New research from Signal Hill Insights reveals a significant increase in podcast listening among Black Americans.

The study, conducted as part of Triton Digital Podcast Metrics Demos+, collected over 24,000 surveys of monthly podcast listeners between Q2 2022 and Q1 2024.

It sheds light on this growing audience segment’s listening habits and consumer preferences, indicating a 10% rise in 2023 compared to the previous year.  

The data indicates that 46% of Black listeners started engaging with podcasts within the past year. 

Credit: Signal Hill Insights

This figure surpasses the 42% reported for podcast listeners in general. Notably, 51% of Black women who listen monthly began their podcast journey last year, marking a substantial influx of new female listeners.

Content preferences among Black listeners show distinct patterns. The research highlights a stronger inclination towards podcasts with Black hosts, aligning with findings from the Black Podcast Listener Report by Sirius XM, Mindshare, and Edison Research. 

Genre preferences diverge from the overall audience, with Black listeners showing particular interest in Sports, Music, and Religion/Spirituality podcasts.

Gender differences in content choices are apparent. Black men are significantly more likely to tune into Sports podcasts (29%) than Black women (6%). 

Credit: Signal Hill Insights

Music shows attract 23% of Black male listeners versus 13% of Black female listeners. Conversely, Religion/Spirituality podcasts draw more Black women (16%) than men (7%).

The study reveals that Black listeners, especially those aged 18 to 34, tend to be entrepreneurs. 

They are slightly more likely to be small business owners (12%) than podcast listeners (11%). This entrepreneurial spirit is reflected in higher engagement with Business and Education genre podcasts, with 11% of Black listeners tuning in compared to 10% of the overall podcast audience.

Motivations for podcast consumption among Black listeners mirror those of Senior Executive podcast listeners. Both groups are more likely to cite inspiration, self-improvement, and challenging their thinking as reasons for listening.

The research also identifies several consumer categories where Black podcast listeners present opportunities for marketers:

• Life insurance: 36% more likely to plan a purchase in the next year
• Wireless providers: 26% more likely to switch in the next year
• Luxury boutiques: 21% more likely to have shopped there in the past month
• Quick-service restaurants: 16% more likely to visit at least a few times a week
• Fast fashion clothing stores: 15% more likely to have shopped there in the past month
• Home gyms: 11% more likely to have worked out at home using gym equipment in the past month

The full report is available here.