Podcasting success lies in its evolution
Gen Z has been getting a pretty bad rap from, well, everyone for habits that their elders just can’t quite comprehend. They’ve been called, “the most challenging generation to work with.” While that may be the case in some sectors, we might extend them a little latitude as they’re also, “the loneliest generation.”
It makes sense that our lonely digital natives, who view work-life balance differently than the previous generations, are one of the most consistent podcast-listening audiences. However, if podcasts don’t keep them engaged, they stop listening and move on to the next. The question isn’t if they’re going to change the scope of the podcasting landscape, but how quickly they will do it.
BY THE NUMBERS
A report released last summer by Edison Research claims that 47% of people ages 13-24 listen to podcasts; about 24 million people. Most of these people have listened to podcasts since they were children.
Gen Z isn’t just familiar with podcasts; podcasts are integral to who they are. This generation’s comfort in podcasting is no different than previous generations’ comfort with radio, television, or movies. Podcasters and marketers should not minimize the habits and impact of these listeners and instead ask what keeps these people listening. Chances are, they’re more open to new content than their older cohorts.
Helping Gen Z further explore the podcast process, Blubrry Podcasting released a 50% discount for college students for one year of hosting. For undergraduate or graduate students whose interest is piqued by podcasting and storytelling, Blubrry understands your budget may be limited, but your creative ambitions are boundless. That’s why this hosting discount is designed to support your podcasting dreams without breaking the bank.
NEWSFLASH: THEY’RE DITCHING THE NEWS
Older generations tend to listen to podcasts that focus on news, politics, or finance. Going back many years, shows like The Daily, and The Daily Wire were regularly in the top 10 podcasts. But these are not the shows Gen Z has in their cloud. They tune into shows that are about entertainment, humor, or learning. They enjoy feeling connected to the hosts and the material, and they’d rather fill their time with topics that bring them joy, or a better understanding of the world, than the news of the day.
PODCASTING… BUT ON SCREENS
Although Gen Z are avid listeners of podcasts, they’re influencing something that would at the outset, seem counterintuitive to podcasting: they’re watching them.
Podcasters are broadcasting their sessions, breaking up the content into short-form pieces that can be viewed easily on social media, and they’re doing this because that’s how Gen Z discovers new podcasts. Even small podcasts are finding greater reach by adding a video component. There’s nothing wrong with making what’s old seem new again!
Speaking of screens, watching podcasts via video is now more accessible when those videos, such as from YouTube, are automatically converted into audio podcasts. Gen Zers on the go and any video-first creators can have it all with Vid2Pod, Blubrry’s new video-to-podcast service that automatically converts YouTube videos into podcasts.
SOCIAL MEDIA’S INFLUENCE
There’s no question that social media has changed the landscape of marketing for every product from jewelry to dog food, so too has it changed how people find and consume podcasts.
Gen Z has also grown up (or is currently growing up) with Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Facebook, so it follows that that’s where they get most of their information. This reality makes the visual aspect of podcasting incredibly important. After all, their lives are inextricably linked with their phones and those eyeballs don’t seem to be wandering away from screens anytime soon.
And in the age of artificial intelligence, Blubrry has made it easy and nearly fail-proof for any podcaster to plan, produce and promote (including on social and through email) their podcasts with its Podcast AI Assistant, or Blubrry PAI.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
There’s no guarantee that Gen Z will stick with their podcasting creature comforts in the future, but right now, they’re engaged and tired of being treated like they’re inconsistent and unfocused. Much like millennials and Gen X before them, Gen Z has much to offer the media landscape even if they are currently being underestimated. We would all do well to remember – they’re listening. Let’s not give them any more reasons to tune out.
Questions and comments? Contact the Blubrry Team here.
Written by: Tara Jean O’Brien
(With a few added feature plugs from Blubrry)
Tara Jean O’Brien is a writer, actor, improviser, podcaster, and stand-up comic living in Los Angeles. Her first humor book, TIPS FOR YOUR LAST YEAR ON EARTH, was published by Vulpine Press. She has written for The Onion, Slackjaw, Jane Austen’s Wastebasket, Greener Pastures, The Haven, Lady Pieces, The Bold Italic, and Insider. You can listen to her make bad jokes on some of these podcasts: “Single Vs. Married,” “People Also Watched,” or, “The Lighter Side of Finance.”