Experts: Tension, Production Value And Popular Celebrities Are What Keep Us Glued To Podcasts

According to Tiffanie Wen of Atlantic.com, there’s a science behind audiobooks’ capability to catch our attention. She cited an experiment conducted in the recent past to prove that Internet radio shows are more than great scriptwriting or voice acting.

A study conducted by Paul Zak and Jorge Barraza revealed that oxytocin plays an integral role in the process of absorbing scenes from a narrated story. Oxytocin is a neurochemical hormone released by the body when the brain is subjected to tension and stress. It is also involved in social recognition and bonding, and may be linked in the formation of trust between two individuals.

Zak and Barazza said that narrated stories are capable of inducing empathy, which occurs when a specific amount of oxytocin is released in the brain. However, Zak argued that it still depends on the source, which highlights the role of podcast shows and how it is written and delivered. For him, podcasts must still be character-driven to capture the listener’s attention. Otherwise, the strange neurochemical won’t be released and produced.

“You can tell a war story or something with a lot of action that will grab your attention, but you still need a personal story, someone to empathize with. We need to have that social aspect for it to resonate with us,” he said.

But a separate study also revealed that the narrated passages are less powerful than reading when it comes to creating long-lasting impression to the recipient. According to the psychologists at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, people who obtained information through narrated passages remembered less.

However, modern podcast shows are an exception. Most podcast shows today are more than just narrated passages, as it is delivered with experienced narrators, state-of-the-art sound effects and exemplary scriptwriting.

On the other hand, Audioboom (LSE: BOOM)’s latest achievement proves that a popular celebrity is enough not only to make a show an instant hit but also to help an entire platform experience an unprecedented boost. A month after hiring the witty, controversial British actor Russell Brand, the spoken-word audio platform announced that it has gained 150 new content partners and 200,000 additional sign-ups. The platform’s mobile app ratings also improved after enjoying 244,000 new installations in March alone. The eponymous The Russell Brand Podcast has received critical reviews from media pundits since its first airing.

Celebrity-fronted podcast programs are also making waves this year, especially after the success of the whodunit audio drama Serial. Chris Hardwick’s The Nerdist, Jay Mohr’s Mohr Stories, After Party Pod by Anna David, and The Mental Illness Happy Hour by Paul Gilmartin are among the most popular podcast shows in the US today.

To contact the writer, email: v.hernandez@ibtimes.com.au