PumaPodcast: Audience study and recommendations report
A Splice Media report for IMS and PumaPodcast
Executive summary
The Philippine market, because of its affinity to all things American, is largely influenced by U.S. trends as well as its premium production houses such as NPR, Pushkin, and Gimlet — these were often cited as benchmarks for quality and storytelling.
We believe that PumaPodcast not only stands out as it meets or exceeds the standards of its U.S. counterparts, but specifically because it does this with Filipino content that listeners can’t get elsewhere. Its style and format also leaves its listeners feeling smarter and more positive as a result.
We consistently found a desire among Puma’s biggest fans for a deeper engagement with the company beyond listening to its podcasts — a community, a way to learn the craft of podcasting, a desire to celebrate their support of Puma through brand merchandise, or even to hire Puma as a white-labelled podcast producer.
There is also a larger social implication to this. Media suffers from a crisis of trust, especially in a politically tenuous society like the Philippines. In traditional media, the polemic can often be one-sided, and is often weaponized by political and business interests. By involving its community in a more two-sided conversation around the news, social issues, and mission, Puma has a distinct opportunity to stand out from other publishers by involving one of its most powerful assets — its listeners’ voice.
We also found an important distinction between those who said they would pay to be a member, and those who asked for the ability to make donations in support of Puma’s mission. Some even asked for an easier way to donate money to Puma, such as a QR code for GCash.
Blind spots, biases, limitations, and disclaimers
Splice is overwhelmingly pro media startup. We believe the best way to grow and defend the media industry is to nurture a generation of nimble digital-first media organizations that are focused on serving their communities.
We designed the survey process, collected and interpreted the data, the landing page, the presentation deck, and these final recommendations. These may contain inherent biases and assumptions about the Philippine podcast market. Any misrepresentations or misunderstandings are ours alone.
And finally, Splice is a two-man team in Singapore, which may limit our ability to deliver a more comprehensive, gender-balanced view.
Acknowledgements and thanks
We would like to thank International Media Support for supporting our efforts to champion user-first approaches to media viability. Thank you, Helle Walhberg and Emilie Lehmann-Jacobsen, for getting this across the line.
We are also grateful to Carljoe Javier and his team at PumaPodcast for giving us so much leeway in pushing some of these crazy ideas onto his already full plate. But most importantly, thank you for being so gracious on this journey together.
— Alan and Rishad
“Puma makes me feel like I’m smart too. When I listen to Puma, I feel: Hey, I belong!”
— Samantha Gail Lucas
“Puma is a credible source of local info. It’s a kick-off point for deeper learning.”
— Nisha Alicer
Methodology
A survey website — The Great PumaPodcast Remix — was created and launched on September 28, 2021. It had a unique standalone URL and distinct branding to encourage Puma’s team and the audience to think differently about what Puma could be. We intend to maintain and update this landing page as a case study and playbook.
The site had one primary call to action: Take the 5-min survey containing 13 questions.
The link to the site was sent out on Puma’s social and email channels.
The site had 272 views during the survey period which ended on October 18, 2021.
In total, 71 people filled in the survey.
Puma followed up by assembling 3 focus group sessions on Google Meet across 3 different days.
Each session was limited to 1 hour and was also attended by CEO Carl Javier, who presented the survey findings slide deck, and his team.
These sessions were recorded for future case studies.
The recommendations in this final report stem from our findings.
The Great PumaPodcast Remix landing page
“Puma is like a friend who’s in tune. They have taste. The cool and really smart friend I’ll seek recommendations from.”
— Jan Minett Lagman
“It’s clear that people don’t just want podcasts from us — they want an entire suite of experiences.”
— Carljoe Javier,
PumaPodcast CEO
Survey findings
Appetite for podcast-related events and willingness to pay
Over half the respondents said they wanted to learn podcasting and production at workshops, which feels like a great step towards productising PumaPodcast’s offerings. Almost half of those who responded said they wanted to be on the PumaPodcast Board of Listeners and plan shows — an important opportunity to involve a willing community into a more actively user-centric process towards product-market fit. This is further supported by the fact that over a third of the respondents said they wanted to attend host and producer meetups.
50%
I want to learn podcasting and production at workshops
50%
I want to be on the Puma Board of Listeners and plan shows
30%
I want to attend host and producer meetups
Requested newsletter features
Podcast recommendations
Behind-the-scenes photos
Exclusive host Q&As
Merchandise discounts
What people want from Puma
An overwhelming majority — or over two-thirds of the respondents — want PumaPodcast to help them make sense of what’s happening in the Philippines. Well over half of them want to be informed about world events and international politics. Half of them want to be inspired by what other people are doing. Over 40% want help with their mental health. Over a third want to discover and meet interesting people, and also said they want to be associated with a company that is forward-looking and progressive. About a third of respondents want to learn and geek out over audio production and podcasts. Over a quarter of the respondents want to be part of a movement for gender equality.
