A recent report from Edison Research for NPR reveals spoken-word audio, which includes podcasts, is where to engage with Gen Z and Millennials and African American and Latinx Americans. Data from The Media Audit’s Fall 2020 survey of the Pittsburgh market confirms this trend, as 49.2% of adults 18+ who listened to podcasts during the past month were either Gen Zers or Millennials.
Of even greater importance for advertisers is adults 18+ who listened to podcasts during the past month are high-income individuals: 46.7% earn more than $75,000 annually.
“Media and advertisers are always looking for strategies to reach Gen Zers and Millennials, especially those with larger discretionary incomes. Our data also indicates Gen Zers are more likely to be heavy radio listeners than heavy TV viewers by 75 points, and Millennials by 54 points, providing advertisers a multi-tiered strategy to reach these younger adults,” said Nick Miller, VP of The Media Audit.
A comparison of the podcast-listening data by ethnicities shows Latinx Americans were 52% more likely to have listened to a podcast during the past month and African Americans 26% more likely than Caucasian Americans.
Among the occupations of adults 18+ who listened to podcasts during the past month, those in which they over-index the most include proprietors/managers, business owners/partners/corporate partners, sales, artists/musicians, service workers and the telecommunications industry.
“Interestingly, adults 18+ who are podcast listeners are also very active, especially biking/cycling (35.8%), boating/sailing (36.1%), hiking (43.9%) and water skiing/tubing (51.8%),” said Miller. “These affinities reveal podcasts can be cost-effective advertising opportunities for retailers selling merchandise for these activities.”
Despite the appeal of spoken-word audio and podcasts among younger adults, they remain dedicated radio listeners. Advertisers can reach and engage with them if their ad messages include the right “spoken words.”