GE2025: Are podcasts the new political battleground?

As Singapore gears up for its General Elections on 3 May 2025, political campaigning is undergoing an audio transformation as podcasts emerge as a surprising front-runner for voter engagement.

This shift comes amid tighter scrutiny of online campaigning under Singapore’s Elections Department (ELD). While candidates and their teams can legally campaign across social media, websites, podcasts, and email, all paid online election ads must be authorised and clearly disclosed to ensure transparency.

In this new digital landscape, where authenticity and accessibility matter more than ever, podcasts offer a unique platform — one that allows political figures to sidestep sound bites and engage in deeper, more personal dialogue with voters.

To understand the growing influence of this medium, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE spoke with content strategists and political podcasters about why this format is resonating, what it means for digital campaigning, and how it’s reshaping the way voters connect with politics in Singapore.

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Attention meets intention

In an election cycle where attention is the most contested commodity, podcasts offer something increasingly rare in the digital age - time. As Singapore heads into its General Elections, political campaigns are leaning into long-form audio conversations to sidestep the noise of social media and reach voters through deeper, more sustained engagement.

“Podcast audiences are already used to consuming long-form content. In the political space, that’s a huge advantage because it allows politicians the time to speak in-depth—whether it’s about their stances, philosophies, or values,” said Joel Lim, podcast host of Political Prude. 

This differs from social media where content needs to grab attention within the first few seconds. Podcasts, on the other hand, come with an audience that is prepared to spend 30 minutes to an hour – or even more – engaging with a conversation.

Additionally, the medium allows politicians to reach voters they might not otherwise connect with. “When politicians use their own social media pages, they’re speaking to audiences they’ve already cultivated. But when they appear on a podcast, they tap into a different, possibly broader demographic—often including people who aren’t politically engaged but still vote,” added Lim.

According to Lim, there has been an increase in political figures reaching out to appear on podcasts – and it’s not just limited to Singapore.

Citing the recent US presidential elections as an example, Lim said there’s a growing awareness of the impact podcasts can have. In fact, dubbed the ‘Podcast election’, post-election analysis of the US presidential elections discussed mentions of Kamala Harris’ shelved appearance on major podcasts such as Joe Rogan's The Joe Rogan Experience.

“While we can’t definitively say those appearances swung the election, the fact that they sparked serious discussions – even in formal settings – shows how significant podcasts have become in political campaigning,” explained Lim.

Online becomes default

When it comes to the online sphere, the shadow of 2020 looms large over this trend, where COVID-19 forced an unprecedented shift to predominantly online campaigning.

“That pandemic-era election fundamentally changed Singapore's political communication playbook. Parties that once relied heavily on physical rallies and walkabouts had to rapidly build digital capabilities,” said Benjamin Lee, content strategist and Beach House Pictures’ head of commercial and marketing.

Today, those digital strategies aren't just alternatives but central components of campaign architecture.

“Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in the podcast explosion. What began as a novel outreach channel has reached saturation point. Every candidate and political commentator seem to have launched a podcast, creating an overcrowded audio landscape where breaking through requires exceptional content rather than merely showing up,” added Lee.

Meanwhile, the regulatory environment adds another layer of complexity. “With official political channels facing limitations on paid promotion and algorithmic boosting, we're likely to witness creative circumvention,” explained Lee.

“Will candidates increasingly rely on surrogates and proxies – supportive influencers, community groups, and partisan content creators who aren't directly affiliated with campaigns – to amplify messaging?” Lee said, adding that this creates a gray area in campaign regulations. 

While Singapore maintains strict rules about political advertising, the boundaries become blurred when messaging comes from ostensibly independent supporters rather than official campaign channels, said Lee.

According to Neal Moore, founder, content strategy and storytelling consultant at Moore’s Lore Media, podcasters are fast becoming the new broadcasters, commanding the attention of audiences disillusioned with traditional media — but with a veneer of authenticity that’s hard to replicate.

YouTube channels, podcasts, Substack newsletters, blogs, — they’re all maturing into the new mainstream.

With that influence, regulation is inevitable — and necessary, added Moore.

The future of political campaigning

Despite podcasts' rise, traditional forms of campaigning, such as physical rallies, still hold weight in today’s digital world. "It's easy to listen to a podcast, drop a like on a video, but to get someone to get off their a** go out and support a cause physically shows real passion, the kind of passion that actually shows up at the ballot box on election day," said Moore.

Lim echoes similar sentiments, adding that Ng Kok Song’s purely digital campaign for the 2023 Singapore Presidential Election generated a lot of online engagement, but didn’t necessarily translate into votes.

Looking forward, campaign strategies will always evolve based on how society consumes content. “If in the future podcasts lose popularity, campaigns will naturally pivot to whatever format is trending. That could be live streaming, TikTok, or even something like VR interviews—we don’t know yet," said Lim, who added:

The key thing is reach. Wherever the audience is, politicians will go there.

The ultimate challenge for Singapore's political contestants will be navigating a hybrid landscape effectively. "Success likely awaits those who can seamlessly integrate online and offline approaches while cutting through the digital noise with authentic messaging," said Lee. 

“The most effective campaigns will recognise that digital tools, despite their prominence, remain means rather than ends – vehicles for conveying compelling visions for Singapore's future rather than substitutes for substantive policy proposals." 

Join us this coming 23 - 24 April for #Content360, a two-day extravaganza centered around three core thematic pillars: Challenging The Norm; Technology For Transformation; and Unlocking Imagination. Immerse yourself in learning to curate content with creativity, critical thinking, and confidence with us at Content360!

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