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How An Internet Meme Conquered Video Podcasting

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The top shelf of podcasting is a tough nut to crack.

To say there is “Joe Rogan and everyone else” is an oversimplification, but rooted in reality. When we ask podcast consumers in our research which shows are top-of-mind, whether or not they watch or listen, Rogan’s lead is astronomical. This has generally translated into massive consumption numbers, and Rogan’s early adoption of YouTube (the Joe Rogan Experience debuted in 2009), where his podcast boasts nearly 20 million subscribers, certainly has a lot to do with it.

Joe Rogan Experience

Joe Rogan is the dominant brand in podcasting (Photo credit: Rokas Tenys / Shutterstock.com)

Newcomers have made dents, among them motivational speaker Mel Robbins, whose just over two-year-old show recently overtook Rogan as the #1 podcast on Spotify.

Some of the stalwarts of the space have approached video in different ways. NPR’s “NPR News Now” is on YouTube with a podcast that feels like watching a news story. Meanwhile, “The Daily” from The New York Times uses only a static image while playing the audio version underneath.

But several of the newer players in podcasting’s elite level have figured this video thing out.

Kylie Kelce’s “Not Gonna Lie” is only 10 episodes in and claims hundreds of thousands of views per show. Other podcasts that have been around awhile, like Alex Cooper’s “Call Her Daddy” (which boasts that it’s the top podcast among women) and Steven Bartlett’s interview formatted “The Diary of a CEO” are surging as YouTube’s popularity grows among podcast consumers.

And without YouTube, would the Hawk Tuah girl be one of the most popular podcasters?

I know you need to read that last sentence again. Take your time.

Hailey Welch was working at a bedspring factory in Nashville last summer when she was spontaneously interviewed on the street in the city’s rowdy Broadway district for a YouTube channel, Tim & Dee TV. While the questions started relatively tame, it was Welch that encouraged the hosts to “spice up the questions.” That led to “What’s one move in bed that makes a man go crazy every time?” Welch’s answer became an internet meme, forever labeling her the Hawk Tuah girl.

And that 15 minutes of fame could have been the end of the story as it so often is, but it was not.

Bloomberg podcast reporter Ashley Carman describes Welch’s remarkable six-month ascent from unknown to podcast celebrity. Someone in a position of influence had to notice (Jake Paul) and a platform had to offer backing (Paul’s Betr company), but the article mentions key points of strategy that led to Welch’s success.

According to David Tishelman, Head of Production at Betr Media, Welch is “entirely authentic and doesn’t know how to fake it. In our experience, those are the characters that resonate.” The team wisely deployed a social media strategy loaded with clips to emphasize Welch’s charming small-town origins.

In the last quarter, “Talk Tuah” was the 11th most popular podcast in the United States, according to Edison Research. It boasted nearly 12 million views on YouTube and 1.3 million unique listens on Spotify.

We’ll be releasing findings from a brand new study about video podcasting in the coming weeks. The study includes the effects of consumer usage of video and audio podcasting and how they complement (or don’t complement) each other.

So that’s where this blog should end. New talent discovered, coached, marketed properly, video used effectively, bam. But it doesn’t.

Strangely, there have been no new episodes since December 3rd. OK, not so strangely. The next day, after an episode quite timely titled “How to Avoid Getting Cancelled,” she launched a controversial meme coin that sunk in value and brought claims of a fraudulent scheme and lawsuits.

Just as you can grow a brand, you can torpedo one, too.

Maybe time will heal, and Welch will be back, or maybe we’ll never hear from her again. Either way, the lesson is the same.

Fresh talent that understands how to connect with consumers where they are is a very good thing for podcasting.

And maybe don’t launch a meme coin.

Blog

Why Should My Company Launch A Branded Podcast?

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Why would a company want to launch a branded podcast?

For starters, it’s a unique form of outreach to add to a marketing plan. Relative to a more standard advertising campaign, a branded podcast can be a cost-efficient way for a company to provide content that grows its image and supports the values of the respective brand.

