{"id":5821,"date":"2020-06-01T00:37:39","date_gmt":"2020-06-01T07:37:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mediapartnersworldwide.com\/?p=5821"},"modified":"2024-05-03T14:25:07","modified_gmt":"2024-05-03T18:25:07","slug":"podcasts-whos-tuning-in-and-why-should-i-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mediapartnersworldwide.com\/podcasts-whos-tuning-in-and-why-should-i-care\/","title":{"rendered":"Podcasts: Who\u2019s Tuning In and Why Should I Care?"},"content":{"rendered":"
Podcasts have become an increasingly pervasive part of American culture. More and more people are tuning in to their podcast of choice over their PC, tablet, smartphone or home assistant.<\/p>\n
It looks like this trend is here to stay, so the question for many companies is: How can podcasts be effectively incorporated into marketing strategy? The following information will discuss some outstanding podcast-related statistics, and how businesses can leverage these insights to their advantage.<\/p>\n
The simple answer is: very popular. Over the past several years, the number of monthly podcast listeners has grown at an explosive rate. As of this writing,\u00a055% of the U.S. population<\/a>\u00a0has listened to a podcast, and 24% (in other words, almost 70 million people) listen on a weekly basis. Moreover, experts predict that the number of active podcast listeners in the United States is expected to reach approximately\u00a0132 million<\/a>\u00a0by the year 2022.<\/p>\n The reality is that just about every age demographic (with the exception of children aged 11 and younger) contains a significant share of podcast listeners. Research indicates that individuals in the age range between 20 and 40 make up the majority of avid fans; however, a sizable percentage of senior citizens (aged 55 or older) also regularly tune in.<\/p>\n Furthermore, the popularity of podcasts is growing across all age groups. For instance, from 2017 to 2019 the number of monthly listeners aged 12-24 jumped from\u00a027% to 40%<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 a major increase!<\/p>\n With over 1 million distinct podcasts on the market, there’s no end to the niche topics that are being covered within the industry. Nevertheless, the\u00a04 most popular podcast genres<\/a>, among both casual and avid fans, are:<\/p>\n The “Kids and Family” genre takes the 5th spot among casual fans, while “Games and Hobby” podcasts are the 5th most popular genre among “avid fans” (i.e., listeners that consider themselves extremely interested in a certain subject).<\/p>\n Examples of popular podcasts in the above-mentioned categories, as well as other genres, include\u00a0Mogul, Dissect, The Televerse, The Hawkins Report, This American Life<\/em>, and\u00a0TED Radio Hour<\/em>.<\/p>\n A large share of light users (casual listeners) follow podcasts at home, or during their work commute. On the other hand, heavy users tend to listen to podcasts anytime they are\u00a0away\u00a0<\/em>from home. In both cases, a high percentage of listeners tune in\u00a0during their transit to work<\/a>, whether that’s in their car, on a bus, or on the subway.<\/p>\n There are several ways that companies can turn the above-mentioned data points into actionable insights to grow their business. For example:<\/p>\n Many advertisers are using podcasts to increase brand awareness and build their consumer base. For example,\u00a0Blue Apron<\/a>\u00a0has partnered with Adam Carolla to promote their product on his podcast. Sling Media has seen engagement rates from podcast ads 2 to 3 times greater than radio spots. The Great Courses, a series distributed by The Teaching Company, has leveraged “baked-in” ads on podcasts like Malcolm Gladwell’s\u00a0Revisionist History<\/em>.<\/p>\n An estimated 75% of listeners not only pay attention to podcast ads, but also follow specific calls to action after hearing them. That being the case, many advertisers have found that targeted ad campaigns on popular podcasts is a clear path to marketing success.<\/p>\n How have podcasts fared since mid-March, when COVID-19 first broke out on a global scale? In some sectors, podcast listenership actually went\u00a0down\u00a0<\/em>when the first “stay at home” orders were enacted. For example, analytics firm Chartable showed a\u00a010% month over month decrease<\/a>\u00a0in downloads from February to March for their participating podcasts.<\/p>\n However, other sectors have seen massive gains. In Italy as a whole, there’s been a 10% increase in podcast listening. In the United States podcasts about television and entertainment, like\u00a02 Black Girls, 1 Rose,\u00a0<\/em>have seen a\u00a0major influx in subscribers<\/a>.<\/p>\nWho Listens to Podcasts?<\/h3>\n
Which Podcast Genres are Most Popular?<\/h3>\n
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When Do Consumers Listen?<\/h3>\n
How Can Businesses Leverage Podcast-Related Insights?<\/h3>\n
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Podcasts in the Time of Coronavirus<\/h3>\n