Report Reveals That Listeners Learn Something New From Podcasts

There's no doubt that audio media battle each other for that valuable "ear" time from listeners. FM / AM radio, satellite radio and podcasts clash head-on, especially during a daily commute in a car, SUV or truck.

But ask any podcast listener and they’ll tell you: "Podcasts are uniquely immersive and engaging."

How do podcasts stack up against other media activities for delivering an attentive audience for advertisers? What types of needs states do podcasts serve compared to other media activities?

These questions and more are answered in the Canadian Podcast Listener 2020 -- the fourth annual survey of Canada's podcast consumers. Fieldwork is now complete and results are compiled and analyzed for a mid-November release. 

Here's a few early insights.

The complete annual Canadian Podcast Listener report is offered by subscription only and offers a deep dive into podcast listening behaviors including the Canadian Podcast Chart.

 64 percent of the survey-takers reported a higher degree of concentration when listening to podcasts. The report described podcasting's audience as "attentive, lean-in." 

Nearly 60 percent of listeners said they listen to "learn something new" or "to be entertained." 

When compared to other entertainment-oriented media activities, podcasts rank the highest in the "learn something new" category. 

These preliminary results are not surprising to any podcast enthusiast.  Since its inception, the podcast space has carved a large space for content that is either straight-up educational, "I didn't know that" knowledge or "that's how that works."

Consider popular podcasts like Stuff You Should Know, often abbreviated as SYSK, is a podcast and video series published by Stuff Media and hosted by Josh Clark and Charles W. "Chuck" Bryant. The podcast has been around for nearly 13 years and has produced more than 1,400 episodes.

The award-winning Curiosity Daily podcast is relentlessly upbeat and can back up its marketing claims about making you smarter. In less than 10 minutes, you’ll get a unique mix of research-based life hacks, the latest science and technology news, and more. Curiosity Daily has a panoramic view with no topics out of bounds. For example, one day, it covers “The Zoomies” when your cat darts across the room for no apparent reason to why vision is important to babies in the womb. They even produce more behavior-based mini-stories such as a recent episode about “How to avoid not giving up after a mistake.”

Discovery’s Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer blend well as a hosting team with a cheery enthusiasm that can help you drain that drowsiness from last night’s sleep or lack thereof. Gough was on air on Chicago’s WGN Radio and hosted the GonnaGeek Podcast, while Hamer is a well-credentialed science writer with a startling blend of other activities – saxophonist, world-class marathon runner and cat person.

Short Wave is a National Public Radio (NPR) podcast that gives us a sneak peek behind the science headlines — all in about 10 minutes, every weekday. It's science for everyone, using a lot of creativity and a little humor.

Host Maddie Sofia is an actual scientist with a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology from the University of Rochester Medical Center, which is ideal background for a host during the pandemic.

Before hosting Short Wave, Sofia hosted the NPR video show Maddie About Science and also co-developed the worldwide NPR Scicommers program, which supports scientists interested in building their communication skills.

Short Wave can do a sub -10-minute deep dive because Sofia is so fluent in science and communicating key concepts. Recent episodes include a tale of swarming locusts in Africa and how scientists in Tempe, AZ are using a low-carb diet to minimize crop damage.

Or a truly troubling episode about a condition called silicosis, and it's been known about for decades. So why is it now emerging in new numbers among workers who cut kitchen counter tops? NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce explains in such a way you’ll say a prayer that you kept your old Formica counter tops.

The Nutrition Diva is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips (QDT) network of podcasts, including 15 other short shows about topics that range from parenting to budgeting your money. To its credit, QDT has been one of the most successful organizations at monetizing digital content – podcasts, videos, e-books, websites -- and The Nutrition Diva happens to rank consistently in the top ten of the iTunes health podcast ratings.

Host Monica Reinagel and the podcast have completed an eye-popping 558 episodes, which is an achievement for longevity in the podcast world.
Reinagel is a board-certified, licensed nutritionist, well-known and professionally trained chef. Her "sane and scientific" approach and "foodie-friendly" advice is regularly featured on the  Today Show, CBS News, Morning Edition, and in the nation’s leading newspapers, magazines, and websites.

Her most recent episode about the Best and Worst Diets of 2020 with Jill Weisenberger is just one example of a nutrition podcast stuffed with common-sense advice and sprinkled with a healthy dose of skepticism about overheated health claims. And she’s not afraid to question conventional wisdom with episodes questioning the health claims of sugary sports drinks and protein bars.

Grammar Girl is another long-running short-form podcast from the Quick and Dirty Tips (QDT) network of podcasts. In the podcast universe, Grammar Girl is practically immortal, recently celebrating its 750^th episode. Host Mignon Fogarty is an inductee in the Podcasting Hall of Fame, and the show is a five-time winner of Best Education Podcast in the Podcast Awards. She has appeared as a guest expert on the Oprah Winfrey Show and The Today Show.

You do not have to be a grammar and syntax nerd to enjoy the podcast. Fogarty is a whiz at researching fascinating tidbits of knowledge about word derivations and misapplied usage. For example, in one episode Fogarty introduces us to words at the intersection of relationships such as “phubbing” (snubbing someone while they’re talking to you by staring at your phone) or Tinderella (an attractive woman on Tinder who someone has accidentally swiped left on.)

Want to know how you use farther instead of further? Is irregardless actually a word? Is badly a word?

A listen once a week can make people at work say, “Wow, Rob really does sound intelligent.”

 The complete annual Canadian Podcast Listener report will be released next month. Again, It is offered by subscription only and offers a deep dive into podcast listening behaviors including the Canadian Podcast Chart.

But you simply need your eyes and ears to know that as you slide out of bed and grumpily prepare for another day of the world, you have a wide choice of podcasts to make your day just a bit brighter, more informative and less stressful.