Taylor Swift’s New Heights announcement: What does it mean for podcasting?

For her fans, the news of Taylor Swift’s forthcoming album, The Life of a Showgirl, is exciting to say the least.

But the fact that Swift decided to announce this on the New Heights podcast is also noteworthy and speaks to the prospect the medium holds for brands — particularly when accompanied by video.

On Monday, Swift released the title of the album through a social media clip trailing an upcoming episode of New Heights, fronted by boyfriend and NFL star Travis Kelce and his brother Jason. The full episode launched on Wednesday.

New Heights also released a post on its Instagram account that hit 4.5m likes (up to 5.1m at the time of writing) and saw an engagement rate increase on this page of 145%, as per data from social media management platform Metricool.

According to Business Insider, a typical Instagram post has an average engagement rate of between 0.5% and 0.69%, depending on whether it’s a reel, video or carousel post.

At the same time, the album was made available for pre-order on Swift’s website, even though the official release date has not yet been confirmed.

There has been speculation about whether this major announcement on a podcast represents a shift in the 35-year-old’s media approach.

Certainly, Swift could have taken the conventional route of dropping the album’s title and cover on Good Morning America or through her Instagram account.

Next era for podcasts?

Utilising a podcast for such a high-profile announcement highlights the strength of the medium for engaging audiences and the credibility that associated advertising messages can have when integrated into podcast shows.

Ben Knowles, audio product manager at Adwanted UK, parent of The Media Leader, said: “With podcasts increasingly adopting video, the accompanying visual tease of the album artwork amplified the buzz and made the moment more shareable.

“Announcing on New Heights expanded her reach beyond her core fanbase as many or the show’s listeners wouldn’t normally follow her on socials. This move demonstrates the growing potential of podcasts as launch platforms.

“Authentic, personal moments, paired with engaging video, can generate powerful audience engagement.”

The shareability of podcasts, in particular when paired with video, is not something brands should be sleeping on and there is an opportunity for advertisers to increase reach, especially due to the highly engaged nature of podcast listeners.

Sam Shetabi, executive content director at Acast, reflected: “Swift could have dropped the news on Instagram or TikTok and reached millions instantly. But by choosing a podcast, she opted for intimacy and authenticity. A medium built on storytelling, not spectacle.

“Swift choosing a podcast over social media to launch a global album campaign tells us something about where trust and attention truly live.”

Shetabi also pointed to Swift’s influence as an artist: “If the most influential artist on the planet sees podcasting as the right platform to share something that will dominate headlines around the world, brands should take note.”

Grabbing attention

The popularity of the clip on YouTube was also underlined as a point of success, with podcast as a medium being pinned as an opportunity for brands to monopolise on attention.

Anne Tucker, head of research at Adwanted UK, added: “It is 100% inevitable that this will become the most listened to/watched podcast when it goes live and will thrust podcasts further into the spotlight, igniting the opportunities they provide for brands to amplify their messages.”

Tom Webster, partner at Sounds Profitable, echoed this, noting that featuring the world’s biggest pop star on a successful podcast will “no doubt produce the most-viewed podcast episode on YouTube”.

The loyal communities podcasts provide access to was also noted as an advantage.

Tom Whiter, head of content at Goalhanger, said: “It’s no surprise she’s chosen New Heights as the platform. Podcasting is bucking the trend of seeking to capture shorter and shorter attention spans with ever more bite-sized content.

“The relationship our hosts have built with their audience goes beyond habitual — they talk about them like they’re friends. That’s super powerful when it comes to creating a like-minded community.”

Swift’s appearance on New Heights marks the first time she has given an interview since being named Time‘s Person of the Year in 2023.

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