By Sarah Threet, Advertising Guide at Heinz Advertising
Why I’m Attempting to Change into a Podcast Listener
Whereas I’ve labored in advertising for the higher a part of a decade, I don’t have a lot expertise with podcasts, professionally or personally. Listening to one thing in audio format (that isn’t music) will be tough for me; I choose visuals and subtitles (though I’m a listening to individual) and have a difficult time staying “tuned in” to what’s being mentioned both on the radio, in an audiobook, or in a podcast.
Nonetheless, I’m making an attempt to follow extra mindfulness, get again into artistic hobbies, and considerably cut back my social media consumption. I’ve been utilizing social media for two-thirds of my life, and after the pandemic hit, my media consumption sky-rocketed. Whereas there are many advantages to social media, and whereas it’s at present a obligatory channel for selling your merchandise/providers, my little millennial mind craves extra which means in my life. I’m burnt out with the infinite scroll, the doomsday information, the dearth of empathy in discourse, and an algorithm that owns my time and a spotlight. I want more healthy types of stimulation, to have the ability to create issues with my arms once more, and to eat extra data reasonably than hype.
Thus far, I’ve discovered that podcasts sluggish me down, assist with my existential anxiousness, are glorious for training extra conscious listening, and permit me to multi-task to a sure diploma (cooking, strolling, taking part in with my cat, and making artwork). I can not concurrently scroll on my telephone and actively take heed to a podcast, so I’ve to decide on the podcast!
I’m not the one one who chooses podcasts for related causes.
Why Different Shoppers Take heed to Podcasts
Most shoppers take heed to podcasts for leisure and studying functions, although out-of-home functions of listening develop past these two in style causes, given the platform’s benefits with management of content material, mobility, and the convenience of “escape”. The situation of listening might change the aim of listening, as people are extra engaged whereas listening at residence or within the automotive than when they’re out-and-about, after they may simply want one thing to cross the time.
I resonated with some quotes from listeners in my age group who mentioned that they preferred listening to podcasts as a result of they’re “extra passive” and permit for multi-tasking, that you’ve got extra management over what you take heed to, not like with radio, and that podcasts present a “various vary of reports concepts and ideas from vastly totally different folks”, which permits us to each pull ourselves out of “echo chambers” in addition to discover hosts who’re extra like us.
Shopper causes for listening to podcasts additionally range by age: youthful listeners are likely to take heed to podcasts for leisure functions and to cross time, in addition to a way of change from simply listening to music, whereas older listeners choose to take heed to podcasts to be taught one thing new and keep updated on present occasions.
What Podcasts I Take heed to, How I Found Them, and The place I Take heed to Them
I had no thought the place to start out with my Podcast Journey, so I requested my followers and associates for suggestions. Like most shoppers, I worth private suggestions probably the most, after which often use supplementary suggestions by public critiques or from influencers and thought leaders I respect.
I knew going into podcast-listening that I wished to prioritize academic podcasts; studying is stimulating for me, and I assume I really feel like I’m “losing much less of my time” once I’m studying new stuff. Nonetheless, there are such a lot of podcasts on the market (over 2 million – a quadruple enhance from 2018), and I’m terrible at making choices; the variety of choices are overwhelming, and to be trustworthy, at first it made me freeze up from having too many decisions. That’s why I feel it’s so necessary to advertise your podcasts by different channels, as a result of the app/platform areas are extremely aggressive. If an influencer I respect mentions a podcast or episode, I’ll go test it out – and albeit, having another person select for me is usually relieving.
I’m an Apple person for my cellular units, so my most frequent platform is Podcasts, however I do additionally use Spotify for some lacking content material. For instance, my companion bought me an annual subscription to a podcast hosted by a thought chief he admires, as the 2 of us take pleasure in having deep philosophical questions and this offered a way of getting subjects to speak about. However the podcast subscription was solely out there by Spotify, reasonably than on Podcasts, so I have to break up up my platform use (minorly annoying).
