Multicultural podcast network Pod Digital Media launched an influencer platform today to connect brands with the hundreds of Black and Latino influencers whose podcasts are represented by the network.

Through this new platform, Pod Digital Media will assist brands in identifying which of the network’s podcasts and hosts would potentially align with their brands, facilitating brand-creator partnerships and developing marketing such as pre- and mid-roll ad reads and experiential brand activations, according to a press release. 

Since its founding over four years ago, Pod Digital Media has built out a roster of over 400 Black and Latino influencers across a plethora of content niches, from sports to beauty and lifestyle, who collectively host more than 200 different shows. Many of these podcasts are aimed at multicultural audiences, with the hosts of shows such as “Life Whispers” and “Mujer de Éxito, Unbounded” speaking a blend of English and Spanish, and other podcasts, including “Black Girls Texting,” revolving around the hosts’ Black or Latino identities. 

Pod Digital Media serves “as the connector between brands and multicultural demographics—an audience with buying power,” Gary Coichy, founder and CEO, said in a statement.

Podcasts have become an increasingly popular marketing medium for brands in recent years. A recent study from the IAB and PwC revealed podcasting to be “one of the fastest growing digital channels,” with podcast ad revenue soaring 26% between 2021 and 2022 to over $1.8 billion. The study projects revenue from podcast ads to hit nearly $4 billion by 2025.

Podcasts are also an effective medium for brands seeking to reach multicultural audiences, as the racial demographic makeup of U.S. podcast listeners is nearly equal to the demographics of the overall population, according to 2021 data from Edison Research. Over 200 brands—including McDonald’s, Walmart, Toyota and Lexus—have partnered with Pod Digital Media for ad reads and other types of marketing, according to the network’s website.

The majority of the podcast hosts that Pod Digital Media represents double as social media creators, which extends the potential impact of brands’ partnerships. For example, the five co-hosts of “The Black Girl Podcast” have more than 275,000 Instagram followers between them, and another 38,000 on the Instagram account created to promote their podcast. Similarly, the podcast “Behind the Mask,” hosted by former NFL players Takeo Spikes and Tutankhamen Reyes, has a collective 100,000 Instagram followers between its co-hosts and the show’s own account. 

“By working with PDM, brands will have access to a curated network of influencers who not only have a deep understanding of their target market but creatively express themselves through audio and social content that resonates with their audience,” Coichy said.