Media Trends
Podcasting has reached another major milestone.
According to new research from Edison Research, Americans now spend 812 million hours every week consuming podcasts. This is nearly quadruple the number from 10 years ago and is rivalling the time audiences spend with primetime television.
Podcast audiences are also growing in size and engagement. For the first time, weekly podcast consumers are just as likely to watch podcasts as they are to listen to them, reflecting the continued convergence of audio and video.
Why This Matters
Most media ministries already have a podcast. The question is whether you’re treating it like a distribution channel…or an archive.
For decades, ministries invested in getting their radio programs in front of listeners through station partnerships and promotional efforts. Podcasts deserve the same approach.
Publishing an episode doesn’t build an audience any more than putting a program on an unknown radio station did. People still need to discover your content.
As podcast listening continues to grow, ministries that invest in promotion and audience development, not just production, will be best positioned to benefit from this growing channel.
Next Steps
Take a fresh look at your podcast strategy.
Instead of asking if you’re producing enough content, ask:
- How are people discovering our podcast?
- How are we promoting new episodes across our other media channels?
- How are we repurposing podcast content for social media?
- What ways are we making it easy for listeners to subscribe and share?
The organizations seeing the greatest results from podcasting are doing more than publishing episodes, they’re treating podcasts like a core distribution channel.
Is podcasting a part of your media strategy or an opportunity you’ve been considering? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Jonathan Andrews
Director of Media | jonathan@eaglecom.ca