Podcasting has pulled in U.S. listeners by the ear. Across the country, people are riveted by shows on subjects ranging from true crime to tell-all, books to business development, sleuthing to the stock market—told with the best techniques of fiction, narrative nonfiction, and editorializing journalism.
But it’s not just happening in the U.S. According to the Reuters Institute’s latest Digital News Report, based upon 75,000 online news consumers in 38 countries, 36 percent of those surveyed have listened to a podcast in the month preceding the survey. The level of adoption varies significantly across different markets, from the UK (21 percent) to Spain (39 percent) and South Korea (53 percent).
Consider this: Why should they only listen to content in their native language? Do you think your content would be of interest in other countries? You’ll never know until you try — which it’s remarkably easy (and affordable) to do. Localizing a few episodes of your podcast lets you put your toe in the water, as compared to the commitment of localizing a feature-length film. And marketing isn’t much of an issue: Podcast listeners are a famously resourceful bunch. As early adopters to a new media, they are accustomed to finding podcasts in their area of interest.
