Interest in advertising in Swedish podcasts has soared over the past three years, and sales continued to increase by SEK 64 million in 2022.
Increased advertising can have a big impact on podcasts that have relied on subscribers, but are squeezed when listeners have less money to move around with during tough economic times. Fredrik Söderholm, who makes the podcast Gott Snack, has noticed the difference.
In the small studio on Södermalm in Stockholm, the host crowds with three sidekicks, two nude cats, Aftonbladet profile Lasse Anrell and former S-party leader Mona Sahlin when Kulturnyheterna comes to visit.
"It's getting a little shaky on that front for us, so now I've become a real Wolf of Wall Street salesman," he says.
Recession can affect
The podcast "Gott snack" has primarily been financed through subscriptions, which together with ads constitute a common model for the Swedish podcast scene.
But as the recession intensifies, subscription solutions may be squeezed.
"If you have a hard time getting butter and bread together, you might get the subscription to the noisy kid podcast first. That's perfectly reasonable," says Fredrik Söderholm.
Keeps increasing
Despite growing pressure on Swedes' wallets, the report predicts that advertising purchases in podcasts will continue to grow in 2023, albeit to a slightly lesser extent than the rush of recent years. The podcast format thus stands out from traditional media where advertising investments are predicted to decrease.
Advertising investments in podcasts increased by SEK 64 million in 2022. The report predicts that this figure will grow in 2023, despite the recession. Photo: SVT Grafik
The question is, how much of that money will the average podcast creator notice?
"If you listen to the big podcasts, it's a lot of advertising and certainly a lot of money," says Fredrik Söderholm.
"But there are so damn many podcasts. It is probably the 20 to 30 largest in Sweden who can have it fattened with sponsorship money. The rest will probably have to fight on.