“I just read a research study, and it says….”
“The research proves my point.”
“According to this study, everybody listens to the radio every week….”
Does reading this send off any alarms for you? It does me. Mostly, I have been careful with how I use research in my sales process. I am usually skeptical when I see a new sales initiative being passed down alongside a study done by an organization that supports the initiative being offered. Many industry and trade organizations release studies that are very favorable to their industry.
For example, I love the instant background research the RAB provides on various types of businesses. But, I am not keen on using the research that radio reaches 92% of everybody. I don’t know many clients who can afford to buy enough radio to get a 92% reach. We all know many examples of shaky research that are one-sided or from companies no one has heard of.
But, recently, there was research published that was neutral and powerful. The time has come to embrace the podcast revolution. Edison Research released its popular Share of Ear study for Q2 in 2022, an eye-opener.
Nearly half of all 25-54 adults’ time spent with talk/personality content is now with podcasts in the USA.
Now, this isn’t just some random research study done by a company selling podcast advertising. No, Edison is subscribed to by Apple, Spotify, Westwood One, and many others. Many media buyers and executives rely on Edison to provide research right alongside Nielsen.
To be clear, sports formats were studied separately from talk/personality-driven formats, so I would assume the number of hours listened to podcasts is south of 50% of all 25-54 listening. But that is research I have not seen yet.
And the podcast listener numbers get even more significant with 18-34-year-olds. 60% of all listening time to talk/personality occurs via podcast. And according to Nielsen, markets below 51 are underdelivering podcast listeners and markets 1-10 are over-delivering.
So, you may want to tread lightly with this research with clients but be aware that, in this case, the Edison numbers did not lie. You may wish to rework your 2023 sales budget to include more podcasting revenue.
Jeff Caves is a sales columnist for BSM working in radio and digital sales for Cumulus Media in Dallas, Texas and Boise, Idaho. He is credited with helping launch, build, and develop Sports Radio The Ticket in Boise, into the market’s top sports radio station. During his 26 year stay at KTIK, Caves hosted drive time, programmed the station, and excelled as a top seller. You can reach him by email at jeffcaves54@gmail.com or find him on LinkedIn.
