Podcasts Are Hot, Hot, Hot!

A recent survey of podcasting done by Acast and Nielsen found the following:* 45% of those surveyed started listening to podcasts during the past year.* 52% of those who love podcasts are spending more time listening to their favorite podcasts.* 41% of Americans plan to spend more time with podcasts in the coming six months, while they plan to increase music streaming by only 36% and listening to online radio by only 29%.* Podcast listening increased by 52% during the past six months, while radio listening only increased by 36% and audio books consumption by only 33%.* 57% of those surveyed listen to podcast episodes multiple times.* 62% of listeners listen to more than half of longer podcast episodes (hour long or more).* 65% of listeners are attentive when listening to podcasts. They focus on the content.* 57% of listeners will listen to any ads because they believe it’s important to support their favorite podcast hosts.What all these numbers mean is that podcasts are becoming a more important part of the lives of American consumers.Nick Southwell-Keely of Acast notes, “We think of our favorite podcasters like our friends, and trust them to entertain and inform us.”Podcast ContentWhat kind of podcast content do people enjoy?* 70% enjoy listening to guest interviews.* 64% listen to news shows, including news in a specific field.* 58% enjoy panel discussions.* 55% enjoy the banter of their favorite hosts.* Other prime content favorites include music and comedy.If you plan to host a longer podcast (half an hour or more), feature interviews, news, and banter. If you are hosting a shorter daily podcast (2 to 5 minutes), feature short excerpts from your book, blog posts, or seminars.Key Tips on Hosting a PodcastAnd here are a few tips from a podcast host with over a million daily listeners:* Be a first mover. Find a unique topic and/or format, and build excitement for it.* Syndicate your content everywhere you can.* Note: Some podcasts have a collective audience larger than many cable news or opinion shows.* Host a show every day (5 days a week) for the most impact.Subscribe for one year to get the complete course on using Substack for your email newsletters, podcast syndication, content delivery system, and membership portal. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bookmarketing.substack.com/subscribe