By Sarah Threet, Advertising Marketing consultant at Heinz Advertising
Why I’m Attempting to Turn 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 tough for me; I desire visuals and subtitles (despite the fact that 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.
Nevertheless, 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 mandatory channel for selling your merchandise/providers, 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 focus. I would like more healthy types of stimulation, to have the ability to create issues with my fingers once more, and to devour extra information moderately than hype.
To date, I’ve discovered that podcasts gradual me down, assist with my existential anxiousness, are glorious for practising extra aware 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 Hearken to Podcasts
Most customers take heed to podcasts for leisure and studying functions, although out-of-home functions of listening increase past these two widespread causes, given the platform’s benefits with management of content material, mobility, and the benefit of “escape”. The placement of listening might change the aim of listening, as people are extra engaged whereas listening at residence or within the automobile than when they’re out-and-about, after they would possibly simply want one thing to go the time.
I resonated with some quotes from listeners in my age group who mentioned that they favored 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 “numerous vary of stories concepts and ideas from vastly totally 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 inclined to take heed to podcasts for leisure functions and to go time, in addition to a method 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 Hearken to, How I Found Them, and The place I Hearken to Them
I had no thought the place to start out with my Podcast Journey, so I requested my followers and mates for suggestions. Like most customers, I worth private suggestions probably 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 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. Nevertheless, 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 vital 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 person for my cell gadgets, 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 offered a method of getting matters to speak about. However the podcast subscription was solely obtainable via Spotify, moderately 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 tough to actively take heed to podcasts if I’m the one who’s driving, but when I exploit public transportation or my accomplice 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 customers of podcasts. Latest research counsel that the typical listener is 25-45, normally college-educated with an above-average family earnings, and leans barely extra male than feminine.
Nevertheless, this information is new and biased and didn’t survey individuals of coloration. Podcast listenership is changing 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 cell gadgets.
Who’s your ICP, what ache factors would possibly 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 inclined to pay attention at residence greater than of their automobile, however car-listening is slowly growing (~60% vs 20%). Listeners over 35 pay attention from residence greater than youthful listeners, and youthful listeners pay attention extra cell. Following these listening areas, 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 typical commute, since in-car listening is widespread. Within the Information {industry}, sure podcasts might prioritize posting their information earlier than the morning rush hour, and information like Publish Reviews from the Washington Publish are launched in time for the night commute (Digital Information Report).
The place would possibly your ICP be hanging out? The place and when could be most handy for them to take heed to a podcast, and may that affect the typical size of your podcast episodes?
How:
The preferred podcast platforms are Spotify, Podcasts (Apple), and Google Podcasts – 25%, 20%, and 16% respectively.
Spotify has turn out to be one of the vital widespread 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 sorts of content material in a single place (not like Apple Music and Podcasts – a frustration I do have!).
- Personalization and Discovery: Spotify affords customized 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 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 widespread podcasters. This has helped appeal to new customers to the platform and maintain them engaged.
- Consumer 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 shaped partnerships with a wide range of podcast networks and producers, which has helped increase the vary of content material obtainable 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 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 pay attention, or if that podcast host recommends one other podcast, listeners are prone to undertake.
Podcast Demographics for B2B Purchasers
What about your goal account – what podcasts would possibly they be listening to? General, the most well-liked sorts of podcast content material for enterprise professionals are people who provide sensible ideas, insights, and recommendation that may assist them enhance their abilities and advance their careers. Listed here are some widespread matters your shopper could be listening to:
- Advertising and Promoting: Well-liked amongst entrepreneurs and enterprise professionals, these podcasts provide insights into the most recent advertising and marketing developments, methods, and finest practices.
- Entrepreneurship and Enterprise: These podcasts are widespread amongst enterprise professionals who wish to keep updated on the most recent enterprise information and developments. They usually function interviews with profitable entrepreneurs and enterprise leaders.
- Productiveness and Time Administration: Podcasts that supply ideas and recommendation on productiveness and time administration are widespread amongst enterprise professionals who’re in search of methods to be extra environment friendly and efficient of their work.
- Gross sales: Well-liked 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 finest practices.
- Management and Administration: Podcasts that cowl management and administration matters are widespread amongst enterprise professionals who want to enhance their management abilities 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} 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 via 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 moving 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 a couple of 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 are 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 data to inform my accomplice that I’d be keen 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 take into account these choices on your personal ICP or further personas.
What choices are you able to present which are simpler to take heed to and illustrate your podcast properly sufficient to encourage subscription? When you’d desire to have your content material be free with sponsored commercial, what sponsors would possibly you take into account 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 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 worthwhile assets that you just might need in your web site or weblog.
Lastly, relating to accessibility, fairness, and inclusion, audio codecs should 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 way in which to incorporate them is determined by the appliance/platform. Nonetheless, I encourage having detailed, website positioning 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 offers you extra data on whether or not podcasts are applicable on your ICP and the right way 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 function the brightest minds in B2B gross sales and advertising and marketing, sharing secrets and techniques to driving larger quantity, velocity and conversion of gross sales pipelines in any {industry}. We cowl the complete pipeline– demand era, lead administration, gross sales effectiveness, know-how and extra– all targeted on serving to you discover, handle and win extra enterprise.
