Podcasting has enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent years, and Northern Ireland businesses should consider it as a hugely beneficial, yet untapped, marketing tool.
The growing popularity of podcasts shows that while the UK still lags significantly behind the US in listening figures, there will be a bridging of that gap in the coming years.
Some of the most popular UK podcasts include the ‘That Peter Crouch Podcast’ – a podcast by ex-footballer Peter Crouch – with around 12 million listeners.
In Northern Ireland there was a 50% increase in people who had smart speakers in their homes; another way people in the country access their favourite podcasts.
Here are four mind-blowing statistics that prove the growing power of podcasts.
12% of the UK’s adult population listens to a podcast each week.
An impressive 7 million adults in the UK now listen to podcasts every week.
If we follow the same trajectory as the United States (which we usually do!) – where there are 88 million podcast listeners – there are enormous opportunities for local businesses to get involved.
200% projected growth rate in UK podcast listeners in the next three years.
In just three years – by 2023 – podcast listeners could double to over 14 million.
That’s according to a recent Nielsen report.
Head of Platforms at Nielsen, Amanda Woodley, said, “With the number of weekly podcast listeners almost doubling in the last five years, advertisers, agencies and media owners, recognise the benefits of this new medium to reach consumers.”
And more listening ears mean more opportunities for Northern Ireland businesses to reach customers.
Six out of ten listeners say they are willing to pay for subscriptions.
Recent research suggests that six out of ten people would be happy to pay a subscription fee for premium podcast content.
And with customers now paying recurring subscriptions for Apple Music and Spotify, Netflix and Amazon Prime, along with a host of other subscriptions, podcasting looks set to follow the same path.
Interestingly, the report found that listeners would be happy to pay around £4.00 a month (or £50.00 a year) to listen to their favourite podcasts.
59% of podcast listeners say they would buy from a brand advertised in a podcast.
The opportunities for a Northern Ireland business in podcasting are clear: building brand awareness, engaging with prospective customers, becoming a thought leader and building up a loyal following.
But those are not the only ways you can harness the power of podcasting.
Recent research reveals that 80% of listeners are positive/neutral to receiving adverts, and a staggering 59% said they would be willing to buy from a brand advertised in a podcast.
At Granite Podcast Studio we charge just £40 + VAT per hour for a one-off session.
Need your podcast edited too by our experts? Our editing option costs just £40 + VAT per hour.
So for just £80 you can have your podcast professionally recorded and expertly edited.
Find out more by clicking HERE.