Attract Podcast Super Listeners for 96% more recommendations

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Podcast Super Listeners are a subset of listeners that consume over 5 hours of podcasts weekly. They constitute 34% of all listeners. They are highly valuable as 96% recommend content, 81% subscribes to shows, 62% subscribe to paid-audio service, and 44% pay more attention to ads on podcasts.

Super Listeners are basically ideal podcast consumers.

Only those key statistics show to convince you how important they are and that your show should have a marketing and content strategy designed to attract podcast super listeners

Who are Podcast Super Listeners?

Some people listen to Podcasts, and some are literally hooked to them.

Super listeners are the avid listeners of Podcasts, who spend at least 5 hours a week listening to podcasts. This is twice the amount of podcast content consumed by an average listener.

It means that we consider 34% of podcast listeners as Super Listeners.

In fact, more than half of the podcast super listeners consume more than 8 hours of podcast content weekly. They are the most active, most engaged set of listeners, and they are highly likely to respond to your call-of-action.

A recent study conducted by Podcast One and Edison Research on podcast listeners of major networks identified this group and their podcast listening habits. Based on their research, the super listener group emerged as a strong group of listeners who are devoted to podcasts, and tapping into them can be of immense benefit to podcasters.

Reasons to Prioritize Podcast Super Listeners

The super listeners have a strong preference for digital consumption of media over broadcast. They rate podcasts as a highly trustworthy source of content. They believe that the podcaster is more genuine than any other kind of content creator.

There are multiple reasons that make these super listeners a high priority for all the Podcasters. Super Listeners are:

1. Show Promoters

96% of the most dedicated podcast fans recommend content to their friends and consume twice the content of the average listener.

Super listeners love to engage with the Podcast content. Rather than listening passively, they take a deep interest in your podcast and are highly likely to recommend it. Yes, they hear your every word.
If you received valuable feedback from your listeners, it probably comes from a Super Listener.

2. Brand and Podcast Loyalists

On average, they listen to about 13 podcasts per week and are generally “podcast loyalists.” 81% subscribes to a show, downloads content automatically and listening to a show later

Super listeners are loyal to their Podcast choice. They listen to about 13 podcasts every week, and they prefer to subscribe to a Podcast, rather than downloading single episodes. Once they like your work, they would eagerly wait for more episodes. Or go back and listen to the older ones.

3. Online Spenders for Goods and Services

62% subscribe to any paid-audio service and are generally favorable towards podcast marketing messages. 44% agree they pay more attention to ads on podcasts than on other forms of media.

You will have a simpler time with monetizing your podcast when you attract Super Listeners. Regardless if you choose monetization with ads or some kind of info product selling, you will achieve better results.

Why are Podcast Super Listeners valuable for a show?

Given their high level of engagement and a deep interest in Podcasts, the super listeners make for an important and lucrative group of audience for Podcasters. They are great potential subscribers or clients, and they can serve as an important source of ad revenue.

By focusing on the podcast super listeners, you can get a long list of subscribers. And when your episode gets auto-downloaded to your subscriber’s account, your ad-revenues get shored up too. By targeting super listeners, your visibility to the generic audience also increases.

The super listeners are Podcast aficionados.

They spend a lot of time listening to Podcasts, actually, twice the time that a generic user would spend.

While generic listeners would skim through content, super listeners take a keen interest in your work and feel happy to listen to the old episodes as well.
Many of them will even binge-listen to a number of old episodes if they’ve just discovered your show.

If you are wondering whether there are listeners who would be interested in paying for your content, then super listeners are your answer!

These are the people to look out for if you want to create paid-content or charge listeners extra for ad-free episodes.

And as they are deeply tuned to your work, they will also highly consider products you endorse during your episodes.

Strategies for maximizing Super Listeners’ engagement

How to attract Podcast Super Listeners?

Whether you have just dipped your feet into the world of podcasting, or you are a pro in the game, you must have realized that running a podcast series is really hard work.

It requires a commitment to research, crafting of a good script, technological finesse, just to name a few things. With the super listeners around, working hard on your podcast can become very rewarding. They will not just appreciate the nuances of your work, but they can be a great source of income.

1. Work on in-depth content for your podcast

Super listeners love details! They are willing to listen to longer episodes that provide in-depth coverage or analysis of a topic.

41% of the super listeners said they highly prefer a podcast with fewer episodes but greater depth, while the rest of them had no particular preference. Hence, it would pay to research a topic well and come up with exhaustive content, rather than making a list of twenty best things!

So don’t make long lists of 20 best things. Instead, focus on top 3-5 but with many details.

If you are wondering how to add ‘depth’ to your work, include:

reviews,
analysis,
interviews,
details that support your content.

Reaching out to experts on the topic, and including their interviews and experiences will lend a great deal of credibility to your podcast. Such detailed content would satiate the appetite of the eager super-listeners.

2. Create long-form content – shows 50 minutes and above might be perfect

77% of super listeners consume over 6 hours of podcasts. Over 50% of them listen for 10+ hours. Create podcast episodes of 50 minutes and above to target such listeners.

Super listeners spend a lot of time listening to their favorite podcasts, and they would be more than happy to lap up longer episodes. Long episodes are a great way to keep them interested in your podcast.

3. Ask for recommendations

I’ve already mentioned that 96% of super listeners do recommend their favorite podcast to their friends; your words will be paid attention to and acted upon!

