Brand Safety & Suitability
January 9, 2024
There’s a persistent misconception that news content is inherently risky for advertisers. They often avoid it, fearing their messages might align with sensitive or unsafe topics. However, this perspective overlooks the essential value and safety that news provides as a powerful advertising medium, especially in a renowned source like NPR.
NPR boasts two of the podcast industry’s top three most popular news shows, Up First and NPR News Now, reaching a large and engaged audience, according to the latest Podtrac rankings. NPR’s news content is popular and offers brands a unique advantage compared to the general podcast news genre: significantly less risk.
We’re honored to work with NPR on this analysis to compare the brand safety and suitability of their news content against the general podcasting news genre, helping to dispel the perception that news poses a higher risk for advertisers.
NPR content is remarkably low-risk, making it a safe bet for brands. An incredible 81% of NPR’s content was classified as unrelated or low-risk to any GARM categories, compared to just 65% of news content in the general podcasting population. Nearly two-thirds of NPR’s content carries little to no risk for advertisers, and in the event of sensitive topics, they are discussed informatively to minimize any risk.
Medium-risk content makes up a much smaller percentage, with only 17% of its content referencing sensitive topics in some graphic detail compared to nearly 30% of the general podcast news genre. As expected, NPR has no content rated as “floor,” which is considered unsafe for any advertising.
These findings make it clear: NPR’s news content is a safe haven for advertisers within podcasting’s news genre. Brands partnering with NPR can confidently reach an engaged audience in a brand-safe environment, which translates to increased trust and credibility for NPR’s advertisers and listeners.
In summary, NPR allows brands to leverage the power of news content without the associated risks compared to other news content. With its commitment to responsible journalism, high-quality content, and significantly lower risk profile than the general podcasting news genre, NPR offers a unique and valuable opportunity for brands to reach a large and engaged audience in a safe and brand-suitable environment.
Brittany Kandybowicz
Brittany Kandybowicz is Sounder’s Chief Operating Officer. She brings 15+ years of experience in advertising and sales operations for companies such as Spotify, AOL, and most recently Flipboard.
