The podcast industry has seen amazing growth during the past decade, with the latest data showing 135 million Americans listen to podcasts monthly. Edison Research says the typical consumer listens to 8.3 episodes a week. To further growth, a lot of effort is being put into exposing new shows to people already using the medium. New research finds that effort could pay off, as many listeners are open to finding something new.
A survey by media researcher Knit conducted in September 2023 found only 15% of podcast listeners say they stick to their current shows and don’t try new ones. The remaining 85% of listeners are actively looking, including 36% who say they try new podcasts when they hear about ones that interest them. And 17% say they’re “often” or “constantly” trying new shows. Knit’s research also shows half of podcast consumers have listened to a new podcast in the past week and 80% in the last month.
Knit’s numbers are backed up by similar findings in Cumulus Media-Westwood One’s Podcast Download report released in the spring. It also shows that the hunt for new shows isn’t just a habit of podcast newcomers. A majority of podcast listeners, including 53% of people who have been listening to podcasts for four or more years, say they have started listening to something new in the past three months.
Cumulus VP of Advertiser Insights Lauren Vetrano says that openness to explore what else is out there in the audio universe “really makes the podcast promo all the more important, and something worth spending time and effort to really optimize.”
Knit also examined what types of messages in podcast promos are most effective at appealing to new listeners. Forty-five percent of those surveyed said thought-provoking messages made them think it was important in deciding whether to check out a new show. Four in ten said a promo that was motivational or made them feel inspired was likely to work, while the same number (38%) said a funny promo improved the odds they would consider listening. Nearly as high (37%) is a podcast’s educational qualities.
“We know that podcasts are lean-in medium, as opposed to streaming music services, which are more in the background,” Vetrano says. “Podcasts have really high levels of concentration and engagement, so it’s no surprise that they’re looking for something that’s really going to engage them in that way and make them think.”
The data also shows seven in ten podcast listeners say they’re hearing just enough podcast promos. Only 14% believe they’re hearing too many.
Yet podcast listeners say that not all promos are hitting their mark. The survey shows that for many consumers, the promos do not clearly state what the show is about. Promos that worked well tended to be more in alignment with the listener’s interest and have qualities like being relatable and relevant to the listener.
“They’re also looking for a really clear message. They want relevance to their interest,” Vetrano says. “This all points to that idea of making sure that the idea is clearly described in podcast promos and ties back to whatever is going to be in the episode themselves.”
Amplifi Media CEO Steve Goldstein offers several recommendations to put the findings into action in audio promos. He writes in a blog post that one of the keys to a good promo is to start strong to capture the listener’s attention. Goldstein says a promo can also capitalize on the fact that right-brain messages are more memorable and persuasive by creating promos that feature more emotionally driven copy. He also recommends using music as an “emotional amplifier” that can help create a soundscape that will be remembered by the listener.
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