A few weeks ago, an article came out that introduced us to super listeners, a group of highly engaged podcast listeners, defined as people who consume twice the pod-content of other listeners. To note, super listeners are also sometimes known as power listeners. Along with a few others engaged in the podcast industry, I put this number at around 35 hours of listening per week. Many of these consumers listen to their podcasts on apps that allow them to speed up the voices of the hosts, thereby allowing more listening per day. I am not quite a super listener, as my weekly listening clocks in somewhere around 24 hours.
Let’s put all of this in context. If you are not a super listener, you’re probably wondering where these people find the time. If you are a super listener, you’re probably thinking, “So? What’s the big deal? 35 hours is nothing.” And it’s true; many super listeners actually report listening to 60+ hours of pod each week.
I found my way to 20+ hours of pod listening a week almost strictly as a result of my environment: Los Angeles traffic. I wrote about this experience in an earlier blog on Discover Pods. Surely, there’s got to be a strong correlation between the most heavily trafficked cities (Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta) and the increasing number of super listeners.
A few weeks ago, I had the honor of chatting with Phoebe Lett of the New York Times Podcast Club, Kevin Goldberg of Discover Pods, and Brendan Hutchins, on his podcast the Podcast Playlist. We discussed the Discover Pods Awards Nominations of 2017 prior to the final voting round (you can listen to the episode here). I learned that Brendan listens to 35+ hours of pod each week. He was the first person I met who consumed this much content, and I was enthralled.
His experience got me thinking: what traits do super listeners share? What do they report about their consumption habits? And what’s the long term effect?
I’m here to focus on some of the data I’ve collected on super listeners. I surveyed super listeners from online Facebook groups and these are a few of the points that stood out to me:
Super listeners and their interactions with others:
I’m definitely in the pod evangelist camp.
On WHY they listen to so many podcasts, these answers stood out to me:
Podcasts are perfect for the ultimate multi-tasker.
Podcasts can and do provide respite and comfort.
On HOW/IF they retain the information the podcasts present:
I ask this question because when I started upping my listening, I realized I wasn’t retaining much. I had to take actions, like journaling, to make sure I was absorbing the information.
Read that, pod producers? The bar is set high – shock value needed!
Here’s an example of selective podcast memory.
The school approach to podcast listening.
Positive benefits reported from super listening:
There are a growing number of online communities dedicated to podcast discussion and promotion. Check out Podcasts We Listen To and She Podcasts.
Congrats to the podcast host that inspired this future lawyer!
Well, awesome!
Negatives reported from super listening:
*Gets wireless earbuds and grows long hair so no one knows you’re listening at the dinner table.*
We’ve got a lot more analysis ahead of us as podcasts continue to enter into the mainstream. Are you a big-time podcast listener? Do any of these findings resonate with you? And I invite you to write to me and let me know what are the positive effects you’ve experienced from podcast listening. Let us know!
The Dissect Podcast had been floating around in the back of my head for a…
NASCAR podcasts really have the possibility to bridge what we may ignorantly think is a…
Welcome to our guide on the best mystery podcasts! If you're a fan of spine-tingling…
The trial is over, the sentence meted out, but the impacts linger. We'd all do…
The best podcast about history will not only teach us about the past, but will…
The true crime genre is alive and well in the podcast community. Here are our…