Who Listens to Podcasts Anyway?
I often wonder just who listens to podcasts. I have the best intentions of spending time with some of the podcasts I’ve downloaded from iTunes, but if I can’t keep up with Battlestar Galactica, how can you expect me to listen to what’s happening on campus at-say-Allegheny College or Ball State University, even with the best intentions? And I ask myself, if I’m not paying attention, who is?
There’s some interesting data in this post on Podcast User Demographics at eMarketer. Did you know, for example, that in October 2006, households with incomes >$100K accounted for 24% of Internet users, but 31% of iTunes podcast downloaders? In fact, there’s a big market among 35-54 year-olds for podcasts, on many topics.
One of eMarketer’s analysts points out:
“One of the medium’s strengths is that regular followers are hugely interested in the topic of a given podcast, be it comics or cash management, allowing for a deeper host-listener (and therefore brand) relationship than is possible with a general audience – or a composite picture of one.”
Of course, just because someone has downloaded a podcast doesn’t mean that he-or she-will listen to it. Good content and relevance are keywords here, just as they are in other media. And I feel compelled to add that these are national figures, so downloading of your institution’s podcasts may vary. A lot.
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