Inside Trader Joe’s is often referred to as the gold standard of branded podcasts. It has a large and loyal following because the content of the podcast matches the perception and expectations of the brand. Trader Joe’s has a cultish following, with an army of shoppers that are more than happy to spread the gospel of Mandarin Orange Chicken, “Unexpected” Cheddar Cheese, and Steamed Pork and Ginger Soup Dumplings. Shopping at Trader Joe’s feels like you’re part of some secret society.

Inside Trader Joe's

Photo credit: Pamela Brick / Shutterstock.com

So, what’s the podcast about?

Inside Trader Joe’s peels back the curtain on how they make the brand so special. There’s an episode about the bells the workers ring. There’s one about how the store sets its prices. What’s up with those mini tote bags? Why do they use private labels? Why don’t they offer online shopping?

Much of the population won’t care about this content. It’s wonky stuff, after all. But for someone into Trader Joe’s, it’s gold. It has the vibe of what you’d probably expect from a Trader Joe’s podcast, answers questions their consumers would likely care about, and it all carefully supports and builds the brand’s image.

Trader Joe’s is hardly the only company producing a branded podcast.

The Bank of New York has Your Active Wealth. There’s Space Makers by Lockheed Martin. Toyota Untold by Toyota. The list goes on and on.

One of the best things about podcasting is that anyone can do it. So, no matter the size or type of company, a branded podcast could make sense.

But in some ways, branded podcasts present land mines that other podcasts don’t. Your podcast represents your brand. And just as you would consider everything from the shape of the logo to which colors to use to what messaging to deploy in a standard ad campaign, a branded podcast should be handled with a high level of strategy.

Last year, I conducted a Plan Developer perceptual study for a large company with an already successful parenting advice podcast in the Kids and Family category. There were questions from some in the organization about the value of the effort it takes to produce a branded podcast. Many of the questions related to things like the talent, the topics, and the target audience.

So, what did we learn?

We learned how top-of-mind this podcast is with its target consumers. We found out which type of parenting advice is most important to them. We tested the appeal of specific titles. We discovered the hosts are very well liked. We found out that most people familiar with the brand and the podcast didn’t know that the client’s brand was behind the podcast.

That was a big finding.

Another significant finding related to video. At the time, this podcast was only available in audio form. Half of those familiar with the brand and podcast said they’d be much more likely to listen or watch if made available via video.

At the time, the podcast was nowhere to be found on YouTube. After just a few months of consistency and YouTube’s algorithms determining who to serve it to, the video version has grown from a handful of views per episode to over 100,000 views per episode.

If you want to utilize a podcast to support your brand’s growth strategy, it is imperative that you approach it as strategically as you would with all your other marketing efforts.

Blog

Why Podcasters Must Urgently Adopt A Video Strategy

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Good morning from the world’s largest podcasting conference, Podcast Movement in Washington, DC! From the first time I attended this great event in Philadelphia six years ago, I felt an energy that always excites me about returning.

No one should debate podcasting’s strength as an audio medium. Like radio, there is power in the spoken word, in the ability to paint mental pictures and tell stories. It is magically portable. Easy to listen to on the go, whether in the car, while taking a walk, or riding the subway.

If you think about the ways early podcast consumers listened to podcasts, you might visualize this:

Apple Podcasts

Photo credit: Mojahid Mottakin / Shutterstock.com

The Apple Podcast logo was essentially the de facto logo for the medium, a true indication of the power of branding. Apple was the right platform for podcasting because the app was native to Apple devices—no need to go to the App Store and download it.

But consumer habits change.

While iOS is still the leading operating system over Android in the United States, it’s not by a ton (about 60%-40% according to TechRepublic), and globally Android dominates iOS (about 70%-30%).

So, it’s no longer just about the convenience of the native app on your phone. It’s what brands win the mind of the consumer. And it’s important to note some crucial changes that have taken place.

While Apple is a favorite of many creators, a remarkable thing happened to two other platforms on the consumer side.

  • Spotify went from 30 million active users in 2013 to 626 million in 2024.
  • YouTube went from 532 million active users in 2019 to 868 million in 2023.

Consumers made a behavioral shift to Spotify and YouTube because their brands grew, and they offered content their audiences found appealing. If you’re not putting extra energy into these platforms, you’re not fishing where the fish are.

