SOUND INSIGHTS is the first agency dedicated to creating the next ‘Must Listen’
We help creators craft “must-listen” audio content through a unique approach that unites ‘creative vision’ with ‘deep audience understanding’.
How We Help You Succeed
From guiding the next content success at NPR, BBC, & Audible, we've developed proven approaches that help audio creators and decision-makers through every stage of development:
Transform Cultural Insights into winning concepts
Validate Ideas with real audience feedback
Identify the right Talent partnerships
Build devoted Listener communities
Guide your Audio into exceptional Listening Experiences
Why Our Approach Works
In today's saturated audio landscape, success demands more than creativity alone. We bridge the gap between creative instinct and audience understanding through a unique data framework that enhances rather than constrains your artistic vision:
Understanding listener behaviour isn't about choosing one perfect data source—it's about weaving together multiple perspectives to reveal the complete picture.
Our framework combines five distinct types of data, each providing unique insights that reveal the complete picture:
We're Here to Help You Create the Next 'Must Listen'
Whether you're:
A commissioner seeking data-driven validation for your next big investment
A producer looking to enhance your content's audience appeal
A marketer aiming to transform listeners into advocates
Sound Insights provides the research, tools, and insights you need to succeed in today's competitive audio landscape.
The Audio Challenge Today
Think about this:
More than 3,000 new podcasts launch every week
Each one hopes to find its audience
Each one competes for listener attention
And that's just podcasts – add audiobooks, audio dramas, and radio talk shows to the mix, and the challenge becomes clear
What Makes This Tough?
Market Saturation
The ‘Spoken Word Audio’ world is getting crowded. Your content isn't just competing with other audio – it's competing with everything that demands listener attention.
Shifting Listener Habits
Today's listeners jump between podcasts, audiobooks, and other formats. They're pickier about where they spend their time. And they expect audio to speak directly to them and their interests.
Audio Investment Risks
Creating quality audio content takes time and money. But without the right audience insights, even great creative ideas can miss the mark.
These conditions require a new approach.
Most audio creators rely on limited data sources—typically just metrics or basic surveys. But in today's complex landscape, understanding your audience requires a more sophisticated approach. That's why Sound Insights developed a multi-dimensional data methodology that captures the complete picture of audience behavior and preference.
Why This Matters Now
Every day you wait:
More competitors enter your space
Listener habits keep evolving and changing
Content creation costs keep rising
The good news? You don't have to navigate these challenges alone.
Bridging Instinct & Insight
We believe in the power of creative instinct.
We also know that in today's complex audio landscape, instinct works best when powered by deep audience understanding.
Our approach doesn't constrain creativity – it amplifies it with the power of knowledge and insight.
Our Proven Five-Stage Toolkit
INSPIRE
We tap into the cultural zeitgeist to fuel your next creative success.
Our trend analysis looks beyond surface-level data to uncover emerging listener appetites and needs.
Understanding what's driving cultural shifts helps you stay ahead of the curve, not just follow it.
VALIDATE
Smart investment in audio content starts with knowing what resonates.
We test concepts with real listeners, gathering actionable feedback that helps you identify your best ideas and hidden gems.
This approach has guided the development of award-winning audio content across multiple genres and formats.
ELEVATE
Finding the right talent and IP partnerships to amplify your impact.
We measure audience demand and appetite across countries, helping you make confident partnership decisions that transform good content into ‘Must Listen’ content.
Why This Approach Works
Our methodology brings together decades of experience across public broadcasting, commercial audio, and digital platforms. We've seen the industry evolve from traditional radio to today's dynamic audio landscape, and we understand what it takes to succeed at every stage.
Each step in our process is designed to answer crucial questions about your content:
Each step in our process answers crucial questions about your content:
Will it resonate with today's listeners? [INSPIRE]
Does it stand out in a crowded market? [VALIDATE]
How can we amplify its impact? [ELEVATE]
Who will connect with it most deeply? [CONNECT]
How can it be even better? [OPTIMISE]
CONNECT
Great audio deserves to find its audience.
We craft detailed listener personas that go beyond basic demographics, helping you understand not just who your listeners are, but why they listen.
This deep understanding helps turn casual listeners into devoted advocates.
OPTIMISE
The listening experience matters.
Through careful testing with real audiences, we help you fine-tune your content to create truly engaging moments.
Our approach identifies both what's working and what could work better, giving you clear direction for improvements.
Solutions for You to Succeed
In today's complex audio landscape, different roles face different challenges. Our deep industry experience helps us understand and address the specific needs of each key stakeholder in the audio creation process.
For Commissioners: Making Confident Investment choices
The pressure to pick winners in today's saturated audio market is intense. Every investment decision carries weight, and you need solid data to back your creative instincts.
We help you:
Discover emerging audience opportunities before competitors
Validate concept potential with real audience feedback
Identify your most promising ideas with breakthrough potential
Build investment cases backed by robust audience insights
For Producers: Crafting Content That Connects
Creating compelling audio content is both art and science. You need to maintain creative vision while ensuring your content truly resonates with listeners.
We support your creative process by:
Understand what makes content genuinely engaging
Gain actionable insights for content refinement
Measure and improve listener engagement
Create experiences that keep audiences coming back
For Marketers: Finding and Growing Your Audience
In a world where thousands of new audio offerings launch each week, getting your content noticed and building a loyal audience is harder than ever.
We empower your marketing by:
Developing deep understanding of your target listeners
Create messaging that truly resonates
Build stronger listener loyalty and advocacy
Drive sustained audience growth
Your Success Is Our Mission
Whether you're launching a new podcast, developing an audiobook series, or creating innovative audio content, we provide the insights and guidance you need to succeed in today's competitive landscape.
Trusted by Industry Leaders
With 25+ years of experience transforming ideas into gold across spoken word audio, we've helped shape some of the industry's most successful content strategies. Our work spans public service broadcasting, commercial audio, and digital platforms.
What Industry Leaders Say
"Sound Insights is a trusted research and insights partner. Ben & his partners excel at refining business questions and precisely scoping projects to align with our strategic objectives. Their tailored approach and industry-specific insights has quickly made them an invaluable resource."
Eloise Elandaloussi, Content Director, Tonies
"What set Ben apart was his ability to turn business challenges into scalable research solutions and translate research outcomes into actionable insights for our content and marketing teams.”
Jess Radburn, Head of Audio On-Demand, ABC Radio
Many more testimonials from clients and testimonials can be found on the About page
Industry Experience That Counts
Our expertise comes from working with:
Public Service Leaders: NPR, BBC, BBC World Service
Top Universities: Stanford Graduate Business School
Commercial Giants: Audible, Prime Video, Tonies
Innovation Partners: Leading podcast networks and audio content creators
Ready to Create Your Next Success?
Join the industry leaders who trust Sound Insights to guide their audio content strategy.
Let's Create Your Next Audio Success
Whether you're exploring new concepts, evaluating talent partnerships, or seeking deeper audience understanding, we're here to help.
Schedule a discovery call or share your specific needs below.
Let's turn your audio ambitions into reality.