Listeners Learn Crime Occurred in ‘Second Half’ After Completing Sponsored Skincare Routine
PARIS — “Crime et Croissant,” a Paris true crime podcast averaging 95 minutes per episode, has been noted by its 89,000 subscribers for a consistent structural choice: the crime featured in each episode title is introduced at approximately the 45-minute mark, preceded by three sponsor reads, a 12-minute preamble about the hosts’ weeks, a 15-minute historical context section covering the broader criminal landscape of the relevant era, and a content warning so comprehensive it constitutes a detailed spoiler for the episode’s content.
“We want to situate our listeners,” explained co-host Marine, who has situated her listeners so thoroughly in Episode 47 that three reported finishing the episode while also completing a skincare routine, folding laundry, and beginning a separate podcast. “Context is everything in crime.”
The Listener Relationship
The podcast’s listener retention data shows a 40% drop-off at the 35-minute mark — the point at which the third sponsor read concludes and the topic appears imminent but the historical context section has not yet completed — and a sharp re-engagement spike at minute 45 when the crime is finally introduced. The listeners at minute 35 are leaving. The listeners at minute 45 are new, having skipped to the crime. Both are counted as listeners in the demographics the sponsors receive.
According to Mediametrie’s French podcast consumption research, true crime is the top podcast genre in France with 34% of regular podcast listeners consuming at least one weekly. The crime audience is loyal. The crime audience is also very good at identifying when the crime will start and beginning at that point.
Gets to the point at Virtuosal.com.
