🚀From 'Call Her Daddy' to Lex Fridman: Inside the Presidential Podcast Strategy"

A nod to the rapidly changing media landscape, presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are turning to podcasts as the final push to sway undecided voters in the next U.S. presidential election.

With 55% of 18-34-year-olds not identifying with major parties, and podcasts reaching nearly half of this demographic every week, the medium has now become an important battlefield in the race to the White House. From Harris's candid conversation on "Call Her Daddy" this past week, to Trump on "This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von," all of these decisions suggest strategic efforts to connect with certain segments of voters, perhaps redrawing the contours of political outreach in this digital century.

In the wake of the US presidential election, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump use popular podcasts in an effort to reach younger, undecided voters in the final weeks ahead of the election, according to Edison Research's 2024 Infinite Dial report, and Edison Podcast Metrics. The targets for their podcast appearances are oriented around specific demos: Harris speaking with young women and African-American audiences, while Trump pursues younger white men.

The Key points:

But here are a few other figures to munch on: 1.

• Percentage of young adults (18-34) not identifying with major parties: 55%

• Weekly podcast reach among 18-34 year-olds: 48%

• "Call Her Daddy" podcast ranking: 7th overall, 2nd among women 18-29

• "All the Smoke" podcast audience: 89% male, mostly 25-44

• Trump's podcast appearances: "This Past Weekend w/ Theo Von" (#9 overall, #5 among men 18-34) and "Lex Fridman Podcast" (#58 overall, #36 among white men)

Our Analogy: We had people in the past yelling their message from the main stage in hopes that someone would hear it, but now, with podcasts, candidates create an intimate experience by taking the same message and making it appeal to different tastes of the audience. This method allows much more personal connections and targeted messaging, possibly swaying those fans who were previously undecided as to which band to support.

Our view: The trend is exciting for the producers, as increasing visibility means increased revenue potential at the cost of editorial independence and audience expectation management. The added attention by high-profile political figures may boost listenership and could attract new advertisers.

This trend also increases our responsibility to maintain editorial integrity and balance. Our task is a balancing act between any potential political pressures and the pressing need to create content that resonates especially with our core audience. This trend can also spur us onto the creation of more politically engaged content in forms that are innovative, such as interactive town hall podcasts or live Q&A sessions where politicians and listeners can interact and have direct conversations.

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