Reality TV Podcasts: An Excellent Channel for Reaching Fans

Americans love Reality TV. And they also love Reality TV podcasts, according to new data from Podchaser Pro. This represents a major opportunity for brands in the podcast landscape.

In this data deep dive, we’ll cover:

• Audience gender skews of Reality TV podcasts
• Audience age brackets of Reality TV podcasts
• Audience income brackets of Reality TV podcasts
• Parental status breakdowns of Reality TV podcasts
• Top advertisers sponsoring Reality TV podcasts

And we’ll also unpack what this means for brands and advertisers wanting to tap into the Reality TV-obsessed fandom.

Key takeaways:

• Almost 70% of Reality TV podcasts attract female audiences
• Almost 90% of Reality TV podcasts attract listeners age 25-34
• 84% of Reality TV podcast listeners have average to below average income
• Podcast ads are 2x more influential than Cable TV ads
• Podcast ads are 3x less likely to be skipped than CTV ads

Ready to reach Reality TV super fans? Let’s unpack the data, provided by Podchaser Pro.

Audience Gender Skews of Reality TV Podcasts

Shocker, most (69.5%) Reality TV pods reach a female audience. But the data suggests male (20.2%) and mixed (10.4%) audiences provide some variety.

Here’s the full gender breakdown of Reality TV podcasts:

• very high male – 1.8%
• high male – 14.4%
• male – 4%
• mixed – 10.4%
• female – 18.7%
• high female – 33.7%
• very high female – 17.1%

What’s the insight here for advertisers?

Yes, your message is going to play well with female audiences. And we see that with female-forward brands like Quince, Apostrophe, Rothy’s, and Zola frequently sponsoring dozens of Reality TV pods on the reg.

But there’s also opportunity to reach the mixed and male audience. As seen by mass appeal sponsors like meal kit companies Factor and HelloFresh, who’ve each spent considerable amounts on Reality TV pods. Same goes for non-gender-specific mental health brand BetterHelp, fitness brand Peloton, and cell carrier Mint Mobile who also spend big on the genre.

Audience Age Brackets of Reality TV Pods

An overwhelming majority (almost 89%) of Reality TV podcasts are popular among the 25-34 year old age bracket. Next comes a small, but not insignificant 10% catering to the 35-44 year old cohort. While 18-24 year olds arrive at just 1.1%.

These age breakdowns run a bit counter to what television data providers suggest. TV appears to attract a younger demo, with more 18-24 year olds. Chalk that up to consumption preferences.

What’s the insight here for advertisers?

Now you know you’re working with an early career, mostly female audience. But you’ll probably want to know about their purchasing power before you sign off on any IO’s. Which’ll bring us to household income in a second. But first, a data visualization.

Audience Income Brackets of Reality TV Pods

What kind of purchasing power do listeners of Reality TV pods enjoy?

• High Income – 4.9%
• Above Average Income – 3.1%
• Average Income – 58.8%
• Below Average Income – 25.2%
• Low Income – 8%

What’s the insight here for advertisers?

Probably not a great medium for super luxury brands. But essential consumables and services like Bombas, DoorDash, and Athletic Greens appear to be crushing the Reality TV pod space. Given the age, gender, and income levels, there’s likely a massive opportunity for creative fast fashion brands (think Princess Polly) and legacy retailers (like TJ Maxx, Old Navy, Abercrombie).

Top 5 Interests of Reality TV Podcast Audiences

What are the Top 5 Interests of Reality TV podcast audiences?

• Friends/Family – 25.7%
• Education – 22.2%
• Food/Bev – 18.2%
• Toys/Kids/Baby – 17.4%
• TV/Film – 16.5%

And current advertiser trends reflect this.

We’ve already highlighted a half dozen food and beverage brands sponsoring Reality TV pods. But another clear winner here is the TV/Film advertiser vertical.

In fact, entertainment providers like Hulu, PlutoTV, and HBO Max have all spent big bucks in an effort to build a bridge to their content.

Parental Skew Breakdown of Reality TV Pods

Do Reality TV podcasts appeal to parents? The data tells us there’s almost an even split:

• Parents – 11.1%
• Not Parents – 34.6%
• Mixed* – 54.3%

*Mixed = Parents and Not Parents nearly equal

What’s the insight here for advertisers?

For parent-friendly brands, show selection will come down to the individual podcast host’s parental status. As an example, former Vanderpump Rules starlet and new mom Stassi Schroeder Clark works with sponsor Dreamland Baby.

Now we know who’s listening to Reality TV podcasts. But how should brands targeting this segment build their marketing mix?

Podcast Ads are Most Influential

From a recent Acast/OnePulse survey:

What type of ads are most likely to influence you to buy a product from after seeing/hearing the ads?

• Podcast Ads – 46.5%
• Cable TV Ads – 20.8%
• Streaming Music Ads – 16.8%
• Radio Ads – 9.9%
• CTV Ads – 5.9%

Consider this as part of your Reality TV channel mix.

Brands that spend big on Reality TV via cable and CTV could benefit greatly from adding podcasts to their marketing mix.

Podcast Ads are Least Likely to be Skipped

From a recent Acast/OnePulse survey:

Which type of ads are you least likely to skip/avoid?

• Podcast Ads – 27.7%
• Cable TV Ads – 21.8%
• Streaming Music Ads – 23.8%
• Radio Ads – 18.8%
• CTV Ads – 7.9%

Consider this as part of your Reality TV channel mix.

Brands spending on Reality TV via CTV should probably consider moving some budget to Reality TV podcast ads in light of this ad avoidance data.

What’s the Estimated Monthly Reach of Reality TV Pods?

Almost 37M (36,842,681) US-based listeners consume active, Reality TV pods every month.

Want to See More Reality TV Podcast Data?

All you need to do is signup for Podchaser Pro, the podcast industry’s intelligence engine.

Podchaser Pro provides podcast data like:

• Reach (monthly and per episode)
• Audience (demographics, interests, affinities)
• Contacts (hosts, producers, ad sales/sponsorships)
• Brand sponsor data (who’s spending, how much, how long, which shows)

Schedule your Podchaser Pro demo today!