Key Takeaways
- Podcast listeners are some of the most educated, higher-income, and professionally active audiences you can reach online. That makes them incredibly valuable for professional services, B2B offers, and high-ticket products.
- They don’t just sample your content—they stick with it. Most podcast listeners stay for the majority of an episode, which means far more time with your message compared to social media or most video views.
- They listen to learn and to change something in their lives, which is exactly the mindset you want when you’re offering strategic services, expert guidance, or transformation.
- Podcast ads and recommendations convert at unusually high rates because listeners trust the host in a way that feels more like a relationship than an ad channel.
- In 2025, podcast marketing is a long-game growth engine. When you combine a podcast with smart SEO, content repurposing, and modern ad tools, it can power most of your marketing assets and save you time and money.
Introduction: From “Why Podcasting?” to “Who’s Actually Listening?”
In my last episode, I talked about why podcasting builds unbreakable trust—the way it positions you as an expert, an authority, and honestly, a friend inside your listener’s head. When your show doesn’t drop a new episode, people miss you. That’s rare in marketing.
This week, I want to zoom in on a different question:
Who are podcast listeners, really—and why are they such a valuable audience for your business?
As the owner of Emerald City Productions, a full-service digital marketing agency (podcast production, SEO, content marketing, ads, CRM, and web development), I spend a lot of time helping professional-services firms and other experts turn a single podcast episode into a whole system of marketing assets and deliverables. When you understand who podcast listeners are, it becomes obvious why a podcast can sit at the center of your marketing and help you save time and money.
Let’s dig into what the data says, how listening behavior has evolved, and how you can use this to shape your podcast marketing strategy.
Who Podcast Listeners Are (And Why Marketers Love Them)
Every year, organizations like Edison Research release in-depth studies on podcast consumption. In the episode, I pulled from their work to paint a picture of the typical podcast listener—and it’s exactly the kind of person most businesses want to reach.
They Span Generations (With a Strong Younger Skew)
In the study I referenced in the podcast, the age breakdown looked something like this:
- 39% of podcast listeners were between 35–54
- 56% were between 12–34
In other words, podcast listeners are not just one demographic. You’ve got younger Gen Z and Millennials who grew up with podcasts as a default format and older professionals in their peak earning and decision-making years.
Recent Infinite Dial data shows that monthly podcast listening continues to grow across all age groups and that around a third of Americans listen weekly, with younger listeners especially driving growth. Edison Research+1
They Have Serious Spending Power
The earlier Edison data I discussed in the episode also showed that around 31% of podcast listeners had a household income above $100,000 per year. That’s a big deal.
If you’re:
- A law firm targeting high-value cases
- A financial advisor working with higher-net-worth clients
- A consultant or agency selling strategic services
…then podcast listeners align almost perfectly with the type of buyer you want: people who can actually act on your recommendations and afford your services.
They’re Educated and Professionally Active
The same study highlighted that:
- 57% of podcast listeners had at least a four-year college degree
- 63% were in full-time employment
So we’re talking about people who are:
- Used to learning,
- Comfortable with complex information, and
- Regularly making or influencing buying decisions—at home and at work.
From a podcast marketing angle, this is gold. You’re not trying to sell to someone mindlessly scrolling at midnight. You’re talking to people who want depth and context and are willing to invest in solutions.
How Podcast Listeners Actually Consume Content
The next big piece of the puzzle is how podcast listeners engage with content. This is where podcast listeners really separate themselves from someone skimming a blog post or half-watching a video.
They Listen a Lot—and They Stick Around
Podcast listeners typically subscribe to several shows and consume a lot of audio. In the episode, I mentioned numbers like:
- Subscribing to around six shows
- Listening up to 95 minutes of audio per day
But the stat that really matters is this:
About 93% of podcast listeners say they listen to most or all of an episode.
Compare that with video platforms, where someone might watch a minute or two of a 10-minute video, or scroll past a post after three seconds. With podcast listeners, if they hit play, they usually stay.
For you as a marketer, that means:
- 20–40 minutes of your voice in their ears
- Time to unpack a concept, tell a story, build trust
- Space for a clear offer and CTA they can remember later
They Listen While Doing Real Life
Podcast listeners aren’t usually sitting at a desk staring at your content. They’re:
- Commuting in the car or on a train
- Working out or going for a walk
- Doing housework, yard work, or chores
- Running errands or traveling
That might sound like “less focused” time, but it’s actually the opposite. They’re not juggling five browser tabs. They’re letting one voice keep them company while they live their lives.
