Besides letting people multitask, the audio article format has strong retention and habit-forming potential.
Around 66% of people listen to digital audio every week in the UK, indicating a significant opportunity for publishers. According to Nieman Lab, 13% of news subscribers cancel their subscriptions because they have too much to read in too little time. With 71% of monthly listeners also stating they like spoken-word audio as it enables them to multitask, publishers must consider leveraging audio in forms other than only podcasts.
Audio articles and editions fit into people’s busy lifestyles, attract younger audiences and retain subscribers. Developing habits is essential for retention, and studies found that returning audio users are more loyal. Additionally, retention and engagement of audio users are exceptionally high among young users.
As a result, many established publishers, including The Economist and The Japan Times, have adopted audio in their strategy. The Economist – launched their first audio edition in 2007 – has seen success with audio fitting into people’s lives and improving reader retention. According to Reuters, around 80% of publishers said they would focus most of their resources for 2022 around audio.
[5 minute read]
