Podcasts - time to add to the media relations mix?

The launch of BBC Sounds this week affirms the success of podcasts in recent years: in the UK figures from March 2018 show that podcast listeners in the UK tend to be millennials, with two thirds falling into the 16-34 age bracket. Of this group, 27% listen once a week, and 29% listen to 2 – 4 a week.

Weekday afternoons and evenings are the prime listening time, with the largest spike occurring between 7pm and 10pm and interestingly, 21% of respondents said they had started listening in the last six months. The average podcast fans spend 3.6 hours listening each week.

All genres are represented and in PR terms, there appears to be a tremendous opportunity for brands to place guests and talent - along with key messages of course - in front of a growing and attentive audience.

Editors of business and technology podcasts for example are already weaving stories around guests with original and meaningful contributions, with decent subscriber numbers for The Economist: Money Talks, BBC's The Bottom Line and FT Alphachat.

If you have a story to tell and a guest to offer, please get in touch to discuss podcast media relations - +44 7967 353 727