Next up in our ongoing analysis of radio performance for our long-time mobile app client, we analyzed radio performance by format (genre) to understand which drive the best return on investment. Some genres generate sign-ups and conversions efficiently, while others cost more than they’re worth. Let’s break it down.
(So far, we've explored which channel was the top performer (it was radio), performance by daypart, and local vs national performance.)
As is the BMG360 way, rather than relying on impressions alone, we’re focusing on the numbers that truly impact ROI:
- Sign-ups: Listeners who sign up for the app after hearing the ad
- Conversions: Users who become transactional members
- Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC): Total media spend divided by conversions
- Cost Per Sign-Up (CPSU): Media spend divided by total sign-ups.
The data is from Q4 of 2024.
And, for reference, here are all the station formats in the campaign: Variety, All News, Sports, Country, Adult Hits, Talk/Personality, Rhythm Contemporary (Rhy CHR), Urban Cont., Urban Talk, Rock AC, Contemporary Hit Radio, News/Talk, Entertainment, Urban AC, Adult Cont, Hot AC, Comedy, Rhythmic AC, Album Oriented Rock, Classic Rock, Rhythm Oldies, Alternative, Altern/Modern Rock, Lifestyle, Classic Hits, Oldies, Religious, Adult Alternative Rock, Christian AC, Adult Alternative.
Which Formats Drive the Best Results?
Some formats consistently deliver strong conversion rates and cost efficiency. We'll first look at the five top-performing in terms of conversions and then rank based on the additional KPIs.
Here’s what we found:
Top Performing Genres by Conversions
- Variety – 8,566 conversions
- News – 1,102 conversions
- Mystery/Crime – 817 conversions
- Entertainment – 644 conversions
- Rhythmic Contemporary (Rhy CHR) – 639 conversions
Variety stations drive the highest number of conversions, making them a strong option for broad-reach campaigns. News and Mystery/Crime also show strong performance due to their highly engaged audiences.
Quick Explainer: What’s "Variety" Radio? “Variety” is predominantly a national format that blends multiple sub-genres: pop, country, adult contemporary, top 40, rock, sports, and even some news segments. Because it covers such a broad range, it effectively reaches both female and male audiences, though many Variety stations tend to skew more female (Top 40, Adult Contemporary, etc.), while others may lean more male if they feature rock or sports programming. This broad mix makes Variety a catch-all that appeals to diverse listener tastes, and, as our data shows, that translates into a wide funnel for sign-ups and conversions.)
Most Cost-Efficient Genres (Lowest CAC)
- Rhy CHR: $58.59
- Variety: $76.06
- Mystery/Crime: $95.89
- Entertainment: $97.77
- News: $115.91
Variety was also highly efficient. But Rhy CHR emerged as a standout, delivering the absolute lowest CAC.
Genres Generating the Most Sign-Ups
- Variety: 20,783 sign-ups
- News: 4,179 sign-ups
- Mystery/Crime: 3,262 sign-ups
- Entertainment: 2,198 sign-ups
- Rhy CHR: 1,539 sign-ups
Sign-ups indicate initial audience interest. Variety leads the way significantly, with News and Mystery/Crime following behind, proving informative and niche content prompts action.
Our Takeaways from the Data
- Best all-around: Variety – Considering both conversion volume and cost efficiency, Variety is the clear top-performing genre.
- Best for scale: Variety – Ideal for broad-market campaigns due to its large, diverse audience.
- Targeted niche: Mystery/Crime – This genre provides an excellent balance of cost efficiency and engagement for targeted campaigns.
- Top Efficiency Pick: Rhy CHR. Lowest customer acquisition cost—ideal for cost-sensitive campaigns.
- High engagement but higher cost: News – While News has strong listener engagement, the higher CAC means careful budgeting is required.
Important note: These insights reflect results from this specific campaign and may vary across different industries, campaigns, and market conditions. Always use data from your own tests to guide investment decisions.