Radio broadcasters and their advertising partners are always seeking ways to reach young, educated and affluent listeners and podcasting is a way to reach these desirable consumers. Podcasting listening is booming with adults 12 to 34 years old, considered Gen Z, Millennials and Gen X. As audio experts, radio stations are in a prime position to create podcasts that attract these young Americans.
In 2019, 40% of adults 12 to 24 years old say they’ve listened to a podcast in the last month, up from 20% in 2014, and 39% of adults 25 to 34 have listened, up from 17% in 2014, according to new 2019 Audioscape Report from Westwood One, which incorporates research from Edison Research, Triton Digital and the IAB. In contrast, 32% of all Americans 12+ have listened to a podcast in the last month, up from 15% in 2014.
Podcast listeners are a decade younger than AM/FM radio listeners and 20 years younger than broadcast TV viewers, according to the report. In Q4 2018, The mean age for a podcast listener is 35 years olds, compared to 46 years old for AM/FM radio and 56 years old for ABC, NBC and CBS.
When you’re pitching advertisers on podcasting, these attractive demographics should make marketers perk up. To paint an even better picture, it is notable that podcast listeners are also educated, employed and boast higher household incomes. In fact, half of all podcast listeners are younger than 35, while two-thirds make more than $50,000 per year and about half have attended some college or are college graduates.
In good news for radio stations, podcast listeners are super fans of all audio, suggesting they aren’t turning off local radio to make time for podcasts. Podcasting will not cannibalize your audience, but rather enhance it by burnishing your brand, attracting new listeners, and offering your station and clients more exposure. While average Americans spend about three and a half hours a day listening to audio, podcast listeners consume about 40% more audio content, averaging five hours and 39 minutes per day, the Audioscape Report noted. And podcast listeners are most likely to listen to additional spoken word, sports and personality-driven audio.
As podcast listening takes off, a growing number of advertisers are interested in experimenting with the media. When radio broadcasters talk to clients about podcast opportunities, recent research shows podcast listeners have higher propensity to purchase gear and gadgets they hear advertised in podcasts, including cell phones, computers, sports equipment, headphones and camping equipment. And, in a sign of how engaged podcast listeners are with the content, 71% said they’re concentrated on listening to the audio, including ads.
If you still need additional convincing that now is the time for radio stations and their marketing partners to get into podcasting, we’ll leave you with this final stat: About two-thirds of podcast listeners are also AM/FM radio listeners, offering advertisers a chance to increase frequency, reach and reach elusive younger listeners.