Can we as podcasters do sufficient to convey beginner listeners into the medium?
Not in line with EarBuds’ Arielle Nassenblatt, who highlighted this as the one greatest menace to the podcasting business in an expert roundup we just published.
She stated:
“The largest menace to podcasting in 2024 is our collective unwillingness (or perhaps incapacity) to spend money on web new listeners.
It’s very simple to introduce an current podcast listener to their subsequent favourite podcast. What about the one who is podcast-curious however doesn’t know the place to begin? We have to spend time and assets enthusiastic about bringing new listeners into the fold and nurturing them in order that they develop into longstanding podcast lovers. This can assist the business to develop and get extra creators paid.“
Arielle Nassenblatt from EarBuds Podcast Collective
And I’d must agree. The urgency of changing non-listeners is one thing we speak about typically right here at The Podcast Host. Or, as my colleague Matthew completely put it, “How do you get your granny into podcasts?”.
However earlier than we get into the ‘how’, it’s necessary to know why participating non-listeners is so necessary to rising your podcast, and the business extra broadly.
So right here’s why it’s in your curiosity as an unbiased podcaster to speculate effort and time into changing non-listeners into podcast lovers – and the obstacles we have to overcome to get there.
Why You Must Care Extra About New Listeners
To start with, let’s check out why participating non-listeners will probably be personally helpful to you as an unbiased podcaster. It’s not nearly contributing to the business extra broadly however taking part in your half in preserving unbiased podcasting – and even your personal present – alive.
Development potential is big
Final 12 months, we wrote concerning the large untapped potential in certain listener demographics. And when you may suppose participating non-listeners from these demographics isn’t one thing you may affect, that’s definitely not the case. In actual fact, except we proactively spend money on these audiences, it’s probably most of them will stay untapped – notably in terms of older generations.
For instance, the share of Boomers (aged 55+) who take heed to podcasts is considerably low when you think about that as a lot as 91% of them own a smartphone.
A number of research have proven that podcasting is extra widespread with youthful folks, however there’s a lot potential there to develop listenership amongst the over 55s. Retired persons are a superb goal market – speak radio is widespread with this demographic, so podcasts ought to naturally attraction to them. Theoretically, retired folks have extra listening time to spare, too.
And it’s not nearly who may pay attention however how they may pay attention that holds potential for brand spanking new listener development. With extra apps and units supporting podcasting daily, that’s extra potential new listeners on your present too. A latest examine discovered that smartspeaker podcast listenership has quadrupled since 2018 and one other that 1 in 4 people listen to podcasts in the car these days.
However have you ever even optimised your podcast for voice search?
As new listening alternatives come up, it’s necessary we make it simple for folks to seek out podcasts. And, after all, the extra listeners you may hook into your present, the higher.
As soon as they’re hooked, they’re hooked
Research have proven that if somebody begins listening to podcasts, it’s likely to become their favourite audio medium. So, introducing new folks to podcasts isn’t nearly creating new one-off listeners, however podcast lovers. The probability of them changing into extremely engaged within the media is excessive.
With this in thoughts, the extra new folks we get hooked on podcasting, the extra and quicker the business will develop. Once we develop the variety of listeners who’re more engaged with podcasts than they are with TV and radio, this tells advertisers how precious our audiences are, and that our business is price investing in.
Hold unbiased podcasting alive
If you play your half in participating non-listeners together with your podcast, you’re serving to to help the unbiased creator ecosystem. It is because bringing listeners into area of interest podcasting communities bypasses the large movie star podcasts which might be monopolising listenership.
The present strategies that hook in new listeners focus solely on big-player podcasts (e.g. Spotify really useful, podcast charts). Because of this, the large movie star podcasts are solely getting extra widespread and making more cash, whereas the independents barely get a glance in. Our business wants extra area of interest fanatic listeners to assist get round this problem of movie star dominance.
As unbiased podcasters, now we have a duty to play our half in rising unbiased podcasting by serving to non-listeners discover content material that speaks to their area of interest pursuits. This can imply extra creators receives a commission, and we concentrate on what makes podcasts completely different from mainstream media.
What’s Getting within the Approach of Netting New Podcast Listeners?
So what’s holding issues up? There are three predominant overarching obstacles that presently get in the way in which of podcast newbies entering into the medium:
1. The Accessibility Downside
There’s no denying that podcasting is much less accessible than different mediums. To observe TV or take heed to the radio, you merely swap on a tool that’s constructed for it. Podcasting, alternatively, is much less easy. There’s no devoted podcasting gadget you should utilize, which is probably going why the 50+ market listens much less as they’re used to consuming media on this extra straight-forward manner.
To take heed to podcasts, it’s worthwhile to know the place to seek out them. We’re spoilt for alternative by way of listening choices, which is a superb factor however could be overwhelming for some folks – notably the non-tech-savvy. Ought to I be listening on a smartphone, a sensible speaker or a pc? Which listening app ought to I be utilizing? And what’s all this speak about watching podcasts on YouTube?
So when you consider it, realizing how you can entry podcasts could be a little bit of a minefield for the whole beginner. Lots of people don’t take heed to podcasts as a result of they merely don’t know the way.
The Discoverability Downside
Not with the ability to simply discover high quality podcasts in your particular space of curiosity continues to be an issue when utilizing apps like Apple Podcasts. This impacts new listenership as a result of Apple Podcasts is usually the primary app non-listeners will default to due to the unique correlation between podcasts and Apple.
I bear in mind again once I first began listening to podcasts, I discovered it nearly unattainable to seek out respectable content material via the Apple search operate. Discoverability is significantly better on apps like Spotify and YouTube, however not everybody will bee-line for these platforms when making an attempt out podcasting for the primary time. Apple might considerably affect new listenership in the event that they solely improved discoverability within the podcast app.
Among the best issues about podcasting is how different and area of interest the content material can get. So when discovery fails us, the one manner folks hear about podcasts is thru the charts or via promoting on different media (that means they’ll solely hear about exhibits which have an enormous advertising and marketing funds behind them).
Which takes me to the third and ultimate barrier…
The High quality Downside
Referring again once more to the roundup article that originally inspired this article – three contributors cited ‘mediocre content material’ as the most important menace to podcasting proper now. And I believe this menace could be very related once we’re speaking about introducing newbies to the medium.
There are properly over 4 million podcasts out there proper now. If somebody dips their toe into podcasting with none course on what they need to be listening to, they’ll get turned off the medium shortly because of the low high quality of a number of the podcasts on the market.
Anybody can develop into a podcaster, and the low barrier to entry is one thing that’s so necessary to guard. However publishing unplanned, unedited content material solely serves to hurt the business.
Received some podcast-curious of us in your life who simply want a little bit of steerage on how, the place and what to take heed to? This listeners’ guide to podcasts will get them transferring in the appropriate course!
Trending Merchandise
