Join 180,000+ creators receiving insider insights about the audio industry, covering podcasting, content marketing, and social media. Wavve is a technology company helping audio creators and brands easily amplify content to grow their audience, impact, and influence.
Wavve Audio Insider #125: The Untapped Potential of an Older Demographic
In today’s email:
There's Opportunity for Listeners Within a Certain Age GroupStats show that listeners between 18 and 54 consume a fair amount of podcasts. But a recent article from Sounds Profitable showed that those 55 and older haven't quite caught on to the whole podcasting thing. Podcasts represented just 14% of media consumption in this age group. Keep this in mind as you're considering niche podcast topics or looking for advertisers. Appealing to an older demographic isn't a bad idea. "If you want to grow your audience, you can either try to be an existing podcast listener’s 6th favorite show, or you can try and create a new podcast listener. If you opt for the latter, the math is pretty obvious – they are going to be older." - Sounds Profitable Analysis: An excellent use of typography carries the title through the entire design and nicely over the image of the host without obscuring her. Choosing the left side of the design to be text heavy also ensures that the image is easy to see and helps provide visual balance to both sides. Overall, it's clean and enticing. THE BREAKDOWNA breakdown of a recent happening in the podcast industry from different perspectives. What a Wide-Open Potential Audience of Older Listeners MeansThe article referenced above, highlighting a nearly untapped podcast audience in the 55+ age group, means a lot of things to podcast creators and the industry in general. Older listeners are a resource with plenty of potential. From Each Perspective Podcasters: Content that caters to an older demographic could entice them to become regular podcast listeners. But creating that content requires knowledge of the interests, preferences, and needs of people aged 55 and older. Consider conducting surveys or interviews to gather insights into topics they're interested in. Select topics that resonate with older adults, such as retirement planning, health and wellness, travel, etc. Address common challenges or concerns they may face in their daily lives. If you find just the right niche that resonates with this group, audience growth could be exponential. Listeners: Older adults may prefer traditional media and may not have familiarity with podcasts. But that doesn't mean they can't be swayed if topics of interest to them are available. Reaching them is another story, but social media and email are a good start. Advertisers: Podcasting is a new frontier for brands who cater to older adults. Podcasts that demonstrate a smart, focused approach at reaching the 55+ crowd could prove to be an extremely desirable outlet for advertisers. 💲 5 content marketing ideas for June 2024. See the list. 🎧 Jon Stewart launches a podcast with Comedy Central. Find out more. 📢^^ YOUR AD HERE! Knock, Knock. Who's there? Spotlight. Spotlight, who? This email goes to registered creators at wavve.co or those subscribed to The Wavve Blog. Wavve helps [WORK_ROLE GOES HERE] creators grow their influence online with social video and text. |
Wavve Audio Insider
Join 180,000+ creators receiving insider insights about the audio industry, covering podcasting, content marketing, and social media. Wavve is a technology company helping audio creators and brands easily amplify content to grow their audience, impact, and influence.
The Inventory and the Scale: Growing Audiences Starts with Creators Following up on last week’s look at entry barriers, this week we dive into how to support underrepresented creators so podcast audiences can truly grow in 2026.Key Takeaways: • Representation shapes audiences: Audiences reflect the diversity of creators; marketing alone isn’t enough. • Different challenges, different solutions: • Entry barriers for women need role models and industry support. • Retention challenges for LGBTQ+...
Books Every Podcaster Can Learn From Podcasting tools and platforms change fast—but the fundamentals don’t. This curated reading list highlights books that help podcasters strengthen the skills that matter most: storytelling, interviewing, audience understanding, creativity, and sustainable growth. The recommendations span narrative audio, journalism, interviews, collaboration, mindset, and monetization. Some focus on craft and story structure, others on building trust with listeners, growing...
In Case You (Were Podcasting and) Missed It Home Is Now Where Americans Listen MostAmericans now consume most audio at home, not in cars, with at-home listening stabilizing at around 55% of total audio use, per Edison Research. Video Podcasts Still Struggle Across AppsAlthough video podcasts exist in open RSS, most podcast apps don’t fully support video playback. Only a small share of listeners actually see video when pressing play. Podcast Launches Inched Up in 2025New podcast feeds rose...