Each year, Edison Research and Triton Digital release a report called taking “closer looks at the audience for podcasting in America.” The great news is everything’s coming up Millhouse (although, unlike the fictional character reading big things into insignificant events, these really are big deals that have huge implications for all podcasters).
Key takeaways:
- Listening to podcasts has officially crossed into the mainstream: more than half of Americans aged 12+ report that they’ve listened to a podcast; a third have listened in the past month (that’s about 90 million listeners for those of you doing the math at home), and nearly a quarter have listened in the past week. That’s about 62 million Americans who’ve listened to a podcast in the past week.
- Since 2014, podcasting’s “Share of Ear” has more than doubled, growing by 122%. A related bit of info in the slide deck provided by Edison: nearly a third of non-listeners don’t listen to podcasts because they don’t know how to consume them, cant find them, or are so overwhelmed by the sheer number of podcasts that they don’t know where to start. Which, in our opinion, is why you should be focusing on SEO for your podcast, and why you should own your own brand and host your podcast on your domain (with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, of course).
- While podcast listenership grew across all age groups, the largest gains were from people aged 12-24. Surprise surprise! Young people, who’ve grown up with social media as a utility, YouTube as their radio, and streaming video as the norm, are migrating more and more towards podcasts.
- Podcasting is good for advertisers: more than half of “podcast consumers say that they are more likely to consider brands they hear advertised on podcasts, compared to 7% who say they are less likely.” So, as you monetize your podcast, you’ve got a solid story to tell potential advertisers. Even more, if you’re a Blubrry Podcast Hosting or Podcast Stats customer, your podcast stats are IAB certified—the gold-standard in the industry. And, we recently launched our dynamic ad insertion platform which is both as capable as (if not more than) other offerings and less costly. That means it’s easier than ever to monetize your content, and you’ll have better margins with Blubrry.
So, keep at it. Keep podcasting, building your brand, and growing your audience. Because there are literally millions of Americans who might absolutely love what you’re doing.