One year ago, I presented the landmark “New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube” study at Podcast Movement in Denver with Steve Goldstein of Amplifi Media. This benchmark research project explored the perceptions and usage of video among American podcast consumers. Here are three key takeaways.

  1. 73% of podcast consumption is dominated by three platforms…YouTube, Spotify, and Apple.

One of these platforms is all video. One has publicly stated in recent months that it is going all-in on video. On my personal Spotify account, I’m now getting video podcast recommendations on my home page before audio versions.

  1. Consumers don’t see podcasting as an audio-only medium.

We were intentional in our study to not use the word “listen” when referring to a podcast because we felt it was important to understand whether consumers see podcasting as an audio-only medium. They used to, but they don’t anymore.

  1. More podcast consumers now say they consume their favorite podcast via audio and video than just audio.

If a fan of your podcast searches for a video version and it’s not there, do you think YouTube or Spotify’s algorithms will suggest other shows that will take your audience away from yours?

Of course they will.

After I presented this study, many subsequent conversations followed with creators and networks. We acknowledged that there is no “one size fits all” video solution for every podcast. Not every podcast needs to, or even should, offer complete episodes on video. Even if starting with the usage of video as a marketing tool, using trailers and clips, it is a great place to begin the journey.

And yet, there were two words I knew I could count on hearing from all of them.

“Yes, but”.

“Yes, but the views are miniscule relative to the time we spend”.

“Yes, but YouTube’s advertising restrictions are horrible”.

“Yes, but no RSS feed”.

“Yes, but we can’t sell it”.

“Yes, but I don’t have the staff”.

“Yes, but it’s a trend”.

As my therapist might say, your feelings are valid. But they miss the big picture.

Most of the research I conduct for podcasters at Coleman Insights is perceptual research. We may take a deep dive, for example, into the behavior of fans of Kids & Family podcasts or fiction podcasts. Maybe we’re digging into perceptions of sports podcast users.

This type of research is very different than top-line usage analytics, which don’t dig into brand images that influence behavior. Perceptions in podcasting are changing, and that is changing behavior.

In a couple of hours at 10:15 AM EDT, I’ll join a panel for a session called “Stop Leaving Impressions On The Table: Vodcasting Is Podcasting” moderated by Carl Weinstein, COO of Locked On Podcast Network. Locked On features a local podcast for every team in every major sport. Weinstein’s network jumped into vodcasting (video podcasting) years ago, and fully resisted “yes, but”. I asked him a few questions about their experience.

Q: When did Locked On embrace video? Why was it important for Locked On to embrace it early, when most podcasters are only now considering it as an integral part of their strategy?

A: We began adding the video simulcast of all our podcasts to our entire lineup in 2021. It was less about embracing it early than it was about meeting the audience where they were. The signs were already there in 2021, actually before then, that the audience was already defining a podcast differently than the industry was at that time. To reach the total potential audience, we needed to move towards them and could not expect them to move back towards us. We jumped in with both feet and never looked back.

Locked On Podcast Network Chief Operating Officer Carl Weinstein

Q: How has it performed compared to audio and what are some of the key differences? Why do you think it’s been so successful for you and not as successful for others?

A: Performance has been amazing. I think largely because we tapped into a totally new audience and also because discovery on the primary video platform, YouTube, is so much better than discovery on the traditional audio podcast apps. Hard for me to speak to what others are experiencing, but I think for us, we are tailor-made for the video platforms and experience. Our podcasts are daily, our podcasts are shorter than most others in the market (30 minutes or less), and we cover sports, targeting one of the most passionate, widest-reaching affinity groups in media.

Q: Seems many creators are concerned about tracking and attribution with YouTube. How have you handled that?

A: We have an amazing advertising ops team. We have developed our own systems and processes for tracking and reporting and have worked with our advertising partners to optimize each for their needs. We are also on OTT, both VOD (Video On Demand) and FAST TV (Free Advertising-Supported Streaming Television), so with each platform we must address a unique set of requirements and needs. Not necessarily easy, and certainly time and resource-consuming, but totally doable and worth the effort.

