Signal Hill Insights has released an interesting data burst focused on whether, and how much, senior executives listen to podcasts. The study is part of an ongoing collaboration with Triton Digital. The results are taken from several surveys of monthly podcast listeners across a long span from Q1 2022 through Q4 2023. The results we are spotlighting today come from over 24,000 surveys.
The stated goal of Signal Hill’s focus on C-Suite listeners is to determine who they are, what kinds of podcasts do they prefer, and more generally what they’re looking for in podcasts. Within all that lie details about where they listen and how they listen. (Summary results can be seen HERE.)
To the basic question — do execs listen to podcasts? — the answer is definitive. As illustrated below, senior executives over-index as weekly listeners at the 5+ hours level.
The focus on exec-level listeners is clear: They are likely to over-index on the earnings scale, and be of special value to advertisers. Signal Hill –er– signals this with a summary headline: “Most of these executives are entering their peak earning years.” That’s a contrast to the more general listening trend, which sees a general audience skew to younger listeners.
There is a glass ceiling, noted by the study: Nearly three-quarters of senior exec listeners are men; that compares to 54% of other listeners.
Drilling into a more exact understanding of what execs choose, three podcast genres dominate: News, Society & Culture, and Comedy. (Keeping in mind that the perennially misnamed “Comedy” category includes very popular general interview shows.)
Above all, why do senior executives like podcasts? What do they want from them? Self-improvement is the top takeaway. They also like to be inspired, and to challenge the way they think.
There’s moe to this pinpoint study. No download; just go HERE.