Nielsen Stats Show Podcast Engagement on the Rise

Do you listen podcasts? What was once a niche medium built around people almost exclusively with iPods (hence the name) has now become much more mainstream. And podcasts continue to grow in popularity and expand their listener base. Recent findings from Nielsen’s 2018 Podcast Insights Report back this up—pointing to some significant opportunities the medium may offer forward-thinking advertisers.

Among the most notable stats included in the report:

• The number of homes identifying as “avid podcast fans” jumped from 13 million to 16 million from 2016 to 2017—an increase of 3 million in just one year
• From 2014 to 2017, the number of people who said they used their smartphone to listen to a podcast in the past 30 days increased from 9.5 million to 23.9 million (an increase of 14.4 million)

Nielsen also notes that more brands are unlocking the power of podcast advertising—and with good reason. They mention a recent survey, which found:

• 14% lift in purchase intent for brands who advertise on Business podcasts
• 12.8% lift in purchase intent for brands who advertise on News & Politics podcasts
• 9.3% lift in purchase for brands who advertise on Sports podcasts

Any way you slice it, podcasts have more ears than ever before. That’s something that should have all advertisers listening up.