By Sarah Threet, Advertising Marketing consultant at Heinz Advertising
Why I’m Attempting to Develop into a Podcast Listener
Whereas I’ve labored in advertising and marketing 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 troublesome for me; I desire visuals and subtitles (despite the fact that I’m a listening to particular person) 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 attempting to observe extra mindfulness, get again into inventive 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 presently a essential channel for selling your merchandise/companies, my little millennial mind craves extra that means in my life. I’m burnt out with the infinite scroll, the doomsday information, the shortage of empathy in discourse, and an algorithm that owns my time and a spotlight. I would like more healthy types of stimulation, to have the ability to create issues with my palms once more, and to eat extra information quite than hype.
Up to now, I’ve discovered that podcasts gradual me down, assist with my existential anxiousness, are wonderful for working towards extra aware listening, and permit me to multi-task to a sure diploma (cooking, strolling, enjoying with my cat, and making artwork). I can’t 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 comparable 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 benefit of “escape”. The placement of listening could change the aim of listening, as of us are extra engaged whereas listening at residence or within the automobile than when they’re out-and-about, once 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 extra management over what you take heed to, not like with radio, and that podcasts present a “numerous vary of stories concepts and ideas from vastly completely different individuals”, which permits us to each pull ourselves out of “echo chambers” in addition to discover hosts who’re extra like us.
Client 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 desire 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 essentially the most, after which normally use supplementary suggestions via public evaluations 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 suppose I really feel like I’m “losing much less of my time” after 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 essential to advertise your podcasts via 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 admittedly, having another person select for me is usually relieving.
I’m an Apple consumer 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 accomplice 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 supplied a way of getting matters to speak about. However the podcast subscription was solely accessible via Spotify, quite than on Podcasts, so I need to break up up my platform use (minorly annoying).
Lastly, I desire at-home listening the place I can meal-prep, make artwork, or entertain my very needy cat. I personally discover it troublesome to actively take heed to podcasts if I’m the one who’s driving, but when I take advantage of public transportation or my accomplice is driving, I take pleasure in it. Past that, I could activate a work-related podcast throughout work, or I could take heed to one thing whereas ready for an appointment someplace.
Podcast Demographics: Who, The place, How?
Who:
Youthful, educated, and prosperous audiences are typically the bigger shoppers of podcasts. Latest research recommend that the typical listener is 25-45, normally college-educated with an above-average family revenue, and leans barely extra male than feminine.
Nonetheless, this knowledge is new and biased and didn’t survey individuals of coloration. Podcast listenership is turning into more and more numerous, with extra individuals 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 numerous matters and genres, in addition to the growing accessibility of podcasts via 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 recognize about what channels they could frequent essentially the most?
The place:
Weekly podcast listeners are likely to hear at residence greater than of their automobile, however car-listening is slowly growing (~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 usually between 20-40 minutes and that is partly influenced by the point taken on the typical commute, since in-car listening is in style. Within the Information {industry}, sure podcasts could prioritize posting their information earlier than the morning rush hour, and information like Publish Experiences from the Washington Publish are launched in time for the night commute (Digital Information Report).
The place may your ICP be hanging out? The place and when could be most handy for them to take heed to a podcast, and will that affect the typical 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 turn out to be one of the vital in style platforms for podcast listening for a number of causes:
- Integration with Music Streaming: Spotify already had a big consumer base of music streamers, and the platform started incorporating podcasts into its providing, permitting customers to entry each forms of content material in a single place (not like Apple Music and Podcasts – a frustration I do have!).
- Personalization and Discovery: Spotify provides personalised suggestions for podcasts primarily based on a consumer’s listening habits, in addition to curated playlists and different discovery instruments to assist customers discover the newest 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 appeal to new customers to the platform and preserve them engaged.
- Person Expertise: Spotify has a user-friendly interface that’s straightforward to navigate, making it easy for listeners to seek out and play podcasts.
- Partnerships: Spotify has fashioned partnerships with quite a lot of podcast networks and producers, which has helped develop the vary of content material accessible 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 consumer base. Whereas Apple could embrace personalization as nicely, I’ve at all times personally discovered that Spotify will get way more area of interest with their suggestions.
Lastly, listeners are typically 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 Purchasers
What about your goal account – what podcasts may they be listening to? Total, the preferred forms of podcast content material for enterprise professionals are people who provide sensible suggestions, insights, and recommendation that may assist them enhance their expertise and advance their careers. Listed here are some in style matters your shopper could be listening to:
- Advertising and Promoting: Fashionable amongst entrepreneurs and enterprise professionals, these podcasts provide insights into the newest advertising and marketing developments, methods, and greatest practices.
- Entrepreneurship and Enterprise: These podcasts are in style amongst enterprise professionals who wish to keep updated on the newest enterprise information and developments. They typically characteristic interviews with profitable entrepreneurs and enterprise leaders.
- Productiveness and Time Administration: Podcasts that supply suggestions 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: Fashionable amongst enterprise professionals who’re concerned in gross sales or enterprise growth, these podcasts provide insights into the newest gross sales methods, methods, and greatest practices.
- Management and Administration: Podcasts that cowl management and administration matters are in style amongst enterprise professionals who need to enhance their management expertise and handle their groups extra successfully.
- Business-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} could take heed to podcasts that cowl the newest developments in know-how or startups.
In what methods is your organization a thought chief and what are some new insights you might be able to appropriately present via a medium like podcast episodes? What are you able to say that gives worth to your ICP?
Accessibility Hurdles
As a neurodivergent particular person, I knew stepping into listening to podcasts wasn’t going to be straightforward for me, however that’s a part of the rationale why I’m doing it. That mentioned, I’ve observed just a few issues that may hinder adoption, and I at all times care about addressing inclusion.
One instance comes from the podcast my accomplice subscribed me to; the host gives some shorter episodes which can be compilations of interviews that he has had on a specific topic, narrated by one other particular person 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 contains a few of these shorter, extra simply digestible compilation podcasts; they’re free and so they supplied me with sufficient info to inform my accomplice that I’d be keen to decide to a subscription.
After all, that host’s audience just isn’t the standard podcast consumer who needs one thing lighter, shorter, and simpler to digest. You’ll wish to contemplate these choices to your personal ICP or further personas.
What choices are you able to present which can be simpler to take heed to and illustrate your podcast nicely sufficient to encourage subscription? For those who’d desire 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 will you make the commercial simpler to swallow via alternative of placement within the episode and thru alternative of who says it?
Actually, use your podcast to advertise your personal companies, merchandise, or different invaluable sources that you just might need in your web site or weblog.
Lastly, relating to accessibility, fairness, and inclusion, audio codecs will not be very pleasant for people who’re arduous of listening to. There are strategies so as to add closed captioning to podcasts, however they’re not consumer pleasant and the way in which to incorporate them is determined by the applying/platform. Nonetheless, I encourage having detailed, search engine marketing applicable 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 for those who present longer episodes with meatier content material).
Hopefully, these insights gives you extra info on whether or not podcasts are applicable to your ICP and methods to goal them successfully and mindfully.
By the way in which, our founder, Matt Heinz has an award profitable podcast, Gross sales Pipeline Radio. He goes reside Thursdays on LinkedIn and YouTube. Transcripts with audio and video hyperlinks are discovered proper right here on the weblog on most Mondays. We characteristic the brightest minds in B2B gross sales and advertising and marketing, sharing secrets and techniques to driving better quantity, velocity and conversion of gross sales pipelines in any {industry}. We cowl the whole pipeline– demand era, lead administration, gross sales effectiveness, know-how and extra– all targeted on serving to you discover, handle and win extra enterprise.
