The Podcast Boom: Why Brands Can't Afford to Miss the Audio Revolution

Podcasting is the new king of the hill, and we've got the numbers to prove it! With 100 million Americans tuning into podcasts every week, the latest Edison Research Infinite Dial Report for 2024 reveals that podcasting isn't just for the tech-savvy or trendsetters anymore—it's a widespread phenomenon. This episode shines a light on the incredible surge in female listeners, who are now almost as likely to hit play on a podcast as their male counterparts. And get this, the once yawning gender gap in listenership is nearly a thing of the past. We're talking about a seismic shift in media consumption that's rewriting the playbook for brands and marketers, emphasizing the absolute must that is integrating podcasts into advertising strategies and content marketing. Buckle up and get ready to navigate the bustling highway of digital media with this latest episode!

Download the Edison Research 2024 Infinite Dial Report
https://www.edisonresearch.com/the-infinite-dial-2024/

About Barbara Rozgonyi and Growing Social Now

Barbara Rozgonyi, a leading authority in social media and digital marketing, hosts the dynamic Growing Social Now Network and publishes the top PR blog, wiredPRworks. Through insightful interviews and thought-provoking discussions, Barbara empowers brands, marketers, and entrepreneurs to harness the full potential of digital media for business growth and community engagement. With a finger on the pulse of emerging trends and technologies, Barbara’s platform serves as a valuable resource for navigating the ever-evolving digital marketing landscape with high-level marketing intelligence.

Work with Leading Podcast Influencer & Producer Barbara Rozgonyi

Barbara Rozgonyi is a visionary thought leadership voice in podcasting, social media marketing and digital growth strategies. Having produced three podcasts and hosted shows in multiple categories, she offers unmatched expertise to help brands effectively tap into the podcast boom through:

• Sponsored episodes & influencer integrations
• Branded podcast production & content strategy
• Strategic podcast advertising planning & buying
• Multimedia promotional support across social channels

With podcasting rapidly becoming a must-play for brands, there's no better guide than Barbara to claim your brand's audio territory and drive business results.

Reach out to explore having Barbara as your podcast influencer or producer today!

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Episode Transcript

Barbara Rozgonyi (00:02):
Hello everyone and welcome to another episode
of Growing Social Now withBarbara Rozgonyi, and this is a
news special.
Today we're going to be talkingabout the Infinite Dial Report
for 2024 from Edison Research,and we'll start right off with
some of the observations.
It's a really big year forpodcasting and if you don't have

(00:24):
a podcast now, if you haven'tbeen a podcast guest, you're not
advertising on podcasts, youare missing out.
So some of the top takeawaysare we don't want to confuse
podcast download counts forlistening, because listening
grew strongly in the last year.
We'll get into numbers in aminute.
Podcast listening grew fastestamong women.
Yay, women Nearly eliminatingthe gap in listening versus men.

(00:44):
We'll get into numbers in aminute.
Podcast listening grew fastestamong women yay, women nearly
eliminating the gap in listeningversus men.
This platform is so much morethan chat shows for guys.
Number three just under 100million americans age 12 and
older now listen to podcastsevery week, a milestone that the
podcasting industry shouldpromote aggressively, and I'm

(01:07):
just reading the takeaways here.
I totally agree with that.
Number four more thantwo-thirds of all Americans age
12 and older use streaming audioeach week.
Online streams of radio andpure plays is now a fully
mainstream channel.
Number five, audio books alsosee a new high, and number six X

(01:29):
or Twitter usage tails offdramatically.
Facebook remains theoverwhelming leader, but among
younger Americans it's Instagramand TikTok.
So let's dive into some of thekey takeaways that you're going
to need.
So, first of all, we're goingto set the stage with
podcasting's mainstream status.

(01:50):
According to this latestresearch from Edison, podcasting
has firmly cemented itself as amainstream media behavior.
A whopping 92% of Americans arenow familiar with the term
podcasting and nearly half 47%listened to a podcast last month
.
That's around 135 millionmonthly listeners.

(02:14):
That's huge, and I was thinkingback to last December, when
Neil Patel talked about the toptrends for 2024, and his first
biggest one was podcasting.
So these numbers really alignwith what he was thinking.
And what's really incredible isjust how habituated today's

(02:36):
podcast audiences are.
The average weekly listenerconsumes around eight episodes,
and among women in particular,the numbers are striking Our
record 71% of monthly femalelisteners also tune in weekly,
compared to just 39% four yearsago.
Women are becoming avid,devoted podcast fans, and I

(02:59):
would love to know what podcastsyou're listening to.
Well, what are those keypodcast growth drivers?
Because I mean, where did allthis interest and listenership
come from Well, according tothis report, a couple of the
major factors fuelingpodcasting's popularity are
smart speakers and connectedcars.
98 million US households now owna voice-activated smart speaker

