That’s been the big question for years. Is it worth your time to put together a podcast if not enough people are listening for advertisers to support it? A new report from Nielsen indicates that there are new data that shows advertisers should be spending more money on podcasts.
In the new report issued Tuesday, the ratings firm says podcasts saw significant growth in engagement from 2016 to 2017 and as a result podcasts are becoming “a trusted source for brands looking to reach consumers.” In Fall 2016, 13 million homes identified as “avid fans.” In the Fall of 2017, that number jumped to 16 million. Nielsen defines “avid podcast fans” as those with the highest scores in Nielsen’s Fanlinks Survey asking households to rate their interest in various genres of podcasts.
Nielsen asked study participants to score their likelihood to purchase a product or service from a variety of advertisers. After hearing the ads during a podcast, the respondents were once again asked how likely they would be to purchase a product or service from a variety of advertisers. Forty-six ads were tested, and all five genres of podcasts delivered an increase in purchase intent. Mainstream podcasts in the comedy genre delivered +7.3% brand lift on average while more niche-oriented podcasts in the business category scored a +14% brand lift for a variety of advertisers.
In addition, Nielsen says more than 23 million adults in the U.S. have listened to a podcast in the past month on a smartphone. That’s double the amount reported in 2017. Three years ago people were listening on their computers. From 2014 to 2017 the pocasting audience has increased 157%.
The Nielsen report also looks at three product categories from Nielsen’s Fanlinks Survey: Juice, Milk, and Cereal. For more information on how Nielsen draws the connection between podcasts and these product categories, download the full report HERE.
