Download Report

NPR PODCASTS
On Demand Listening, Unparalleled Engagement
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PRAISE FOR NPR PODCASTS
“Podcasts are becoming
(or already are) the way
millennials listen to
the radio.”
PolicyMic
Top 10 Podcasts To
Feed Your Brain And
Ease Your Commute
Business Insider
“It’s hard to stray very far
in the podcasting world
without stumbling upon
a programme by NPR.”
Telegraph
12 Storytelling Podcasts
That You Need To Be
Listening To
BuzzFeed
NYC’s Top Ten Podcasts
Time Out New York
“NPR has consistently
been one of the most
popular podcast providers
in the iTunes Store.”
MacWorld
This Week’s Best Podcasts
Telegraph
2013 Best of Chicago:
Best Podcast
Chicago Magazine
5 Podcasts Every
Millennial Should
Listen To
PolicyMic
Fresh Air, Planet Money, Snap Judgment, TED Radio Hour and Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! podcasts named among “iTunes Best of 2014”
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NPR ON DEMAND
Industry-leading Listening On-the-go
 Among the largest, most-listened-to offerings from
any provider with 81 million monthly downloads*
 Consistently ranked among iTunes’ “Top Ten,”
“People’s Choice,” and “Staff Favorites,” with five
NPR podcast titles named among the “Best of 2014”
 Created or “curated” from leading NPR programs,
topics, and partners
 Average podcast is between 20-30 minutes in length,
optimum for listener engagement
 Sponsors receive audio recognition of up to :15
 Opportunity to feature :30 host-read mid-roll in select
podcasts
*Source: Splunk, 3-month average, Dec '14 – Feb '15
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IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Quotes from NPR Listeners on the NPR Experience
“NPR podcast
sponsorships are
an effective way
to communicate
with me.”
“It’s a conversation
starter. I find so
often that I’ll say
‘I heard on NPR
the other day.’”
“They appeal
not only to
intelligence
but your sense
of wonder.”
“I strongly value
NPR podcasting.
And I’m grateful
towards sponsors
and NPR for
making podcasting
available.”
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SAMPLE SPONSOR COPY FOR NPR PODCASTS
Support for NPR podcasts comes from…
 Squarespace, who believes it's never been more important to make a great impression online. Squarespace
provides everything you need to create your own website, including customizable designs and 24/7 support.
Learn more at Squarespace dot com, promo code N-P-R.
 Lumosity. Lumosity dot com, dedicated to helping people feel sharper, think faster, and remember more with
neuroscience based workouts that challenge your brain. Start training for free at Lumosity dot com.
 Nautilus, a new literary science magazine that offers readers engaging and informative essays and articles,
original fiction, and multi media content. For a free trial issue of Nautilus, check out Nautil.us/radiolab.
 LOYAL3, the easy and affordable way for everyone to buy stock in their favorite companies. See if your favorite
company is on board for fee-free investing, and become an owner in 3 easy steps. More at Loyal 3 dot com.
 Match.com, for singles to create dating profiles and meet others with common interests. Learn more at Try
Match dot com. Use promo code NPR for a free trial.
 Netflix, with instant streaming – thousands of TV episodes and movies for viewing on a computer or mobile
device. Free 30-day trial now at Netflix dot com slash public radio.
NPR PODCAST MID-ROLL
A New Sponsorship Offering
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NPR PODCAST SPONSORSHIP MID-ROLL
Increased Integration with the Spirit of NPR Programs
Mid-roll offers sponsors additional integration with the tone of select NPR podcasts, including Ask Me Another,
TED Radio Hour, Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, Pop Culture Happy Hour, How To Do Everything and Car Talk.
Messages of up to 30 seconds may be read by podcast hosts and incorporate the character of individual
programs. Sample mid-roll copy includes:
“Big thanks to one of our sponsors: Betterment. It's a service that's designed to help make you a smarter
investor. They've created super advanced software that basically customizes and manages a portfolio to help you
hit your financial goals. And you don't have to have a lot of money to get started! There are no minimums, and it's
super easy. Betterment - Investing Made Better. Go to Betterment.com slash NPR for more info.”
“A shout-out now to one of our sponsors Squarespace. They offer powerful tools that allow you to create
beautiful websites really easily – you don’t need to know C++ or HTML or PL360 or anything like that. In fact, after
you make a Squarespace page, you can lie to your friends and tell them you know code because it will look that
good. Anyway, they’ve got this new platform called Squarespace Seven, with a redesigned interface - it integrates
with Getty images and Google apps, has lots of new templates and a really cool feature called Cover Pages, and
you, our listeners, get a special deal—10 percent off—if you go to squarespace dot com and enter NPR in little box
that asks for the special code.”
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LISTENERS TAKE NOTE OF MID-ROLL SPONSORS
Listeners of sponsored podcasts more likely to recall hearing brand as a sponsor
% Saying Brand Sponsored the Podcast
Among respondents to surveys about:
Sponsored Podcasts
Not Sponsored Podcasts
48%
33%