Blog

Three Takeaways from Podcast Movement Evolutions

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Podcast Movement Evolutions is an offshoot of the original Podcast Movement conference, the largest annual gathering of podcasters in the world. When first launched, Evolutions was more geared towards podcast creators, rather than the more industry professional-focused older sibling version. But, much like the medium itself, Spring’s Podcast Movement Evolutions, which took place last week in Los Angeles, has matured into an event nearly unrecognizable from Summer’s Podcast Movement.

Here are three takeaways from this year’s Podcast Movement Evolutions.

  1. YouTube, YouTube…how I love (hate) thee….

Ask consumers which platform they use the most for podcasts, as we did in our New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube study with Amplifi Media last August, and they will tell you YouTube, as the company shared in their Podcast Movement Evolutions keynote session Friday morning. Ask podcasters what they think of podcasting on YouTube, and well…it’s complicated.

There is one thing nearly every podcaster will agree on, and that’s YouTube’s massive value as a podcast promotional tool. Using trailers and clips on YouTube to market your podcast (as well as short-form platforms like Shorts, TikTok, and Reels) has been a tangible boon for many shows. Whether organic or paid (or a combination), YouTube has undeniable value for podcast discovery.

Where creators have far less consensus is regarding YouTube’s value for hosting entire podcast episodes. The frustration generally lies in YouTube’s methodology. Although, according to Podnews editor James Cridland in his annual podcasting report card, creators give YouTube high marks for its analytics, many are frustrated with its independent advertising ecosystem and lack of communication.

To paraphrase Audacy’s Head of Podcasts Jenna Weiss-Berman, “Half of me is in on YouTube and its role in the future of podcasting. The other half says they need to play in the same sandbox.”

YouTube is too important and valuable to the industry and used by consumers to be cast aside. It’s also fair to lay the burden on Google to adapt to the needs of the creator. (see: Spotify abandoning its “exclusive” platform model with Joe Rogan and other Spotify shows).

YouTube’s podcasting team shared some upcoming initiatives that address this. They also claimed they are working on more podcast-friendly algorithms to recommend more targeted content to the consumer For example, wouldn’t it be nice if when you play a podcast episode on YouTube, it recommends other episodes from that creator and similar podcasts rather than a slew of seemingly random videos from the YouTube galaxy? YouTube and its creators should be transparent, honest, and must work together to figure out the best way forward.

  1. Engagement is YouTube’s secret sauce

Consumers love the ability to comment on YouTube videos (and podcasts). Spotify’s Q&A feature now allows hosts to ask questions of their listeners, which can be sent to the creator privately, and creators can choose which comments to feature on the platform. Meanwhile, Apple, the third of the “Big 3” (with YouTube and Spotify), remains a one-way street.

On the surface, Apple adding listener engagement would be a big deal. But as Spotify surely knows from its video podcast initiative, (wait, Spotify has video podcasts? Yep…) just because you offer it doesn’t mean consumers will somehow magically find it, learn about it, or even want it from your brand.

So yes, if Apple were to add listener engagement, it would be interesting. But it doesn’t automatically mean it would be successful.

  1. We are legally obligated to mention AI in any conversation about podcasting

Last August, when Steve Goldstein and I presented that YouTube study in Denver, we had a conversation backstage before the keynote when we remarked, “Whoever figures out an easy podcast video service will do very well.” In a massively short period, Artificial Intelligence has swooped in to do just that. There are companies like Rizzle, which offer “no edit videos.” Or Audiencelift (formerly Trailergram), which encourages you to upload your podcast trailer and uses your preferred targeting location, Apple Podcasts category, and keywords from your ad description to show your podcast’s ad to new listeners.

Our friends at Blubrry, one of the original podcast hosting platforms, are at the forefront of differentiation and innovation, adding an AI assistant to help with promotion tools and highlight clip creation, and Vid2Pod, which plays the YouTube game in reverse…pulling in your YouTube playlist for universal audio distribution.

What a time to be alive.

But, as Blubrry CEO Todd Cochrane told me, “We still need to hear from real, authentic humans.”

