Podcasting Delivers a Highly Engaged, Youthful, Diverse Audience

What are they finding so attractive about podcastingamp160 It starts with the audience amp160Gen Z Millennialsamp160and Gen X each desirable consumer targets are seeing greater podcast use attention and engagement than ever beforeamp160amp160Westwood Oneamp8217s recent Audioscape 2018 report featuring data primarily from Edison Researchamp8217s Share of Earamp160study found generational and behavioral podcast trends that should make advertisers pay particular attentionAccording to Edisonamp8217s Infinite Dial 2018 podcast listening by all adults is on the rise amp160One in four Americans listened to a podcast in the past month and the growth has been exponential from 9 of the population in 2008 to 26 in 2018 amp160amp8220Podcasting has been around for over 15 years but the medium is seeing a surge in interest not just from listeners but from content creators and advertisersamp8221 said Suzanne Grimes President Westwood One andamp160Executive Vice President of Marketing Cumulus Mediaamp160 amp8220We need to better understand the podcast listener and thatamp8217s why Westwood One Podcast Network is now focused on developing the kind of actionable insights found in the Audioscape reportamp8221How this audience of listeners breaks down by demographics behaviors purchasing and affinities is especially interestingamp160 Here are the takeawaysGreat DemographicsPodcast listening is youngamp160 In the past four years the percentage of persons 1224 who listen to podcasts grew 50 while 25 to 54yearolds grew 88 amp160Almost one third of both age groups listen to a podcast in the average month amp160This assures future growth for the format with generations that are consistently consuming media wherever and whenever they want amp160Notably the median age of podcast listeners overall is 34 compared to AMFM radio listeners 46 according to Edison Research and ABCNBCCBS viewers 56 according to GfK MRIPodcasting audiences are also more diverse and femaleamp160 Twelve percent of women 1834 listen to podcasts daily growing 25 yeartoyear compared to 19 of men 1834 11amp160 African American 1834 listeners 12 grew 21These listeners have more money to spend compared to total US audio listeners as illustrated in high household income 50k 69 vs 55 amp160They are also better educated some college or graduated college 59 vs 54 and are more likely to be employed work full or part time 68 vs 51Audio Centric Fans with Wide InterestsDigital audio including podcastsamp160is attracting an engaged audience because it can travel with the consumer amp160According to a recent IAB article the multiple touchpoints along the consumer journey is one of the perks of digital audio amp160amp8220From waking up going to the gymamp160commuting atamp160work home or in social settings digital audio is presentamp8221 the article explainsThat makes perfect sense when looking at podcast listeners amp160They are avid fans of audio spending 42 more time with audio daily than average listeners amp160They spend the most time with podcasts 28 followed by AMFM radio 25 and streaming 14The range of interests among this audience is especially interesting amp160Not only are they music fans they are also heavy consumers of spoken word audio from news to personalities amp160In fact among podcast listeners the share of time spent listening to talkpersonalities has been growing quarter to quarterBig Spenders and Higher EngagementAdvertisers of all kinds will find a range of potential customers within the podcast audience amp160According to GfK MRI podcast listeners are more likely to purchase a range of products such as services from cell phones 227 index camping equipment 162 sports clothing 159amp160and fine dining 157 to foreign vacations 151 video games 144 baby furniture and equipment 144amp160 For advertisers this indicates a vibrant youthful lifestyle among consumers making podcasting a part of their goto media choicesThere is also a level of focus among podcast listeners that enables advertisers to make an impact amp160IAB research shows 71 of podcast listeners report a high level of concentration close to checking for news 76 and weather 74 and much higher than those watching shows and episodes 62 or posting on social media 53 amp160Notably reported concentration with podcasts is more than 15 times the concentration on social media which is such a personal interactionThere is also higher engagement among podcasting 76 close to news and weather levels both 79 and ahead of watching shows and episodes 56 and posting on social media 50 amp160While they seek a variety of experiences in their media choices podcasting is the only format where learning and entertainment coexistInterest from Advertisers Is GrowingAdvertising on podcasts is poised to explode amp160Investments in the format among marketers and agencies is now being discussed by 70 of those executives polled up from 41 twoandahalfyears ago and 43 are considering investing within the next sixamp160months up from 18 according to a Westwood One commissioned study from Advertiser Perceptions amp160Activation is growing too amp160Currently 32 of brands and agencies reported that they currently advertise in podcasts up from 15 and 36 will definitely advertise in the next sixamp160months up from 10amp8220As important as it is to understand the consumer for Westwood One it is equally as important to fully grasp advertiser sentimentamp8221 said Grimes amp160amp8220The Advertiser Perceptions data included in this report is valuable amp160We want to develop content that speaks to the listener while at the same time piques the interest of media decision makers thinking about investing in podcastsamp8221Advertisers need two things to make an impact an audience comprised of their target demographic and a means of connecting with them on a onetoone basis amp160Westwood Oneamp8217s Audioscape 2018 report makes it clear that podcasting provides bothamp160 Not only has the medium tapped into a rich vein of young upscale listeners it also offers advertisers an opportunity to gain greater impact with their messaging among a group that is highly engaged amp160Podcasting is where audio is evolving amp160For maximum impact advertisers and content creators should continue to evolve along with itPhoto credit amp160Emilio GarciaUnsplashClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Podcasting Delivers a Highly Engaged, Youthful, Diverse Audience

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Charlene Weisler

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