Well before I began hosting them, I was perplexed by the unexpected rise in the popularity of #podcasts over the past couple of years. To state the obvious, it’s old technology — it’s fireside chats, imaginary Martians, fast-talking gossip columnists and lugubrious daytime soaps sponsored by long-forgotten brands. Hell, it’s older than newsreels! And given the popularity of video content, you’d think most would view audio-only as limited and un-involving. So what gives?
I posed this question over Linkedin and got some interesting responses, for instance:
"Perhaps Video did NOT kill the Radio star? :) There is ALSO a huge rise in the amount of video consumption now especially during the pandemic with remote work contributing to eyeball exhaustion. It is making people appreciate the alternative sensory experience of audio-only (in other words, both video and audio are benefiting from the vacuum created by the absence of live socializing). In addition, the content breadth and depth increase supported by platforms that allow anyone to create, host, and distribute means we're able to affordably supply content meeting a much wider range of consumer needs - whereas Radio was only ever just the broadest common denominator." Martin Hartshorne, CEO of When I Work.
Agreed (and thanks, Martin, for planting that song in my already cluttered head!). I do think that radio/audio has its own distinct allure, ala this quote from the critic James Wolcott , “Podcasts are essentially radio on the installment plan, a return to the intimacy, wombed shadows, and pregnant implications of words, sounds, and silences in the theater of the mind.”
While more
HR marketers are adding branded podcasts to the mix, many still default to blog and website content, often because they simply lack the production resources, capabilities or experience to deliver a quality podcast. But the latest stats on podcast demographics and listening habits gathered by PodcastHosting.org (as of April 2021) underscore the value of podcast-based marketing. Here's a sampling:
As of June 2021 there are over 2,000,000 podcasts and over 48 million episodes:
- 37% (104 million) listen to podcasts at least every month
- 24% (68 million) listen to podcasts weekly
- 16 million people in the US are “avid podcast fans”
Listening Habits
- 90% of podcast listening is done at home
- 64% listen while driving
- Podcast listeners subscribe to an average of 6 shows
- Podcast listeners listen to an average of 7 different shows per week
- 93% listen to all or most of each episode
- 81% of podcast listeners pay attention to podcast ads
- 60% of podcast listeners have bought something from a podcast ad
Also: comedy, education, and news are the most popular podcasting genres (that's good news for the podcast that I host -
Work in Progress - that combines comedy and HR-related news).
“Overall, podcasts are not just for marketing. They also help to educate and connect with customers at a deeper level while building a community. In an age where brands want to be present across social media platforms, podcasts are not something which should be missed out on.” Podcast As Marketing Tool: It Creates Value For Listeners, from Entrepreneur Magazine.
If you're interested in implementing a podcast-driven marketing program, BackBone and Curious Check offer HR vendors production and marketing services for
branded podcasts, from custom production to hosting to targeted distribution (Apple, Google, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, etc.). “I honestly don’t know of any other medium where you can make such a deep, personal connection with your listeners,” said Tom Alexander, award-winning radio host, producer, musician, and co-leader of BackBone's podcasting team.