This is both podcasting’s golden opportunity and the greatest obstacle in its next phase of growth. The industry should embrace new tools to spark more efficient and effective solutions. But it must also remember that authenticity is its greatest asset. Podcasters should want AI to help them be more efficient, but podcast consumers do not need AI to augment what they love about their favorite shows and hosts.

And finally, I’ll go back to what Todd says about hearing from those real live humans. Conducting real perceptual research with real podcast consumers is not a luxury. It is a necessity to grow brands and elevate this medium we love.

Ask Me Anything

Ask Me Anything – Episode 7: Scary Research Stories

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Welcome to our new Ask Me Anything webinar series!

Each month will feature a different topic, as we cover questions related to research, branding, and marketing strategy in audio entertainment – all in just 15 minutes!

In this episode, consultants Jay Nachlis and Meghan Campbell, along with moderator and Director of Client Services Kimberly Bryant, discussed Scary Research Stories. Watch the 15-minute video below:

Questions We Answered:

2:01 – Bad Ratings Story
5:09 – The Focus Group of One Story
7:38 – The Short-Term Thinking Story
11:11 – The App Story

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Podcast Research on YouTube: But Wait! There’s More!

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Anytime we conduct a research study, our favorite notification email is the one that reads, “The sums for your project have been delivered and can now be found in your brief.”

Like a kid opening presents on Christmas, that email is an invitation from Santa to go to a folder on our server, open a spreadsheet, and dive into mounds and mounds of data.

Research isn’t for everyone, but if that gives you a thrill, the business may be for you.

When analyzing the data for the recent research study we conducted with Amplifi Media, “The New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube,” as we do with all studies, we’re looking for a story. What does the data tell us? What does it mean? And how can we turn it into action to produce strategic results?

In this study, the big story is that the definition of “podcast” and how people consume podcasts is shifting, big time. Consumers now define podcasts as audio or video, not just audio. They like YouTube for podcasts. I mean, really like YouTube. What we learned from those who use YouTube to consume podcasts uncovered actionable findings that can help podcasters formulate their video strategies.

But wait, there’s more!

That spreadsheet with multiple crosstabs, or “data tables” as we refer to it, lists every question asked in the study and the corresponding answer overall. But we’re also analyzing answers by things like age, gender, ethnicity, and geography. We want to see how questions are answered by users of specific podcast platforms or fans of specific categories. How different are the answers by how often they consume podcasts? This is an example of just some of the digging we do.

If we showed every piece of data, the presentation would go on for days. And different pieces of data may be more interesting to different people.

If you work in radio, we’ve got data that shows how listeners of local radio stations feel about podcasting and the role of video. We’ve got data on users of many streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Paramount +, and Max.

If you work in marketing or advertising, you may find it interesting how podcast consumers say they’re discovering new podcasts.

We’ve got “momentum” data – which platforms are moving up and down in usage vs. last year. We know which podcasts consumers say are their favorites and can look at that data across other measures.

If you’re interested in purchasing additional data from “The New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube,” click here and fill out the form. Multiple levels of access are available at different price points, and we’d love to discuss how the data may help you.

Blog

The New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube

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Here is the webinar version of the “New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube” presentation delivered by Coleman Insights Vice President/Consultant Jay Nachlis and Amplifi Media Founder/CEO Steve Goldstein.

In this webinar which details findings from an August 2023 research study, Jay and Steve cover the changing perceptions and behavior of podcast consumers, the increasing importance of video in the medium, and answer questions from attendees.

6:13-7:13 The definition of a podcast is changing
8:16-8:53 How people consume their favorite podcasts
9:32-10:35 Which services, apps, or destinations do you currently use for podcasts?
10:37-11:18 Which service, app, or destination do you use most often for podcasts?
11:19-11:42 Age Matters
15:15-15:50 Why do you choose YouTube for podcasts?
15:54-16:26 Are all your favorite podcasts on YouTube?
17:06-17:44 How do you search for podcasts on YouTube?
18:59-19:48 YouTube Shorts
21:19-22:07 YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts Face-Off
22:16-25:19 Key Findings
25:29-30:39 New Rules

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A Podcast is Audio or Video. The Customer Says So.

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Podcasters: Listen to your customers, even (especially?) when the customer may see things differently.

