The cultural and economic impact the Hispanic communities have in the United States is no secret, of course. With 65.2 million Hispanics living in the US as of July 1, 2023 and over 41 million Spanish speakers, Spanish is the second most spoken language in the nation.
Data released by the Latino Donor Collaborative (LDC) reveals that U.S. Latino purchasing power reached $4.1 trillion in 2023, growing 2.4 times faster than the national average.
So, how can brands reach this influential market in an authentic and meaningful way?
First, it’s important to remember it’s not just about targeting a segment of the population. Like any audience, brands must build trust as well as visibility if they want to make a lasting impression.
One step to achieving this is through positive media exposure for your brand. Earning regular media coverage through genuinely interesting and relatable storytelling is an effective way to raise awareness of your brand and build a connection with your audience.
Research can help you achieve this.
By partnering with a trusted provider, like Talker Research, you can conduct online research to learn more about your target audience and what makes them tick.
Moreover, you can leverage research to find interesting, topical talking points that can be used to shape campaign and content ideas, and create newsworthy stories that really resonate with people.
Meeting your audience where they are.
By producing and distributing stories in both English and Spanish, you can reach and connect with a wider audience – both Hispanic and non-Hispanic Americans. There are also opportunities to increase coverage in both markets, especially since over 620 Hispanic media organizations operate in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.
According to Pew Research data from 2024, just over half (54%) of U.S. Hispanic adults get their news mostly in English, compared to 21% who get their news mostly in Spanish. About a quarter of Hispanic Americans (23%) said they consume news in both languages about equally. And these figures differ between U.S.-born Hispanics and those who emigrated from other countries.
Achieving coverage in English and Spanish-language media.
We have partnered with major companies throughout the years and found success in English and Spanish-language media.
TurboTax’s 2021 story polling 2,000 Americans who identify as Hispanic or Latino focused on their desire to achieve higher education to become financially independent. Our research revealed that 43% of Latino Millennials and Gen Z reported that having a higher education means a better future for them and their families. And overall, over six in 10 U.S. Latinos believe they’re experts at saving money. The story garnered 72 pieces of earned coverage in English and Spanish-language media.
A more recent “Tax misconceptions” story for TurboTax polled 4,000 Americans who planned to file taxes in 2025. The aim was to explore Americans’ general understanding of tax filing, identify areas where there are knowledge gaps and compare generational differences. We distributed English and Spanish stories and visual assets, earning over 200 pieces of online coverage and 18 broadcast mentions.
Duolingo is another prime example, where we delivered Spanish-language news copy and campaign assets based on our poll of 2,000 Americans. The research-led story took a generational look at learning new skills, securing over 150 online pieces of Spanish coverage.
Our Spanish news stories are NOT translations. We tweak English versions to fit Spanish grammar standards and have built relationships with reputable Spanish-language media outlets that value our unique take.
Making stats stand out with Spanish infographics.
Building trust and being authentic.
You can poll an exclusively Hispanic research panel, or demographically split/balanced respondents, but when it comes to research-led media campaigns, we typically gather responses from general population Americans. Depending on the brand and nature of the campaign, we may focus on specialized panels such as pet owners, parents, small business owners, people who drive — to use research data to build strong story angles that people can connect with, and that appeal to a broader media audience, too.
We have had particular success with research-led stories about food, parenting, pets, money and lifestyle, for a wide range of consumer brands. And those are English-language stories across mainstream media outlets, as well as Spanish-language stories covered by regional and national Spanish-language media.
Benefits of polling US Hispanics vs. non-Hispanics.
The benefits of having a split panel of these two ethnic groups are to compare their perspectives to a larger, broader conversation, whether it’s finance, parenting or politics.
This type of research also helps identify specific trends relating to the Hispanic community and what matters most to them.
Hispanic representation in the media.
The Hispanic community thrives on authentic storytelling that speaks to them and their experience. In our 2023 Talker Research poll, 74% of Hispanic and Latino respondents said they felt their culture is represented well in mainstream society. Fifty-two percent felt their non-Hispanic/non-Latino peers understand their culture “well.”
Hispanic audiences aren’t a niche. They’re a core part of America. You can reach them, like other communities, through authentic and consistent storytelling.
Like to know more? Speak to our team about building a research-led amplification strategy for your brand, and see some of our Spanish-language media coverage here.
Liz Elizalde
Content Editor