Brands can capitalise on the rise of podcasts if they create compelling content that fulfils a need, Lush Digital Media director of content strategy Sarah Mitchell says.
Speaking on the Brand Newsroom podcast, Mitchell says podcasts are increasingly becoming part of the mainstream media makeup and now is the time for brands to get on board.
98 million people in the US are listening to podcasts every year, with an average listening time of more than four hours per week, according to the latest Edison study.
The report also found people will listen to an average of five podcasts a week and most listen to them within 24 hours of the time they go live – giving brands the opportunity to connect with audiences almost in real-time.
Media Stable MD Nic Hayes and Lush CEO James Lush feature on the weekly podcast, which focuses on brand journalism and content marketing.
Hayes says he has seen a shift in the last 12 months of people turning away from traditional media, instead searching for the content they want.
The change Hayes identified is supported by an Ipsos study, which found podcasts are benefiting from the lack of trust society has in mainstream media outlets.
However, mainstream outlets such as the ABC, SBS and The Guardian are producing their own podcasts to complement their content offerings.
“Broadcasters are recognising the importance of podcasting now and in the last year alone the ABC has seen an increase of 31% for podcasting. So if that’s not an indication of where things are going, I don’t know what is,” Lush says.
The report found that 21% of people are listening to podcasts in their cars or trucks.
Lush expects this number to grow as cars move to become home entertainment systems rather than just vehicles, and technology, such as WiFi-enabled cars, becomes more available.
Mitchell says having access to the car atmosphere is a unique opportunity for a brand to influence an audience, as it’s a time when people are not consuming any other content.
92% of podcast listeners are on social media, with the best traffic for podcasts coming from social media platforms, Mitchell says.
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