Another year has come and gone, and 2023 has started off with a bang in the podcasting industry. Here is a round-up of podcast-related updates from January:
Megaphone (Spotify) published its 2022 Podcast Trends Report and 2022 seemed to be the year of diversification in the industry. According to their trends report, the data states:
- Podcasts are no longer only popular among 25-54 year-olds, but also among younger and older demographics. Spotify saw the highest growth in unique listeners among people aged 13-17 and 55+.
- Listeners in various nations seem to be motivated to improve themselves, both physically and mentally, resulting in increased listenership for genres such as Health & Fitness and Religion & Spirituality.
- As more people listen to audio content while driving, on smart speakers and smart TVs, the possibility of shared listening experiences is on the rise.
Podtrac, an analytics company, has introduced a new feature for its paying customers, providing rankings for all shows associated with their account and access to historical show-level rankings. However, this feature is only available to “Grow Your Show” subscribers.
A small but significant change came with the release of iOS 16.2: the “+” button is now distinctly marked “+ Follow” in Apple Podcasts. Listeners follow shows to add them to their Library, obtain new episodes, and be informed when they’re available. This is the perfect time to remind you that your call to action at the end of your show is an essential part of growing your audience. Make sure you are reviewing this!
Buzzsprout releases monthly platform stats on their website where you can find information about monthly downloads, active podcasts, how people are consuming podcasts most and through which podcast apps. They also released their Year in Review: The Best and Surprising Podcast Stories of 2022 which is a great recap of everything podcast related from last year.
On which days do new episodes of podcasts in your genre typically release? Podchaser uses data from the past six months to determine the most and least popular days for publishing podcasts, which you can find HERE. If you’re not interested in downloading the report, the data shows that Business podcasts release the most on Wednesdays, Health & Fitness and Educational podcasts release the most on Mondays and News podcasts release the most on Thursdays.
Tom Webster wrote about Brand Safety, Suitability and Podcasting’s Superpower in a recent Sounds Profitable. He explains the importance of being aware of what you publish to avoid any controversy.
Pacific Content released its 2023 Podcast Industry Forecast where 30 experts weigh in on the future of podcasting. They go over topics such as where the money is, who is listening in 2023 and what podcasting formats we may see more of this year.
With transcripts becoming an essential part of many podcasters’ show notes pages, Podpage has written about finding the right transcription service for you. We have also written a blog post about why we believe you need a transcription service, which you can find HERE.
With so many businesses creating podcasts, now is an important time to ensure the copyright date in your podcast’s RSS feed has been updated to reflect the changing of the year. You can read more about the importance of this in this article written specifically about copyright laws.
Lauren Passell and Arielle Nissenblatt have written an article titled “Podcast marketing and publishing: what’s in and what’s out for 2023?” for Podcast Marketing Magic. In this article, they share that in-depth show notes and transcripts for every episode are “in,” while over-promotion and not having a trailer with your launch plan are “out.”
According to a Morning Consult survey, 46% of podcast listeners prefer podcasts with video, compared with 42% who said they would rather listen without video. Reasons cited include the ability to see facial expressions and reactions from hosts and guests, as well as the ability to better focus on the podcast. Unsurprisingly, the survey also found that YouTube was the most popular podcasting platform among listeners.
Pro Tip:
Videos for your podcast are in! Ask us about how we are helping our clients post their podcast video recordings to YouTube by scheduling a call with us.
Founder and Chief Podcast Educator at Cashflow Podcasting. Ben specializes in helping thought leaders and entrepreneurs amplify their impact through podcasting. He’s a world traveller, outdoor sports junkie and future enthusiast!