Lastly, I choose at-home listening the place I can meal-prep, make artwork, or entertain my very needy cat. I personally discover it tough to actively take heed to podcasts if I’m the one who’s driving, but when I exploit public transportation or my companion is driving, I take pleasure in it. Past that, I’ll activate a work-related podcast throughout work, or I’ll take heed to one thing whereas ready for an appointment someplace.
Podcast Demographics: Who, The place, How?
Who:
Youthful, educated, and prosperous audiences are usually the bigger shoppers of podcasts. Latest research counsel that the common listener is 25-45, often college-educated with an above-average family earnings, and leans barely extra male than feminine.
Nonetheless, this information is new and biased and didn’t survey folks of colour. Podcast listenership is changing into more and more various, with extra folks of all ages, genders, ethnicities, and backgrounds tuning in. This may be attributed to the rising recognition of podcasts as a type of leisure and schooling, with various subjects and genres, in addition to the rising accessibility of podcasts by smartphones, tablets, and different cellular units.
Who’s your ICP, what ache factors may they resolve listening to your podcast, and the way will you get them to take heed to your podcast given what you realize about what channels they might frequent probably the most?
The place:
Weekly podcast listeners are likely to hear at residence greater than of their automotive, however car-listening is slowly rising (~60% vs 20%). Listeners over 35 hear from residence greater than youthful listeners, and youthful listeners hear extra cellular. Following these listening places, 18% of listeners tune in whereas out-and-about (non-transportation or train associated), 16% whereas exercising, and 16% whereas at work.
The typical size of podcasts is often between 20-40 minutes and that is partly influenced by the point taken on the common commute, since in-car listening is in style. Within the Information {industry}, sure podcasts might prioritize posting their information earlier than the morning rush hour, and information like Submit Experiences from the Washington Submit are launched in time for the night commute (Digital Information Report).
The place may your ICP be hanging out? The place and when is likely to be most handy for them to take heed to a podcast, and may that affect the common size of your podcast episodes?
How:
The most well-liked podcast platforms are Spotify, Podcasts (Apple), and Google Podcasts – 25%, 20%, and 16% respectively.
Spotify has develop into one of the crucial in style platforms for podcast listening for a number of causes:
- Integration with Music Streaming: Spotify already had a big person base of music streamers, and the platform started incorporating podcasts into its providing, permitting customers to entry each varieties of content material in a single place (not like Apple Music and Podcasts – a frustration I do have!).
- Personalization and Discovery: Spotify gives personalised suggestions for podcasts based mostly on a person’s listening habits, in addition to curated playlists and different discovery instruments to assist customers discover the most recent content material.
- Unique content material: Spotify has invested closely in unique podcast content material, together with authentic programming, and unique distribution offers with in style podcasters. This has helped entice new customers to the platform and maintain them engaged.
- Person Expertise: Spotify has a user-friendly interface that’s simple to navigate, making it easy for listeners to search out and play podcasts.
- Partnerships: Spotify has fashioned partnerships with a wide range of podcast networks and producers, which has helped develop the vary of content material out there on the platform.
Regardless of the {industry} namesake originating with Apple, Spotify jumped on the podcast alternative with extra fervor, investing cash and making partnerships to make podcast listening extra accessible to their massive person base. Whereas Apple might embrace personalization as nicely, I’ve all the time personally discovered that Spotify will get way more area of interest with their suggestions.
Lastly, listeners are usually invested in sure hosts, and if these hosts are visitors on different podcasts, they’re more likely to hear, or if that podcast host recommends one other podcast, listeners are more likely to undertake.
Podcast Demographics for B2B Shoppers
What about your goal account – what podcasts may they be listening to? General, the most well-liked varieties of podcast content material for enterprise professionals are those who provide sensible ideas, insights, and recommendation that may assist them enhance their abilities and advance their careers. Listed below are some in style subjects your shopper is likely to be listening to:
- Advertising and Promoting: Widespread amongst entrepreneurs and enterprise professionals, these podcasts provide insights into the most recent advertising tendencies, methods, and greatest practices.
