The Analytics Power Hour: Bonus Episode Summary – “2024 Listener Survey...Wrapped!”

Released on January 14, 2025

Introduction

In this special bonus episode of The Analytics Power Hour, Val Kroll from Facts and Feelings joins co-host Julie Hoyer to unveil and analyze the results of their 2024 Listener Survey. Aimed at understanding their audience better, the survey offers valuable insights into listener demographics, behaviors, content preferences, and brand perception. This episode serves as a comprehensive breakdown of the survey findings and outlines how these insights will shape future content.

Survey Methodology

Val Kroll begins by explaining the foundation of their survey:

• Launch and Promotion:
  “We launched it at the end of May and we closed it in July” (00:48). The survey was promoted exclusively through pre-roll advertisements in two separate podcast episodes, avoiding broader social media channels to target active listeners directly.

• Structure and Content:
  The survey comprised four primary sections:

  1. Listener Profiling: Understanding who the listeners are.
  2. Listening Behavior: How listeners engage with The Analytics Power Hour and other podcasts.
  3. Content Interests: Identifying topics listeners are keen to explore.
  4. Brand Perception: Gauging overall sentiment towards the podcast.

  “We wanted to keep it as slim as possible because, you know, we're not making million dollar business decisions off of this” (03:19). With approximately 15 questions, including a few open-ended ones, the survey was designed to be user-friendly and mobile-compatible.

• Response Rate and Incentives:
  The team aimed for 47 completions but exceeded expectations with 88 responses. To incentivize participation, respondents were entered into a raffle for merchandise like sweatshirts and stickers.

Key Findings

1. Audience Demographics:

   • Primary Setting:
     “We had two-thirds say that they were in-house, client side, really” (05:07). This was higher than anticipated, followed by 15% working in agency or consultancy roles.
   • Analytics Proficiency:
     “Nearly 50% self reporting as intermediate” (06:14). This balance supports the podcast’s aim to cater to a mid-level audience, offering both foundational knowledge and advanced insights.

2. Discovery Channels:

   • Listening Platforms Dominate:
     “42% of people said that they discovered it within the listening platform, like it was suggested to them within really Spotify, Apple podcasts.” (09:40). This was surprising, surpassing traditional word-of-mouth and LinkedIn referrals.

3. Listener Feedback and Perceptions:

   • Positive Attributes:
     Listeners described the podcast as trendy, insightful, laid back, and affectionately nerdy. Julie highlighted, “one of my favorites was someone said it felt like listening to Inside Baseball” (07:25).
   • Co-Host Mentions:
     Tim emerged as the most frequently mentioned co-host, indicating a strong connection with the audience.

Actions Based on Survey Insights

Utilizing the survey data, The Analytics Power Hour has strategically planned its future content:

1. Topic Planning:

   • Analytics Engineering:
     The top requested topic, with 66% interest, led to the production of Episode 251: The Continued Rise of the Analytics Engineer (11:54).
   • AI Enhancing Analyses:
     Responding to Trending Topics, Episode 257: Analyst Use Cases for Generative AI was developed to address the increasing fascination with AI in analytics.

2. Addressing Open-Ended Suggestions:

   • Career Development:
     Inspired by listener interest, Episode 255: Dear Affy, I'm Always Torn as it a P H E focused on career inflection points.
   • Shifting Analyst Environment:
     Episode 252: The Ever Shifting Operating Environment of the Data Professional delved into the evolving roles and expectations for analysts.
   • Goal Setting:
     Episode 258: Goals, KPIs, and Targets. Oh My. featured practical examples and discussions on effective goal setting.
   • Data Storytelling:
     Episode 260: Once Upon a Data Story provided insights into crafting compelling data narratives.

3. Enhanced Accessibility and Engagement:

   • Thematic Webpages:
     A new webpage, analyticshour.io/themes, was created to group past episodes by theme, making it easier for listeners to find content relevant to their interests.
   • Podcast Recommendations:
     Listener-suggested podcasts and YouTube channels were compiled on the AnalyticsHour.io/survey page, fostering a community of shared interests.

4. Data Sharing:

   • Open Data Set:
     The anonymized survey data was made available for listeners to download and analyze, encouraging engagement and collaborative exploration.

Cautions and Considerations

Val emphasizes the importance of recognizing sample bias:

“The people who are going to be filling out the survey are people who listen to the episodes where we mentioned it. So this isn't necessarily a representation of all analysts across the globe” (21:05). This reminder ensures that interpretations of the data consider the engaged and possibly more invested segment of the audience.

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with heartfelt thanks to the listeners for their participation and insights. Special acknowledgments are given to Josh Crowhurst, the producer, for his behind-the-scenes efforts. Val and Julie encourage listeners to engage further through various platforms, including the Measure Chat Slack group, LinkedIn, email, and YouTube comments.

“No matter how many podcasts you listen to, keep analyzing.” (22:40) serves as an inspiring closing remark, reinforcing the podcast’s commitment to continual growth and community engagement.

Notable Quotes:

• “We launched it at the end of May and we closed it in July.” – Val Kroll [00:48]
• “We wanted to keep it as slim as possible because...we're not making million dollar business decisions off of this.” – Val Kroll [03:19]
• “We had two-thirds say that they were in-house, client side, really.” – Val Kroll [05:07]
• “42% of people said that they discovered it within the listening platform...” – Val Kroll [09:40]
• “One of my favorites was someone said it felt like listening to Inside Baseball.” – Julie Hoyer [07:25]
• “No matter how many podcasts you listen to, keep analyzing.” – Val Kroll [22:40]

Connect with The Analytics Power Hour:

• Website: analyticshour.io
• Slack Group: Measure Chat
• LinkedIn: The Analytics Power Hour
• Email: contact@analyticshour.io
• YouTube: Analytics Power Hour Channel

This summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and actionable outcomes from the bonus episode of The Analytics Power Hour, providing non-listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the episode’s content and its implications for future podcast directions.