated effectively and consistently.
• Collaboration with Existing Podcast Channels: This involves partnering with popular podcast channels in the Chinese market for special episodes; providing brands with a ready-made audience to enhance reach and visibility.
• Short-time Ads/Mentions on Popular Podcast Channels: This involves featuring short-time ads or mentions on popular podcast channels as a cost-effective way to gain exposure and attract potential customers.

Up next, you will read about real-life brands that have taken a dive into podcast marketing in China, and their successes that you can learn from.

Brands that Launched Into Podcast Marketing

1. Nike

Nike, a global sportswear brand, launched a podcast marketing campaign in China in 2022 with a strategic partnership with a local podcasting company. The collaboration created “Nei Ting,” a unique podcast that showcases sports as a lifestyle.

Presenting a lineup of professional athletes and sports enthusiasts, “Nei Ting” airs every Monday and is accessible on various platforms, including Apple Podcasts. The debut episode spotlighted Chinese footballer, Zhao Lina, who spoke on her diverse interests beyond sports.

Nike’s “Nei Ting” has since continued as a podcast that resounds the brand’s values, broadening digital reach, and building a vibrant community. It also aligns with Nike’s goal of establishing a stronger “omnichannel” presence in the Chinese market.

2. Jissbon

In May 2022, Jissbon, a sexual wellness brand, innovated its Zero Sense Ultra-Thin condom series by incorporating Braille logos on the packaging. This initiative was a statement of inclusion and sensitivity, and to promote it, the brand collaborated with a local podcast platform to start a podcast series.

Jissbon partnered with five notable Chinese boutique podcasts - Jiang Sida, No Ideal Editorial Office, Left and Right, Island Hopping FM, and Steve Says, using the Braille text on the condom boxes to spark conversations about the lives, needs, and loves of often overlooked minorities.

The brand asserted that podcasts, being a preferred medium for the visually impaired and an inclusive platform, were an ideal choice for discussions around the topic and product.

3. Lancome

In January 2023, a pioneering partnership was announced between beauty brand Lancôme and Chinese podcast platform Xiaoyuzhou. The collaboration was intended to harness the power of podcasts to imtroduce a new product: Lancôme's Advanced Génifique Wrinkle & Dark Circle Eye Cream.

Seven podcasters were invited to speak on the podcast, and they each shared their experiences of staying up late to record podcasts for their individual channels. Creatively, the benefits of using the night cream during these stay-ups became the focal point of the conversation; highlighting the product’s benefits.

Audience engagement with the campaign was substantial. Each podcast received over a hundred comments, underscoring the organic and immersive nature of the format. By tapping into the experiences of staying up late, common amongst the younger generation, the campaign resonated deeply, turning a common lifestyle habit into a product marketing opportunity.

The Takeaway

The list of brands that are into podcast marketing in China is short, but therein lies a profound opportunity.

Considering joining the pioneering order of brands into podcast marketing in China? A good first step into podcast marketing is understanding your audience and crafting engaging podcast content.

Typically, the best kind of marketing strategy is one that does not come off as a marketing strategy, but as an added value to audiences. This emphasizes the need to make your podcast content truly interactive and valuable to listeners. In time, good content can generate goodwill and ultimately, great visibility for your brand.

Happy podcasting!