Creating podcasts for children requires more than just presenting age-appropriate fare. Alex Reeds, SVP, Growth & Operations, Nickelodeon Digital and Unscripted Studio, shares Nick’s secrets for success in a pint-sized world.
What is Nick’s approach to podcasting, and how does it differ from others?
Our approach for Nickelodeon’s preschool podcasts focuses on the intersection of our beloved franchises and characters, and the needs of kids and families. These podcasts help families throughout the day–in the morning, in the car, at bedtime–and when parents just need to get something done and are looking for quality content that they know their kids will love and learn from.
What makes us different is that we have a rich portfolio of franchises that kids and families love, and that we love to explore. Our characters inspire us to create content that targets what we know are very specific, but unique, needs for caregivers. The breadth of our catalog makes it possible for us to launch multi-IP shows that help parents, no matter if they are a PAW Patrol family, a Dora family, or a Blaze and the Monster Machines family. This also allows us to feature new IP that comes into our portfolio. In this way, we’ve got both flexibility and the ability to appeal to a wide range of households, including Spanish-speaking households with our Dora podcasts that feature immersive language learning.
Lastly, given the fact that YouTube continues to be a leading source of discovery for podcasts, we will soon be launching video versions of several of our podcasts. We operate a large network of Nickelodeon channels on YouTube, with more than 50 channels seeing approximately 2.5 billion views every month. What makes us unique here is that our podcast video content is not simply a static image or an audiogram as a placeholder, but rich, dynamic animation that kids expect on the platform. With YouTube being a video-first platform, we believe this is critical in order to meet the expectations of our audiences, which will substantially aid in long-term discoverability and performance.
How are kids’ podcasts different from those for adults, aside from content?
Our kids’ podcasts are rich, scripted podcasts with immersive soundscapes that tend to be shorter than our podcasts for adults, which are often unscripted and personality driven, like Avatar: Braving the Elements. Our kids’ podcasts are, on average, between 15-25 minutes in length, while Braving the Elements is often more than 45 minutes.
We also ensure that our content is age appropriate and safe, with due consideration given to kids’ regulatory and industry parameters.
What has Nick’s most popular podcast been, and what made it a success?
Our most popular podcast is Story Time with Josh & Blue. Across audio platforms and YouTube, we’ve had a combined 38 million downloads and views. The podcast is often in the top lists for kids and family podcasts, and we continue to see a very consistent and loyal audience each month (shoutout to the “Bedtime for Ooglah Booglah” fans).
Its success boils down to both the type and quality of content. Bedtime podcasts are some of the most popular podcasts for kids and families as they fill a very specific need. Story Time with Josh & Blue strikes the right balance with familiar voices delivering great stories in a calming, soothing way. It also helps that we have catchy songs, making the podcast a perfect companion to get preschoolers in the right headspace for rest.
