Meet True Crime Listeners: Study Finds They’re A Diverse And Brand-Friendly Crowd.

Three in ten podcast listeners tune to True Crime shows, making it the fifth most listened to genre as roughly 42 million U.S. adults say they had listened to a show in the past month. But a new report shows just how big True Crime is among women. The 2024 True Crime Podcast Listener Landscape Report shows no format pulls in more women, with 37% of female podcast listeners saying they had listened to a show in the past month. That tops both Comedy (34%) and News (27%).

“I think that women are the higher consumers of True Crime, because women are more often the victims of crime, and people like to listen to things that are relatable to them,” said Mandy Edmonston, co-host of the Moms and Mysteries: A True Crime Podcast. She said Wednesday during a webinar detailing the report’s findings that many shows also help women avoid becoming victims. “Women are just generally more interested in it, because we have more at stake,” Edmonston said.

The True Crime Podcast Listener Landscape Report, released by Sounds Profitable with the support of Libsyn, also shows the diversity of the audience. The data shows 21% of True Crime listeners are Hispanic and 16% are Black, both larger shares than the overall adult U.S. population. The genre’s fans also skew younger than the population, with a large number of listeners in the 18 to 34 age group, and a greater number have gone to college.

But while they may be a bit more diverse and slightly younger, the number of White listeners mirrors the population. “This is a mainstream audience,” said Sounds Profitable partner Tom Webster.

The podcast industry has good reason to pay attention to True Crime listeners regardless since they tend to be heavier users of the medium. The study finds that True Crime fans listen to an average of seven hours per week, compared to six hours for other podcast listeners. True Crime consumers are also more likely to be weekly podcast listeners. The study finds three quarters have listened to a show in the past week, the other quarter in the past month.

“I won’t use the word addicted, but they certainly have their favorite True Crime podcasts, and they rely on them week after week,” Webster said.

True Crime may not be a warm and cuddly format, yet listeners say they tune to the genre for companionship. Nine in ten say they find the discussions interesting, while three quarters say the shows provide companionship while they are in the car, exercising or doing household chores. And two-thirds say the hosts help keep them company when they’re alone.

“We hear this from especially moms,” Edmonston said. “They tell us we’re in their ears when they are doing chores, doing the laundry, feeding the baby — all these things where it’s just nice to have another person there. People find comfort in that.”

The passion that True Crime listeners have for podcasting also shines through in their openness to consider branded content. The survey finds 71% of True Crime listeners would likely listen to a podcast about a favorite brand or product. And 46% are more likely to try a podcast if they know a brand or company was involved in its production. The study also finds that True Crime fans are more open to limited-run series.

“This report underscores the incredible opportunity for advertisers to connect with a passionate listener base that not only tunes in consistently but is also open to brand messaging,” says Anthony Savelli, Libsyn’s Executive VP of Sales. “It’s a win-win for brands looking to make a lasting impression.”

Despite its connection with many women, True Crime continues to face brand safety challenges and Moms and Mysteries co-creator Mellisa Rice concedes they have had some brands that have been “a little unsure” about the genre. “We get some that say they just want to test the waters and feel it out,” she said. “But then people realize True Crime really is kind of a community, and it’s actually a great place to advertise.”

The report also shows that during the past 12 months, half (51%) of True Crime listeners say they are spending more time with YouTube and 38% are spending more time with podcasts. That has implications for how they find new shows as a majority 56% report they discover new shows on YouTube even if they listen to it somewhere else.

Yet social circle matters even more among True Crime fans, with 86% saying if a friend recommends a show, they will at least give it a try. And about half (48%) say they’ve had good experiences with podcast recommendations.

The findings are based on data collected from an online survey of 5,071 U.S. adults conducted in June by Signal Hill Insights. Of those, 793 had consumed a True Crime podcast in the past month. Download the full report HERE.