Since they consume over five hours of content every week, you are not the only person they are listening to, so your small request can help you stay on top of their mind!

You need to make sure your show is the one they recommend, so simply ask for a recommendation!

Engaging with listeners is very important to grow your subscriber’s base, and engagement with super listeners could earn you a promoter for your podcast.

Super listeners listen carefully to what you say! They would be happy to engage with you, so reach out to them. At the end of each episode request your listeners to share their reviews and recommend your podcast to their friends.

4. Reinforce trust

Among the podcast super listeners covered in the survey, 33% trust podcast audio content.

When you compare this figure with other forms of media, you will realize that podcasts are only behind national newspapers when it comes to trust (35% trust national newspapers).

Hence, it is very important to create researched and verified content for your podcast.

Your listeners are not the audience scrolling randomly through a social media feed. They are deeply involved in your work. The quality of your podcast episode, the authenticity of the facts, and the depth of the research matters to them.

Factual content and news matter a lot to super listeners, and they consider podcasts to be a genuine source of facts and news. It is noteworthy that podcast super listeners are more interested in the national news (7.5 on a 1–10 scale) and international news (7.1) than local news (5.6).

5. Offer exclusive ads free content through Patreon or a paywall

For the podcasters looking for donations to support their work, super listeners are the group they should reach out to.

Super listeners are fond of podcasts, and 61% of them are interested in listening to premium and exclusive content.

They are not very fond of dynamically inserted ads, and 50% said that they would avoid the ads and want to limit the exposure.

Podcasters who are doubtful if they would find listeners for a paid subscription, be assured as there are super listeners out there who would happily subscribe to you if you lure them with meaningful content.

71% consider it important to access media whenever they want. Such listeners could well be your patrons on Patreon if you provide them exclusive, ad-free content.

6. Develop and offer in-depth info products

The super listeners highly regard the advice of podcasters.

42% of the podcast super listeners covered in the survey are willing to consider products or services after they have heard about them on a podcast.

If you have been skeptical about giving lengthy product reviews, put those doubts to rest. There is a set of listeners willing to listen to detailed and genuine product info.

When it comes to their trusted podcaster, they are likely to consider trying out the product or service themselves. Give reviews after trying out the product yourself. This will also help you develop longer content, which the super listeners like. This can translate into a strong base of listeners for you, as well as a remuneration through reviews.

7. Work on very memorable Call-to-Action and Lead Nurturing

69% of podcast super listeners are consuming content on the go vs. only 31% at home.

As most of the listeners are tuned to podcasts on their smartphones and other portable apps, they are likely to listen to your work while they are in the bus or in the subway.

What this means for you is that if you want to convey them any specific message, like a request to visit your web page and share their feedback, or visit the link in your episode description to buy your recommended product, then be loud and clear about it. Subtlety is not going to work here.

Put forward your call-for-action multiple times in your individual episodes.

Your super listeners might not immediately respond for the first time, but since they are frequent listeners of podcasts, this will help you in the lead nurturing.

If you have recommended a product or a service multiple times, they will remember and are likely to come back at the time they decide to make a purchase.

8. Mobile Optimized Landing Pages

93% of podcast super listeners use their smartphones to listen to podcasts.

In my previous posts, I have strongly advised podcasters to have their own landing pages, where they can lead their listeners from their podcasts.

The landing page can tell the listeners more about their work on and off podcasts, have links to all their previous episodes, and details about products and services that they endorse.

Many of them might be listening to you on the go, say when they are commuting to work. If you have a landing page that is slow and clunky and doesn’t work well on phones, they will not have the patience to keep staring into a screen.

While designing your landing page, do keep in mind that it should have a simple design that is optimized for high-performance on mobile phones.

9. Increase your sponsorship rates and invest in improving your show

The podcasters might be averse to frequent, dynamically inserted ads, but they have an open ear for the baked-in advertisements said out loud by their trusted podcaster.

60% of podcast super listeners appreciate advertisers for supporting their favorite shows, and 41% feel that the ads on podcasts are relevant to them – more than the ads they come across on other platforms.

So seek ads that fit around your content, and the super listeners can relate to them.

If you are focusing on reaching out to super listeners, higher sponsorship rates could greatly benefit you. If you have valuable, interesting, and engaging podcast content to offer, your super listeners will be happy to sponsor you too (and not just for a few cents!).

Get a donate button for your podcast, if you already haven’t!

Conclusions

If you are a podcaster who loves his or her work and burn the midnight oil to deliver timely episodes, super listeners demand your attention.

They are a lucrative group of listeners who take your work seriously. Not only do you stand to earn good profit from them, but they can also provide you with valuable feedback and suggestions.

They might even know more about your podcast topic than you- that’s because they are so engaged and involved.

If you have just entered the world of podcasting, keep the podcast super listeners in mind before chalking out your podcasting strategy.

Podcast Super Listeners are:

Good source of ad revenue – due to the amount of content consumed
They subscribe to shows – generate automatic downloads, essential for ads revenue
Listen to 2x hours vs. average – more likely to consume entire past library or episodes
Pay for content and can pay to avoid ads – likely to support Patreon or paywall
Potential clients – favorable towards ads and will consider endorsed products

If you have already been there for some time, you can gain their attention with a few tweaks in your work.

Podcasting is emerging as a strong and powerful media, and super listeners are its loyal evangelist. And with their support and patronage, you can catapult yourself and become a super podcaster.