At the Podcast Movement conference in Denver last week, we may have ruffled a few feathers with the presentation of our findings from a new research study, “The New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube.”

One of the headlines from the study is “The Definition of a Podcast is Changing”, which indicates that 75% of 15- to 64-year-old podcast consumers in the United States believe a podcast should be defined as “audio or video”.

Another headline indicates that YouTube is the #1 podcasting app.

These findings are related in an important way, and there’s a clear reason why these findings caused a buzz in some podcasting circles.

Steve Goldstein from Amplifi Media, who collaborated with us on the study, talked about three eras of podcasting in the presentation and will cover this week in his blog. The “MeUndies Era”, when the medium was filled with baked-in ads, host-read endorsements, and the Apple podcast app went native on iPhones. The second era, the “Throwing Spaghetti Against The Wall Era”, was filled with expansion and experimentation. We are now entering the “What is a Podcast Era”, as we see the lines between audio and video blur and converge.

Dannie J. Gregoire is credited with coining the word “podcasting” back in 2004, and from the beginning, two factors were integral to the very existence of a podcast. First, a podcast was in an audio format. Second, and more specifically, a podcast was a piece of audio referenced by an enclosure tag in an RSS feed. RSS, or “Really Simple Syndication,” allows users to access updates to websites in a standardized format. An RSS feed is crucially important to podcasters because it allows them to upload episodes, artwork, and show notes in one place, and have them populate seamlessly onto whatever platform the consumer chooses to listen to them on, from Spotify to Apple Podcasts to Amazon Music. And that was generally how podcasting operated until a very large platform threw a monkey wrench into the medium: YouTube.

As a video-first platform, YouTube’s content includes shows that most would widely consider a podcast and others that wouldn’t necessarily “qualify” because the content on YouTube isn’t available as a podcast on other platforms. The RSS feed is a major point of contention for many podcasters because currently the platform doesn’t ingest feeds the way other platforms do. There are different analytics and different ways of monetizing, and one can understand how easily it can be seen as a headache.

How you view podcasting today is likely informed by your podcasting origin story. If you started listening to Ricky Gervais’s podcast on Apple Podcasts in 2007, it would be understandable if you define a podcast as audio-only. If you started “listening” to the very popular Smartless podcast with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett while “watching” an animated logo on the screen, you may feel quite a bit differently.

It’s also important to consider how the demographics of the podcasting audience has evolved. 39% of podcast consumers in our study have been using the medium for two years or less, a number that balloons to 58% among 15- to 24-year-olds. Quite simply, there are fewer purists that see podcasting as an audio-only medium and more that see it as comprising audio and video.

39% of podcast consumers have been using podcasts for two years or less

So, when we report that YouTube is the #1 podcasting destination, it’s not to say that the highest number of podcasts are being consumed on the platform. When 1,000 15- to 64-year-old podcast consumers were asked, “Which services, apps, or destinations do you currently use for podcasts?” 60% of them said YouTube, ahead of Spotify at 53%.

YouTube is the #1 podcasting app

You can dismiss how some consumers perceive what a podcast is, but that’s their perception.

You can dismiss YouTube as a podcasting platform because it doesn’t ingest RSS feeds, but consumers see it as a podcasting platform. That’s their perception.

You’ve almost certainly heard the term “Perception is Reality,” and this study, as many as any I’ve worked on, is truly a reflection of that.

We often talk about Outside Thinking, which is adopting the mindset of the consumer­. Inside Thinkers get caught up in the way they see things, which is often not in sync with their customers.

This research was designed for one thing in mind, and that was to show how podcast consumers view the medium, and how they view podcasting on YouTube. You may see the world differently than they do, but you can’t challenge how they feel.

As a wise therapist once told me, “Those are your feelings. And your feelings are valid.”

By understanding broad global perceptions of the medium, and not just relying on content analytics, it’s our hope that the podcasting industry will have a clearer path towards building strong brands to accompany much of the incredible content being generated.

The “New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube” webinar is coming up Thursday, September 7th at 2PM EDT/11AM PDT. Registration is open now.

Blog

Should I Be Podcasting on YouTube?

