Last time, I blogged about a survey I was running to collect information to help me craft the podcast that I want to start. The responses seem to have tapered off, so I closed the survey and I’m going to consider this data final.
In the interest of giving back, I’m going to publish the results here to help anyone else who might be interested in the information. I got 28 participants and here were their responses.
Do you listen to podcasts regularly? (Once a month or more)
Yes – 53.57% (15)
No – 46.43% (13)
How did you discover the podcast(s) you listen to?
More than one answer allowed
I don’t listen to podcasts – 25% (7)
Blogs – 32.14% (9)
Other podcasts – 21.43% (6)
Recommendation from friends – 46.43% (13)
Reddit/Hacker News/Similar Site – 25% (7)
Twitter – 14.29% (4)
Other – 17.86% (5)
(Included “Other” Responses: iTunes – 2 votes, radio/internet, search engines, Interests: Sci-Fi/Star Trek/Walking Dead/Tv & Movie Reviews)
How many different podcasts do you listen to?(Only 27 responses because I added this question after the first person took my survey)
0 – 33.33% (9)
1 – 7.41% (2)
2-5 – 37.04% (10)
5-10 – 18.52% (5)
10+ – 3.7% (1)
What is an ideal length for a podcast?
Less than 15 minutes – 35.71% (10)
15-30 minutes – 35.71% (10)
30-60 minutes – 17.86% (5)
Over 60 minutes – 10.71% (3)
What format/segments would be in your ideal podcast?
More than one answer allowed
Current Tech News Discussion – 39.29% (11)
Guest co-hosts – 39.29% (11)
Interviews – 39.29% (11)
Opinions – 46.43% (13)
Recommendations / Interesting Things Found Online – 67.86% (19)
Technology review (one topic per podcast) – 57.14% (16)
Technology reviews (varied) – 32.14% (9)
Other – 7.14% (2)
(Included “Other” Responses: religious topics, philosophical ramblings)
How frequently would an ideal podcast publish?
More than once a week – 3.57% (1)
Once a week – 50% (14)
Once every two weeks – 14.29% (4)
Monthly – 3.57% (1)
Whenever the muse strikes – 14.29% (4)
I don’t care – 14.29% (4)
So, to me, I do consider this survey a success. Even with only 28 participants, there are some decisions that I feel that I can make about the podcast.
First, I should aim to publish weekly (50%). Secondly, I should aim to keep it under a half hour (71.42% combined). One thing that I found surprising was that 67.86% of people said they would like a segment with interesting things that I’d found online. I really didn’t expect that option to come in that high.
The one thing that the survey confirmed for me is that I really need to try to encourage word of mouth support for the podcast to get it going. Over 46% of people found a podcast because of friends and over 32% found them from blogs (very similar – still a personal recommendation).
I’m going to take all of this information to the lab and hopefully I will start publishing a podcast next month. A huge thanks to everyone who helped or participated!
I often have no shortage of belief in myself and my abilities. When in doubt, I will always “bet on myself” when the chips are down to get things done. That confidence has allowed me to be very fortunate in professional settings. At times it can be misconstrued and at times I know that people can think that I don’t have any right to be as confident as I am. However, earlier this year, I read Ball Four by Jim Bouton and was really struck by this passage.
I’ve toyed around with the idea to start a podcast for quite some time. I think the time for me to get started has arrived. I’ve created a survey to try to do a little market research that you can find