This is why podcast listeners form such a strong emotional connection to hosts. You’re with them in the car, in the kitchen, on the treadmill. Over time, that feels less like “content” and more like companionship.
The 2025 Twist: Audio + Video + Everywhere
When I recorded this episode originally, podcast listening was already big. Now, in 2025, it’s even bigger—and more multi-platform than ever:
- YouTube has emerged as the top “used most” platform for weekly podcast listeners in the U.S., with around a third saying they use it more than any other service. Edison Research+1
- YouTube reports over 1 billion monthly viewers for podcast content worldwide, which shows just how much “watching” podcasts has become part of the mix. Variety
- At the same time, traditional audio-first platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc.) still dominate when it comes to pure listening, especially in the car and on mobile. Podnews+1
For your podcast marketing, this means:
- You don’t have to choose between audio and video—you can do both.
- A single episode can turn into: an audio podcast, a YouTube video, shorts/reels, blog posts for SEO, email content, and more marketing assets.
- Your podcast can literally meet your audience wherever they prefer to consume content.
Why Podcast Listeners Press Play: Learning, Growth, and Real Change
One of my favorite stats from the research is this:
74% of podcast listeners say they listen to podcasts to learn new things.
That’s an incredibly important mindset.
These aren’t just people looking for a quick distraction. They’re people who:
- Want to understand something deeply (estate planning, marketing strategy, leadership, health, etc.)
- Want to improve a situation (their business, their family, their finances)
- Are willing to stick with a longer episode if it helps them grow
I often draw a line between:
- “How do I quickly fix this one thing?” → great for YouTube, quick how-to content, screen shares.
- “How do I think about this differently, and what should my strategy be?” → perfect for podcasts.
So when you’re designing your episodes, think in terms of:
- Deep dives instead of surface tips
- Stories and case studies instead of just bullet lists
- Frameworks and principles instead of only step-by-step checklists
That’s what podcast listeners are looking for—and when you give them that, they remember you.
Why Podcast Listeners Buy: Trust, Ads, and Recommendations
Because podcast listeners give you so much attention, and because they come in with a learning mindset, they’re incredibly responsive to recommendations.
In the research I shared:
- 65% of podcast listeners said that podcast ads increase their intent to buy
- 54% said they’re more likely to consider a brand after hearing a podcast ad
- And about 57% of podcast ads were found to outperform video pre-roll ads for purchase intent
Why? Because by the time you make an offer, listeners already trust you.
You’re not a random banner ad or a pre-roll video they’re waiting to skip. You’re someone they’ve spent hours with—someone who has helped them, entertained them, and shown up consistently in their life.
That’s why:
- Host-read ads still perform so well
- Simple mentions like “Hey, if you need help with this, here’s how we work with clients…” convert
- Referral-style recommendations to tools, books, software, and partners land differently than traditional advertising
And this isn’t just theory. The global podcast advertising market is projected to grow from about $19B in 2024 to nearly $39B by 2030, driven heavily by the unique trust and engagement podcasters have with their audiences. Grand View Research+1
Modern Podcast Ad Strategy: Beyond “Read This Script”
When I first started talking about podcast ads, most people thought in terms of simple baked-in host reads. Those are still powerful, but the landscape has evolved—and you can use that to your advantage.
Here’s what podcast advertising and monetization looks like for 2024–2025:
Dynamic Ad Insertion and Programmatic Buying
- Dynamic ad insertion (DAI) allows you to swap ads in and out of episodes without re-uploading them.
- This has grown to represent the vast majority of podcast ad revenue in recent years, because it offers scale, targeting, and freshness. IAB+2Ad Results Media+2
- Programmatic ads are becoming more common, letting brands automatically buy podcast inventory based on audience, context, and performance. hybridmediaservices.com+1
For you as a show host or agency, this means:
- You can sell evergreen back catalog inventory more easily
- You can test different offers or CTAs without touching the original episodes
- You can layer in brand campaigns alongside your own promotions
Baked-In Host Reads Still Win on Trust
On the flip side, baked-in host reads:
- Feel more like a personal recommendation
- Live inside the content forever
- Often deliver higher trust and long-tail conversions, even if they’re harder to measure precisely Mynt Agency+1
A smart podcast marketing strategy uses both:
- Baked-in for your core offers, services, and evergreen products
- Dynamic for time-bound promotions, sponsor campaigns, and testing
Case Study #1: A Hyper-Niche Real Estate Podcast
In the episode, I talked about a client and friend who runs a podcast about real estate investing in Quebec.
