In the UK 19% of adults – that’s 10.5 million people – are listening to podcasts every week for a total of 69 million hours and it’s growing daily!
Is your business considering a podcast?
Having a podcast gives you access to valuable clients. Initially all those on your database and all those watching your social media platforms.
A recent study by Edison Research has proven that most people who listen to podcasts are highly educated, affluent, and have a stable income. Making them great clients for your business.
Real engagement
Podcasting is intimate. If someone is choosing to listen to your content, the information is going directly in the ears of your target market, and that is very powerful.
Your listeners will hear what you have to say. Podcast listeners are more focused, and in most cases, their entire concentration will be on your content.
Podcasting gives you direct contact with your listeners, meaning you can create on-demand content based on the questions they ask you.
Choose the subject you get asked about the most and answer any questions directly via your podcast episode. This strategy will ensure your target market is interested and engaged, and they’ll see, you are willing to address their specific issues and questions.
On-Demand Technology
Many of you reading this will have strong networks and are in the process of building a community. Many of you will know you are on the go and busy both in and out of the work environment.
Your listeners will be using their own personal time as well as commuting and working hours to dedicated to consuming your content so make sure you make it count. You are their trusted advisor, the leader in your field.
Listeners
The profile of weekly podcast listeners is tipped towards males with around a 60/40 split, with 58% of men & 42% of women listening to podcasts every week.
Some of the leading UK podcasts are football focused so I’d expect that there is a larger male listenership at the moment (despite me being a female football fan).
If your target market is in the 25-44 year old client/customer age group they are listening to podcasts!
Over half of all podcast listeners are in this age group.
The majority of weekly podcast listeners are in the 25-34 year old age group (30.8%) followed by 22.6% in the 35-44 year old age group, each listening to more than 5 episodes a week.
Editing
There are numerous ways to edit your podcast but 48% of respondents to a “Podcast Gear Survey” in 2019 said they used Audacity to edit their podcast with Adobe Audition in 2nd place (31%). I suspect if it was updated this year it would be a similar outcome with Descript making an appearance in there too.
Length
Lots of clients ask me “how long should my podcast be” and the answer is always the same “as long as it needs to be” but the most popular length of UK podcasts is between 20 and 40 mins (32% of respondents via Buzzsprout 2022) but do consider this: where and when will your target market be listening? Are they listening on their commute to work (22% of regular podcast listeners, listen in their car) at the gym, whilst working, walking the dog, or cooking dinner? That will give you a great idea of how long they’ll be listening, most of these activities fit nicely into the 20-40 minute window. These stats have remained fairly consistent over the last couple of years.
How often you publish your podcast is again up to you – but be consistent. Weekly is the most popular with over half of all podcasts published weekly, followed by fortnightly then monthly.
Format
The solo show is predicted to be the most popular show format for new podcast creators in 2023, with 43% saying they are planning to go it alone.
Most people I talk to about podcasts think they need to go straight to “interviewing people” when there is no need, I suggest that maybe in the beginning they are the expert in their business sector and they have enough content to do solo shows for their first season.
29% of new creators are predicted to have an interview-based podcast format and 23% co-hosted, choose what you are the most comfortable with.
If you are thinking of starting a business podcast and/or want more information about our podcast workshops please email kath@voiceitpodcastagency.co.uk.
Sources: Ofcom Podcast Survey 2022, Midas summer Survey 2022, Edison Research, The Podcast Host 2019 and Making Digital Real 2022, Buzzsprout 2022