Tips for Your Holiday Podcast Campaign—and Proof They Work

In our fast-paced lives, the holiday season provides a much-needed pause, allowing us to reconnect with family, friends, and ourselves. These moments of togetherness foster a sense of community and remind us of the importance of relationships in our lives.

In the digital age, those relationships include the unique connection between the host and listeners. This bond, built on trust, engagement, and a shared sense of community, is fundamental to the podcasting experience. In fact, 62% of podcast listeners say they continue to listen to their favorite podcasts during the holiday season. Podcasts have become such an integral part of listeners' lives that they are a key component to the holidays. Six in 10 podcast listeners say podcasts enhance their overall holiday experience and put them in a good mood, and of them 59% say podcasts are the perfect companion during the holiday season.

Unwrapping New Ideas

Podcasts provide passive entertainment during the busy holiday season. Due to their flexibility and convenience, advertisers can connect with key audiences with seasonal messages and promotions, anytime, anywhere. And as 63% of podcast listeners say they use their downtime during the holidays to catch up on their favorite podcasts or to get a break from visual screens (34%), you can tap into this captive and leaned-in audience to drive sales this holiday season.

Make Your Messaging Merry and Bright

As the holiday season approaches, economic headwinds and sustained inflation are impacting consumer behavior. It’s critical for brands to hit the right tone to inspire action and listen to the consumer. To help advertisers build campaigns that will resonate, we polled podcast listeners to gauge their sentiment around the holiday season and here’s what we learned.

Influences on Holiday Shopping

Consumers are looking to control holiday expenses, so it’s no surprise that one in two podcast listeners say price is the most important factor while shopping for holiday gifts. To help ease the financial burden, two in three listeners will shop early to spread out their shopping budget, with one in two waiting until Black Friday or Cyber Monday to start their holiday haul. However, they’re are also adopting strategies and being proactive about their holiday finances–58% will create a holiday shopping budget, while two in three will research products or websites for the best price and 43% will shop at multiple stores to compare prices.   

This means that brands and retailers should be prepared for consumers to have more intentional buying strategies with a focus on price and quality over quantity. Brands should also adopt a flexible retail calendar as consumers plan to spread out costs across the year, but also plan to lean on retail events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 

Positive Brand Perception Drives Profits

While it’s not surprising that shoppers are on the lookout for sales and special offers, finding the right combination of discounts, exclusive perks, and freebies can help brands stand out. Podcast listeners have some specific items on their wish lists, including free shipping on any purchase amount (75%), loyalty rewards and savings (50%), free gifts (45%), personalized offers (44%), early and exclusive access to sales (44%), and free and extended returns (40%).

To win over the consumer this holiday season, we’re raising the volume on customer insights.

Hear It, Love It, Buy It: Podcast Ads Drive Action 

As the most engaged audience out there, podcast listeners are heavily influenced after hearing or seeing a holiday ad on a podcast. That means you can turn sound into sales. To gain a competitive edge this holiday season, brands can spread the word about special savings and promotions, generate interest in products and services, and influence consumer action. 

Unwrapping Post-Holiday Actions & Behaviors 

To unravel consumer behaviors and arm advertisers with actionable insights for holiday campaigns,, SiriusXM Media polled podcast listeners to uncover their actions, perceptions, and sentiment during the 2023 holiday season. Here’s what we found. 

From Highways to Airwaves 

It wouldn’t be the holidays without quality time with our loved ones, and podcast listeners agree–92% of podcast listeners spent the 2023 holidays with family and 57% traveled near and far, by plane, train, or automobile. For advertisers, this presents an exciting opportunity to reach a highly engaged and captive audience through the spoken word powerhouse. With extended listening time, advertiser’s can leverage this period of uninterrupted listening to deliver a longer, more detailed message without losing the audience’s attention.

Additionally, podcasts offer niche content catering to specific interests and demographics, allowing advertisers to pinpoint their target audience. And as podcasts are instinctively known as the multitasking medium, listening in the car means that content is consumed without distraction (ads included, of course), unlike other forms of media that require more focused attention. So, if you’re looking to break through the holiday clutter and deliver targeted holiday messaging and promotions, look no further than podcasts.  

From Hosting to Toasting and More

The holidays are a time for connection, reflection, and relaxing. But most importantly, making memories with family and friends. From decking the halls, to party hosting and toasting, to festive flicks, podcast listeners reveled in the true magic of the holiday season. What sets podcasts apart from traditional media channels is their flexibility–podcasts (the reliable companion) can be listened to anywhere, anytime, without requiring your full attention. For advertisers, this means you can be wherever the listeners are, especially during the holiday festivities. 

Podcasts to Presents: Influenced By Sound 

Similar to this upcoming holiday season, the 2023 holiday season was impacted by economic headwinds. However, two in three podcast listeners still spent the same amount or more than usual on holiday gifts last year. That being said, it’s no surprise that eight in 10 listeners changed their shopping behaviors due to inflation or that 61% of them said sales and special offers were their biggest influence on holiday gifting.

When it comes to shopping timing and duration, nearly one in two listeners finished their shopping within a week or less of Christmas and 64% shopped on key sale dates and events.

Advertisers have the opportunity to get their holiday messaging into the ears (and wallets) of this audience up until the finish line. influence listener action and intent up to the finish line. And while we know podcast advertising has a significant influence on listener actions, holiday podcast advertising has proven to be a success–84% outlook any action after hearing or seeing a holiday ad on a podcast last year.

Wrap Up The Perfect Campaign with Podcasts 

Whether you’re planning your final holiday advertising push or looking to level-up next year’s holiday campaign, podcasts can break through the noise and connect you with your most valuable in-market audiences. By harnessing the unique capabilities of podcasts, brands have the perfect opportunity to showcase their holiday advertising and amplify their brand messaging through key point of purchase moments. So, are you ready to integrate podcasts into your marketing mix and sleigh your next holiday campaign? Let’s talk.