It’s tempting to view these user groupings around topics as specific requests for podcasts, but there is an opportunity here to experiment not with product content but with format; a great many of these are worth exploring further in formats such as IRL and virtual events, workshops, newsletters, merchandise, user-host meetups, and training courses.
66%
Help me make sense of what’s happening in the Philippines
56%
Inform me about world events and international politics
50%
I want to be inspired by what other people are doing
43%
Help me with my mental health
39%
I want to discover and meet interesting people
28%
I want to learn and geek out over audio production and podcasts
How people responded to the idea of a Puma Patrons membership program
We wanted to gauge interest in the benefits of a membership model. Many expressed an interest in getting access to events and workshops. There was also a lot of interest in a hypothetical “Puma Board of Listeners” where members could influence the programming decisions of the company, to influence strategic direction of the shows, and a collaboration with PumaPodcast (for guesting, internship, production, etc).
28%
I want access to events and workshops — online and offline
21%
I want members-only special episodes
I want to collaborate with PumaPodcast (guesting, internship, production, etc).
I want a spot on the PumaPodcast Board of Listeners to influence strategic direction of the shows
Willingness to pay for these membership features
The majority of respondents said they were willing to pay ₱250 a month — the equivalent of US$5. However, 22.5% — the second largest segment — said they wouldn’t pay for membership. A quarter of them wanted membership to be free, but 15% were willing to pay PHP500 (about USD10) monthly. This might be strong evidence of an opportunity to test a simple tiered membership structure.
50%
₱250
22%
FREE
15%
₱500
What 5-star experience would make you want to be a Puma Patron?
newsletters
events
Clubhouse-style live audio
pub and club discounts
workshops + training
merchandise
members-only episodes
do a show from my house
access to celebrities
a podcast certification course
meet-ups with hosts
Podcasts they’d like to hear
Respondents had varied suggestions, mostly around Philippine interests, business, and finance. These included:
Philippine pop culture and history
Personal investing
Corporate governance
Investor relations
“The Daily” for the Philippines
Social activism
Philippine politics
Pets
Filipino literature
Parenting
Etymology of Pinoy terms
Dramatized documentaries
Dating for singles in Metro Manila
“We are audio-first, but it doesn’t mean we are audio-only.”
— Carljoe Javier,
PumaPodcast CEO
We want more
Puma has the permission of its users to take the brand beyond just podcasts. The survey showed the willingness and desire of Puma’s biggest fans to build a deeper connection with the company.
In various ways, several people said — paraphrased — that just listening to podcasts isn't enough.
This survey also showed that Puma has underestimated the value of its community, and underinvested in serving it. We strongly believe that Puma needs to focus on building deeper engagement with its fans in 2022 and to continue this process of listening.
We heard specific feedback from the focus groups around what to continue doing, what to start doing, and what to stop — many of these had little to do with podcasts themselves. Here’s a summary (see the Focus Group section for more) of some of the main points.
Keep doing
“Keep being my smart friend” was repeated by several attendees. This was perhaps the strongest, most prominent brand value expressed
“Keep me informed about Philippine sports, politics, entertainment — things that I can’t get in international podcasts” — a reminder of the need for differentiation in a country with a high affinity for American content. “I’d recommend you to my friends because you’re Filipino. It’s content you don’t get anywhere else” (Erwin Oliva)
“I don’t have a cable subscription, and I’m not big on YouTube. [Puma] is a place for news” (Anna Pasetes)
You guys have lots of explainer audio that’s very easy to digest (Kaitlyn Magtoto)
Puma is a news source and explainer without much spin. It doesn’t feel like you’re being forced to think a certain way, like much of the news lately. It’s news that isn’t emotionally charged (Elena Villanueva)
Start doing
Cover the creative scene in Philippines, inspired by TED Talks (Erwin Oliva)
Provide a regional perspective that goes beyond the Philippines (Elbert Or)
A show about mistakes — eg. my worst job interview (Samantha Lucas, Erwin Oliva)
Help me discover new Puma episodes (Elbert Or)
Add your podcasts to YouTube because of its algo (Rosanbel Sanchez)
I’ll pay to be part of an intimate group (Elbert Or, Anna Pasetes)
Take away levels of friction so that people can follow you better (Erwin Oliva)
Give me something to buy (Erwin Oliva)
Let us vote on the next guests (Rosanbel Sanchez)
Help people understand that you provide corporate branding services so I can hire you (Anna Pasteles)
Not everybody has access to Apple Podcasts and Spotfiy, so transcripts are great (Rosanbel Sanchez, Anna Pasetes, Nisha Alicer, Elbert Or, Anna Pasetes, Elena Villanueva)
Video-grams on IG — snackable, easy to share (Erwin Oliva)
After listening to a podcast I would like to be able to discuss it with someone. A safe, mature space to talk about things (Kaitlyn Magtoto)
A summary of your latest shows — some folks said that there are just too many shows to listen to and want some bite-sized content (Elena Villanueva, Marvine Sy, Kaithlyn Magtoto)
Stop doing
Don’t give me just the Who and the What of the news — I want the Why too (Anna Pasetes)
Stuff to think about
What collabs can you do with some of the bigger podcast producers?
