The Persuadables – Podcasting’s Next 20 Million Consumers by Tom Webster
People who do not listen to podcasts are not a monolithic group. According to The Podcast Landscape, 26% of Americans 18+ have never consumed a podcast, down 2% year over year. When asked why they haven’t consumed a podcast, the top reasons include “my existing options give me what I need” from 34% of respondents. 27% prefer watching video over listening. 22% don’t understand the benefits of podcasts. 30% of those who do not listen to podcasts – which represents 20 million U.S. citizens – but are open to the premise and have holes in their media diet that podcasting could fit into nicely. The decline of X and commercial radio content may have created a gap in daily lives that short-form video content does not fill. Podcasting would benefit from discussing our ability to become a companion that enriches passive media consumption time.
Spotify Debuts Synced Feeds
The new Synced Feeds feature launching today tweaks the gated podcast experience on Spotify. With Synced Feeds, episodes from paid and free podcast feeds will merge into one show page, hiding duplicate episodes and giving creators customization options for how episodes appear to Spotify users. Not-premium audiences of podcasts that use the Open Access API (e.g. Patreon, Supercast, or Supporting Cast content) will see the normal free feed episodes, as well as locked paid content. According to Podnews, Spotify says nearly half of Spotify podcasters using Patreon have enabled the Spotify Open Access integration and those creators who use it report 15% of listeners who clicked through to their Patreon convert to paid membership.
Big finance tech brands like PayPal, Klarna, and Chime have spent the last few months increasing brand awareness efforts, partnering with high-profile celebrities and launching big campaigns to stand out in a crowded marketplace. PayPal, hot on the heels of a visual rebrand, is running its biggest U.S. ad campaign ever with comedian Will Ferrell. Buy-now-pay-later platform Klarna has signed Saquille O’Neal to promote their cash back feature. Chime is going the influencer route with streamer Kai Cenat and VFX TikTok star Zach King. We humbly suggest podcasting’s superpower of connecting with audiences who then tend to support brands that support their favorite content creators would be a good fit for fintech brands trying to stand out from the crowd.
As for the rest of the news…
- Tom Webster guests on today’s Social Media Examiner episode Podcasting: How to Create a Better Show.
- Spotify for Podcasters shares tips for tracking conversion metrics using the host’s tools
- Russell Howard’s Wonderbox podcast has signed with Adelicious, the first Avalon podcast to do so
- Ilyas Frenkel has announced the launch of Single Source Media, a new podcast and YouTube-focused advertising agency.
- Variety covers a live production of Giggly Squad performed for UCLA students last weekend.