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Imagine, for a moment, that you’ve got a product to promote. There are many places that offer the product you’re promoting, and the great thing is, it’s not like a grocery store that charges you for shelf space. You can put your product in any of these places you’d like, and it doesn’t cost you a thing. There are clear, consistent data that demonstrates which of these places that offer products like yours have the most customers.

If you offered this product, and you had the chance to put your product at the place that boasts the largest number of people interested in your product, would you put it there? Well, a podcast is the product, YouTube is the place, and thousands of podcasters are either publishing their shows there minimally or not at all.

How can this be?

We deployed a new research study, “The New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube,” conducted in conjunction with Amplifi Media, in which we surveyed 1,000 15- to 64-year-old podcast consumers in the United States. We learn that even though there is no shortage of podcast apps, 73% of podcast consumers prefer one of only three: YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts. YouTube is the most used app for podcasts (used by 60% of podcast consumers, compared to 53% for Spotify and 30% for Apple).

So, why isn’t podcasting on YouTube a no-brainer?

Different podcasters have different explanations, many of which are perfectly valid. And frankly, not all podcasts should be on YouTube, due to factors that may include type and category. A common concern is the RSS feed problem. I can use a hosting platform like Blubrry or Libsyn to automatically send my podcast by RSS feed to most major podcast apps. I can see analytics via the hosting platform. It seamlessly grabs my cover art and show notes, and uploads my episode.

But not to YouTube.

Reports say YouTube is running an RSS pilot, but it only ingests the audio, doesn’t allow for analytics, and must not contain any ads. YouTube is a monster, but it operates very much in its own podcast ecosystem.

There are some podcasters that believe a podcast is “audio-only” and that if it has a video, it’s not a podcast. So, we asked that question in our study to the robust sample of consumers. “How would you define a podcast?” The answer is clear: 75% of podcast consumers think a podcast should be defined as audio or video.

And if you think YouTube users drive that number, consider that more than two-thirds of those who prefer Spotify and Apple Podcasts feel the same way.

We’ve heard from many podcasters that think YouTube consumers just don’t watch or listen to podcasts as often as on other platforms.

Well…we’ve got data that lays that theory to rest.

Do people think YouTube is hard to use? Why do they choose it instead of other platforms? What about YouTube Music, which YouTube is pushing users to for podcasts? And how big is YouTube Shorts?

We had a lot of questions about YouTube, now we have answers, and we’ll share them with you with one goal in mind. We’ll show you an unbiased view of YouTube’s role in podcasting from the consumer’s perspective, to help you better understand how (and if!) your podcast should be there and how to use it to your advantage.

I’ll present the findings from “The New Rules of Podcasting on YouTube” this Thursday, August 24th at 8:30AM MT along with Steve Goldstein from Amplifi Media at Podcast Movement in Denver. Watch the Tuesdays With Coleman blog next week, when I’ll reveal more findings and a link to an upcoming webinar.

Finally, our thanks go out to Locked On Podcast Network for sponsoring the study. The locally focused sports network has more than dipped its foot in the YouTube pool and was just as curious as us as to what the findings would show.

Much more to come!

Ask Me Anything

Ask Me Anything – Episode 6: The Image Pyramid

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Welcome to our new Ask Me Anything webinar series!

Each month will feature a different topic, as we cover questions related to research, branding, and marketing strategy in audio entertainment – all in just 15 minutes!

In this episode, consultants Jay Nachlis and Meghan Campbell, along with moderator and Director of Client Services Kimberly Bryant, discussed The Image Pyramid. Watch the 15-minute video below:

Questions We Answered:

1:18 – Do you think that the past few years have caused any shifts in the relative value of various layers of The Image Pyramid?
4:41 – Is a radio station’s image something that takes time to build or can a station launch or rebrand, be properly prepared to win images faster?
6:59 – When is the base layer strong enough to work on other layers and how do you strengthen the Personality layer?
10:05 – What are some tips and tricks to help stations compete in local markets when you are thousands of miles away?
12:15 – How does The Image Pyramid apply to college or public radio stations?
13:52 – Does The Image Pyramid only apply to radio or can it apply to other media as well?