Think about how niche that is:
- Focused on one specific province in Canada
- Targeting investors, not general home buyers
- Speaking into a tight community, not a mass market
But here’s what we saw when we looked at his Apple advanced stats:
- Most of his episodes showed 75–100% completion, meaning people listened to nearly the entire show
- Some episodes had 110–140% “average consumption”, which means listeners were actually re-listening to the same episodes
That’s wild—and it perfectly illustrates why podcast listeners are so valuable:
- When you hit the right niche, they’ll binge your content
- They’ll come back to re-hear key ideas
- And they’ll show up to live events, meetups, and programs, because they already feel like they know you
For Axel, the podcast isn’t just content—it’s the engine behind his local investor community, events, and deals.
Case Study #2: Building a Business Around a Podcast (“Law Firm Autopilot”)
I also shared the story of Ernie, the host of the Law Firm Autopilot podcast.
Ernie was:
- One of the first five law bloggers online back in 2004
- An early adopter of content marketing for lawyers
- Someone who built a whole business helping law firms systematize, automate, go paperless, and lower expenses
He launched his podcast a few years ago. And here’s what happened:
- A huge share of his new clients and members began saying,
“I heard you on the podcast” - People joined his programs already familiar with his frameworks and philosophy
- He realized that, if he had to start his business from scratch, he’d pick podcasting over blogging
Why? Because:
- The quality of the connection he felt with podcast listeners was deeper
- The conversion rate from podcast listeners to buyers was higher
- He could let his content marketing do the heavy lifting, instead of constant travel, speaking, or networking
This is what I see over and over with our clients at Emerald City Productions:
When you stick with your podcast, it becomes the backbone of your marketing—feeding your:
- Blog and SEO content
- Email list
- Social media
- Webinars and trainings
- Sales calls and consultations
And it does it in a way that feels natural and sustainable.
What This Means for Your Podcast Marketing Strategy
Let’s pull it all together.
Podcast Listeners Are the Perfect Long-Game Audience
When you look at the data and real-world examples, it’s hard to argue with this:
Podcast listeners are some of the most valuable people you can reach with your marketing.
They are:
- Educated, employed, and often higher income
- Willing to listen to you for 20–40 minutes at a time
- Tuned in to learn and change
- Highly trusting of hosts they follow
- Responsive to ads, recommendations, and offers
That’s exactly the audience you want when you’re selling expertise—legal services, financial advice, consulting, coaching, or any complex solution.
Your Podcast Can Power All Your Other Marketing Assets
Here’s where we bring it back to saving time and money.
One well-planned episode can become:
- A long-form blog post for SEO
- Multiple short-form clips for YouTube Shorts, Reels, TikTok, LinkedIn
- A newsletter or email nurture sequence
- A lead magnet or mini-training
- Content for your Google Business Profile, FAQs, and landing pages
Instead of trying to create a dozen unrelated marketing deliverables every month, you:
- Record one strong episode for your podcast listeners
- Use a team (like ours) to repurpose it into marketing assets across channels
- Let the podcast be the engine that drives awareness, nurture, and conversion
That’s modern podcast marketing. And it’s a lot saner than doing “random acts of marketing” on every platform.
Consistency Is Where the Magic Happens
Finally, one of the big themes I emphasized in the episode (and see constantly in the real world) is this:
The people who win with podcast marketing are the ones who stick with it for 2, 3, 4 years or more.
SEO works that way. Content marketing works that way. And podcasting is no different.
When you show up consistently for your podcast listeners:
- Your audience compounds
- Your authority compounds
- Your content library compounds
- Your return on each episode gets better over time, because it keeps working for you across SEO, social, and email
Call to Action: Ready to Turn Podcast Listeners Into Your Best Clients?
If you’ve been wondering whether podcast marketing is worth it, here’s the short version:
- Yes, podcast listeners are absolutely worth reaching.
- They’re some of the most valuable, engaged, and ready-to-act people you’ll find online.
- And when you build a smart system around your show, your podcast can generate nearly all of your core marketing assets while saving you time and money.
If you’d like help:
- Launching a podcast that’s strategically aligned with your business
- Turning each episode into SEO-optimized content and marketing deliverables
- Or building a full podcast-driven marketing system around your firm or brand
Emerald City Productions is here for you.
👉 Need help turning podcast listeners into your best clients?
Email me at [email protected] or schedule a consultation today at https://emeraldcitypro.com/dc.
Let’s build a podcast and a marketing system that actually works—without burning you out.
