Podcasting is price $25 billion industryand the hottest podcasts have a lot in common – from length, through the variety of episodes, to graphic design.
New research from software company Podcastle highlights these similarities, giving new and experienced podcast creators a higher likelihood of making a successful show.
US focused test used Apple Podcasts charts to find the hottest podcasts, then examined data for the week starting April 15. To complement the findings, Podcastle also surveyed 1,000 podcast listeners.
The study found that the top reason Americans want to start a podcast this 12 months is “profit,” which may also be a lucrative side hustle.
Jannese Torres, founding father of the personal finance podcast, I need moneyshared with CNBC as of earlier this month, it’s averaging $37,394 in monthly revenue, thanks in part to podcast promoting. June 2022 Bloomberg a report revealed that some podcasters were making $18,000 a month from white noise.
Here’s what else the study found about the hottest podcasts and the listeners who listen to them.
What do the hottest podcasts have in common?
The study found that the average length of the 250 hottest podcasts was 65 minutes. Of these, 68% used the hottest format – an interview, and 20% used the second hottest format – a detailed explanation of the topic.
The top 10 most successful genres are Society & Culture, Comedy & Humor, True Crime, News, Education, Business, Health & Wellness, Improvisation, Personal Development and Documentary.
Source: Podcast
The 50 most successful podcasts had hosts who spoke an average of 174 words per minute, with an average of 58 filler words equivalent to “um” and “like” per episode.
Podcast introductions for these top performers ranged from 30 to 59 seconds in length, with half adding an ad to them.
Most of the top 50 podcasts (60%) had greater than one host. Nearly three out of 4 of the top 50 podcasts had at least one guest on the show.
In terms of covers, the top 50 had more black and blue on their covers than any other color, and 52% of covers didn’t have a photo of the host.
Although each podcast cover used a unique font, only 38% used a daring font.
Most individuals who want to start a podcast are motivated by the potential for earnings (34%) or the opportunity to express their creativity through a podcast (26%).
Who listens to podcasts?
According to Podcastle, podcast listeners have grown by almost 70% since 2019, and there are over three million energetic podcasts worldwide.
The majority of podcast listeners (64%) normally listen to Spotify, while 34% select Apple Podcasts. A smaller percentage (6%) use YouTube Music.
Most indicated they returned to the show because the hosts or guests provided entertainment (69%) and offered new information or perspectives (70%). 36% of listeners got here back because of the host’s knowledge on a given topic.
Most podcast listeners are doing something else while listening. More than one in 4 listeners (28%) cooked or did housekeeping, and greater than one in five (22%) commuted to work or school.
Listeners indicated that podcast hosts should avoid too many ads or poor audio quality in particular. Too much promoting turns off generational listeners – 70% of Americans cite it as the primary reason they are discouraged from podcasting.
Nearly half of all listeners surveyed said poor sound quality caused them to stop listening.
Source: Podcast