34%
27%
22%
19%

Brand 1
n=320
Brand 2
240
320
Brand 3
240
320
240
Arrows note significant difference at 90% confidence level. Source: Podcast Mid-roll Survey, October 2014.
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SPONSORSHIP DRIVES POSITIVE BRAND OPINION
Listeners who recalled mid-roll sponsorship have more positive opinion of brand
% Rating Brand 8-10 on a 10-pt Scale
(0=not at all positive / 10=completely positive)
Among listeners to mid-roll sponsored podcasts:
Recall Brand as Sponsor
Did not recall brand as sponsor
44%

26%
17%

Brand 1
n=103
13%
14%
Brand 2
63
62
8%
Brand 3
68
104
65
65% of listeners to mid-roll sponsored podcasts say their “opinion of a business is more positive
when I find out it supports NPR podcasts”
Arrows note significant difference at 90% confidence level. Source: Podcast Mid-roll Survey, October 2014.
AUDIENCE PROFILES
Targeted Reach to Key Audiences
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NPR PODCAST USER DEMOGRAPHICS
The median age of NPR podcast users is 37
Age
18-24
Gender
8%
25-34
34%
35-44
24%
45-54
18%
55-64
Female
40%
Male
60%
11%
65+ years
4%
0%
20%
40%
43% of podcast users are under age 35
Source: NPR Podcast Survey, September 2013
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AN INFLUENTIAL AUDIENCE
NPR Podcast Users Are:
Largely Affluent
 The median HHI of NPR podcast listeners is $82,900
 41% have HHI of $100,000 or more
Highly Educated
 86% hold a Bachelor’s degree or higher
 42% hold a post-graduate degree
Business Influencers
 74% are employed full time
 31% hold executive/management positions
Source: NPR Podcast Survey, September 2013
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PODCAST USERS ARE LISTENING EVERYWHERE
Places where users listen to podcasts:
76%
Includes:
 Exercising
 Walking the dog
 Walk/bike commutes
 Errands
76%
46%
29%
At home
In the car or on public
transportation
At work
Other
Users listen to podcasts in an average of 2.5 different locations
Source: NPR Podcast Survey, September 2013
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TOP REASONS FOR LISTENING TO PODCASTS
Time shifting and content customization are key motivations
Please rate how much each of these is a reason why you choose to listen to podcasts:
A big reason
To listen to a program/story at a time that
is most convenient for me
A small reason
95%
To design my own listening experience – hearing only
the programs/stories in which I am interested
4%
75%
To control my own listening experience - can pause,
jump ahead, or go back within the podcast
19%
61%
30%
42%
To listen to a program/story I missed on the radio
0%
20%
29%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Source: NPR Podcast Survey, September 2013
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REACHING HEAVY PODCAST USERS
NPR Podcast Users Are Highly Engaged with Podcasts
How often do you listen to
podcasts from any provider?
Several
times a
week
26%
Daily
71%
NPR
Podcasts
About
once a
week
3%
Less than
once a
week
1%
Average number of
podcasts per week
8.6
Other
Podcasts
8.2
Total
Podcasts
16.8
NPR podcasts make up 51%
of users’ total weekly listening
On average, NPR podcast users listen to 11.3 hours of podcasts per week
Source: NPR Podcast Survey, September 2013
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DEEPLY LOYAL TO NPR PODCASTS
NPR Podcast Listeners Strongly Prefer NPR Podcasts
Listeners prefer NPR podcasts over others:
60%
Consider NPR podcasts essential listening
38%
NPR podcasts are some of my favorites
2%
NPR podcasts are the same as other available podcasts
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
Source: NPR Podcast Survey, September 2013
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HIGHLY ENGAGED WITH NPR
A Personal Connection
93%
DISCUSS NPR CONTENT
WITH FRIENDS, FAMILY
AND COLLEAGUES
73%
HOLD A VERY POSITIVE
OPINION OF NPR OVERALL*
99%
TAKE ACTION IN
RESPONSE TO SOMETHING
HEARD ON NPR
Sources: NPR Podcast Survey, September 2013. *9-10 on a 0-10 scale.
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STRONGLY INFLUENCED BY NPR
Actions Taken by NPR Podcast Listeners as a Result of NPR Programming
Did further research into a topic
85%
Visited a particular web site
84%
Read a book
74%
Saw a movie
65%
Gathered more information about a company or a product
61%
Purchased or downloaded music
60%
Shared or commented on an NPR story via email or social media
49%
Attended a performance, event or exhibit
47%
Recommended a product or a service to others
46%
Purchased a product or a service
39%
Donated money to a charitable cause
34%
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Source: NPR Podcast Survey, September 2013
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HIGHLY ENGAGED WITH NPR SPONSORS
The “Halo Effect” of NPR Podcast Sponsorship
%
Hold a more positive
opinion of a company
when they find out it
supports NPR
%
Agree NPR is selective
about the companies
and products that can
sponsor its podcasts
%
Prefer to do business
with NPR podcast
sponsors
Source: NPR Podcast Survey, September 2013
CONTACT
NPR Sponsorship
sponsorship@npr.org
202.513.2093