The Opportunities for Kids’ Podcasts in 2023
Kids’ podcasts have a hidden advantage over “grownup” podcasts.
There’s been a spate of dire warnings issued for the podcast industry in 2023. A Bloomberg article by Ashley Carman and Lucas Shaw explored how “the industry’s biggest spenders are pulling back due to growing concerns about the economy and the possibility of weakening advertising sales in audio.” At Vulture, Nick Quah got to the heart of the matter: “The general consensus is that the exorbitant spending of the past four years, particularly by the bigger companies like Spotify and iHeartMedia, will finally be properly scrutinized — and possibly come to an end.”
This is not great news for the burgeoning field of kids’ podcasts. The “big spenders” were just beginning to give us a taste of their exorbitant habits, after years of establishing Kids & Family as a worthy category. Kids podcasts were starting to make major gains in recognition within the bigger podcast ecosystem, thanks in part to a COVID-related explosion of interest in 2020. Major podcast companies were building out their kids’ catalog, big IP was under negotiation, and generally, people were excited to talk about kids podcasting in a way they hadn’t been before.
It’s like scoring a late invite to a party, only to show up and find the decorations being taken down. With a general pullback on spending on podcasts, it’s likely that companies will be hesitant to invest in strategy and content for kids, who require a new approach to audience development and monetization. It’s a different model than “grownup” podcasts. But the good news is kids’ podcasts may be a welcome guest at other parties — and in many other industries. There are choices. Nay, there are opportunities.
I believe deeply in the value of kids’ podcasts. I’ve been working in the kids’ podcast space for seven years, since launching the award-winning Tumble Science Podcast for Kids. I also helped lead the first research into kids’ podcast listening behavior with Kids Listen, a non-profit advocacy organization I co-founded. We discovered that kids are deeply engaged podcast listeners. They listen to podcasts with others and talk about them. Those are highly desirable behaviors. And other industries understand their value, in a way that the podcast industry does not yet.
With that being said, here are a few of the “alternative” spaces where we believe kids’ podcasts can expand and find footing:
The kids’ media landscape: There is a big corner of media that understands the power and value of children very, very well. And they’re just getting acquainted with podcasts. There’s so much opportunity to bring beloved IP into podcast form. It just takes the right strategy, and the right approach to audio-first content.
Education: Parents and teachers alike are in continual need of new ways to entertain and educate children. Podcasts’ appeal lies in its screen-free portability, wide variety of content, and the inherent benefits of listening to improve literacy — among others. Existing educational technology could serve as a new frontier for a wide audience to discover kids’ podcasts.
Nonprofits/ Grants: Media companies with a mission to serve and benefit children are often set up as non-profits and run on grants. This model isn’t being widely used for podcasts. While Tumble Media is an LLC, we have a non-profit partner that provided us with the support we needed to receive a three year grant from the National Science Foundation this past year.
Research: As I already mentioned, there is a huge amount of interest in the use and behaviors around podcasting. But we are only beginning to answer questions about their applications. At Tumble Media, we’re studying how listening and making podcasts in the classroom can engage both blind and sighted students. There are many potential partners who would be excited about answering similar questions in their industries.
New platforms and formats: Bit by bit, the concept of podcasting is coming untethered from the RSS feed. Children experience audio in places that are not podcast apps — so how can we meet them where they are? Experimenting with formats to fit into different parts of kids’ lives and meet families’ needs can open new possibilities, both creatively and financially.
More diverse content: Kids’ podcasts have made a lot of progress in creating more diverse content over the past two years, but we’ve still only scratched the surface. Exploring all angles of culture, language, habits, values, and experiences creates exposure to new audiences, markets, and potential partners.
If our experience over the past eight years has taught us anything, it’s that kids podcasts creators must be innovative, and creative about partnerships. This will lead to more robust business models that don’t rely on the fickle nature of podcast platforms and trends. Pioneering new revenue sources and reaching new audiences will pay off in the long term. There is a huge amount of opportunity here, because big companies have been too risk-averse to figure it out so far. A slowdown is the perfect time to explore options and build new tools.
In a way, the warnings and scrutiny of the podcast industry makes me more optimistic than ever before about the kids’ space. We can take a clear eyed look from the outside, and see how kids’ podcasts can and should be better.
Lindsay Patterson is CEO of Tumble Media, a children’s educational audio company, and co-founder of Kids Listen.