Run podcasting workshops so that more people develop an appreciation for the craft, and raise a new generation of talent for the Philippines
How do you get your true fans to speak for you, to endorse you?
Folks said they wouldn’t necessarily subscribe (transactional), but they’d be happy to contribute a donation to support the community (emotional connection)
Try a fund-raising campaign to make the next season of a popular show possible (James)
“Make it easy to take my money.”
— Erwin Oliva
Podcasting is a solitary experience. I wouldn’t mind getting to meet other listeners of the same podcast
— Kaye
The Splice recipe for community building
Here are some ideas to build up momentum in 2022. These are low-hanging community-service ideas that you should be able to execute quickly for quick wins.
Consolidate your email mailing list so you have it all in one place.
Segment that list so you’re able to engage your truest fans from your wider audience. Create 3 tiers of listener support around transactional and non-transactional affiliation:
subscription for the mass audience (“I want to pay for exclusive content”)
membership for the supporters of the mission (“I want to be a part of this Puma community”)
donations/crowdfunding for the super fans (“I want to support the mission of Puma because I believe in the work you do.”)
Connecting with your community is vital, but not as a corporate entity. The personal connection is important, so make sure your communications go out from a person (“Hi, this is Faith.”) rather than a company (“Hello to our listeners from Puma.”). Every two weeks, send out a “Hello from Carl” email containing details of new shows, what you’re working on, and what you’d like some input on. Encourage the subscriber to reply to the email — and respond.
Every month, send out a “This is the Puma community” newsletter featuring the staff behind the scenes, profiles of fellow podcasters, and events that you have coming up. Some of this content should also be repurposed to run on your social media channels. Again, this should go from an actual person.
Figure out where your community gathers — Facebook Group? Telegram Group? Discord? Be present in those communities. Meet your community where they live.
Hold a regular Clubhouse-style session to talk about a show that just dropped so that people can discuss what they’ve heard. Build “a safe space”, as Kaitlyn Magtoto suggested.
Build social media campaigns around your hosts — they are the heroes of the brand.
Build a social media campaign around the fact that you’re listening to your community. Make heroes of them and use their voices.
Organize a quarterly check-in with the community — say, the first Thursday evening of every quarter. Take them through your upcoming plans, get their feedback, show them that you’re listening. This would be one way to celebrate the heroes in the community, meet the “voices” of Puma, and get to know the upcoming podcasters from the Puma training program. All of this would be recorded and published on your social media channels.
Create a simple way for people to send money to support you, eg. Gcash
Here are some longer-term ideas that may be worth testing.
Build the mission by creating a “community fund” that supports the training of young podcasters so that you’re creating the next generation of creators that you can hire. This fund could be crowdsourced. Graduates from this program would be Puma-certified.
Build co-creation and belonging by establishing the PumaPodcast Board of Listeners that convenes at regular intervals to do show audits, audience research, and focus group discussions. Publicise the meetings and findings.
What a membership program could look like
We heard plenty of great ideas for a membership program. We recommend picking 3-5 of these as your first cut for such a program, figuring out an appropriate pricing that reflects the value of the program to your users, and going to your community for feedback.
In no particular order, some features could be:
Distraction-free listening (Marvine Sy)
Extended interviews (Elena Villanueva)
Access to research that the hosts have done (Michaella Ortega)
Meet-ups with other listeners (Kaye Robles)
Meet-ups with the hosts over food and wine (Marvine Sy)
Message boards to see what others have to say (Nisha Alicer)
Get involved in the production (Nisha Alicer)
Input on content (Elbert Or)
Masterclasses and mentoring (Erwin Oliva)
Podcasting training and certification (Elena Villanueva)
Discounts on events and backstage passes (Anna Pasetes)
Show notes and other resources (Elena Villanueva)
Listener sponsored shows (Elena Villanueva)
Access to a safe discussion space (Kaitlyn Magtoto)