(03:23):
like Amazon Echo or Google Home, making it easier than ever to
tune into podcasts hands-free,around the house and on the road
.
72% of drivers so almost athird of drivers say they listen
to audio entertainment, likepodcasts, while they're
traveling.
As more new vehicles come fullyequipped with internet
connectivity and audio streamingcapabilities built right into

(03:46):
the dashboard, the car isbecoming a premier listening
environment for on-demand audiolike podcasts.
So how can you tap into thispodcast boom?
Do you have a podcast?
Do you want to be a podcastguest?
What is the best route tofollow?
Well, for brands and marketers,these numbers point to serious
audience scale and engagementwithin podcasting that just

(04:08):
can't be ignored.
So here are some key strategiesto effectively tap into this
growing space.
First, look at investing inpodcast advertising to insert
your brand directly into theselean into listening sessions,
either through host read liveendorsements from influencers or
pre-recorded ad spots.
With key reach amongdemographics like 18 to 34 and

(04:33):
18 to 49 year olds, now reachinginto the 60% range every month,
you're going to get someserious scale.
And one thing the report talkedabout is TV.
We're going to get into that ina minute.
So think about where youradvertising is being spread out
and make sure the podcast ispart of it.
You can also create your ownbranded podcast as another

(04:53):
channel for content marketing.
You can also create your ownbranded podcast as another
channel for content marketing,customer education, brand
storytelling and buildingcredibility around your
company's expertise.
With the average weeklylistener consuming eight
podcasts, podcasts allow you tostay top of mind with your
audience through high-frequencycontent delivery.
And don't forget to optimizeyour podcast advertising and

(05:14):
show content for hands-freelistening environments, like
smart speakers and connectedcars, which are major drivers of
recent consumption growth.
You can consider audio branding,voice ad experiences and making
your shows as easy as possibleto interact with by voice
control.
Another route is podcastinfluencer marketing.

(05:35):
Interact with by voice control.
Another route is podcastinfluencer marketing.
You can form sponsorships andalign with trusted voices in
categories relevant to yourtarget audiences.
With podcasting's intimate,lean-in listening experience,
personal endorsements from theseinfluencers really resonate in
an authentic way.
And I would also add yeah,that's it, that's all true.
Also, look at how the podcasterwill promote the episode.

(05:57):
So they'll be promoting andworking with you throughout
social media.
It could be LinkedIn, facebook,instagram, youtube.
Podcasts are not just on podcastplatforms.
The marketing goes way beyondthe podcast distribution channel
.
So find an influencer that canreally help you grow and expand

(06:19):
that reach.
Perhaps most compelling forbrands among younger 18 to 34
audiences, podcasting's weeklyreach of 48% is now equal to
TV's 50%.
With this level of scale,particularly for those often
hard to reach, younger demosbrands could seriously consider
shifting some TV ad dollars overto the podcast space.

(06:42):
So what's the competitivemandate?
Well, the data makes it clearthat podcasting is no longer
some niche medium lacking scaleor advertising opportunity.
It has rapidly become a mediabehavior deeply ingrained across
all demographics, all the wayfrom Gen Z to baby boomers.
So having a strategic presencein podcasting through

(07:03):
advertising, branded shows orinfluencer integrations is
becoming a competitive necessityfor brands to stay relevant and
connected with their audiencewherever they're spending
attention.
We're already seeingforward-thinking brands and
marketers treat podcasting as acore part of their content
strategy and advertising mix,where they dedicate meaningful

(07:24):
budgets to capture market sharein this space, and research
shows brands that are earlymovers into emerging media
channels tend to see outsidereturns before the space gets
oversaturated.
With podcasting audiencescontinuing to grow year over
year at impressive rates, thecompetitive advantages will only
continue increasing for thosewho lean into this audio medium

(07:47):
and build their brand's presencein smart, innovative ways.
Conversely, brands thatdeprioritize podcasting risk
getting left behind as digitalaudio rises.
So, whether through advertising, creating shows, influencer
marketing or, ideally, somecombination of those tactics,
brands need to start taking avery serious look at how they

(08:10):
can effectively tap into theengaged, dedicated podcast
audiences who are connectingwith this medium multiple times
per week across devices.
So I'm going to drop a link forthe full research deck for all
this impressive data from EdisonResearch and all their
forward-looking insights aroundpodcasting, smart speakers,

(08:31):
audiobooks and more key digi talaudio behaviors.
As a Fractional CMO agency foryour brand or an influencer
marketer that would like to giveyou more attention, more brand
reach and more customerconnections, let's talk.

(08:55):
You can check us out over at mywebsite, BarbaraRozgonyi.
com, and please let us know whatother marketing topics you'd
like us to cover in futureepisodes.
We're always aiming to sharethe latest trends to help brands
connect with their audiences ininnovative ways.
Thanks for listening to GrowingSocial Now.
Please subscribe wherever youlike to listen to your podcasts.

(09:17):
We're also on YouTube.
Now.
I'm Barbara Rozgonyi and I lookforward to talking to you next
time and taking you to thefuture of marketing and public
relations.