Yes, podcasting is mainstream

You can listen to an audio version of this post here.

If anyone tries to tell you that podcasting is “too niche,” “very high-tech” or “just for kids,” please point them in the direction of the report by Edison Research on the state of podcasting in the United States in 2010.

This fifth once a year study of the American podcast consultation shows, among other things, that:

• More than 70 million Americans have listened to a podcast, and
• The podcast consultation has shifted from being predominantly “ahead of schedule adopters” to more closely resembling mainstream media consumers.

A finding I have seen elsewhere and always find fascinating is that most podcast consumers prefer listening at their desktops, not on iPods and other dedicated media players. But, not unexpectedly, mobile phone media consumption is increasing.

In my own communications practice, I see more interest in podcasting every month, particularly for leadership broadcasts (more on this topic here); communicating with a specialized consultation, especially in the business-to-business space; and podcasting at conferences.

You can see the Edison Research presentation from Blogworld here or listen to a For Immediate Release interview with Tom Webster of Edison Research by Shel Holtz here.

And of course, if you want to discuss podcasting as part of your strategy for making content in 2011, I’m all ears. And a mic.

Photo: That’s me interviewing instigator and speaker Richard St. John at the Canadian Society of Professional Event Planners once a year conference in October 2010.