- Entrepreneurship and Enterprise: These podcasts are in style amongst enterprise professionals who wish to keep updated on the most recent enterprise information and tendencies. They typically function interviews with profitable entrepreneurs and enterprise leaders.
- Productiveness and Time Administration: Podcasts that provide ideas and recommendation on productiveness and time administration are in style amongst enterprise professionals who’re in search of methods to be extra environment friendly and efficient of their work.
- Gross sales: Widespread amongst enterprise professionals who’re concerned in gross sales or enterprise growth, these podcasts provide insights into the most recent gross sales methods, methods, and greatest practices.
- Management and Administration: Podcasts that cowl management and administration subjects are in style amongst enterprise professionals who need to enhance their management abilities and handle their groups extra successfully.
- Trade-Particular Content material: Many enterprise professionals take heed to podcasts that cowl industry-specific content material related to their work. For instance, these working within the tech {industry} might take heed to podcasts that cowl the most recent developments in know-how or startups.
In what methods is your organization a thought chief and what are some new insights you could possibly appropriately present by a medium like podcast episodes? What are you able to say that gives worth to your ICP?
Accessibility Hurdles
As a neurodivergent individual, I knew stepping into listening to podcasts wasn’t going to be simple for me, however that’s a part of the explanation why I’m doing it. That mentioned, I’ve seen just a few issues that may hinder adoption, and I all the time care about addressing inclusion.
One instance comes from the podcast my companion subscribed me to; the host supplies some shorter episodes which might be compilations of interviews that he has had on a selected topic, narrated by one other individual offering context and the way all of the interviews align on that topic. Sometimes, this host’s podcasts will be as much as 2-3 hours and are dense topics. I feel it’s nice that he consists of a few of these shorter, extra simply digestible compilation podcasts; they’re free and so they offered me with sufficient info to inform my companion that I’d be prepared to decide to a subscription.
In fact, that host’s audience will not be the everyday podcast person who desires one thing lighter, shorter, and simpler to digest. You’ll wish to contemplate these choices on your personal ICP or extra personas.
What choices are you able to present which might be simpler to take heed to and illustrate your podcast nicely sufficient to encourage subscription? For those who’d choose to have your content material be free with sponsored commercial, what sponsors may you contemplate promoting, and is the advert related to the episode and bringing worth to your ICP, or will it simply be a nuisance? How are you going to make the commercial simpler to swallow by selection of placement within the episode and thru selection of who says it?
Definitely, use your podcast to advertise your individual providers, merchandise, or different invaluable sources that you simply may need in your web site or weblog.
Lastly, relating to accessibility, fairness, and inclusion, audio codecs usually are not very pleasant for people who’re onerous of listening to. There are strategies so as to add closed captioning to podcasts, however they’re not person pleasant and the best way to incorporate them is determined by the applying/platform. Nonetheless, I encourage having detailed, search engine marketing acceptable present notes (episode descriptions) and together with a PDF to an official transcript that could be downloaded. One other useful piece is to maintain the formatting of your episodes constant and make the most of chapter markers (particularly when you present longer episodes with meatier content material).
Hopefully, these insights will provide you with extra info on whether or not podcasts are acceptable on your ICP and find out how to goal them successfully and mindfully.
By the best way, our founder, Matt Heinz has an award successful podcast, Gross sales Pipeline Radio. He goes dwell Thursdays on LinkedIn and YouTube. Transcripts with audio and video hyperlinks are discovered proper right here on the weblog on most Mondays. We function the brightest minds in B2B gross sales and advertising, sharing secrets and techniques to driving better quantity, velocity and conversion of gross sales pipelines in any {industry}. We cowl your entire pipeline– demand technology, lead administration, gross sales effectiveness, know-how and extra– all centered on serving to you discover, handle and win extra enterprise.
