Who Are You?

You are male.

American.

Aged 18–34 years.

You have an above-average household income. You’re highly educated.

Or maybe this isn’t you at all…

We’re attempting to describe the “average” podcast listener according to the latest survey results by Edison Research and Triton Digital. The Podcast Consumer, an annual report, was just released this past week. Although the survey indicates the majority of respondents who are podcast listeners fit the description of an American male 18–34 years old (by a small margin, anyway), it made us wonder if there isn’t a different kind of audience the podcast industry should be reaching. What about the broader audience? It’s on us to do a better job of creating content that speaks to those who are not this demographic.

There are many statistics to dig into, and you can read the report in its entirety here, but for fun we took the top stats from different sections and painted a picture of “you”, the supposed average podcast listener.

We’re not sure if you’re a hot beverage drinker, as the photo suggests, but we can say you’ve been listening to podcasts for a year or more. You can’t be sure of the exact length of time, but you know it’s not quite three years. One thing is for sure, your podcast listening habits have been climbing consistently since 2013. In an average week you listen to one to three hours of content. You listen to 3–5 podcasts a week.

You have an iPhone and you use social media several times a day — mostly Facebook. Instagram is your next go-to network. Compared to the average American, you are a lot more likely (68% more likely) to follow a brand on social media.

Just three years ago, you enjoyed your podcasts on your computer. But today, there is no doubt your preference is your smartphone or tablet. In fact, your smartphone of choice is an iPhone… although the Android is on your radar. You overwhelmingly listen to podcasts in your home more than anywhere else. And when you listen to podcasts, you’re clicking on them and listening to them right then (in other words, you’re streaming your podcasts). You’re less likely to download them and listen to them later. Interesting, right?

Lastly, you listen to online radio more than the average American, and you subscribe to on-demand video services like Netflix, Hulu, and the like.

So does this nail it? Or more precisely, do these latest survey results by Edison Research and Triton Digital describe you? We’d like to know. Drop your two cents, below.

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