Not Another True Crime Podcast (Podcast Stats for 2018)

EPISODE 52

ABC has increasingly become invested in their podcasting department and their most recent survey offers a snapshot of how Australia engages with podcast content.

If you’re wondering whether or not to start a podcast, or how a podcast can be used for your content marketing strategy, this snapshot of podcast engagement in Australia in 2018 will help.

More than half of Australians 18-75 (62%) claim to have tried listening to podcasts.

Catching up on previously aired radio broadcasts are more popular with the older set (55+), but the younger crowd are interested in podcasts varying in a range of topics.

Close to 3 in 5 podcast listeners (59%) claim to be listening to more podcasts this year (2018) compared to last.

With a steady increase in podcast listeners, with a possibility of an increase in 2019, now is certainly the time to seriously look at implementing a podcast into your content marketing or brand strategy.

Smartphones are the preferred podcast listening device.

It’s interesting to note that smartphones (rather than a landline or business phone) are still the preferred podcast listening device, even if people most commonly listen to podcasts at home.

Only 1% of survey respondents listened to podcasts using their smart speaker, which may highlight a weakness with the technology and its ability to partner with phone apps that make listening on a phone so much easier.

Podcast listeners enjoy the freedom to pick audio content that interests them, informs them and keeps them entertained.

On top of this, it’s noted that only 1 in 5 survey respondents listen to podcasts with someone else.

Due to the fact that many listeners love listening to podcasts to hear content they’re particularly interested in, it makes sense that only a small percentage would share a podcast listening experience with someone else.

Popularity to True Crime podcasts has grown year on year, with 44% of podcast listeners claiming to have listened to a True Crime podcast with the past month, up from 30% in 2017. Comedy podcasts have also recorded year on year growth, particularly among Males.

It’s also interesting to note that 65% of females claim to listen to podcasts in comparison to 51% of males, which may be due to the large True Crime podcast audience, which is predominantly female.

It also lends itself to the theory that story-telling type podcasts, which are often the nature of True Crime podcasts, are incredibly popular.

In addition to this, listeners will spend an average of 48 minutes listening to a podcast episode (after committing to the first 5 minutes). Many True Crime podcasts episodes clock past the 60-minute mark.

73% of people are motivated to listen to new podcasts by the episode description.

If you’re publishing a podcast, make sure to pay extra attention to the episode description and ensure there’s a place where your listeners can continue their experience on your website or social media to encourage further engagement.