55% of the population in the United States listens to podcasts.

That’s over 155 million people, according to Podcast Insights! If your target customers are in North America, then podcast sponsorship on The Belize Travelcast might be a good fit for you.

Research shows that up to 65% of podcast listeners consider taking action toward learning more about products or services they hear about during a podcast.

What is Podcast Sponsorship?

Sponsoring a podcast is essentially promoting your brand, product, services, and company on a specific episode. The Belize Travelcast offers 5 sponsorship slots on each episode. We also have additional sponsorship opportunities such as product placement, mentions, etc. Sponsors become a part of the conversation, and not merely advertisers on the show.

Podcast sponsorships are slightly different than traditional advertising in the sense that your brand message becomes an integral part of the conversation.

Unlike traditional broadcast media advertising, podcasts are always available for download and your message is forever intact to the episode. Therefore, listeners can still get exposure to your brand 10+ years from the episode release date.

How is Podcast Sponsorship Different from Traditional Advertising?

Podcast sponsorship has key differences from traditional advertising. 

Radio & TV
It is vastly different than Radio or TV advertising. Radio and TV are local, whereas podcasts have international reach. Because Radio and TV are mostly broadcast, anyone tuning in will hear the ad but only if they are listening at the time of broadcast. 

Podcasts are explicitly selected by listeners for their content, and therefore the audience is intentional, engaged, and highly specific.

The Belize Travelcast is highly specific to the Belize travel market. This is a coveted target audience for any business in the Belize tourism industry.

Because of the level of specificity, these listeners are devoted, having listened to, most likely, every single word the host has ever said.

Magazines
A Belize destination magazine might be niche, but many readers will typically skim the sections. Moreover, the new post-COVID guidelines will specifically discourage placements of magazines in hotel rooms and other high traffic areas.

When have you opened a destination magazine to view the ads? With podcasts, however, listeners don't skim. They're interested in the converstion and are highly engaged. Statistics show that over 80% of listeners will listen to an entire show.

A Trusted Host and Source of Information.

The Belize Travelcast audience knows, trusts, and likes the host. We have received feedback from listeners all over the world who enjoy listening to the Belize Travelcast, and specifically to our host.

We have the best host in the business who is a veteran in the Belize tourism industry. Mr. Javier Gutierrez is a native Belizean who has worked in Belize tourism for decades in every aspect from a tour guide to a hotel manager. He is trusted and respected in the community, and is a trainer of trainers in the tourism industry. He co-authored the professional core tour guide training that is required for all licensed tour guides in Belize. 

That is why the Belize Travelcast has grown to such popularity. Listeners know they can trust Javier because he is authentic and he knows what he is talking about when it comes to Belize. That's why they listen to him in the first place. This level of trust also creates an intimacy unmatched by other audio or digital channels.

Who listens to the podcast?

The Belize Travelcast averages just over 10,000 listeners per month as of June 2020. This number continues to grow. Most of our listeners are from North America and Belize. Below is a snapshot of our total download statistics for the months of January to June, 2020. We also show the demographics of our listeners for May 2020 as provided through Apple Podcasts, representing about half of our monthly listeners.

A notable characteristic of podcast listeners is that they fall into a unique demographic category that isn't as easy to market to using other traditional advertising methods. They are generally highly educated and earn a high household income. More importantly, they take action and have the means to travel.

What Ad formats are available?

Host-Mention 
The most effective form of podcast sponsorship is not and advertisement. We will work with you to craft your message into the podcast show plans. All our shows are carefully planned by our podcast team with a full outline and talking points for both the host and the guest. A host mention in the conversation will be relevant to the topic at hand and will recommend your brand using your talking points.

Scripted Ad
We also offer scripted pre-recorded ads. These can be recorded by the host or a voice talent. We can also use audio ads you already have, under certain limitations. Usually, the host or a voice talent will read a scripted ad that will be inserted either before, during, or after the episode.

When you sign on as a sponsor, we will work with you to craft your message and talking points into the show plans.

The benefits of a host-read ad or mention, as opposed to traditional pre-recorded announcements, are exponential. 

For starters, listeners get a much more intimate experience with the podcast, and therefore, your brand. For example, instead of just a name drop, the host will use the mid-roll placement as an area of testimonial or to bring praise to the sponsor. Sometimes the show guests may also chime in with their thoughts.

The Podcast host will go beyond just mentioning your brand. He will encourage his audience to become a customer. You may also consider some form of incentive to offer to listeners as part of your message, such as a special discount as a Belize Travelcast listener. 

Also, because the Belize Travelcast accepts only up to 5 sponsors per episode, it is much easier for listeners to remember your brand after the show because you won't get lost in a long list of Ads .

How is the show promoted?

The Belize Travelcast is a production of Belize Digital Media and Lets Go Belizing LTD. We are travel marketing technology experts with many years of experience in digital marketing. Our teams in the US and Belize work together to ensure maximum exposure of the show online and on all streaming platforms.

The primary objective of the show is to promote Belize as a destination.

The Belize Travelcast is available on most popular streaming apps such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHearRadio, Google Podcasts, TunieIn, and more.

We also have a Belize Travelcast app on the Apple iTunes store available as a free download.

The Belize Travelcast is also highly integrated on our Belizing.com marketplace platform with over 200,000 views from travelers and potential travelers each month who are actively looking for booking options. Belizing.com is the largest marketplace for tours and shuttles in Belize, outnumbering the likes of TripAdvisor, Viator, and Expedia. We have partnered with over 100 local tour and shuttle operators as the number 1 source of tours and shuttles in Belize.

Belizing.com content pages are ranked in the top search results on Google for terms such as "When will Belize reopen", "Is Belize open for travel", "Belize airport", and others. Our SEO team constantly montiors search trends and ranking to ensure that our content reaches a targeted audience for Belize travel-related search terms.

Podcast episodes are strategically embedded into high traffic pages and content on Belizing.com. User engagement is high because the episodes are highly relevant to the content on Belizing.com