16 April 2020
What’s trending? Podcasts, that’s what.
Exercise your brain at the podcast gym, learn new stuff, make the most of your home time
Having emerged in the early 2000s, podcasting refers to on-demand audio content accessed online. Back then, it was a niche format for hobbyists and tech nerds; audiences were small and finding good content was cumbersome.
Today, with the proliferation of smartphones and Bluetooth-enabled car stereos, podcast consumption is much easier. Now there are hundreds of hours of podcast programming on every conceivable subject and in every genre, realising their true calling: to inform, entertain and inspire. Amazingly, podcasting hasn’t yet hit content shock – it’s still a fast-growing market.
Consider the following take-up numbers:
- Monthly podcast listeners have grown in 54% over the past 3 years
- Nearly ¼ of all podcast listeners started in the past 6 months
- Nearly ⅔ of respondents said they listen to more podcasts than a year ago
- Podcasts attract new listeners to the tune of 90 million people monthly.
Podcast listeners are valuable – especially if you’re after millennials:
- 50% under 35 have listened to a podcast in the last month
- Podcast listeners are evenly split between men and women, and more likely to be active on social media
- In the 25 – 54 demographic, monthly listening has grown year over year
The above stats are from the US, usually ahead of the curve. But as with most content innovations, the effects are starting to be seen in the UK. And B2B podcasting is a trending marketing technique – there’s a massive, untapped audience for helpful, informative business podcasts.
Think about the subject matter expertise in your company. Multiply that by the influential guests you’ll invite to share their expertise. Then, if you’re looking to boost thought leadership and reach new audiences, the perfect time is now to add podcasting to your content marketing mix.