The Rising Popularity of Podcasts
Over the past few years, podcasts have risen in popularity. If we take a look at the US, 37% of people in 2020 had listened to a podcast in the previous month, up from 27% in 2018 – a figure that rises to almost 55% of adults (155 million!) for those who had listened to a podcast in the last year (Edison Research, The Infinite Dial). So it’s no surprise that marketers and businesses are dedicating more time to adding podcasts to their content marketing strategies.
So why are podcasts becoming so popular?
With smartphones and tablets now part of normal day-to-day life, podcasts are incredibly easy to access. You are just a few taps away from listening to one on an app. And in almost all cases they are free – even under subscription-based audio streaming and media services providers.
The multi-task aspect of podcasts is also very appealing. As our lives can be very busy, being able to listen to something you find interesting when doing something that doesn’t require your utmost attention or when taking care of monotonous tasks like washing up, it can be a nice escape. Especially, given lockdown restrictions and not being able to meet with friends and family – it’s very easy to just go on a walk by yourself and listen to something you find interesting and entertaining – and it can be a nice change from listening to music.
There’s so much choice as well. Currently on Apple Podcasts, there are over two million running shows with more than 50 million episodes. So finding a certain genre or topic that seems interesting to you shouldn’t be an issue.
Why should businesses get involved?
- Helps to build up your content library. Having a content library is essential to showing what needs your business caters for, issues you’re solving and where you fit into the mix for your industry.
- Allows you to focus on a specific topic. Sometimes just writing a blog doesn’t cut it when it comes to taking an in-depth look into a particular subject. What’s more, seeing a blog that’s more than 1000 words long can be enough for some people to quickly click away from reading through it, particularly when they are short on time.
- It’s free to create and free to sign up. For the most part, it’s free for businesses to host their podcast on an audio streaming platform, such as through SoundCloud, and your target audience won’t need to pay for a subscription to hear what you have to say. This makes it incredibly appealing to content marketers as all you need is a microphone and some recording software, and you’re good to go.
Where to next?
We’ve seen over the past year as a result of the global pandemic disruption that many businesses have looked to alternative ways to connect and interact with their customers and target audiences.
Maybe we’ll see business podcasts digressing into more conversational mediums like Stereo or Clubhouse where they can connect with their audience directly and talk about topical issues in their industry.
If you’re looking for ways to expand your digital marketing content strategies and get involved in podcasting, contact us today.
