36 pertinent facts why podcasts are so popular

Podcasts

Podcasts are an episodic series of spoken word digital audio files that a user can download to a personal device for easy listening. 

People are motivated to create a podcast to express a personal passion, increase professional visibility, be an influencer, and cultivate a community of like-minded listeners,

A reason why podcasts are so popular with their audience is they allow for multitasking. At Edison Research, they explored the podcast listening locations and found out that most often people listen to audio blogs at home, in a car, while walking around or working out. So people can listen and learn while they are doing other things.

But that’s just one reason. Here are 36 pertinent facts why podcasts are so popular.

Why do we listen to podcasts?

1. 74% of podcast users listen to podcasts to learn something new.
2. 71% listen to be entertained.
3. 60% listen to stay up to date.
4. 51% listen to relax.
5. 47% listen to be inspired.
6. 37% listen to escape.
7. 24% listen for companionship.

How many listen?

1. 75% (212 million of the US population is familiar with podcasts -up by more than 10 million in one year.
2. 55% (155 million) have listened to a podcast – up from 51% in 2019.
3. 37% (104 million) listened to a podcast in the last month – up from 32% in 2019
4. 24% (68 million) listen to podcasts weekly – up from 22% in 2019.
5. Podcast listeners have grown by 37.5% in 3 years. In 2017, 40% of Americans 12 or older had listened to a podcast, compared to 55% in 2020.
6. Monthly podcast listeners have grown by 54% in 3 years. In 2017, 24% of Americans 12 or older listened to podcasts monthly, compared to 37% in 2020.

Where do we listen to podcasts?

In terms of devices, people listen to podcast on:

1. For daily listeners, 38% use smartphones, 8% use desktop, and 3% use smart speakers either Alexa or Google Home.
2. For those who listen a few times a month, 18% use smartphones, 27% use desktop, and 7% use smart speakers.

In terms of apps, people listen to podcast on:

1. Apple/ iTunes – 85% of daily, 22% of weekly, and 53% monthly listeners use.
2. Pocket Cast – 44% of daily, 1% of weekly, and 2% of monthly listeners use.
3. YouTube – 39% of daily, 12% of weekly, and 39% of monthly listeners use.
4. Overcast – 38% of daily, 0 weekly, and 2% of monthly listeners use.
5. Spotify – 32% of daily, 8% of weekly, and 17% of monthly listeners use.

Who listens?

1. 68% of podcast listeners are postgraduates.
2. 80% are full-time employed.
3. 39 is the average age of podcast listeners.
4. $96,000 is their average income.
5. 90% listen at home.
6. 64% listen in a car or truck.
7. 49% listen walking around.
8. 43% listen at the gym.
9. 37% at work.
10. 37% riding public transportation.
11. 52% listen to the entire podcast, 41% listen to most of it, 5% listen to less than half, and 2% listen to only the beginning

What makes a great podcast

1. Audio Quality: Have great audio quality for you, your co-hosts, and your guests. Make sure the voices are clear, have a good mix of volume, and there are no background noises.
2. Less Talk, More Content: Start each every show with a strong hook and amazing opening. Nail the intro. And get right to the content.
3. Watch the Length: It’s much better to make a 15 minute long great show compared to a 1-hour long boring show. Maintain high quality for every minute of the show.
4. Good Voice: A deep radio announcer voice isn’t necessary. Be you, or a character of you and it’s fine. But what is not fine is if you trip up on your words, redo, slur your speech, talk quietly, talk too fast, mumble or talk incoherently.
5. Learn to be a Great Storyteller: Keep your audience engaged and listening. Understand the arc of the show, and recognize when it’s deviating or dragging.

Do these facts explain why podcasts have become so popular? Are you ready to create yours?