The first 100 days: How the Agenda Setter playbook is evolving

by Amy Garland

We’ve officially surpassed the first 100 days of Trump 2.0 — but we’ve been tracking the changing media consumption of key power brokers in the White House, on the Hill, and beyond the Beltway since long before inauguration day.

We’re constantly evolving the Agenda Setter playbook to align with emerging sources of influence, changing consumption habits, and more. As the landscape evolves and continues to fracture, a “Yes, and…” media strategy is the best way to maximize impact. Here’s what we’ve learned about reaching the newest class of Agenda Setters — those influencing policy directly and indirectly from positions in government, business, media, politics, and advocacy — over the last hundred(+) days:

Mapping influence from culture to cabinet: The podcast takeover

The worlds of podcast hosts and Agenda Setters are bleeding into each other. Hosts have joined the administration or otherwise have Trump’s ear; GOP leaders are prioritizing podcasts for their media appearances; it’s no wonder podcasts are shaping culture and driving policy conversations.

But when there really is a podcast for everyone, how do you really reach this key group of policy elites? Scale comes from the sum, not the singular. Take three programs that rank high with Conservative Agenda Setters:

On their own, each podcast only scratches the surface of the full Conservative Agenda Setter audience. To maximize your impact, take a “Yes, and…” approach:

• Balance scale and precision in podcast buying with a combination of premium placement buys and audience-targeted networks to cover more ground, reach more people, and spend smarter.
• Look across platforms: YouTube delivers scale, and Spotify drives consistent listening for podcasts.

Fox News is essential, not exclusive

When the administration kicked off their first press briefing by announcing dedicated briefing room seats for “new media” and allowing those reporters to ask the first questions, they underlined and highlighted a shift in the media landscape.

Yes, Fox News remains essential — driving nearly NFL playoff-level viewership every single day — and is not the sole player anymore. Digital in particular is a more nuanced space. Traditional Beltway publications continue to play a key role, but how you show up and invest needs to accommodate new players, of which there are many.

From podcasts and creators to smaller conservative outlets to X, there are plenty of new players that punch above their weight in reaching Agenda Setters. These spaces carry both influence and complexity, however. Yes we must consider brand safety and brand suitability. Brand safety is foundational to every campaign leveraging a layered, tech-enabled strategy built on trusted tools like DoubleVerify. Brand suitability is tailored per your organization, customized with nuanced keyword strategies and custom segments to reflect client values, sensitivities, and strategic positioning.

Public affairs is more than an audience of one

Yes, we know where and how to reach the key players of Trump world and the new class of social influencers on their radar. And, while it may seem like public affairs during this administration is all about an audience of one, the reality is there’s voices across politics, advocacy, media and business that are influencing what comes out of the Oval.

The rapidly changing, late-breaking nature of policy decisions over the last 100 days means it’s critical your message lands with as many power brokers as possible in the administration, on the Hill, and beyond the Beltway.

Reach out for our full 100 Days Agenda Setter update.