By Sarah Threet, Advertising and marketing Guide at Heinz Advertising and marketing
Why I’m Attempting to Turn out to be 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) might be troublesome for me; I choose visuals and subtitles (though I’m a listening to particular person) and have a difficult time staying “tuned in” to what’s being stated 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 presently a essential 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 would like more healthy types of stimulation, to have the ability to create issues with my palms once more, and to devour extra data slightly than hype.
To this point, I’ve discovered that podcasts sluggish me down, assist with my existential anxiousness, are glorious 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 cellphone and actively hearken 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 hearken to podcasts for leisure and studying functions, although out-of-home functions of listening increase past these two fashionable 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 of us are extra engaged whereas listening at house or within the automotive than when they’re out-and-about, after they may simply want one thing to go the time.
I resonated with some quotes from listeners in my age group who stated that they appreciated listening to podcasts as a result of they’re “extra passive” and permit for multi-tasking, that you’ve extra management over what you hearken to, in contrast to with radio, and that podcasts present a “various 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.
Shopper causes for listening to podcasts additionally differ by age: youthful listeners are likely to hearken to podcasts for leisure functions and to go time, in addition to a way of change from simply listening to music, whereas older listeners choose to hearken 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 concept 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 via public critiques or from influencers and thought leaders I respect.
I knew going into podcast-listening that I needed to prioritize instructional podcasts; studying is stimulating for me, and I suppose 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 sincere, 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 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 albeit, having another person select for me is typically relieving.
I’m an Apple person for my cellular gadgets, so my most frequent platform is Podcasts, however I do additionally use Spotify for some lacking content material. For instance, my associate bought me an annual subscription to a podcast hosted by a thought chief he admires, as the 2 of us get pleasure from having deep philosophical questions and this offered a way of getting subjects to speak about. However the podcast subscription was solely accessible via Spotify, slightly 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 troublesome to actively hearken to podcasts if I’m the one who’s driving, but when I take advantage of public transportation or my associate is driving, I get pleasure from it. Past that, I’ll activate a work-related podcast throughout work, or I’ll hearken 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 recommend 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 individuals of shade. Podcast listenership is turning into more and more various, 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 training, with various subjects and genres, in addition to the rising accessibility of podcasts via smartphones, tablets, and different cellular gadgets.
Who’s your ICP, what ache factors may they resolve listening to your podcast, and the way will you get them to hearken 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 house greater than of their automotive, however car-listening is slowly rising (~60% vs 20%). Listeners over 35 hear from house 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 common commute, since in-car listening is fashionable. Within the Information {industry}, sure podcasts might prioritize posting their information earlier than the morning rush hour, and information like Submit Studies 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 hearken to a podcast, and will 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 turn out to be one of the vital fashionable 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 (in contrast to Apple Music and Podcasts – a frustration I do have!).
- Personalization and Discovery: Spotify provides personalised suggestions for podcasts primarily based on a person’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 unique programming, and unique distribution offers with fashionable podcasters. This has helped entice new customers to the platform and maintain them engaged.
- Consumer Expertise: Spotify has a user-friendly interface that’s simple to navigate, making it easy for listeners to seek out and play podcasts.
- Partnerships: Spotify has fashioned partnerships with a wide range of podcast networks and producers, which has helped increase 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 giant person base. Whereas Apple might embody personalization as properly, I’ve at all times personally discovered that Spotify will get rather more area of interest with their suggestions.
Lastly, listeners are usually invested in sure hosts, and if these hosts are friends on different podcasts, they’re prone to hear, or if that podcast host recommends one other podcast, listeners are prone to undertake.
Podcast Demographics for B2B Shoppers
What about your goal account – what podcasts may they be listening to? Total, the most well-liked varieties of podcast content material for enterprise professionals are those who supply sensible ideas, insights, and recommendation that may assist them enhance their abilities and advance their careers. Listed below are some fashionable subjects your shopper is likely to be listening to:
- Advertising and marketing and Promoting: Widespread amongst entrepreneurs and enterprise professionals, these podcasts supply insights into the newest advertising developments, methods, and greatest practices.
- Entrepreneurship and Enterprise: These podcasts are fashionable amongst enterprise professionals who wish to keep updated on the newest enterprise information and developments. They usually characteristic interviews with profitable entrepreneurs and enterprise leaders.
- Productiveness and Time Administration: Podcasts that provide ideas and recommendation on productiveness and time administration are fashionable amongst enterprise professionals who’re on the lookout for 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 improvement, these podcasts supply insights into the newest gross sales strategies, methods, and greatest practices.
- Management and Administration: Podcasts that cowl management and administration subjects are fashionable amongst enterprise professionals who want to enhance their management abilities and handle their groups extra successfully.
- Trade-Particular Content material: Many enterprise professionals hearken to podcasts that cowl industry-specific content material related to their work. For instance, these working within the tech {industry} might hearken 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 entering into listening to podcasts wasn’t going to be simple for me, however that’s a part of the rationale why I’m doing it. That stated, 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 associate subscribed me to; the host supplies 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. Usually, this host’s podcasts might 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 offered me with sufficient data to inform my associate that I’d be keen to decide to a subscription.
After all, that host’s target market just isn’t the standard podcast person who desires one thing lighter, shorter, and simpler to digest. You’ll wish to think about these choices to your personal ICP or extra personas.
What choices are you able to present which can be simpler to hearken to and illustrate your podcast properly sufficient to encourage subscription? Should you’d choose to have your content material be free with sponsored commercial, what sponsors may you think about 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 individual providers, merchandise, or different priceless sources that you just may need in your web site or weblog.
Lastly, relating to accessibility, fairness, and inclusion, audio codecs will not be very pleasant for folk 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 dependent upon the appliance/platform. Nonetheless, I encourage having detailed, website positioning applicable present notes (episode descriptions) and together with a PDF to an official transcript which may be downloaded. One other useful piece is to maintain the formatting of your episodes constant and make the most of chapter markers (particularly should you present longer episodes with meatier content material).
Hopefully, these insights offers you extra data on whether or not podcasts are applicable to your ICP and goal them successfully and mindfully.
By the best way, our founder, Matt Heinz has an award successful podcast, Gross sales Pipeline Radio. He goes stay 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, sharing secrets and techniques to driving higher quantity, velocity and conversion of gross sales pipelines in any {industry}. We cowl the whole pipeline– demand technology, lead administration, gross sales effectiveness, know-how and extra– all targeted on serving to you discover, handle and win extra enterprise.
