After its successful debut, podcast elections may continue playing an influential role in future campaign cycles - Poynter.

As analysts analyze election results, one thing seems certain: Podcast appearances have become an indispensable element of presidential campaigning strategies. Some have labeled 2024’s presidential campaign cycle as the inaugural podcast election; both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris made frequent guest appearances on popular shows during this cycle. Trump in particular preferred nontraditional media sources like Joe Rogan and Andrew Schulz when conducting interviews for interviews. “People are paying very close attention to which podcasts the candidates (President Trump included) appear on,” according to Ariel Shapiro, an experienced journalist in covering podcasting for years – most recently at The Verge. “They’re watching this event just as carefully as if an interview were featured on 60 Minutes; both shows chosen by Trump and Harris boast huge audiences.” Donald Trump appeared on three of Spotify’s five most listened-to podcasts — “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the Shawn Ryan Show and This Past Weekend with Theo Von. His interview with Joe Rogan alone garnered over 46 Million YouTube views alone! Meanwhile, Harris granted an interview to Alex Cooper of “Call Her Daddy,” one of Spotify’s five most-requested shows and notable for not covering politics or current affairs directly, according to Shapiro. “Many are comedy or talk shows; by reaching people that might otherwise not seek election-related content.” Trump made far greater use of podcast appearances than Harris did – Forbes counted at least 13 – and many of these shows attracted young men as listeners. Trump made inroads into this demographic during this election cycle: More than half of men aged 18-29 voted for him according to The Associated Press, although its impossible to know exactly how much effect Trump’s podcast appearances may have had. Elon Musk told conservative commentator Tucker Carlson on Tuesday that Trump and Senator JD Vance appearing on lengthy podcasts made an “extraordinarily big impactful difference.” Early Wednesday after Trump delivered his victory speech, Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White thanked “the Nelk Boys, Adin Ross, Theo Von, Bussin’ With The Boys (Bussin’ With The Boys), Bussin With The Boys… and most notably our great and powerful Joe Rogan.” “I want to ensure we do not exaggerate the effect of podcasting. While its presence was definitely present, its true impact must not be overestimated.” “We may never truly know whether people made their vote choices based on hearing about a candidate on an audio/podcast platform such as podcast,” according to Nicholas Quah, a Vulture critic who covers podcasting industry trends. “But there’s something to be said for the sheer presence and nature of his presence on these outlets. For political candidates, interviews with podcasters offer more than exposure to millions of voters – they provide opportunities to communicate directly with potential supporters as well. Podcast interviews can be relatively effortless to produce and enable candidates to target specific audiences more directly than with traditional journalism. Podcast hosts who support your views may provide less pushback during an interview than would traditional journalists would. Interviews that last hours provide plenty of chances for candid communication; listeners often come away feeling as if they know more than ever about a candidate. “What Trump accomplished during these appearances was creating bonds of fraternity among hosts by engaging well, Quah said. There’s definitely an affinity that emerges when guests stay on podcasts for extended periods. University of Sussex professor and creative media practitioner Martin Spinelli noted how many listeners consume podcasts using earbuds, creating an intimate listening experience not found elsewhere (i.e. radio). With podcasting “the other person’s voice becomes an indisputable part of you – like having them live inside.” “Podcasting provides an intimate experience that’s great at stirring emotions,” Spinelli noted, noting it has great power as an emotional trigger in times of populist, fear-based politics like we currently experience in America. Podcasts provide the ideal vehicle to ignite these reactions among an electorate. No matter their impact in 2024 elections, experts agree podcasts will continue to play an essential part of future campaign cycles and candidates may incorporate podcast appearances as media tours. Edison Research estimates that more than 100 million Americans listen to podcasts weekly; “more and more people are engaging with the world through podcasting,” Spinelli stated. “Future campaigns would do themselves an injustice by disregarding podcasting as an effective vehicle to promote candidates and deliver messages. After Trump won, some conservative figures claimed mainstream media is no longer relevant; Elon Musk told his followers on X, he is the new media.” Matt Walsh declared legacy media is officially dead; Shapiro disagrees and feels we have yet to reach an era where candidates can abandon traditional media entirely. People still watch television and listen to terrestrial radio despite declining audiences for both platforms, according to Shapiro. He noted how President Joe Biden and Donald Trump participated in their first presidential debate, broadcast on television and which ultimately changed its outcome. Still, podcasting remains part of an emerging trend among politicians — particularly Republicans — to bypass mainstream media in favour of more direct channels such as social media or partisan publications for information dissemination. Experts noted that they’ve mostly seen candidates on a national level utilize podcasts in this strategic manner. “The internet works both globally and nationally,” Quah pointed out. However, Quah noted the increasing presence of regional businesses such as City Cast. City Cast produces podcasts and newsletters specific to Portland Oregon that interview each mayoral candidate that ran this cycle, according to Quah. “And I know people in Portland who listen to that show, who make decisions based on it. Podcast space itself has evolved.” One once defined by leftist shows like Crooked Media and news shows on National Public Radio has since given way to an ecosystem of right-wing and libertarian content, including podcasts in which Donald Trump featured prominently. Shapiro said she plans on keeping an eye on Rogan due to his influence in podcasting due to his high popularity. Rogan has long presented himself as an open and diverse thinker; guests on his show come from various political inclinations and political ideologies. Yet on Election Day he made headlines for endorsing Donald Trump as President-elect and said so as a way of breaking barriers into new fields: creators. But that change comes at a cost: when his show went ahead as planned and Rogan decided not to endorse any candidate on his show “creators’ space is now completely open for business!” “That statement raised eyebrows; what that says about me in terms of creators getting into my space?,” Are we going to see more right-wing podcasters joining the scene, with older listeners engaging more? Are they likely to start listening to podcasts because more of the types of people they like are there? “Rogan is known for changing his opinions quickly; therefore this could turn into something completely different six or 12 months from now,” Shapiro speculated. Regardless, Shapiro stated she’s very interested to observe how this space develops further.