A new podcast audience study from Sounds Profitable and a cluster of sponsors was presented by co-CEO Tom Webster yesterday. Called The Medium Moves the Message, the central learnings are that podcasting’s young audience is growing, is differentiated in their listening habits, and that advertising on podcasts delivers “net new consumers.”
The slide deck featured in Webster’s presentation can be downloaded HERE.
The fieldwork for this exercise was performed by Signal Hill Insights in February, and was conducted as an online survey of over 2,000 Americans 18 years and older. That large cohort was queried about their recognition and attitudes, and other brand measures related to TV, radio, and podcast advertisers. Along the way, the study delivered age and reach metrics across those three media categories.
As an example, we learn that heavy podcast listeners are separated from heavy radio and TV users:
The message there: Broadcast and podcast audiences are pulling apart, and podcast listeners represent a net gain to radio/TV advertisers. That audience differentiation is most distinct in the 18-34 age group:
Tom Webster summarized the report’s key takeaways:
- Podcasting’s weekly reach 18-34 is nearing that of radio and TV
- The median age of heavy users of radio and tv is significantly older than that of heavy listeners to podcasts
- Podcast buys reach net new consumers when added to TV or Radio buys
- Podcast listeners are more likely to subscribe to premium, ad free content options
- Podcast listeners are significantly more positive towards the brands that support the medium than Radio listeners
or TV viewers - The leading advertisers in podcasting perform significantly better in lower-funnel metrics with podcast listeners than the leading advertisers in TV and Radio do with their consumers
- The addition of podcasts to a multichannel media mix shows significant mid-funnel effects
Again, the research slides are HERE.